20% Bonus When Converting Hotel Points To MileagePlus

United MileagePlus is offering up to a 25% bonus when you convert hotel points into MileagePlus miles by November 30, 2014 and they post to your MileagePlus account by December 5, 2014.

Through this promotion you earn 20% bonus miles on all transfers worth 5,000 or more miles, up to a total of 25,000 bonus miles (meaning you can earn the bonus on at most 125,000 miles). Registration is required by December 5, 2014. The bonus miles will post to eligible MileagePlus accounts by January 31, 2015.

MileagePlus has eight eligible hotel partners, including:

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/20-bonus-when-converting-hotel-points-to-mileageplus/

T Magazine: 12 Accidental Landscapes

Postcards with randomly overlaid images — byproducts of the printing process that are usually discarded — purchased at newsstands in Europe.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ff4a796/sc/21/l/0Ltmagazine0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C290C120Eaccidental0Elandscapes0Epostcards0Efrom0Eeurope0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

T Magazine: Going Dutch in Cape Town

Chic organic farms, cowsheds serving fresh-picked herbs and tables made from old electric cable spools. Move over, Brooklyn: the South African city’s artisanal charms are enough to make any New Yorker fall in love.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ff40ee7/sc/10/l/0Ltmagazine0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C290Csouth0Eafrica0Ecape0Edutch0Etravel0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

The Knee Defender Is Not A “Necessary Deterrent”

I know the whole Knee Defender controversy is totes last month, but I just have to chime in now. For those of you not familiar with the Knee Defender, it sparked a national controversy over seat recline, after an August 24 flight was diverted when two passengers got in an altercation over seat recline.

The Knee Defender is a product that prevents the seat in front of you from being able to recline by basically locking it into place.

My good pal Chris Elliott, consumer advocate extraordinaire, is having his annual fundraiser. In order to take his fundraiser "up a notch," he was giving away one Knee Defender every hour yesterday. I don't get how any self-proclaimed consumer advocate could be in favor of the Knee Defender. And for that matter I don't get why anyone would actively be trying to piss people off during a "fundraiser," but that's a whole different story...

Almost four years ago I wrote a post entitled "Is Reclining Your Seat On An Airplane A Right Or A Privilege?"

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/knee-defender-necessary-deterrent/

Earn 5000 Bonus Miles on Your Next Delta Flight!

Next year Delta is only going to award miles based on the cost of a ticket. Right now though you can earn the actual miles flown on Delta plus 5000 miles for your next flight. The only catch is you have to credit the flight to Delta’s Skyteam partner Alitalia, registering for your new Alitalia […]

The post Earn 5000 Bonus Miles on Your Next Delta Flight! appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/earn-5000-bonus-miles-next-delta-flight/

#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. Here are our latest picks.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/29/ngtradar-travel-lately-39/

T Magazine: Italian Modern: The Gallerist Nina Yashar

By championing the work of midcentury masters alongside unusual antiques and cutting-edge pieces, the Milan-based dealer has redefined the experience of design.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ff38647/sc/4/l/0Ltmagazine0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C290Cnina0Eyashar0Enilufar0Egallery0Ehome0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Delta.com No Longer Showing Alaska Award Space

It has been an exciting couple of days as far as SkyMiles and delta.com go.

First, Delta stopped pricing stopovers on award tickets, both through delta.com and through their reservations center.

Their response? Basically "oh yeah, it was part of a website update, but you can still book those stopovers through our excellent reservations center... if you specifically ask for it... and find an agent that knows that the 'glitch' exists... and find a supervisor that's willing to manually price it." Oh well, on the plus side, at least Delta is finally admitting they're overcharging for awards. ;)

Then Delta also recently stopped displaying Virgin Australia award space on delta.com. That one I gave them the benefit of the doubt on, as the space can still easily be booked through the reservations center. And I might even be a little happy about that, since in theory it means there's less competition for those Virgin Australia award seats.

