Hey VRBO, what happened to the security deposit on my vacation rental?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/case-dismissed-2/hey-vrbo-happened-security-deposit-vacation-rental/

A view from the Pagoda in Yangshuo

Crazy Lightning Photos I think most awesome lightning photos are fake or very lucky. I guess I don’t know what I mean by fake. I guess if you combine a bunch of lightning over a 30 minute storm into one photo, then that crosses the line a little for me. Trying to get it all […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/10/07/a-view-from-the-pagoda-in-yangshuo/

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XIII

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/6-discoveries-from-near-and-far-volume-xiii/

A New Alternative to Bluebird Emerges! Don’t Eat That! And Two Other Things Not to Do…

News and notes from around the interweb: The new co-branded American Express and Target Prepaid REDcard which should let you load up to $72,000 per year. US to eliminate option to add pages to passports in 2016. Because the rest of the world stopped doing it, after pressure from the US. This can’t be a […]

The post A New Alternative to Bluebird Emerges! Don’t Eat That! And Two Other Things Not to Do… appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/new-alternative-bluebird-emerges/

Don’t you dare read this story!

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/dont-dare-read-story/

My 13+ Hour Flight Delay…

I'll have the full details tomorrow, but ouch. My flight was originally scheduled for 12:20AM, and is now scheduled to depart at 1:30PM.

Not sure what's worse:

-- A delay that long

-- That they didn't even spell the name of the destination city correctly

-- Being called a "pussy" and being told to "go f*ck myself" after trying to break up a pissing match between two guys in line who wanted to demonstrate their masculinity by out-cussing one another over what ultimately amounted to nothing

The post My 13+ Hour Flight Delay… appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/13-hour-flight-delay/

Naturally Occurring Hexagonal Basalt Columns at Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/10/06/naturally-occurring-hexagonal-basalt-columns-giants-causeway-northern-ireland/

Equipment Outage Snarls Air Traffic In Chicago

No air traffic moved into or out of O'Hare and Midway airports for about an hour.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/chicago-air-traffic-delays-flights-out-ohare-midway-disrupted-equipment-outage-1700145

In Transit Blog: A Cavalcade of Cocktails in London

London Cocktail Week has become a bustling festival, with a number of venues offering special drinks.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f2e49f6/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A60Ca0Ecavalcade0Eof0Ecocktails0Ein0Elondon0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Do Hotels Have A Duty To Communicate Tragedies?

I get a lot of interesting questions on the "Ask Lucky" page of the blog. Many of them I don't have an answer to, unfortunately, and I'm fine saying "sorry, I don't know." Once in a while I get a question where I'm just truly stumped, though.

A reader just asked me the following question, which falls in that category:

"Lucky, my wife and I are three months into a year-long trip around the world. We’ve mixed up our stays between hotels and homestays via AirBnB. As someone that is also living on the road, I want your opinion on a recent tragic event witnessed at a hotel in Vietnam.

A small child drowned in a hotel pool. We watched as a guest and a hotel staff member attempted to resuscitate the child. An ambulance arrived after several minutes and took the child for further care at a local hospital. Needless to say, my wife and I were completely shocked and traumatized. The imagery from this event not only clouded the rest of our stay, but will remain with us for a long time."

The post Do Hotels Have A Duty To Communicate Tragedies? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/do-hotels-have-a-duty-to-communicate-tragedies/

When Hotel Check-in is “A Time for Choosing”

I’m more than a little bit tired today, but that’s not important right not. I failed to take my own advice, and wound up making a poor choice last night. Here’s a travel conundrum: You arrive at a hotel at 1 a.m. You have to be up at 6 — although it would be better […]

The post When Hotel Check-in is “A Time for Choosing” appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/27868/

I Just Convinced My Brother To Fly 10 Hours in Coach

We’ve got over 5,000,000 points and miles in our combined accounts, yet I convinced my brother that the best thing to do was to pay for a ticket and fly coach. Now the back-story. My brother owns a small business and is headed to Australia for a business convention. His balance of flexible points with […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/10/i-just-convinced-my-brother-to-fly-10-hours-in-coach.html

12 dates Russians go on

Safety is usually compromised anytime you’re lucky enough to date someone with a car.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/nights/12-dates-russians-go/

Would You Eat A Salad From A Vending Machine?

I've been living in hotels full time for almost six months now and the way I see it there are two major downsides to it (while almost everything else is awesome):

-- Laundry. You don't appreciate how awesome having your own washer and dryer is until one of your biggest chores becomes figuring out how to do laundry.

-- Fresh food. I never thought I'd have cravings for yogurt or fresh fruit, but these things things are in short supply when living in hotels.

Anyway, I recently stayed at the Marriott O'Hare for FTU Advanced, and Magic of Miles pointed out to me an awesome feature of this hotel (which she has written about bef0re) -- the hotel has a healthy vending machine.

