Let me tell you a story. I’ll call it A Tale of Two “Mistake” Fares. Award Expert focuses on the effective utilization of frequent flyer miles and credit card points, but sometimes it just makes sense to purchase revenue...
Mother’s Day Part II: The Patient Wife
With the arrival of Augustine, we are celebrating Mother’s Day in a new way this year: my kitchen now looks like a funeral parlor. I prefer to buy potted plants or trees that my wife Heidi and I can plant...
Mother’s Day Part I: From Fear to Nonchalance
My dearest mother used to lie awake when I would travel, doing what mothers do well: worrying. I remember my solo first trip to Washington, DC. Just DC. It was a mileage run and I flew on a Friday...
Around the World in a 737? My Next Adventure!
Is it possible to travel around the entire globe exclusively on 737s? YES! And I am already working on my next big adventure. Here’s how it will look– Los Angeles to Honolulu – United 737 Honolulu to Guam on...
Witnessing Pol Pot’s Inhumanity in Cambodia
We all have certain moments in our lives that are forever ingrained in our memory. One such instance for me was visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I’m publishing a trip report from 2013 and most of...
United, Leggings, and the Power of Misinformation
Nothing like a dishonest tweet exploding into a firestorm on an otherwise quiet Sunday… I’ll address United’s pass rider dress code policy and the specific incident below, but let’s start with the tweets that set this all off: Turns out,...
It’s A Small World (of Hyatt) After All
My wife and I took little Augustine to Disneyland last week. His first ride, appropriately I think, was It’s A Small World. The ride, a Disneyland staple since 1966, takes you on a journey around the world with the following...
Remorse & Resolve: Final Thoughts on a Month in Africa
My unexpected month in Africa will always be a two-edged sword: a treasured memory on the one hand and a painful and expensive exercise in futility on the other hand. Remember the purpose of this trip was to secure...
We Didn’t Make it to Las Vegas…
Sometimes even well-intentioned plans are not meant to be. I was so excited to book a free trip to Las Vegas courtesy of JetBlue Vacations a few weeks ago. Heidi had never been and Vegas is the perfect one-day...
The Best Part of the Tanzania Trip
We’ve now worked our way though a 24-part trip report and I have neglected to share what truly made the trip a great one. It was the company. I have taken so many amazing solo trips around the world, but...
Dump the Kid for a Romantic Getaway to Iceland?
Admittedly, I wasted two hours yesterday morning trying to figure out a way to travel from Los Angeles to Iceland on WOW Air during a flash fare sale. One problem: the baby does not have his passport yet. Hindsight is...
The Farce of Airport Security
How to wreak terror inside a secure airport in 2017? Place a gun into your checked bag, grab your bag off the carousel, pull the gun out, load the gun, and start firing. That’s what happened last week in...
The Travel Infrastructure Problem in the USA
What was the real reason behind yesterday’s U.S. Customs delay that stranded thousands of travelers and left the immigration process at a standstill across U.S. airports? Rampant speculation that Russian hackers or other nefarious actors were responsible has been at the...
Reflecting on Priorities This Christmas
I’m thinking about priorities this Christmas. While I’ve spent four days dwelling on Garuda Indonesia First Class a civil war continues in Syria. It appears thankfully drawing to a close, but 400,000 have already been killed. War rages in Somalia and...
And Baby Makes Three
Early in her pregnancy, my wife Heidi and I had many spirited debates over what to name our son. We knew he was a boy and so I (naturally) suggested we name him Matthew Klint Jr, so that we...
New Pet Relief Area at LAX or Secret Smoking Patio?
LAX has opened a new pet relief area on the site of a former smoking patio in Terminal 6. The “Pet Park” is LAX’s third: there is also one beyond security in the Tom Bradley International Terminal and another...
On Turning 30
Yesterday I turned 30 at 38,000 feet somewhere over Nevada. I was flying JetBlue Mint Class with Lucky and just past the stroke of midnight he came over from his Mint Suite to mine and rubbed in that I...
Where in the World Am I?
I don’t post the “sorry I’ve been busy” excuses that some travel bloggers post when they go for several days between writing. Blogging is indeed a business, but still not my primary occupation. I consider it “fun” and as...
Scary Flight Experience
I’ve written about the scariest in-flight experience I have ever had, but I think last night may have been even worse. I’m still trying to process how much was reality and how much was nightmare. I was on a...
When is a Vacation Too Long?
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,...
