Category Archives for Trip Planning.
Many of the essential travel reward perks can be had using credit cards that cost $100 per year, or less. So when does it make sense to graduate to a card that might cost $400, $500 or more? For those who travel often, or who spend large amounts on airfare and dining out, those high fee…
We all Wanna Get Away! That is, after all, the reason we love to travel. And Southwest Airlines understood this when they cleverly named one of their fare classes Wanna Get Away fares. But a clever name is one thing, and understanding how to differentiate Wanna Get Away fares from the other fares Southwest Airlines…
It may be called a Mystery Bonus Offer, but to me it’s not much of a mystery because when Hyatt has a sale on their hotel points, I don’t have to scratch my head and wonder how to put those points to good use. I can always find ways to use more World of Hyatt…
Pastries were everywhere in Lisbon. I’ve never seen so many pastry shops, pastelarias, and so many different kinds of pastries. King of all: Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese egg tart pastry originally from Portugal but also found in countries with significant Portuguese immigrant populations. The question became how to narrow it down to which ones…
As an expat based in India for the most part of last decade, I have narrowed down on ways to effectively use miles to enjoy luxury vacations from the subcontinent without breaking the bank. Despite the fact that there is no Oneworld partner airline based in India, I am still loyal to American Airlines frequent…
Buenos Aires is a fascinating city and according to many lists, the most visited city in South America. On a recent trip to Argentina, I decided to explore four sites that don’t appear on many “must do” lists or are at the bottom of lists, but I think they deserve a higher ranking. El Zanjón de Granados El…
I came late in life to my Luv affair with Southwest Airlines. I always knew the airline had a cult following and assumed that most people knew everything there was to know about Southwest. I now fly Southwest just about as often as any other domestic carrier, though. Being in San Diego, most of our…
In a bid to attract business and fuel a burgeoning startup economy, Portugal is offering a special kind of lure to investors and startup owners: a European Union Passport. Have €1 million to invest in a business? How about €500,000 to buy property? Both of those figures will be rewarded with a so-called Golden Visa,…
I’m jet-lagged and just want to get through customs after arriving at the airport. Having to wait in long lines can be a daunting and miserable experience. Alas, there is a solution to this problem, and it’s called Global Entry. Global Entry is essentially an express pass for U.S. customs. This is TSA PreCheck on steroids. At…
Point Me To The Plane Contributors David Ghorbanpoor and Sarah Johnson collaborated on this report. Last week World of Hyatt announced a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), a group of 500 plus independent boutique properties scattered across the globe. It’s no secret that Hyatt, with just over 700 properties worldwide, lacks…