The post Would You Eat A Salad From A Vending Machine? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/would-you-eat-a-salad-from-a-vending-machine/

Meet the surfer inspiring Baja kids

La Maestra (The Teacher) is a surf documentary about a young Mexican woman who changes her community's beliefs about what girls and women can achieve.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/tv/meet-teacher-surfer-inspiring-kids-mexico/

Randy Petersen Calls Me Out: Should American Make a Revenue-Based Frequent Flyer Program Their IT Priority?

They say you should never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. Nevertheless last month I called out Randy Petersen‘s September editorial in Inside Flyer for suggesting that American get ready for a revenue-based program right away… contra the statements made by the airline’s CEO that the focus now is on […]

The post Randy Petersen Calls Me Out: Should American Make a Revenue-Based Frequent Flyer Program Their IT Priority? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/randy-petersen-calls-american-make-revenue-based-frequent-flyer-program-priority/

In Umbria, an Italian Olive Oil Worth the Accolades

Umbrian oil makes up only about 2 percent of Italy’s olive oil production but wins a far larger proportion of awards.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f2d195f/sc/36/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A80Cdining0Cin0Eumbria0Ean0Eitalian0Eolive0Eoil0Eworth0Ethe0Eaccolades0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: Walkabout: A Bird’s Eye View atop the Eiffel Tower; In-flight Food, Grounded

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

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f2d195e/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A60Cwalkabout0Ea0Ebirds0Eeye0Eview0Eatop0Ethe0Eeiffel0Etower0Ein0Eflight0Efood0Egrounded0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

5 Basics for Finding Cheap Airfare

If there is one question I get asked most frequently it’s “how do you find those cheap airfares?” Actually the question is more like this: “We need four tickets to Florida for spring break, can you get us some of those cheap fares you’re always finding?” I wish it was that simple. You’ve all read […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/10/5-basics-for-finding-cheap-airfares.html

Here’s what you really need to know about Ebola (in 4 minutes)

This video provides some quick insight, and shares ways we can help combat the virus from afar.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/heres-really-need-know-ebola-4-minutes/

Frequent Flier: A Seatmate Whose Face Can’t Quite Be Placed

Alyson Hogg, chief executive and founder of the self-tanning product line Vita Liberata, on unexpected seatmates.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f2cb4d6/sc/36/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A70Cbusiness0Ca0Eseatmate0Ewhose0Eface0Ecant0Equite0Ebe0Eplaced0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Is The Mileage “Game” Finally Dying?

At the end of the day frequent flyer programs are lucrative businesses in and of themselves, so the airlines would be dumb to mess with them too much. They literally control every aspect of the currency -- they control how many points are issued, how many points it takes to redeem for something, and even the inventory which can be redeemed for.

But if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm feeling less optimistic about this hobby than ever before, and it's mainly a function of so many negative changes happening at once. Individually I wouldn't think twice about them, and would just chalk it up to "evolution" in the hobby, but together they're a bit tougher to swallow.

What am I talking about?

Let me start by explaining how I earn miles. Unlike others, I don't do "manufactured spending." I find that for the most part it's only marginally "profitable," so it's not really something I do.

The post Is The Mileage “Game” Finally Dying? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/is-the-mileage-game-finally-dying/

A Touch of Glass in Connecticut

In the bedroom community of New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson’s landmark Glass House disappears and then rises from fog.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/06/a-touch-of-glass-in-connecticut/

In Transit Blog: Get a Room, Get Into a Food Festival

Guests who book a special package at the Hudson New York Hotel get tickets for popular events during the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f2c1f71/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A60Cget0Ea0Eroom0Eget0Einto0Ea0Efood0Efestival0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Compelling travel concepts fly into THack SFO

The latest edition of our ongoing THack series landed at San Francisco’s International Airport this weekend, taking over the impressive conference room ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/compelling-travel-concepts-fly-thack-sfo/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=compelling-travel-concepts-fly-thack-sfo

7 moments to embrace being a tourist

Every traveler has done something "touristy," so maybe we can quit ragging on the term.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/7-moments-embrace-tourist/

19 Reader Questions and Answers

Everyday I get asked hundreds of travel questions. My inbox is constantly full. It takes hours each day to answer them all. I’m not bothered because I enjoy answering people’s travel questions and helping others travel more. However, not every question merits a single 1,000 word blog post to answer it. Most travel questions have simple and short answers to them. Today, I’ve taken twenty questions that were asked on Facebook and and posted the answer here. So, without further […]

The post 19 Reader Questions and Answers appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/reader-travel-questions-answers/

$875 in Your Pocket is the Worst Case Scenario for the 70,000 Points You Can Get from Chase Ink Plus

I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, […]

The post $875 in Your Pocket is the Worst Case Scenario for the 70,000 Points You Can Get from Chase Ink Plus appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/worst-case-scenario-70000-points-can-get-chase-ink-plus/

Lessons from the Journey: Being Aware of Our Mortality Can Help Us Focus

From my own 193-country journey to the stories of many other people who were kindly willing to share, The Happiness of Pursuit attempts to extract and convey the lessons of modern-day quests. This series explores some of these lessons. Lesson: Every day matters. The awareness of our mortality can help us focus. We all have…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/being-aware-of-our-mortality-can-help-us-focus/

Review: Cathay Pacific “The Bridge” Business Class Lounge Hong Kong

We took a taxi to the airport, and arrived at around 10AM for our 1:20PM departure to Dallas.

