Opera View and New Years, Too: My Best Ultimate Rewards Redemptions

Ultimate Rewards points are one of the most popular rewards currencies out there thanks to their desirable transfer partners, flexible use and the ease of accrual. While they may have lost some of their luster in recent years due to the Hyatt and United devaluations, I still have fond memories of saving and redeeming them […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/02/my-best-ultimate-rewards-redemptions.html

Part of the US you should live in

Where should you live in America? Take our latest quiz to find out!



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/what-part-of-the-u-s-should-you-live-in-quiz/

Move over Google: Apple testing its own driverless car?

Vans registered to Apple have been roving the streets of San Francisco and Brooklyn, auspiciously recording their surroundings using a camera-laden setup ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/move-google-apple-testing-version-streetview/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=move-google-apple-testing-version-streetview

Thailand's Tiger Temple raided

The animals at Tiger Temple will receive the proper treatment they deserve:



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/thailands-tiger-temple-raided-hope-endangered-animals-starts-now/

Join Us on Friday, February 6—Virtually or In Real Life—for the 2015 Dining Dash

This Friday (two days from now!) I’ll be going on a mini-adventure to visit 12 restaurants in one day. You can follow along virtually, recreate the adventure in your own way, or even join me for the last stop of the evening in Portland, Oregon. Last year my travel hacking colleague Stephanie Zito and I…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/2015-dining-dash/

8 things we can learn from Indians

In India, it's recognized that family relationships are the only ties that will last a lifetime. That's pretty beautiful.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/8-things-americans-can-learn-from-indians/

Four Rewards Cards That Can Deliver You the Most Value

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 Four Rewards Cards That Can Deliver You the Most Value appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/four-rewards-cards-can-deliver-value/

What are the implications of true Open Internet for the travel industry?

Today marks a watershed moment in the fight for Net Neutrality in the United States, as the governing body in charge of ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/implications-true-open-internet-wi-fi-travel/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=implications-true-open-internet-wi-fi-travel

Finally! AA Waives Some Phone Booking Fees, Opens Premium Award Availability

Effective immediately, American Airlines will no longer impose a telephone booking fee for partner awards that cannot be booked online! This fee of $35 for international awards was particularly frustrating, given that less than half of American’s partners are searchable and bookable on the American website. As such, American had been imposing a telephone booking […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/02/finally-aa-waives-some-phone-booking-fees-opens-premium-award-availability.html

WayBlazer brings in industry heavy hitter as permanent CEO

From an industry giant to a newbie – former president of Sabre Hospitality, Felix Laboy, has been appointed CEO of new kid ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/wayblazer-felix-laboy-joins-CEO/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wayblazer-brings-industry-heavy-hitter-permanent-ceo

Raising kids around the world

Every culture has kids. Some just raise them better than others.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/9-incredible-lessons-parenting-around-world/

#NGTRadar: Travel Lately

Travel Lately—a roundup of the best new dispatches from the travel blogosphere—is a regular feature on Intelligent Travel every other Wednesday. You can play, too. Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTravel and tag your favorite travel stories #NGTRadar to help us find the crème de la crème on the Web.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/04/ngtradar-travel-lately-46/

36 Hours: What to Do in Anguilla­

The Caribbean island has no cruise ships, casinos or high-rise hotels. Its style is a perfect paradox: unfussy chic, barefoot elegance.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/430b2591/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A80Ctravel0Cwhat0Eto0Edo0Ein0E360Ehours0Eanguilla0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: In Phoenix, a Hoop Dance Contest Turns 25

The 25th annual Hoop Dance Contest will be held at the Heard Museum in Phoenix on Feb. 7 and 8.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/430b2593/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A40Cin0Ephoenix0Ea0Ehoop0Edance0Econtest0Eturns0E250C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Is Now The Time To Book Transaero First Class?

I'd argue I've flown just about all of the world's best first class products -- while I won't rank them, I'd argue that between ANA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Swiss, Singapore, etc., I have them mostly covered. Perhaps the one exception is Garuda Indonesia first class, which looks spectacular.

However, there are a few other airlines that have always intrigued me. And perhaps part of the reason these products intrigue me is because they're just about impossible to fly on miles.

For example, for years TAM first class wasn't bookable using miles. Then overnight they made virtually all seats available on miles, so I had the chance to try their product. Shortly thereafter they announced they would discontinue first class.

