About two hours north of Kabul lies the Panjshir Valley, final resting place of Afghan hero Ahmad Shah Massoud and a site of relative tranquility amidst the struggles that have plagued Afghanistan for so long. The Soviets and later...
Arrival in Afghanistan
Stepping outside Kabul airport’s baggage claim area, the arrival lobby was eerily quiet. There was no swarm of taxi drivers and tour operators I am accustomed to when arriving in a new country. Instead, there were just a few...
Dubai to Kabul on Ariana Afghan Airlines
After landing in Dubai around 10pm, I had 6 hours before my connection to Kabul. It was too early for Dnata to check me in and I had no lounge access so I set out looking for a bench...
Jeddah to Dubai in Saudia Economy Class
After a refreshing stay at the Park Hyatt Jeddah, it was time to continue my journey to Dubai. The same driver who brought me to the property the afternoon before took me back, dropping me off about two hour...
Photo Finish Averts Singapore Airlines Suites Disaster
There was no photo incident on this outbound trip, but a photo finish at San Francisco International Airport rescued my Singapore Airlines trip from the jaws of destruction. In July 2012, almost 11 months ago, Singapore Airlines updated their...
New York JFK to Jeddah in Saudia Economy Class
Flying on a new airline for the first time is always fun. There’s a bit of apprehension—will the service be good? How about the IFE? And the food? You can eliminate a lot of the guesswork through Google, Flyertalk,...
Sherpa Has 24 hrs in NYC
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. New York City Awaits As part of this amazing itinerary I had a chance...
Introduction: A Journey to Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan
When Saudia Airlines (formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines) offered an amazing $557 r/t deal from New York to Dubai via Jeddah last December, I jumped on it—but it was not because I had any desire to go to Dubai. Saudia...
New York City – First Date
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Descending into New York City Keeping up with my UN-Trip Report, it doesn’t get...
The Dramatic Conclusion To… Ticketless In Malaysia
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Getting Out of Asia Concluding my previous posts about being suddenly ticketless and stranded...
UA1275 EWR-LAX: United First to United Worst
As it turned out, my flight from Newark to Los Angeles on Friday went out almost full, but the oversold first class cabin problem resolved itself and I did not have to fight for a seat. Nevertheless, in many...
Ticketless In Malaysia Continued
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. We Remain Stuck In Malaysia Continuing on from my UN-trip Report started here, then...
A Perfectly Good Transcon Redeye…in COACH
I was very critical of United Airlines yesterday, arguing that the carrier’s business model and frankly its persona from the top down would make wining back lucrative business customers much more difficult than CEO Jeff Smisek envisions. I stand...
You Are Stuck in Malaysia
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Me: “So you are telling me we are stuck in Asia with no way...
Frankfurt to Washington Dulles in United Airlines Business Class
After enduring a long and sleepless ride over the Atlantic in economy class, I was prepared to stay in Frankfurt until I was able to secure a seat in United business class going back to Washington. Flying standby meant...
United Airlines First Class San Francisco to New York JFK
Note what is not in the title—p.s.—the “premium service” designation given to the Los Angeles/San Francisco-New York Kennedy routes in 2005 by United in an effort to distinguish itself from American Airlines (and later Delta Air Lines and Virgin...
Non-Rev Adventures on United Airlines, Part I
While it pains me to even tell you this story, I trust you can enjoy a chuckle at my expense (maybe one day I will too…) and avoid a very carless mistake. A couple weeks ago, I had a...
Beautiful Pictures from Ireland
As you know, I spent the weekend in southwestern Ireland and had a great time–here’s a few pictures from my trip:
Top Secret Trip
Folks, I suppose a Tweet would have been enough, but I’ll be away the next couple days and may not have access to the internet. Care to guess where I am headed? You’ll love the trip report… Here’s a...
Bribing My Way Out of Kazakhstan
Another trip to a former Soviet Republic, another adventure at the border. I was originally scheduled to fly out of Almaty to Frankfurt early on 25 March. Plans changed and I pushed back my departure to 01:50 on 26...
