Around the corner from the Darul Aman Palace sits the National Museum of Afghanistan, offering a bitter reminder of Afghanistan’s stormy history. The museum once boasted one of the world’s premier collections of Central Asian artifacts dating back several...
Kabul – TV Tower Hill and Darul Aman Palace
Our first stop was TV Tower Hill, the highest point in Kabul. Getting up to the top of the hill was no easy task, even in our Toyota 4Runner. Roads are made of gravel, rocks, and dirt and it...
My Hotel, er Compound, in Kabul, Afghanistan
When my driver pulled up to my “hotel” down a quiet side street in central Kabul, my bodyguard dutifully jumped out and scanned the street for anything out of the ordinary. But the street was deserted and eerily silent...
The Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan
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 Thai Airways Flight – Los Angeles to Osaka
Thai Airways no longer flies to Bangkok non-stop from Los Angeles, its only U.S. destination, but does provide service via Seoul and starting next year, via Osaka as well. With the new flights just loaded into the schedule, Thai...
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,...
Memorial Day 2013: Remembering Gettysburg
I do a special post on Memorial Day each year not to be jingoistic or political, but because the ultimate sacrifice made by so many members of the military throughout the American experiment is so easy to forget in...
TSA Embraces "Abuse The Elderly Day"
I will be traveling with my 86-year old Uncle next week and a thread on Flyertalk about the TSA treatment of another elderly passenger caught my attention today. This weekend my wife and I accompanied my 87 year old...
Singapore, My 100th Country
I never got around to posting that I recently surpassed the 100-country threshold in my quest to explore as much of this world as humanly possible. Last month Singapore became my 100th country visited, as I spent about 28...
Aeromar Award Space Now Bookable with MileagePlus at united.com
Transportes Aeromar, a Mexico City-based carrier that serves various cities in Mexico as well as McAllen, Texas, formed a partnership with Continental Airlines in 2010 and uses MileagePlus as its loyalty program. With about 100 flights a day within...
United Airlines Unveils New Uniforms at Newark Airport
As part of its commemoration of 25 years in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines set up a catwalk this morning in order showcase new uniforms for pilots, FAs, and ground staff. With CEO Jeff Smisek on-hand,...
Last Day to Order FREE Bluebird Checks from American Express
For several months American Express has offered Bluebird account holders either 50 or 100 free paper checks that can be used to make routine payments and even pay credit card bills . Today is the last day of the...
More Hilarity from US Airways: "I love a man who knows what he wants"
Readers: if you are getting bored of posts like this, just leave a comment below, but I cannot get enough of the US Airways call center when it comes to booking a complex international award tickets. Here’s how my...
5 Reasons to Purchase a United Club One-Time Pass
United Airlines offers one-time passes to its United Club for $50, available online or at the club check-in counter ($45 if purchased on the United mobile app). Is it worth it? With clubs in 38 airports around the world...
Alitalia MilleMiglia Partner Redemptions: A Cautionary Tale
Alitalia’s MilleMiglia loyalty program has some gems on its award chart and is an oft-overlooked American Express transfer partner. Highlights include: North America-Southern South America 75,000 miles roundtrip in business class North America-North Asia 90,000 miles roundtrip in business class North...
Video: Woman Kicked Off an AA Flight for Singing
A JFK-LAX American Airlines flight made an unscheduled stop in Kansas City on Friday after a woman refused to stop…singing Whitney Houston songs. AA quickly issued a statement stating, “The woman was being disruptive and was removed from the...
