I’m back from a very long trip…the longest trip I’ve ever taken. I realize some of you will snicker when I reveal my vacation was only 3.5 weeks, but for someone who is used to taking 2-3 day trips,...
A Thanksgiving Resolution
nce upon a time there was a boy who loved to fly around the world using his miles and points. Around the globe he flew, visiting the far corners of the world; meeting new people and surveying new lands....
Brussels Shuts Down and State Department Travel Warning
Brussels is essentially shut down for a third day — public transportation has ground to a standstill, shops are closed, and tanks roll down empty boulevards. Parisians look around each corner furtively, with images of carnage permanently ingrained and...
Another Terrorist Attack in Paris
I had a light-hearted post scheduled for publication this evening, but with tragedy in Paris still unfolding — more than 100 dead in multiple terrorist attacks around the French capital — the post would have simply been out of...
How Long Can A Traveler Go Without Sleep?
It has been a long few days for me. I worked very late on Tuesday and was up at 5:30a the following morning for my spin class, getting about four hours of sleep. I took a nap that afternoon...
Pictures: Budapest Keleti Railway Station
One of my favorite things about traveling is to be in places that later become focal points for international headlines. I was in Tahrir Square in Cairo months before the Egyptian Revolution, drinking coffee in the Argana Cafe in Djemaa...
Flight Attendants and Religious Freedom
As a lawyer who studied free speech extensively in law school, controversies pitting religious liberty and accommodation against employer demands are of particular interest. Two simmering issues surrounding the actions of flight attendants bring this legal tension to our...
Read Rolling Stone for Ben Schlappig, not Kim Kardashian!
Rolling Stone is an icon of pop culture and a barometer of hipness in American life. Not surprisingly, a recent issue has self-proclaimed diva Kim Kardashian letting it all hang out on the cover. Flip past that though, for...
A Day in the Life of a Weary Road Warrior…And Some Humor
Let me tell you about my latest trip. I still wonder sometimes why I do this to myself, but am thankful that I still find fun in flying for the sake of flying. I hope you find this “Dear...
Family Should Apologize for Forcing United Airlines Diversion
The trending story of a family thrown off a United Airlines flight from Houston to Portland beckons us to consider how airlines should compassionately and effectively accommodate disabled travelers while balancing concerns of safety and the comfort of other...
A Non-Stop 5-Day Trip Around the World
Non-stop as in, I do not leave airports or sleep in hotels. For five days. Yes, this is what I consider fun and no, I do not need to be institutionalized. I am halfway through a 31,770 mile trip...
A Different Take on Award Bookings at FTU Dallas
The paradox of this blog and of increasing the knowledge base of savvy travellers that blogs like this encourage is that if too many people are getting in on a good deal, the deal will be closed. Let’s take...
I Witnessed a Deadly Car Accident in Bahrain
I spent 3.5 years in the US Air Force Reserves and never saw a day of combat. I’ve never actually witnessed a friend or family member or even a pet die either, knock on wood. Outside of movies, I’ve...
What Does it Mean to Be Well-Travelled?
A post by Lucky entitled The Hypocrisy Of The “I’m Cultured And You’re Not” Crowd caught my attention this week. It is an issue I struggle with not because I need to justify my travel patterns to anyone, but...
Terrorist Attacks and Travel Plans
A few thoughts on the events that took place in Paris last week. As a lawyer whose favorite Constitutional law topic is the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, I take a very strong position in favor of freedom...
A Roadmap for 2015
Happy New Year from Live and Let’s Fly and I want to use this brief post to discuss my roadmap for this blog in 2015. As I discussed yesterday, 2014 was not exactly a year of progress for this...
Personal Thoughts on Travel and a New Era of US-Cuban Relations
It was seven years ago that President George W. Bush announced his Administration was doubling down on its bid to isolate the communist Cuban regime. More travel restrictions and more money restrictions, all with the end goal of bringing...
Moving to South Africa
…for the next month anyway. Perhaps longer. I’m already here, actually. You can blame my wife. Or the American government. Or striking South African postal workers. You see, not that our U.S. government wins any blue ribbons for its efficiency,...
Scam Artists Claim I am in a German Prison to Extort My Grandma
Imagine you are 88 years old and your grandson and his new wife live in Germany. You have not seen him in a couple months and know that he is a good boy, but his idea of fun is...
Reflections on World War and Crashed Airliners
100 years ago, Serbian rebels dreaming of changed political boundaries assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo. The initial response was muted, but three weeks later, Austria-Hungary responded forcefully by issuing an ultimatum to Serbia...
