Does Starwood Overhype The Ambassador Program?

Back in July I wrote a post asking whether Starwood Ambassador status is worth it, which is what they give you when you reach 100 elite qualifying nights with Starwood in a year.

I really commend Starwood for offering marginal benefits to members above Platinum. As much as I love Hyatt, they really have no marginal benefits once you achieve Diamond status, which doesn't make sense to me. I've put in over a 100 nights with them so far this year regardless, though I think it's an area where they could improve.

I just reached 75 nights for the year with Starwood, which comes with a couple of additional benefits:

The post Does Starwood Overhype The Ambassador Program? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/15/starwood-overhype-ambassador-program/

Why moving sucks, despite being basically the same thing as travel

Moving and traveling are fundamentally the same thing. They're the relocation of your person from one place to another. But the former sucks. The former is stressful.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/moving-sucks-despite-basically-thing-travel/

$2,000 of Photography Education for just $89!

The team over at 5DayDeal.com has put together a really awesome photography bundle! There are 39 different photography products from 21 top photographers from around the world. It contains over 70 hours of training video, 14 Photography ebooks, 300+ Lightroom Presets and 500+ Textures for just $89. Additionally, 10% of each purchase goes to charity. […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/10/15/5daydeal-2014/

Hertz rolls out companion app to facilitate pre-rental trip planning

Rather than concede to the pervasive mobile mapping app, Hertz has created a companion mobile app product to enhance the utility – ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/hertz-rolls-companion-app-facilitate-pre-rental-trip-planning/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hertz-rolls-companion-app-facilitate-pre-rental-trip-planning

Why Solo Female Travel is Different

On the second Wednesday of the month, Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes a guest column featuring tips and advice on solo female travel. It’s not a topic I can cover and since there’s a lot of solo female travelers out there, I felt it was important to bring in an expert. This is her column this month. My male friends who travel have been invited into the homes of locals for meals just as often as I […]

The post Why Solo Female Travel is Different appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/solo-female-travel-differences/

Air Koryo’s New Business Class — Two Star Airline On The Way?

The infamous Air Koryo has finally unveiled their much anticipated new business class product, exclusively available on their luxurious Antonov An-148-100B aircraft.

Since Air Koryo and North Korea are all about transparency, they've unveiled the new seats on their Facebook page.

Air Koryo is the world's only Skytrax one star airline, and rumor has it that this fleet rejuvenation is part of their "Worst And Beyond" campaign, whereby they're aiming to be a Skytrax two star airline by 2035.

The post Air Koryo’s New Business Class — Two Star Airline On The Way? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/15/air-koryos-new-business-class-two-star-airline-way/

What happens after moving to Queens

Whatever you're looking for, Queens does it better, for cheaper, open later than anywhere else.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/10-things-will-happen-moving-queens/

How Reliable is the ‘Trick’ to Get Qantas First Class Award Availability?

Searching for Qantas first class award availability between the US and Australia is about the only time where it really is the case that you need to grab the space as soon as a flight is loaded into the reservation system. The problem is that Qantas loads their inventory ~ 3 weeks before American AAdvantage […]

The post How Reliable is the ‘Trick’ to Get Qantas First Class Award Availability? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/15/reliable-trick-get-qantas-first-class-awards/

Hey there, travel startup, you want to work with an airline eh?

If they will admit it or not is another thing entirely, but all travel startups at some stage dream of striking a ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/travel-startup-airline-partnership/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hey-travel-startup-want-work-big-airline-eh

Are airport precautions effective?

Aviation expert Miles O'Brien says airport precautions are appropriate; isolation is impossible and would be disastrous.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/10/15/newday-miles-obrien-ebola-aviation.cnn.html

Forget the toothbrush, it’s the mobile Brits can’t leave home without [INFOGRAPHIC]

Research released by Expedia and its business travel arm Egencia shows more than three-quarters of British people take at least one mobile ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-egencia-mobile-index/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=expedia-study-shows-brits-cant-leave-home-without-mobile

8 questions LGBT travelers should ask before traveling abroad

I had moral questions when I left the US. I often thought: How could I justify it to myself after so many years of discussing the importance of openness?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/8-questions-lgbt-travelers-ask-traveling-abroad/

Membership Rewards To Virgin Atlantic 35% Transfer Bonus

American Express is offering a 35% bonus for points transfers to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club through November 30, 2014. This only applies to the US Membership Rewards program. The transfer bonus should be hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you can earn the bonus as often as you’d like. The bonus can be accessed at www.membershiprewards.com/vs35.

Generally speaking I consider Flying Club miles to be among the least valuable mileage currencies out there, given their somewhat restrictive award rules, high fuel surcharges on a majority of their partners, and not-so-great award rates.

Up until earlier this year you could convert Virgin Atlantic miles to Hilton points at a 1:2 ratio, so with a 30% transfer bonus that would have essentially been a rate of 2.7 Hilton points per Membership Rewards points.

The post Membership Rewards To Virgin Atlantic 35% Transfer Bonus appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/15/membership-rewards-virgin-atlantic-35-transfer-bonus/

A modern-day train renaissance

The long standing rumors that passenger rail is dead are up in smoke. Find out why train travel is making a comeback.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/travel/irpt-train-comeback/index.html

Tours for Non-tourists: Why You Should Take a Tour

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I’m going to make a generalization here and say that our DIY-travel generation, with countless apps and reviews at our fingertips, is largely anti-tour. We like to think we can travel better and cheaper by calling the shots ourselves. And you know what? We often do. Tourists at Trevi Fountain, Rome © Benson Kua I […]

The post Tours for Non-tourists: Why You Should Take a Tour appeared first on Vagabondish.

from Vagabondish http://www.vagabondish.com/why-you-should-take-a-tour/