I don't think there's a much more impressive check-in hall in the world than the one at Hong Kong Airport.

American's check-in counters were located in Row E, near the center of the terminal.

We used the first class check-in queue (which Executive Platinum members are allowed to use), and were checked in within a minute.

The post Review: Cathay Pacific “The Bridge” Business Class Lounge Hong Kong appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/review-cathay-pacific-the-bridge-business-class-lounge-hong-kong/

10 signs your mum is Italian

You grew up eating the best food in town. For an Italian mamma, food is more than just a basic human need; it's religion, culture, identity and love.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/10-signs-raised-italian-mother/

Hilton Sells Waldorf Astoria New York Hotel In $1.95B Sale To Anbang Insurance

Hilton plans to use its proceeds from the sale to open more properities in the U.S.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/hilton-sells-waldorf-astoria-new-york-hotel-195b-sale-anbang-insurance-renovation-planned-1699841

Man: TSA dumped mom's cremated ashes

A man is suing the TSA after he says he opened his suitcase to find his mother's ashes dumped out.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/10/05/dnt-tsa-dumps-ashes.wjw.html

Just Back: Scotland’s Outer Hebrides

National Geographic Traveler Executive Editor Norie Quintos just got back from cycling the length of Scotland's Outer Hebrides islands over four days on a small-group bicycle tour—and posting photos to Instagram along the way. Here are some of the highlights from her trip.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/06/just-back-scotlands-outer-hebrides/

Understanding, Aligning — and Gaming – Domestic Upgrades on American and US Airways

As the merger between American and US Airways continues apace, systems are being updated and policies are getting aligned. One area where we’ve already seen some alignment is domestic upgrades, with American elites eligible for complimentary upgrades on US Airways (as US Airways receive) albeit only at check-in, and US Airways elites eligible for upgrades […]

The post Understanding, Aligning — and Gaming – Domestic Upgrades on American and US Airways appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/understanding-aligning-gaming-domestic-upgrades-american-us-airways/

The loneliness of the travel writer

It’s long days hopping from hotel lobbies to galleries to a brewery. It’s early mornings and late nights, squeezing out words that may never be read.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/travel-writer-just-means-broke-lonely/

My Favorite Hyatt Category 4 Hotel

Possibly my all around favorite hotel brand in the world is Park Hyatt. Yes, ultimately there are more "high end" brands than Park Hyatt. For example, Aman Resorts are in a completely different league.

That being said, for me Park Hyatt strikes the perfect balance between luxury, understatement, and my love of points/hotel status. You can't redeem your hotel points for a stay at Amankila, but you can redeem your Hyatt Gold Passport points for any Park Hyatt in the world.

I've just wrapped up a quick stay at the Park Hyatt Seoul, which for me is the ultimate "brand standard" Park Hyatt. What do I mean by that? It's not the most over-the-top Park Hyatt in the world, but if I were to introduce someone to the Park Hyatt brand I'd bring them to this place. It just exemplifies everything I expect from the Park Hyatt brand, and then some.

You know the best part of the hotel, though? The Park Hyatt Seoul a Category 4 Gold Passport property, meaning you can use your annual free night from the Hyatt Visa here. If redeeming points it's just 15,000 Gold Passport points per night, or through Points + Cash it costs just $100 plus 7,500 Gold Passport points per night.

The post My Favorite Hyatt Category 4 Hotel appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/06/my-favorite-hyatt-category-4-hotel/

Open pricing and the future of revenue management

While hotel industry revenues continue to rise, commissions paid to third parties are growing twice as fast. Furthermore, companies like Priceline are ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/revenue-management-future-duetto/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=duetto-sc

These hotel bathrooms have style

From sinks to showers, hotel bathrooms are using luxe materials and plenty of space to seamlessly blend form and function.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/travel/hotel-bathroom-design/index.html

The most incredible hotel to open this year?

China's string of amazing hotel openings continues with the completion of the Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/05/travel/beijing-new-kempinski-hotel/index.html

Fed up with Big Data? Blame the socialists

SYSTEMS: Modern computer nerds (especially those from Silicon Valley) can’t take credit for every trend in technology, not least Big Data. In ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/big-data-socialism/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fed-big-data-blame-socialists

Will increased ebola screenings work?

Another American Ebola patient arrived in the United States on Monday, reminding the nation that the virus killing thousands of people in West Africa, will likely continue crossing U.S. borders.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/health/ebola-us/index.html