When’s a deal not a deal?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/elliotts-email/whens-deal-deal/

Want to Learn Another Language for Free? DO THIS!

It’s on a lot of our to-do lists: learn another language. We might verbalize that we’d like to learn Spanish, Italian, or another foreign language for which we have a passion, but actually finding an effective affordable program to help us get started may be an obstacle. Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, and other extensive (and expensive) […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/09/want-to-learn-another-language-for-free-do-this.html

Frugal Traveler: The Legacy of a Falling Spider

A trip to Africa after ninth grade helped the Frugal Traveler cultivate a skill that would prove professionally useful years later.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3eb87e49/sc/36/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C220Ctravel0Cthe0Elegacy0Eof0Ea0Efalling0Espider0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Favorite Hotel Toiletries?

In my hotel reviews, I know I often refer to certain hotel toiletries as being among my favorites. I know I say that a lot, so I decided to actually sit down and compile a list of what my favorite hotel toiletries are.

First thing's first, I'm not the fanciest, or the most organic, or the realest (realest). So there's no science behind my selection of favorite toiletries. I didn't carefully study the ingredients. And I'm fine with that.

But I know when I walk into a hotel room and see certain toiletries I go "oh, yay," for whatever reason. The primary motivator for me is probably the scent and overall "feel" of the product. But I won't deny that perhaps packaging, branding, and associations have something to do with it, at least subconsciously.

The post Favorite Hotel Toiletries? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/22/favorite-hotel-toiletries/

Google, Kayak, Hipmunk, Skyscanner, Travelzoo, and TripAdvisor attack DOT’s proposed rule

It’s not every day that Google, Kayak, Hipmunk, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner, and TravelZoo (owner of Fly.com) unite in solidarity. But when it comes ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/google-kayak-hipmunk-tripadvisor-attack-dots-propose-metasearch-rule/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-kayak-hipmunk-tripadvisor-attack-dots-propose-metasearch-rule

Why Americans have an NYC complex

I’ve resented New York for years now. But resentment belongs solely to the resenter and not to the resented. New York is indifferent to my insecurities.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/dear-america-nyc-complex/

“Your Time to Build for the Future Before the World Descends On You”

I’m not very good at all the things you’re supposed to do to be more productive. I check email first thing in the morning and then continually throughout the day. I jump from task to task and I read the news five times a day. But I do try to be outcome-focused, and I appreciated…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/your-time-to-build-for-the-future/

Review: Waldorf Astoria Chicago

To be honest, I don't have an especially favorable perception of the Waldorf Astoria brand. While in theory it's one of Hilton's luxury brands, their New York property looks like it could be the set of Tower of Terror.

That being said, I had heard rave reviews of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, which opened just a few years ago. It was formerly The Elysian, also one of Chicago's top hotels.

For the night I was staying, paid rates were hovering around $435. This is a Category 9 HHonors property, making a free night redemption 80,000 Hilton points. That's a bit rich for my blood. The good news was that Points And Money was also available, at the cost of 32,000 HHonors points plus $150 per night. That's a price I can stomach, both in terms of the cash outlay and points cost.

The post Review: Waldorf Astoria Chicago appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/22/review-waldorf-astoria-chicago/

A Great Deal Comes Crashing Down: The End of Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Status

When Aegean Airlines joined Star Alliance about four years ago it offered the easiest path towards top tier Gold status within the alliance. Indeed, what they’ve been offering is lifetime Star Alliance Gold status. They’d give you 1000 miles just for signing up. Then if you earned 19,000 more qualifying miles within the first year […]

The post A Great Deal Comes Crashing Down: The End of Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Status appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/22/great-deal-comes-crashing-end-lifetime-star-alliance-gold-status/

Viator’s data breach affects 1.4 million customers directly

Last week’s announcement by Viator is a reminder about the perils of payment processing. The online tours and activities platform revealed that ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/viators-data-breach-affects-1-4-million-customers-directly/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=viators-data-breach-affects-1-4-million-customers-directly

In Transit Blog: What Wake-up Call? Catering to Sleepers-In

Hotels, cruise lines and tour companies are now creating activities for travelers who like to sleep.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3eb75865/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C220Cwhat0Ewake0Eup0Ecall0Ecatering0Eto0Esleepers0Ein0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

People's Climate March drone footage

This footage truly shows how massive (and motivated) the crowds were on September 21, 2014.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/change/drone-footage-climate-march-proves-people-want-action-words/

How To Be Your Own Liaison

Airlines are notorious for making changes. Sometimes they are waiting on delivery of a new aircraft, or an equipment swap changes capacity on a route. Other times the operating carrier is Thai Airways, in which case good luck. ;-)

And for the most part, the airlines are also quite good at handling these changes and accommodating passengers. When the 787 was grounded early last year, for example, airlines worked to swap equipment to avoid cancelations. They weren't entirely successful, so many flights were canceled, requiring many passengers to be rebooked.

With revenue tickets, this is fairly straightforward, given that most purchased itineraries tend to be fairly straightforward themselves. For award tickets, however, it becomes more complicated. There are often multiple partners involved, and award inventory and revenue inventory are vastly different.

And while airline have processes to endorse revenue tickets over to other carriers, there are more restrictions when it comes to award travel.

The post How To Be Your Own Liaison appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/22/how-to-be-your-own-liaison/

3 adventurers who died exploring

The risk-taking ethos is fundamental to travelers. No matter how safe you choose to travel, wandering out your door is way more risky than staying inside.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/3-adventurers-paid-ultimate-price/

EatWith cooks up $8 million to tackle the meal-sharing segment

The sharing economy has penetrated through several mammoth sectors – from housing to transportation, the ability to share a stranger’s possession is ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/eatwith-cooks-8-million-tackle-meal-sharing-segment/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eatwith-cooks-8-million-tackle-meal-sharing-segment