The post Is Now The Time To Book Transaero First Class? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/now-time-book-transaero-first-class/

'Star Wars 7' Attractions Coming To Disney Parks

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will be the focus of new attractions at Disney theme parks.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/star-wars-7-attractions-coming-disney-parks-ambitious-plans-be-revealed-soon-1805212

Cape Fur Seal in Namibia

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2015/02/03/cape-fur-seal-namibia/

What teaching in Finland taught me

We could all learn something from teacher Tim Walker's experiences.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/im-learning-american-teacher-finland/

You don’t need to call someone an a**hole to treat them like one

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/dont-need-call-someone-ahole-treat-like-one/

Earn Elite Status Without Flying, An Exciting Hotel Opening, and My Debate With Lucky and Cranky on the Future of Miles..

News and notes from around the interweb: The full schedule is up for the only major ‘Frequent Traveler University’ even of the year. Do airline loyalty programs have a future? Lucky from One Mile at a Time, Brett from Cranky Flier, and I debate this in an online forum. 5 Ways to Earn Elite Status […]

The post Earn Elite Status Without Flying, An Exciting Hotel Opening, and My Debate With Lucky and Cranky on the Future of Miles.. appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/earn-elite-status-without-flying-exciting-hotel-opening-debate-lucky-cranky-future-miles/

Frugal Traveler: Smart Travel Options for Mexican Adventures

Getting around Mexico via rental car, hired car, bus, small van or budget airline.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/430a537a/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A40Ctravel0Csmart0Etravel0Eoptions0Efor0Emexican0Eadventures0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

You learned drink in Charleston, SC

"You can open a beer bottle with an oyster shell." Damn...



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/nights/39-signs-you-learned-to-drink-in-charleston/

Lucky’s Lucky 7th: What’s A Party Without Cake?

Seven years is a long time to write a blog, and seven days is a long time to host giveaways.

So today we’ll make it easy on everyone. If you’re not already subscribed to my email newsletter, now’s your chance.

I’ll be randomly selecting seven subscribers to receive a birthday-themed surprise!

The post Lucky’s Lucky 7th: What’s A Party Without Cake? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/luckys-lucky-7th-whats-party-without-cake/

A Second Deadly Crash In 7 Months

“It’s too early to tell if the recent two TransAsia accidents have been unfortunate or if there’s an underlying safety threat.”



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/transasia-flight-235-crash-airlines-second-deadly-accident-seven-months-1805208

Harrowing vid of Taiwan plane crash

This is raw footage from a TransAsia Airways flight that went down yesterday shortly after takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/tv/harrowing-footage-taiwan-plane-crashing-bridge/

9 drunkest countries in the world

The drunkest country in the world is ___________________.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/nights/9-drunkest-countries-world/

Update: Graceland Is Taking Its Show on the Road

Elvis Presley’s estate will establish a second permanent home in Las Vegas, where the singer had some of his greatest triumphs.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/43096f54/sc/38/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A80Ctravel0Cgraceland0Eis0Etaking0Eits0Eshow0Eon0Ethe0Eroad0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Fliers, Analysts Skeptical On Business-Class-Only Airline

Analysts and frequent fliers are skeptical about La Compagnie, which aims to offer premium travel at affordable prices.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/can-frances-business-class-only-airline-la-compagnie-win-over-trans-atlantic-fliers-1804552

Now It’s American’s Turn: HURRY for Great Business Class Award Space to Europe!

Yesterday I wrote that US Airways had (briefly) opened the award floodgates for transatlantic business class space. Inventory had also been wide open for the weekend and two weeks ago we saw nearly whole cabins available. These weren’t glitches mis-pricing awards, these were opportunities to get awards at their regular prices — but on most […]

The post Now It’s American’s Turn: HURRY for Great Business Class Award Space to Europe! appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/now-americans-turn-hurry-great-business-class-award-space-europe/

Forget your hotel competitors, consumer demand is the way to set pricing

It’s a familiar scenario – and as a former hotelier, I’ve seen it played out many times before. Across the hospitality sector, ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/nsight-demand-driven-rate-strategy-new-way-win-revPAR/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nsight-sc-draft-test

Great News: American Business Class Awards To Europe Readily Available

Back in the day, American was among the most generous airlines when it came to releasing saver level premium cabin award space on their own flights, both domestically and internationally. At times it was almost bizarre how much award space they had.

Unfortunately that has slowly changed over time, to the point that they don't regularly release premium cabin longhaul international award space anymore. I wrote about this back in October 2013, and it has gotten even worse since then.

In many cases they won't make saver level award space available even day of departure with a completely empty cabin.

It's particularly bad to Europe, where I almost never see any award space on American metal. That's especially frustrating given that the main alternative for oneworld transatlantic travel is British Airways, and they impose hefty fuel surcharges on award tickets.