The post Delta.com No Longer Showing Alaska Award Space appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/delta-com-no-longer-showing-alaska-award-space/

Startup pitch: HotelPower touts hotel discounts if you join its club

Imagine getting a room at San Francisco’s Parc 55 Wyndham in Union Square for $387 a night — 24% off the $510 ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/startup-pitch-hotelpower-hotel-discount-consumer-website-launch/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=startup-pitch-hotelpower-hotel-discount-consumer-website-launch

Study abroad that makes a difference

For those who are looking to truly change the world, study abroad is practically a prerequisite. You can’t save the world without understanding it first.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/change/15-study-abroad-programs-travelers-want-make-difference/

Air New Zealand’s Hilarious 787-9 Promotional Video

Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the Boeing 787-9, which began operating between Auckland and Perth as of October 15, 2014. By next month it will also be flying to Tokyo Narita and Shanghai. I'd argue Air New Zealand's 787-9 is also the sexiest plane out there.

Anyway, Air New Zealand released a hilarious video entitled "the happiest place in the sky," which showcases all four cabins on their new 787-9. Check it out.

Air New Zealand does a heck of a job with marketing, and clearly it goes beyond their safety videos.

The post Air New Zealand’s Hilarious 787-9 Promotional Video appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/air-new-zealands-hilarious-787-9-promotional-video/

Delta Will Eliminate Stopovers on Awards in January

This is my best read and advice, not something that Delta has officially confirmed, just something I believe they have tipped their hand on. Delta rolled out IT changes that caused stopovers not to price correctly a couple of days ago. Adding a stopover in Europe on a business class award cost 50,000 miles more […]

The post Delta Will Eliminate Stopovers on Awards in January appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/29/delta-will-eliminate-stopovers-awards-january/

The Abode of Chaos in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or, France

Thierry Ehrmann was perhaps an unlikely candidate for scandal when he created a museum in 1999. Founder and CEO of the Serveur Group, a large company with over 400 employees and 70 billion Euros of annual revenue, and Artprice, ensuring Ehrmann spent many years deeply entrenched in the art world. But Ehrmann now finds himself embroiled in a legal battle that, at its core, questions whether art is more important then history.

In 1999, Ehrmann moved back to Lyon, his ancestral home, and began transforming his 17th-century house into a radical piece of ever-changing art. The home/museum was intended to reflect chaos, as its name "The Abode of Chaos" in English suggests. The installations reflect the political turmoil of the world: burned cars in the parking lot, a sculpture of the fallen World Trade Center towers, rubble walls, and falling cables. Ehrmann also plans to build walls that mimic the Berlin Wall and the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. The house is still being transformed by artists invited to work in situ at the abode.

But the city of Lyon has not been happy with the transformation of a prized architectural home into an "Abode of Chaos." Ehrmann has been fined for illegal construction, and his legal battle has made it up to the French Supreme Court. Whether the court will appreciate Ehrmann's vision for the "The Abode of Chaos" remains to be seen.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/3ff2d8ef/sc/1/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Cthe0Eabode0Eof0Echaos/story01.htm

Dragon Escalator in Beijing, China

Situated roughly 85km to the north of Beijing, Longqing Gorge is a pleasant change of pace from the crowded streets of China's capital. Home to China's largest dam, the otherwise tranquil surroundings are slashed by a gigantic dragon escalator that takes visitors to the top of the dam.

Seemingly out of place against the cliffs in the background, the bright yellow behemoth rises 258 meters and is the world's largest outdoor escalator. Once at the top of the gorge you can engage in even more adventures, including a ride in a cable car or a boat trip on the artificial lake. If a boat ride sounds too slow for you, you can always bungee jump in the gorge as well.

As if the chance of plummeting into the gorge is not frightening enough, the top of the peak also has a fantastic display of fake animals in scary poses, adding a cheesy element to the adventure.

You can ride the giant escalator as much as you want, but unfortunately, the escalator only goes up. To come down you can choose to take the stairs, or pay a little extra to ride the toboggan down.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/3ff2d8f7/sc/10/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Cdragon0Eescalator/story01.htm

Swiss Alps from the air [video]

I brought my quad-copter to Switzerland for two weeks of Alps exploration. It is always a challenge finding a new location that nobody has photographed.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/tv/swiss-alps-air/