Does she deserve a refund for this Princess cruise?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/case-dismissed-2/deserve-refund-princess-cruise/

Red Prayers

A Red Votive I think it’s interesting how Asian cultures do the sort of thing you see below and Western cultures use votives. I think it’s also interesting how both are red. It seems to be a fairly convenient way for the masses to contribute and be part of the movement. Daily Photo – Red […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/08/26/red-prayers/

Can Hotels Read Minds?!?

Last week I wrote a post entitled "Hospitality Happens At The Margins." The post was based in part on a Bloomberg interview with a Starwood VP, who was emphasizing the importance of basically "customizing" stays, because apparently 2% of their guests generate 30% of their profits. I explained that a large portion of my perception of travel brands isn't shaped by the 90% of the time that stuff goes as planned, but rather the few times that an employee goes out of their way to make me smile.

I gave the example of the hotel I frequent more than any other -- the Grand Hyatt Tampa -- and how they surprised me last week with a welcome amenity consisting of Diet Coke with lime and nuts. I've always chosen points as the amenity at this property so certainly wasn't expecting that. Not only was it a great gesture as such, but the attention to detail is what really put a smile on my face -- the limes, the fact that it was Diet Coke rather than Diet Pepsi (which is the Hyatt brand standard), and the nuts. Those are three of my favorite things!

The post Can Hotels Read Minds?!? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/can-hotels-read-minds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=can-hotels-read-minds

Frugal Travel Guy Writers Take the Ice Bucket Challenge

After being nominated last Friday, Frugal Travel Guy founder Rick Ingersoll took the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS. He nominated all the Frugal Travel Guy writers to take on the challenge too: Howie, Ariana, Christine, Holly and Miguel. So far, Howie and Miguel have taken it on and we’ve got the video to prove it. […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/08/frugal-travel-guy-writers-take-the-ice-bucket-challenge.html

Does a Passenger Have a Right to Recline Their Seat in Coach?

Scott Mayerowitz reports that a United flight was diverted today when a fight broke out onboard. One passenger was using the ‘knee defender’ to stop the passenger in front from reclining their seat. The flight from Newark to Denver diverted to Chicago, where the TSA deemed it “a customer service issue.” The flight continued to […]

The post Does a Passenger Have a Right to Recline Their Seat in Coach? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/passenger-right-recline-seat-coach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=passenger-right-recline-seat-coach

Off the beaten path in Peru

Slide your feet into high rubber boots to trek through the mud, explore the jungle (by flashlight at night if you’d prefer), paddle around hidden lakes, and fish for piranha.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/7-ways-get-beaten-path-peru/

Are you a “me first” traveler?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/elliotts-email/first-traveler/

Are You A Traveler Or A Vacationer?

Preparing for our current Asia trip got me thinking about what we were actually doing and what we wanted our goal for this trip to be. What indeed was the goal? Initially the goal for me and Sara was to take a trip together and experience some neat travel products including First Class on Lufthansa […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/08/traveling-vs-vacation.html

How Iberia Made Us Believe They Devalued — When They Simply Got More Transparent

Iberia published new, much more expensive award charts for travel on partner airlines this month. That was pretty scary, not because Iberia points were worth less (nobody cares), but because of what it could mean for British Airways points. The two programs are structured similarly. The airlines are jointly owned. And points transfer between the […]

The post How Iberia Made Us Believe They Devalued — When They Simply Got More Transparent appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/iberia-made-us-believe-devalued/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=iberia-made-us-believe-devalued

Lake of Dreams, Burning Man

Burning Man is for people to come together and experience moments that are meant to remain in Black Rock City, forever.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/burning-man-stripped/

Do You Have to Take a Terrible Job Just Because You Went to College?

I often enjoy the Ethicist column by Chuck Klosterman. A recent column posed an interesting question: “Do I have an ethical duty to find a better job even if I’m unhappy with the work?” The letter writer explained that his or her parents had funded a college education, but it had only led to what…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/do-you-have-to-take-a-terrible-job-just-because-you-went-to-college/

In Transit Blog: A New York Food Tour With a Batali Touch

Walks of New York will offer the Mario Batali Signature Food Tour of Greenwich Village.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3dd82d11/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A80C250Ca0Enew0Eyork0Efood0Etour0Ewith0Ea0Ebatali0Etouch0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

How to decide where you've been

Have I NOT been in Vatican City, despite standing in St. Peter’s Basilica or the Sistine Chapel and soaking up their wonder?