The post Great News: American Business Class Awards To Europe Readily Available appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/great-news-american-business-class-awards-to-europe-readily-available/

UK habits I lost moving to Argentina

Better get over that whole "punctuality" thing if you're a Brit living in Argentina.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/5-british-habits-lost-moved-argentina/

Florida manatees crowd out humans

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/04/travel/feat-manatees-crowd-three-sisters-springs-florida/index.html

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart”

From The Diary of Anne Frank: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/in-spite-of-everything-i-still-believe/

Signs you've been in Korea too long

"You're not embarrassed to take photos of anything, anywhere."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/13-signs-youve-korea-long/

US Airways Awards Once Again Bookable Online Using Avios

Last week I wrote about an issue whereby US Airways awards weren't bookable using Avios through British Airways' website.

For the most part US Airways awards continued to be bookable through British Airways' call center, though given their outrageously hold long times, that wasn't much of a consolation prize. My guess was that the glitch had something to do with US Airways aligning fare classes with American a couple of weeks back, and problems stemming from that.

Anyway, it looks like this glitch has finally been fixed, because as of yesterday US Airways awards are once again bookable through British Airways' website.

The post US Airways Awards Once Again Bookable Online Using Avios appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/us-airways-awards-bookable-online-using-avios/

Today’s TransAsia Crash Video Footage Caught on Dash Cam

TransAsia Airways flight GE 235, an ATR-72 operating a domestic flight from Taipei to Kinmen crashed shortly after taxi after hitting a taxi and a bridge before landing into a river. Five crew and 53 passengers (22 Taiwanese and 31 Chinese tourists from Xiamen) were onboard. Reports are that the pilots communicated with air traffic […]

The post Today’s TransAsia Crash Video Footage Caught on Dash Cam appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/todays-transasia-crash-video-footage-caught-dash-cam/

Cleartrip sees strength in the weekend

Cleartrip‘s latest quarterly look at accommodation trends shows that transactions have grown by nearly 100% in a year, driven by a trend ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/cleartrip-weekend/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cleartrip-draft

The incredible park that became artist's 'final act'

The final work of iconic Japanese-American artist Isuma Noguchi is one of the most intriguing parks in the country.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/travel/cnngo-hokkaido-moerenuma-park-noguchi/index.html

The buildings have eyes! Eerie graffiti creates cash cow

Graffiti was once an underground expression of youthful rebellion. Now, local businesses and government officials are embracing the art form.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/travel/graffiti-muralists-santiago/index.html

Sand dune eats lighthouse: Denmark's destructive 'Sahara'

Denmark's Rabjerg Mile, the largest migratory sand dune in northern Europe, has swallowed up buildings including a medieval church and a lighthouse.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/04/travel/denmark-sand-dunes/index.html

8 key historical sites in New Mexico

From prehistoric peoples to the turning point of World War II, there's A LOT of history here. These 8 sites do a great job of summing it all up.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/8-places-visit-understand-history-new-mexico/

10 off-the-beaten-path trip ideas in Asia

I haven’t ventured too far off the beaten track in Asia. I’m thinking 2011 might be my year for a redo.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/10-off-the-beaten-path-trip-ideas-in-asia/

How hotels can increase their revenue per guest

With the rise of millennials and technology-savvy travelers, guest expectations of hotels are evolving. Hotels are finding that general marketing is failing ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/hotels-can-increase-revenue-per-guest/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hotels-can-increase-revenue-per-guest

Tropical Cyclones Hamper MH370 Search

Authorities released a video showing rough weather in the search zone in the southern Indian Ocean.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/mh370-cyclones-force-temporary-suspension-search-video-shows-rough-seas-search-zone-1804784

TransAsia Flight GE 235 Crashes Near Taipei, At Least 15 Killed

The plane, an ATR-72 turboprop with 58 people on board, was flying from Taipei Songshan Airport to Kinmen island off the Chinese coast.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/transasia-flight-ge-235-58-board-crashes-keelung-river-near-taipei-least-15-dead-1804696

Amazing Footage of TransAsia Plane Crash

A TransAsia ATR-72 turboprop flying from Taipei Songshan Airport in Taiwan to Xiamen, China, crashed shortly after takeoff today.

Footage of the crash was captured on video, amazingly enough.

Of the 58 passengers, only 12 are confirmed dead. While any loss of life is incredibly tragic, it looks like it could have ended a lot worse. My thoughts are with those onboard and their families and friends. It's always horrible when stuff like this happens.

The post Amazing Footage of TransAsia Plane Crash appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/amazing-footage-transasia-plane-crash/

Frugal Layover: Top-Ranked Airport Provides Free Services, Tours and Activities in Seoul

I’ve written in the past of one of my favorite frugal layovers, Narita, Japan, and am pleased to share another frugal layover you might enjoy. If you periodically travel to Asia, eventually you’ll connect in Seoul, South Korea. The best news about a layover in this city is that you can see a lot of […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/02/seoul-south-korea-another-favorite-frugal-layover.html