If you have not been living under a rock, you know that Marriott Bonvoy introduced a new Category 8 for hotel redemptions on March 5th. Overnight, many awards dramatically rose in price. We knew this was coming for several months,...
Keep Clam: I’m Now Using Grammarly + Other Blog Updates
Dear readers, I know I have a problem. And I’m addressing it today. At least I’m starting to. Yes, I have a proofreading problem. And yes, I know it is annoying to many of you. Believe it or not,...
A New Year, Not A New Start: Travel Reflections On 2019
Happy New Year! As 2019 begins, I’m thinking about time. I ushered in the New Year in Mainz, Germany. Believe it or not, it was the first time I have ever celebrated New Year’s in Germany. As we watched...
I Truly Just Made The Most Embarrassing Travel Mistake Of My Life…
I stand before you today, deeply humbled. Let me set the scene and you’ll quickly understand why… Friday evening had been planned for many weeks. It was the night my wife Heidi, son Augustine, and I were traveling to...
What Does A Lying Imbecile Teach Us About Airline Compensation And Truth Itself?
In a post-truth world where “fake news” abounds, I became ever-more jaded yesterday after a startling revelation concerning an American Airlines incident in Chicago. On Monday, I wrote a story entitled After AA Cancels Her Flight, Woman Left In Wheelchair...
Do You Pick Up Hitchhikers?
Would you invite a hitchhiker into your car? Sunday afternoon I drove down California’s Highway 1 from Carmel to San Luis Obispo. It’s a beautiful drive…I haven’t done it in about 10 years…and I appreciated the beauty of the...
A Thanksgiving Resolution
Once 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....
A Year Of Cancelled Trips
Since I first started international travel in 2006, every year has been like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of the globe. Each year I get a little closer to completing the puzzle. But as October draws to a close,...
Editorial: Cut The Complaints About “Inferior” U.S. Airlines
There’s a cliche amongst frequent travelers. It goes something like this: U.S. airlines are woefully behind European and Asian airlines, especially in terms of service. While just my opinion, I’m tired of that trite argument and reject it. Don’t...
“Genuine” Travel From A Luxury Hotel Room And Airline Lounge
What is genuine travel? Travel is fundamentally about experiencing life in the shoes of others. That means that those who seek refuge in airline lounges and western hotel chains fail to experience the essence of what it means to...
A Heartwarming Homecoming At LAX
Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love. -Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii Just watch the video below. I really don’t think any...
Woman Thrown Off AA Flight Due To Cello, But Was Captain’s Gesture Racist?
We live in a race-conscious time in a race-conscious world. And a story about a woman thrown off an American Airlines’ flight due to her cello has me thinking about race. I want to be a peacemaker in this...
Remembering My First Trip To Europe
Today is my birthday…I’m 32 years old. As I look back over the last 12 years of flying, I cannot help but to be incredibly thankful. In 2006 the only countries I had ever been to outside of the...
Should I Cruise Or Fly To Europe?
I’m looking ahead to Christmas travel to Europe this year and seriously considering a ship over a plane. Little Augustine (who’s running circles around me and starting to put sentences together) has reached the age in which flying is...
My Lonely Evening of Flying On The Fourth of July
Flying from Burbank to Seattle via San Francisco yesterday evening left me feeling, well…sad. Independence Day has been one of my favorite U.S. holidays since I was kid. One of my fondest childhood memories was the year that I...
Life Lessons From The Death Of A Smelly Passenger?
Earlier this month, I covered the story of a Transavia flight which diverted to Faro, Portugal due to complaints about the ghastly stench emanating from one passenger. The odor seemed to get worse as the flight progressed, causing some...
On Anthony Bourdain, Travel, and Suicide…
When news broke last week that CNN star Anthony Bourdain had taken his own life, I was saddened but not shocked. Not because I personally knew Bourdain was struggling, but because I know how hopeless life can feel sometimes. I’m...
I’m Taking a Break in Hawaii
After nearly two weeks of being away from my family, it is good to be back home. I was hoping my son would still recognize me when I walked through the door and he did…in fact, he came running...
An Update on the Way I Post Trip Reports
I’m listening to you, my daily readers. While most of my traffic comes via Google searches, a big part of why I write is for those of you who come back every day to read what I have to...
The Encouraging Tenure Of United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz
My friend Ben at One Mile at a Time wrote a thoughtful but critical piece on the tenure of United Airlines’ CEO Oscar Munoz. While normally spot-on in his analysis, I view the matter differently. I’m not going to...
