Category Archives: Travel

Some countries (cough, cough USA) make it more difficult than others to transit between international flights. Additionally, a handful of countries now have U.S. border preclearance facilities (Aruba, Bermuda, Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, UAE [Abu Dhabi]). I recently connected through Dublin Airport, which offers...

Have you ever been in a terrible storm while flying? I wrote about my dance with death on Malaysian Airlines but I suspect that storm had nothing on Typhoon Soudelor, which hit Taiwan hard last week. Check out this...

I don’t update my Instagram often, but I just love travel photos–both taking them and looking at them. Opening up my photo app reveals I have 58,593 photos and 438 videos spanning the last decade of travel. I also...

I’ve written over and over about Frequent Traveler University, a dynamic weekend of learning and fellowship that is a must for anyone who wants to efficiently master the points and miles game. Back to the West Coast by popular...

Happy Fourth to my U.S. readers, as we celebrate Independence Day across this great land. Declaring Independence from Great Britain, colonial leaders resolved to sacrifice their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” in furtherance of “life, liberty, and the pursuit...

I am one of those people who swear by Rimowa luggage. It’s expensive, but you do get what you pay for and it is absolutely the best luggage I have ever used. And the company is classy too —...

For my annual Memorial Day post this year, I want to quote a passage from President Woodrow Wilson’s Memorial Day Address 101 years ago on 30 May 1914: A peculiar privilege came to the men who fought for the...

Tragic news hit today that a Germanwings flight carrying 144 passengers and six crew traveling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the French Alps, killing all onboard. There are a lot of questions surrounding the crash, primarily why the...

The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show is taking place this weekend in Long Beach, CA and  is billed as the largest travel show in the nation. The object of the show is to offer travelers a one-stop location...

Frequent Traveler University in Dallas is coming up on 17-19 April 2015 and this event will be the only FTU in 2015. If you are new to the world of miles and want a fun-filled yet educational weekend that...

If you’re following me on Twitter or Instagram you’ve already seen some of these pictures, but yesterday I flew on the first A350 commerical flight, a Qatar Airways service from Doha to Frankfurt. A full report will be published...

Air India is a Star Alliance member with a surprisingly robust worldwide route network. With a great seat in business and first class (service is another story, I hear) the carrier provides a valuable link to the Indian subcontinent....

One upside to my job is that I am able to travel on a whim – my office, being a telephone and laptop computer, is portable so when the right opportunity arises, I can take it. I figured the...

As Father Time prepares to hand over the reigns to Baby New Year, allow me to offer a few reflections on 2014.This was not the year I imagined it to be, with the beauty of married life and unplanned...

Happy Christmas to all and may I just say that it is great to be home in Los Angeles! After a marathon visa process, including an unexpected month in South Africa, the visa finally arrived and Heidi and I...

Hyatt has announced its annual update to the Gold Passport award chart and thankfully changes are limited for 2015–here is what you need to know: 70 Hyatt properties are changing categories 22 hotels are moving up a category 48...

Tickets to FTU and FTU Advanced in Dallas, from 17-19 April 2015, are now on sale at FTUniversity.com. I will be doing my usual talks on United Airlines, but will also be talking miles and exotic travel at this...

Tickets to the next Frequent Traveler University go on sale Thursday at 11:00AM ET / 8:00AM PT at FTUniversity.com. Tickets for the Advanced seminars at the last three events sold out very quickly, so be warned if you want to attend....

I recently had the opportunity to experience Lufthansa First Class with my German wife Heidi — just wait till you read her account of the flight — and it reminded again that flying is so much more fun with...

A storm has dumped massive amounts of rain and snow along the Eastern Seaboard today, leading to over 500 cancelled flights and endangering the Thanksgiving travel plans of many. But even at this evening hour, you can still better...