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/rules-deciding-youve-havent/

In Transit Blog: Walkabout: Earthquake Rattles Napa and Its Wineries; Iceland Lowers Warning of Volcanic Eruption

A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3dd7bae3/sc/31/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A80C250Cwalkabout0Eearthquake0Erattles0Enapa0Eand0Eits0Ewineries0Eiceland0Elowers0Ewarning0Eof0Evolcanic0Eeruption0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Free Lufthansa Miles, Uses for 85 United Miles, Barefoot Pilots and the Future of Credit Card Apps

News and notes from around the interweb: How banks are trying to make it easier to apply for credit cards via mobile A Hertz perk you might not know about. I used to get this all the time from Avis back when I had their top status. Beta testing United’s Wi-fi Based Inflight Entertainment System […]

The post Free Lufthansa Miles, Uses for 85 United Miles, Barefoot Pilots and the Future of Credit Card Apps appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/free-lufthansa-miles-uses-85-united-miles-future-credit-card-apps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-lufthansa-miles-uses-85-united-miles-future-credit-card-apps

Life without money

Heidemarie Schwermer trades clothing and goods for the things she needs.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/live-without-money-15-years/

Who Is Eligible For Delta American Express Sign-Up Bonus?

As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, American Express is offering some generous sign-up bonuses on their co-branded American Express cards through September 8, 2014: Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express 50,000 SkyMiles after making $1,000 in purchases within three months $50 statement credit after making Delta purchase within three months…

The post Who Is Eligible For Delta American Express Sign-Up Bonus? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/eligible-delta-american-express-sign-bonus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eligible-delta-american-express-sign-bonus

Cows Grazing at Keepers Pond in Blaenavon, Wales

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/08/24/cows-grazing-keepers-pond-blaenavon-wales/

Should I participate in a travel loyalty program?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/live-2/participate-travel-loyalty-program/

Mountain Hardwear CoolHiker Short Sleeve T: Ideal Go-Anywhere Travel Shirt

Join Vagabondish on Twitter and Facebook.

As an avid hiker, I’m damn loyal to just a handful of outdoor brands. Mountain Hardwear is one, as they manufacture some of my favorite travel/adventure wear. Their technical shirts have allowed me to pack far less than ever before, including just three shirts for a six-week trip to Africa. (Just a carry-on for a […]

The post Mountain Hardwear CoolHiker Short Sleeve T: Ideal Go-Anywhere Travel Shirt appeared first on Vagabondish.

from Vagabondish http://www.vagabondish.com/mountain-hardwear-mens-coolhiker-short-sleeve-t-travel-shirt/

4 things Americans say to Brits

“Our football is better than your football.”



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/4-awkward-things-americans-say-brits/

15 awe-inspiring forests [pics]

Forests make up 30% of Earth’s total land surface. Check out just how diverse they can be.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/15-awe-inspiring-forests-around-world/

How to piss off a Floridian

The Panhandle has a bunch of diverse accents. They can range from out-of-staters who say y'all to the super twang of water becoming wu-tur.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/piss-panhandle-floridian/

Guide to Thailand's best islands

These are the ones I return to, these are the ones I dream about—these, to me, are the country's most captivating islands.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/travel-guide-thailands-captivating-islands/

So is British Airways Going to Devalue their Program in a Big Way, or Not?

Last night I wrote that Iberia made major changes to its award chart. They created a separate award chart for partner airlines, such as oneworld members (and joint venture partners) American and US Airways. That’s a big deal because their program used to be more aligned with British Airways’, a way to buy cheap non-stop […]

The post So is British Airways Going to Devalue their Program in a Big Way, or Not? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/british-airways-going-devalue-program-big-way/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=british-airways-going-devalue-program-big-way

Flying Blue Now Transfer Partner Of Citi ThankYou Points

Last month Citi finally announced that holders of the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, Citi Prestige, and Citi Chairman cards would be able to transfer their ThankYou Points to airline partners.

As of today, Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program for Air France and KLM, has been added to the list of transfer partners.

The post Flying Blue Now Transfer Partner Of Citi ThankYou Points appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/flying-blue-transfer-partner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=flying-blue-transfer-partner

The latest 'experiential' travel trend

HLN's Susan Hendricks speaks with travel expert Kendra Thornton about a new travel trend embraced by young adults.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/08/25/wxp-intv-thornton-travel-trend.hln.html

A quick location-based hack to locate friends and colleagues worldwide

As Facebook has grown in scope, determining where in the world a friend or colleague is has become increasingly challenging. A quick ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/quick-location-based-hack-locate-friends-colleagues-worldwide/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=quick-location-based-hack-locate-friends-colleagues-worldwide

Walking Among the Dead at Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Death is not the end for the residents of Père-Lachaise in Paris. Their tombs and graves are gawked at every day by hundreds of camera-touting tourists seeking the cemetery’s famous and not-so-famous inhabitants. The cemetery was built in 1804 as the city ran out of room for new graves within its limits. It was named after Louis XIV’s confessor, Père François de la Chaise (1624–1709), who lived in a house near the cemetery land. At the time, the cemetery was […]

The post Walking Among the Dead at Pere Lachaise Cemetery appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/pere-lachaise-cemetery/

Conrad London St. James Now Accepting Reservations

As I explained back when it was announced that the Concourse Hotel LAX would be rebranded as the Hyatt Regency LAX, hotel management contracts can be fascinating.

