Once a Draw, Restive Region in China Suffers After Unrest

After reports of rioting, terrorism and deadly police shootings, tourism has plummeted in Xinjiang, long considered one of China’s most exotic destinations.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f206222/sc/39/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A50Cworld0Casia0Conce0Ea0Edraw0Erestive0Eregion0Ein0Echina0Esuffers0Eafter0Eunrest0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: In Iceland, Roaring Geysers and Roasting Beans

With its tourism up in Reykjavik, there are more tourists — and in its coffee shops — than ever.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f206221/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A40Cin0Eiceland0Eroaring0Egeysers0Eand0Eroasting0Ebeans0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Signs you're from Western Australia

The Yanks have Puerto Rico, the Euros Mallorca, but you’ll always have Bali.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/9-signs-born-raised-western-australia/

Converting Points to Miles, Serve’s Up, and Triskaidekaphobia

News and notes from around the interweb: This month you’ll receive a 20% bonus when converting Marriott points to both American miles and to US Airways miles. Marriott transfers to miles only make sense as part of a travel package. They make more sense when there’s a bonus. But you need to be able to […]

The post Converting Points to Miles, Serve’s Up, and Triskaidekaphobia appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/converting-points-miles-serves-triskaidekaphobia/

Weekly Review: October 4, 2014

Happy Saturday from Seoul! I arrived a few hours ago on Asiana's new A380, and look forward to having the full trip report for you guys in the coming weeks.

Otherwise it has been a rather dull week in terms of travel for me, but there's more miles and points news than I can even keep up with! Grab a cup of coffee and look over the headlines, as there are several offers and promotions you won't want to miss out on.

The post Weekly Review: October 4, 2014 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/weekly-review-october-4-2014/

A Boat in the Hvar Harbor, Croatia

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/10/03/boat-hvar-harbor-croatia/

Review: American Business Class 777-300ER Dallas To Hong Kong

After an uneventful flight from San Francisco and a night at the Element DFW Airport, we made it to the airport at around 10AM for our 12:15PM departure. Our flight was leaving from the D Concourse, which was especially convenient, given that the American Express Centurion Lounge is located there.

We spent about an hour in the lounge (including a 15 minute massage), before going to our departure gate, D23.

We got to the gate at around 11:30AM, at which point first and business class boarding was already underway.

The post Review: American Business Class 777-300ER Dallas To Hong Kong appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/review-american-business-class-777-300er-dallas-hong-kong/

Walrus gathering on Alaskan shore

It sucks that receding glaciers and melting icebergs may cause walruses to die off a lot sooner.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/change/huge-walrus-gathering-alaska-caused-global-warming/

Citibank Devaluing Points-Earning for Checking Accounts

Citibank is reducing the number of points they award for checking accounts each month, starting December in December. The changes go into effect with statement periods that begin December 17 (December 31 for Citigold customers). Here’s the current points-earning table for Citi’s checking accounts: And here’s the new table showing how many fewer points will […]

The post Citibank Devaluing Points-Earning for Checking Accounts appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/citibank-devaluing-points-earning-checking-accounts/

Marriott Fined $600,000 For Blocking Guest Wifi

Marriott has been caught blocking guests' mobile hotspots as a way of getting them to pay for wifi. I'm borderline clueless when it comes to technology, and even I know you can't do that.

Via Bloomberg:

"Marriott employees blocked mobile “hotspots” at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, while at the same time charging consumers, small businesses and exhibitors as much as $1,000 per device to access Marriott’s Wi-Fi network, the FCC said in a statement today."

The post Marriott Fined $600,000 For Blocking Guest Wifi appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/marriott-fined-600000-blocking-guest-wifi/

“I’ve kept busy all my life. They say the worst thing you can do is sit down.”

At 89, Howard is still working on his family’s farm, the same 70-acres he’s cared for since 1940. How would you feel about leaving behind something you’ve worked on your whole life? Howard’s perspective might surprise you. “I’ve kept busy all my life. They say the worst thing you can do is sit down.” “I’m…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/ive-kept-busy-all-my-life-they-say-the-worst-thing-you-can-do-is-sit-down/

American Responds: Bringing Back Some Meals and Improving Snacks

On September 1 American aligned its domestic first class meal service with US Airways. Back in April US Airways got more meals. And then in September American got fewer meals. Effectively the two airlines met in the middle — US Airways had been serving meals on flights of 3.5 hours or longer, and American on […]

The post American Responds: Bringing Back Some Meals and Improving Snacks appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/american-heard-complaints-bringing-back-meals-improving-snacks/

Positive American First Class Catering Changes Coming

As most of you probably know by now, American and US Airways aligned their domestic catering as of September 1, 2014. For American flyers, these changes haven't been pretty.

While I'm not usually someone that has a lot to say about domestic airline food, I've been pretty vocal about these changes, based on my flights since September 1:

-- My first experience with the new catering featured the worst chicken dish I've ever had in a premium cabin

-- My second experience with the new catering featured an absolutely horrible beef dish

-- Worst of all was my flight a few days ago, where I tried the new first class sandwich -- I think the pictures speak for themselves

The post Positive American First Class Catering Changes Coming appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/american-first-class-catering-changes-coming/

The rise of the insincere travel offer – and what to do about it

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/bogus-travel-deals-expired-miles-leave-travelers-fuming/

The Bend at The Hills

Getting that “Sunburst” Don’t forget that you can get this kind of a sunburst if you set your camera to f/16 or higher. I find f/16 is usually good enough. You can go higher, but then you risk seeing more of the dust and junk on your sensor, which I always find annoying to fix […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/10/04/the-bend-at-the-hills/