Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland

Rising 244 feet above the streets of Reykjavik is Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Iceland. It is situated in the capital city’s center and has become one of Reykjavik’s best known symbols.

The Lutheran church has a stylised concrete exterior inspired by the distinctive basalt formations found throughout Iceland, such as the waterfall Svartifoss. This gives the building an appearance more akin to a space ship then a place of worship, and makes it a unique feature of Reykjavik’s skyline. Although construction began in 1945, the church took 38 years to build, as many parts of the church were consecrated and in use at different times.

Besides its stunning exterior, its most famous feature inside is a huge organ that was built in Germany in 1992, boasting 5,275 pipes. It is 15 metres tall and weighs 25 tons. Along with an exploration of the inside of the Hallgrimskirkja, the bell tower, which is accessible via an elevator, provides the best views in the city.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/40773ce2/sc/10/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Challgrimskirkja/story01.htm

Charged an extra $134 for my car because I’m an hour late

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/charged-extra-134-car-im-hour-late/

AND WE’RE OFF! Dad’s Surprise Round The World Trip Is Underway!

I don't remember the last time I've been this excited about a trip. For that matter, I don't remember the last time I planned a trip a year in advance.

For those of you not up to date, my dad has a "round number" birthday this month. I love my parents more than anything, so I wanted to plan something really special around it. Last year my mom had a "round" birthday and I took her on an amazing trip to Bali, though I think this trip with my dad might just top that.

The post AND WE’RE OFF! Dad’s Surprise Round The World Trip Is Underway! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/dads-surprise-round-world-trip-underway/

Coming Soon to Zanzibar: The Park Hyatt

Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous Tanzanian island in East Africa, is arguably one of the world’s most exotic and beautiful destinations. Even though there are numerous highly rated and regarded hotels on the island, not a single Zanzibar hotel is part of any of the major international hotel chains. Therefore, using hotel points for accommodations in Zanzibar […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/11/a-park-hyatt-coming-to-zanzibar.html

Surfacing: A Cultural Escape North of Melbourne

Bendigo, a town that struck it rich in Australia’s 19th-century gold rush, has other riches to offer now.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4075f7b2/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C110C160Ctravel0Ca0Ecultural0Eescape0Enorth0Eof0Emelbourne0Eaustralia0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Finding Better Card Offers In-Branch, Delta’s New First Class Seat, and Spend the Night in an Aircraft Hotel Room

News and notes from around the interweb: Delta’s new domestic first class seat As I write this I’m more than 100 miles from the nearest Chase branch, so I can’t verify any of this myself, but a report of some good signup offers for credit cards available only in-person in-branch> Spend the night in a […]

The post Finding Better Card Offers In-Branch, Delta’s New First Class Seat, and Spend the Night in an Aircraft Hotel Room appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/finding-better-card-offers-branch-deltas-new-first-class-seat-spend-night-aircraft-hotel-room/

Australia Part 1: Savannah to Sydney On Delta Airlines

I traveled to Australia in September to spend some time with my son Andrew, who lives in Sydney. Our plans were to get out of city and see Ayers Rock (Uluru), travel the Great Ocean Road and spend a couple days in Tasmania. I started with an award booking to Sydney on Delta Airlines after […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/11/savannah-to-sydney-on-delta-airlines.html

Cultured Traveler: In Ethiopia’s Capital, a Resurgent Jazz Scene

Several venues featuring different jazz styles have sprung up in Addis Ababa in recent years, more than two decades after an evening curfew was lifted.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/40753fb1/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C110C160Ctravel0Cin0Eethiopias0Ecapital0Ea0Eresurgent0Ejazz0Escene0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Travis’ Accident Part 2: Flight In The Black Hawk

“Colorado Air National Guard has accepted the mission.”

Those were the words that came over Ruth’s radio as she called base for the morning check-in. The excitement on the mountain was palpable. Not only had survived the night, but now I had a first class ticket off the mountain. It was close to 7 AM by now and the chopper crew had said they would be leaving soon, meaning there wasn’t much time to get ready.

In the tradition of One Mile at a Time, this is my review of the Black Hawk flight -- the best flight of my life.

