Nightline did a great piece last night on people (like me) who use miles to travel around the world. Check it out here.
Reminder: Do Your Holiday Shopping Through A Portal
November 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I am a huge fan of using portals to earn extra frequent flyer miles when you shop. Now that the holidays are quickly approaching, this could be an easy way to earn a lot of extra reward points, simply by going to a specific website that links up to your favorite shops. For example, instead of going directly to the gap.com, you could access The Gap via an online rewards earning portal. Bam, you will earn more points! Here’s a link to my original post for more info on shopping portals.
Review: First Class Emirates 777-300
November 9, 2011 By 2 Comments
Something came to mind recently while on my first Emirates flight: “Boy, am I lucky!” Not only was I flying Emirates (the flagship airline of Dubai,) but I was traveling in First Class. My wife and I had redeemed a whopping 210,000 United Airlines miles each (that took us many years to earn) to secure 2 seats in First aboard their 777-300, for the non-stop flight from LAX to Dubai. (This was done before United and Emirates ended their mileage-sharing agreement earlier in the year.)
Emirates First Class 777
I thought I had seen luxury at its finest on my First Class Flight aboard Qantas’ A380. That was an amazing flight, but the folks at Emirates took it a step further. Emirates has added a privacy component to commercial aviation.
First Class Suite, Emirates
We boarded the plane and the moment we stepped on we were personally escorted to our suites. Yes, these aren’t seats, they are suites! You actually have a door [Read more...]
Restaurant Review: Mama’s House In Santorini, Greece
November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Jet-setter Chrissy Albice shares her review of Mama’s House In Santorini, Greece with us. She also has a stellar blog for those of you passionate about travel. Check it out here.
Chrissy and Mama
Visiting Santorini and want a good, authentic home cooked Greek meal on the cheap? Mama’s house is the place. Located in the center of Fira next to the bus stop, you will find a grand welcome from Mama herself and a family affair to host your culinary visit. They use all local fresh produce with virgin olive oil.
Egglant rolls "Mama Mia" stuffed with feta cheese
Grilled octopus with balsamic
You can sample the Santorini favorites of cherry tomatoes, white eggplant (in the Summer months), fava beans and capers all included somewhere on the menu. The prices are almost unbelieveable. Santorini restaurants are expensive and eating out every day can threaten to bust your budget. Mama’s House solves that problem with good quality food, very generous portions (you could make a meal out of the appetizers alone) a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere all for shockingly affordable prices. Excellent value for the money spent.
Mama's House In Santorini
Here are some of the favorites [Read more...]
Dubai, Doha, and A Trip To Oman: Got Any Advice?
November 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I never thought I’d go but there is a trip planned for Dubai, Oman and Doha, Qatar (which will serve as host city of the Fifa World Cup in the kind-of -distant future, 2022 to be exact. But this is a region completely foreign to me — even as a Jet-setter.. I’m not sure too much about what to do once I arrive other than the “tourist” type things like going to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Al Kalifa in Dubai, doing indoor skiing at ski dubai (because you can), and a desert safari, where you literally take dune buggies and go one on one with the sand dunes. Oman would be strictly for visiting the gorgeous Musandam Peninsula and possibly scuba diving. And Doha (home to Al Jazeera news)…not sure what to do. So I’m reaching out. Anyone been to any of these places care to share a few thoughts on things this Jet-setter should simply not miss???? I would love to hear your thoughts!!
American Airlines And Alaska Airlines Elite Status Benefits
November 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
For those of you who hold AAdvantage Elite Status with American Airlines, a bit of good news. You can now use some of those elite benefits with flights on Alaska Airlines. Click here to find out more.
Best Way To Buy Foreign Currency
October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
To buy or not to buy, that is the question. I’m talking foreign currency…specifically, if it is more beneficial to change money BEFORE you arrive in a foreign country or AFTER. If you look at it strictly from a cost-saving measure, it is generally better to get your foreign currency within the country you are visiting. Example: If you are changing U.S. Dollars to Japanese Yen, you’ll get a better exchange rate…
Various Foreign Currency
in Japan, than in America. That being said, when it comes to traveling overseas, I don’t like going to a foreign country without having at least some foreign currency on me. Generally what I will do [Read more...]
Speeding Things Up With Global Entry
October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you are an international traveler like I am, then you want to do anything you can to avoid lines. You’re going to have them when you check in. You’re going to have them when you go through security. And up until now, you were going to have them when you returned to the U.S. and went through customs and immigration. Notice how I said, “until now.” That’s because there’s a program called Global Entry that allows “trusted travelers” to join, saving time at the end of your journey. The program, free to American Express Platinum Card Holders allows certain travelers to receive Global Entry status. Instead of standing in the cue at customs, they can instead go directly to a kiosk, slide their passports and walk on through to collect their bags. I recently [Read more...]
An Easy Way To Earn Frequent Flyer Miles Without Flying
October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Travelers listen up. This is a huge tip I’m giving away. Are you ready? You don’t need to fly to earn frequent flyer miles. That’s it. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to leave your house. Let me repeat. You don’t even need to leave your house to earn frequent flyer miles. The key is to shop via a special portal that earns points. Follow me for a second. We all buy stuff: clothes, electronics, food, etc. And a lot of us in recent years have been doing our shopping via the internet. Now here’s where you can earn the points. There are websites out there that link up to your favorite stores, and as long as you make a purchase through that specific sight, you will earn frequent flyer miles. For example, [Read more...]
Should You Fly First Or Business Class?
October 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I am a firm believer that flying First or Business class is a total luxury. For purposes of this blog, I am soley referring to First or Business Class international flights — not domestic (which i don’t think provide enough bang for the buck.) I’ve had long debates with friends about flying in upper class. Often they’ll say, “Don’t fly first class; flying sucks no matter what. Spend that extra cash on a better hotel room.” My belief is, “Fly First or Business Class ONLY if you use frequent flyer miles to upgrade, you have enough points to get a reward ticket or if your company is paying for the ticket. Then it is well worth “flying in style!” First off, airlines make a majority of their money selling those prized-few premium class seats at huge prices. Example: Qantas Airlines non-stop [Read more...]
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