One of the longest standing annual miles & points “events” is the Chicago Seminars, which has been held at the Holiday Inn in Elk Grove, Illinois (nearish to the Chicago O’Hare Airport) for the past ten years. Ten years. I'm getting old. Ben and I actually…
Not to be morbid, but this is a question I get all the time. Miles and points are confusing enough, and when you add in the stress surrounding an unexpected (or even expected) death it can be difficult to understand options and make decisions. I first…
Ah, tax season. As many Americans are starting to procrastinate finalize their tax returns, questions about earning points for making those payments always come up. That's particularly relevant this year, and individuals and businesses may be paying…
While we're writing more about travel lately, we're not necessarily suggesting people do travel (though if you do, please be considerate and smart). But we also recognize that many folks need a break, whether that's because they have been homeschooling…
One thing we've noticed (and this is not a new phenomenon) is that "travel sentiment surveys" don't really take into account the viewpoints of the most frequent travelers, or the most highly-engaged loyalty program members. Our community may not be statistically…
Several American Express cards offer statement credits and rebates as part of the card benefits. These can be very lucrative, and more than offset the annual fees on the cards, provided you can max out (or at least get close) the assorted credits. The…
While we're writing more about travel this week, we're not necessarily suggesting people do travel (though if you do, please be considerate and smart). But we also recognize that many folks need a break, whether that's because they have been homeschooling…
I didn't know this ahead of time, but many of the upper-end hotels, resorts, and country clubs in Marrakech offer day passes for those wanting to use the pools and other facilities. This is a great compromise for those who want to stay in the medina…
While we were in Marrakech, I had a work call, and when I disclosed my location one of the other meeting participants blurted out "Man. I effing hated that medina." And I didn't hate it, but parts of the experience were decidedly unpleasant. Other aspects…
We wanted to stay in the thick of the medina on this trip, but that does come with some safety considerations. We also liked the idea of staying in a small independent riad. I'd had numerous people tell me that in Marrakech, your riad host is essentially…
This lounge review will be short and sweet, and not to put too fine a point on it, but hopefully your stay here will be as well. Bottom line up front: this lounge has little to recommend it, but it's not like the rest of the terminal is super glam either.…
I've been sitting on this trip report for three months now (where have three months gone?) because it just hasn't felt like the right time to talk about travel details, and this particular trip was odd from the start. This trip took place in early March,…
Over the past few weeks we've seen lots of companies start rolling out discounts, statement credits with credit card issuers, and other purchasing incentives -- there are some great deals out there. And a natural side-effect of that is that a lot of…
The situation is changing by the hour, and while there will be worldwide social and economic fallout from this pandemic, the impacts on the travel industry are far-reaching. If you're looking for information and updates on the virus itself, please check…
Earlier this week I was pointed to a Tweet calling out the vast amount of "Unclaimed Property" that has been turned over to state treasuries for one reason or another. Apparently this can include everything from undeposited paychecks and other uncashed…
It's been a complicated few weeks for air travel, to put it mildly, and we're hearing a lot of stories from people who are in the middle of a trip, or otherwise trying to get home, and are being stymied by the constantly changing flight schedules and…
As the situation continues to unfold, we are seeing a deluge of information across the internet -- with much of the good and practical content being drowned out in the noise. At the same time, many people seem to not understand the gravity of the situation,…
This is just a reminder that the next FTU event will take place this weekend, in Washington D.C. -- if you don't have tickets to either the FTU, or the adjacent Travel & Adventure Show, now's a great time! The Frequent Traveler University events provide…
One of the saddest parts of my day (other than explaining to people why their million bank or cash-back style points won't get them to Asia in first class), is when I read a message from someone who has just had all their miles expire. I also get several…
We've been receiving dozens of messages a day from readers, clients, and our parents (hi Mom!) asking how the COVID-19 coronavirus is impacting travel. People are understandably worried, and the frenetic news cycle is certainly ratcheting tension over…
Well this has been a fun few weeks. For reasons we still don't understand (but which don't seem to have been due to anything we did), our MailChimp account was shut down, making it impossible to send out our daily/weekly newsletters. After a few false…