Quite possibly the most interesting hotel management contract change of the year is at the InterContinental Westminster London, which only opened in late 2012. I guess it really wasn't working out for them, since the InterContinental Westminster is being rebranded as the Conrad St. James in September. Hotel management contracts are usually for at least a decade, so a lot has to go wrong for them to change so quickly. Rebranding a hotel is a big investment, so it's interesting that they think switching from an InterContinental to a Conrad will radically alter their occupancy and rates.

The post Conrad London St. James Now Accepting Reservations appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/conrad-london-st-james-now-accepting-reservations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=conrad-london-st-james-now-accepting-reservations

Adventure 101: Hang Gliding the Outer Banks

There’s a reason that the Wright brothers picked the Outer Banks to take their first flight: reliable breezes, wide open, non-vegetated spaces, and 100-foot dunes—the tallest on the Atlantic coast—where even novices can fly safely before alighting in soft sand. Your first flight in a hang glider “might just change your life,” says Andy Torrington, who has been teaching the sport near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, since 1991.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/25/adventure-101-hang-gliding-the-outer-banks/

Award Space Bonanza! Take Your Whole Family to Europe in Business Class!

A month ago I wrote that the new Turkish Airlines San Francisco – Istanbul route was wide open with award space. West Coast – Europe can be tough to get with miles, especially in premium cabins. But this new flight, operated 5 days a week, had business class award availability every day, in fact enough […]

The post Award Space Bonanza! Take Your Whole Family to Europe in Business Class! appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/award-space-bonanza-take-whole-family-europe-business-class/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=award-space-bonanza-take-whole-family-europe-business-class

Virtual tours now real-time with Georama’s unique live tours

Travel startup Georama has created a new product, a live video setup contained within a backpack that allows tour guides to offer ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/virtual-tours-now-real-time-with-georama-live-tours/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=virtual-tours-georama

How To Know If You Have Lounge Access On International Itineraries

For many of you, this is going to seem like an absolute no-brainer post, but I get questions and emails every day from people asking how to get airport lounge access.

This is actually quite complicated if you don’t have experience with the various alliances and rules, which is probably why people are often confused about the access rules. For that matter, a good portion of the time the lounge agents don’t seem to know the entrance policies, which certainly doesn’t make things any easier.

For the most part, lounge access is determined based on the class of service you’re flying, and the various airline alliances have some common rules that apply for travel on any of their member airlines.

The post How To Know If You Have Lounge Access On International Itineraries appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/know-lounge-access-international-itineraries/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=know-lounge-access-international-itineraries

Eating in Restaurants Alone

I eat at restaurants by myself all over the world. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me—in fact, I often enjoy it. A few tips: Bring something to do. I usually have my Tom Bihn laptop bag, so I have plenty of choices: actual laptop, New Yorker or Economist magazine, my paper notebook, reference…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/eating-in-restaurants-alone/

Hyatt Gold Passport’s Jeff Zidell Takes the #IceBucketChallenge: Clues About the Future of the Program?

Milepoint’s tommy777, Tommy Danielsen, passed on my challenge to him over to Jeff Zidell of Hyatt Gold Passport. And Jeff came through. Jeff challenges Suzanne Rubin of American Airlines, David Oppenheim at United, and Lance Evans at MGM. Can I read the tea leaves a bit here? David Oppenheim, who manages United’s partnerships (including credit […]

The post Hyatt Gold Passport’s Jeff Zidell Takes the #IceBucketChallenge: Clues About the Future of the Program? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/25/hyatt-gold-passports-jeff-zidell-takes-icebucketchallenge-clues-future-program/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hyatt-gold-passports-jeff-zidell-takes-icebucketchallenge-clues-future-program

Florence, Oregon: A charming coastal find

The charming old-world town along the Oregon Coast, where the Siuslaw River curves along its edges, offers spectacular natural views, and it is located along what is arguably the most beautiful and diverse section of the state's coastline.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/25/travel/exploring-florence-oregon/index.html

Watching the watchers: A spy's guide to Berlin

Spooks have left their mark on a once-divided city still thought to be an espionage hotbed.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/25/travel/berlin-spy-tour/index.html

Strike Three With My Marriott Business Card Application

As I wrote about last week, I’ve been around with my friends at Chase for several weeks now and my application for the now-expired 70K offer for the Marriott Rewards Business Card. My first application attempt resulted in a pending decision online notice and I followed up with the phone number in my wallet for […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/08/strike-three-with-my-marriott-business-card-application.html