The post Travis’ Accident Part 2: Flight In The Black Hawk appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/travis-accident-part-2-flight-in-the-black-hawk/

Traveling Troubadour: Mulatu Astatke

In the 1970s, Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke made waves when he introduced a new style of music that layered jazz improvisation with Ethiopian folk rhythms and its traditional five-note scale. Now 70, the father of Ethio-jazz is still mixing things up.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/13/traveling-troubadour-mulatu-astatke/

Facebook simplifies understanding of privacy controls

After years of constant criticism for not offering sufficient granular controls for managing privacy, the world’s largest social network is finally delivering ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/facebook-simplifies-understanding-privacy-controls-social-network/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=facebook-simplifies-understanding-privacy-controls-social-network

Journey to the Center of Snæfellsjökull

In 1864, the French novelist Jules Verne published one of his most ambitious works—"Journey to the Center of the Earth." Though Verne was widely regarded for the meticulous scientific research that informed his writing, what he posited in "Journey" has been rejected: namely, that volcanic tubes lead to the Earth’s core. This, of course, hasn’t stopped curious travelers from exploring the book’s geological protagonist: Iceland's Snæfellsjökull.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/13/journey-to-the-center-of-snaefellsjokull/

Review: US Airways Business Class A330 London Heathrow to Charlotte

I was quite looking forward to this flight for two reasons:

-- The last time I flew US Airways business class was from Charlotte to Paris about a year ago, and the service was amusingly bad, so I was curious if that was the exception or the norm

-- Given the merger with American and the "standardizing" of products, I was curious how the offerings differed from my flight last year

Upon boarding through door 2L I was pointed left into the business class cabin. US Airways has the most primitive form of reverse herringbone seats of any airline, and that's actually a compliment. Reverse herringbone seats are my favorite type of business class hard product, and US Airways is the airline that first offered these seats.

So while the seats aren't quite as snazzy as the "evolved" versions of the product available on American, Cathay Pacific, and EVA, etc., it's still a fantastic product.

The post Review: US Airways Business Class A330 London Heathrow to Charlotte appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/review-us-airways-business-class-a330-london-heathrow-to-charlotte/

United Increases Revenue Requirements for Elite Status

United has updated their elite qualification critieria at united.com to show that next year the minimum spending requirement to earn elite status will go up for each status level by 20%. That’s the exact percentage that Delta is raising their requirement. So United isn’t looking at their elite ranks and figuring out at what spend […]

The post United Increases Revenue Requirements for Elite Status appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/united-increases-revenue-requirements-elite-status-monkey-see-monkey-edition/

The Behind-the-Scenes with Air New Zealand Video hits tomorrow!

The New Show Starts in 3 Days! Come Find Out More and Support the Show! You can get in on the fun for just 1 penny! Any little bit is awesome! And if you put in $1, you’ll get to see the show a week early! The Premiere episode is going to be Monday, Nov […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/11/13/the-behind-the-scenes-with-air-new-zealand-video-hits-tomorrow/

The Getaway: Tips for Last-Minute Holiday Travel

Haven’t made your plans for traveling around Thanksgiving and Christmas? Here’s some advice to help you make savvy choices.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4073a749/sc/36/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C110C160Ctravel0Ctips0Efor0Elast0Eminute0Eholiday0Etravel0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Lufthansa Frankfurt To Tampa Flights Starting Fall 2015

Woohoo, dreams come true! Except when they do they're rarely as you imagine.

I lived in Tampa for over a decade, and when I did I had three realistic "dream" routes out of Tampa International Airport (key word being realistic, though I would've certainly taken an Emirates A380 nonstop flight to Dubai as well):

-- Alaska to Seattle

-- American to Los Angeles

-- Lufthansa to Frankfurt

The first two came true. Alaska launched service between Tampa and Seattle back in June. Too bad I don't really have a need to fly to Seattle anymore. And American's flight between Tampa and Los Angeles launched just last week.

Lufthansa was more of a stretch, but I figured it was always a possibility. What could be better than taking a shower at home and having caviar a couple of hours later enroute to Frankfurt. Or for that matter, going to the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and then taking a nonstop flight home. Sounds good, right?

The post Lufthansa Frankfurt To Tampa Flights Starting Fall 2015 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/lufthansa-frankfurt-to-tampa-flights-starting-fall-2015/

Please Cast Your Ironic Vote for View from the Wing!

