Before I review the hotels we stayed at in Bodrum, I wanted to talk a bit about my impressions of Bodrum in general. For the purposes of this post let's forget about coronavirus for a second, because I talked all about how coronavirus is being handled…
This is a tough time for many, including those working in the airline industry. Most airline employees are facing pay cuts at best, and job losses at worst. During tough times like these you can take one of two approaches -- you can come to work unhappy,…
Southwest Airlines vouchers can now be converted into Rapid Rewards points. Is this an opportunity you should take advantage of? Basics of converting Southwest vouchers into points As of today, Southwest Airlines travel funds can be converted into Rapid…
Well this is kind of alarming... The Transportation Security Administration is seeing quite an increase in the number of people trying to bring guns through airport checkpoints. Specifically, in July 2020 firearms have been detected in carry-on bags…
If you're making a booking with Radisson anytime soon, make sure you use the mobile app. Radisson Rewards is offering 3,000 bonus points for your first eligible booking of two or more nights that you make through the Radisson app: This is valid for stays…
We frequently see loyalty programs sell points at a discount, and for many this is an opportunity to buy points at a cost that makes sense, especially for aspirational redemptions. At the moment we're seeing many programs sell points at a discount, so…
Qantas doesn't plan on operating international flights for over a year, and the airline has retired its 747 fleet, grounded its entire A380 fleet, and will soon ground most of its 787 fleet. But that isn't stopping the airline from chartering out its…
This weekend I landed back in the US. As I entered the baggage claim hall in the immigration facility, the first two Customs and Border Protection officers that I saw were standing in close proximity to one another chatting, and not wearing masks. This…
In order to minimize contact between people in light of coronavirus, we've seen airlines around the world adjust onboard service, and we've even seen some governments place limits on what service can be provided. Well, Brazil has just introduced what…
Lately we’ve seen a lot of travel brands get creative when it comes to generating revenue. With so many businesses having liquidity issues, we’re seeing companies offer a deal if you pay now for travel later. We've seen many hotel brands sell gift cards…
I just spent quite a bit of time in Bodrum, Turkey. This was my first attempt at an international trip since the pandemic started, and Turkey is one of the few countries that has no restrictions on who can visit (yes, that even includes Americans). In…
Virgin and Richard Branson will no longer be associated with what's arguably the United States' single best rail experience. First a bit of background. The US isn't exactly known for its great rail service, though Brightline Florida is an exception.…
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! On the points & travel front, this week Amex and Chase introduced new transfer bonuses, JetBlue extended its seat blocking policy, Emirates pulled out of Fort Lauderdale, limited time offers were introduced…
Before I talk specifically about our time in Bodrum (which I'll start doing in the next installment), in this post I wanted to talk more about the general logistical challenges and risks of international travel at the moment. Let me first clarify that…
We were scheduled to have a roughly 80 minute connection in Munich, as we were arriving from Montreal and departing for Bodrum. I figured I'd provide a brief rundown of our experience at Munich Airport, as well as the Lufthansa Lounge, given how much…
Our transatlantic flight to get to Turkey was from Montreal to Munich in Lufthansa business class, and boy was it an interesting one (see this post for a summary of how we booked our ticket). I've reviewed Lufthansa's A350 business class before during…
Our first flight enroute to Bodrum was from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal on Air Canada. Let me share the itinerary that we booked to get to Bodrum, and then I'll get into my review of Air Canada's updated business class service. Understandably airlines…
We spent the third and fourth nights of our trip in Moab, Utah. We decided to spend more time here because we knew there was a lot to do in the area, and we were very happy with our decision in the end. Moab has virtually every limited service hotel…
We spent the second night of our road trip in Page, Arizona, primarily so we could visit Horseshoe Bend. As we quickly learned, the real treat was just being able to drive around this part of the country, as the scenery is breathtaking. Page has virtually…
We spent the first night of our road trip in Springdale, Utah, so that we could visit Zion National Park. Springdale has a variety of limited service hotel options, though nothing terribly exciting beyond that. My loyalty belongs to Hyatt, Marriott,…
There are three credit cards in the US that earn Avios, which is the points currency of International Airline Group (IAG) carriers. These three cards include the: Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card (review) British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review)…
Qantas recently retired all of its 747s and sent all of its A380s into long term storage, and now a majority of the Australian flag carrier's 787 fleet is also going to the desert. The Boeing 787-9 has in recent years become the backbone of Qantas' long…
Online shopping portals can be a great way to pick up additional miles & points for purchases you’d make anyway. Just for following a specific link you can earn bonus points in addition to the ones you’d earn for credit card spending. The number of bonus…
This is absolutely tragic. An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 crash landed this evening. The flight in question was Air India Express 1344, bound from Dubai to Kozhikode. The plane operated the roughly ~1,660 mile flight as scheduled, in 3hr56min, but…
With Chase Offers you can save money for purchases with select retailers. These promotions are targeted, and you'll see different bonuses on different card accounts. There's a great new offer for anyone who is planning a Hyatt stay in the next couple…
United Airlines and Chase issue several co-branded credit cards. At the moment there are increased welcome bonuses on two of the popular personal credit cards. I recently reviewed the United℠ Explorer Card. In this post wanted to take a closer look at…
The US has lowered its international travel warning, though there aren't many implications to this as of now. Back in March: The US State Department issued a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" health advisory for all non-essential international travel The US Centers…
This is probably my favorite thing I've seen all week... This week United Airlines resumed nonstop flights between Newark and Munich, after the route was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the most part there's not much fanfare associated…
Back in March, major US airlines closed their airport lounges. This was both due to a lack of demand, as well as due to a need for updated procedures to keep guests safe. We've now seen airlines slowly start to reopen airport lounges. Initially this…
Well this is pretty disappointing... It can be extremely difficult to keep up with international travel regulations, given how frequently they change, and how complex they are. A couple of month ago I wrote about IATA's COVID-19 travel regulations map,…