Chrstopher Elliott is running a poll about the best travel blog. Somewhat surprisingly, I’m nominated. Now, I can’t imagine actually winning a best blog award voted on by his readers. Goodness knows he and I have had our disagreements in the past, and our audiences – who our writings are likely to appeal to – […]

The post Please Cast Your Ironic Vote for View from the Wing! appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/please-cast-ironic-vote-view-wing/

“The Voice In Your Head Isn’t Lying” : Sara Lovett’s Quest

Before it became a popular social media experiment, Sara Lovett had an original idea: to reconnect with her 166 Facebook friends in person. She quit her job, got in her car (sometimes with her poodle, Stanley), and drove across three countries to see everyone.



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/the-voice-in-your-head-isnt-lying/

6 reasons to love Atlanta

OK, we know. If you've traveled to, or through, Atlanta, you probably have one of two impressions.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/travel/reasons-to-love-atlanta/index.html

In Transit Blog: A Freud Museum Exhibition Plumbs Meanings

The Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna is the site of an exhibition by the artist Brandt Junceau.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/40736233/sc/38/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C110C130Ca0Efreud0Emuseum0Eexhibition0Eplumbs0Emeanings0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Bono OK after mid-flight scare

Did we almost lose Bono? A part of the airplane flying the U2 lead singer from Dublin to Berlin was missing when the aircraft landed at Berlin Schonefeld Airport.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/13/travel/bono-airplane-mishap/index.html

Shepard Fairey’s Favorite Street Art Cities

Artist and graphic design activist Shepard Fairey gets his best inspiration from Hong Kong’s mix of Chinese and Western signage, iconography, and architecture. We asked him to point out other cities that go the extra mile to support their urban arts communities. Here are three.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/13/shepard-faireys-favorite-street-art-cities/

Buy US Airways Miles For 1.88 Cents Each!

Earlier today I wrote about the Buy MIles promotions being offered by both American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles through November 30, 2014.

As of October, US Airways has changed the way they sell miles, in the sense that they'll apparently no longer be offering a 100% bonus on purchased miles. Instead they've kind of met somewhere in the middle in terms of how the two loyalty programs have approached selling miles. Under the current promotion they're selling miles for as little as ~2.06 cents each.

However, reader Jay pointed out that apparently US Airways is still offering a 100% bonus on purchased miles for those with the US Airways Premier World MasterCard®. The promotion can be found after logging in at usairways.com/mcwelcome, and is valid through December 31, 2014.

The post Buy US Airways Miles For 1.88 Cents Each! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/13/buy-us-airways-miles-1-88-cents/

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XIX

I. Around the World Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter. One Man’s Long Ride Across the Americas from Calgary to Brazil — An epic, two-year journey on horseback The Literary Salon in a Brooklyn Bar — When next in NYC, have a drink and…



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

TripAdvisor begins integrating Viator listings with tour comparisons

After acquiring Viator for $200 million earlier this year, TripAdvisor has begun to integrate Viator into its core platform. The first integration ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/tripadvisor-begins-integrating-viator-listings-tour-comparisons/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tripadvisor-begins-integrating-viator-listings-tour-comparisons

Thursday Giveaway: $100 iTunes Gift Card – Five Winners!

Just a few short weeks ago, we launched our new TPG To Go app, and the response has been amazing! Speaking to readers and learning about how they utilizing the app to help maximize their life, learn about their spending and earn points and miles faster than ever! Our new app is free to download […]



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2014/11/thursday-giveaway-100-itunes-gift-card-five-winners/

In Transit Blog: On the Trail of Paddington Bear

The Paddington Trail in London features statues of the adventurous bear designed by celebrities like Benedict Cumberbatch and Kate Moss.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4072c707/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C110C120Con0Ethe0Etrail0Eof0Epaddington0Ebear0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

10 dates people from Queens go on

1. The Coffee Shop Date: Queens residents love their caffeine, and we've got plenty of cozy coffee houses perfect for an awkward, alcohol-free first date.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/nights/10-dates-people-queens-go/

Personal Journeys: A Guide to Tokyo, From an Outsider (and Insider)

The author, who once lived in Tokyo, shares some of her favorite spots, as well as her struggles with alienation in the city.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4072bf63/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C110C160Ctravel0Ca0Eguide0Eto0Etokyo0Efrom0Ean0Eoutsider0Eand0Einsider0E0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm