North Carolina, Here we come!

Posted on September 20, 2011 by wpengine

I’m a little bit nervous about my flight that I have coming up early on Wednesday morning. It will be my first “redeye” ever, as it will be the first flight that my son takes. I really hope that he sleeps well as it is a redeye and I know that others will want to be sleeping.  I know that he always sleeps well at night, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

I would also like to issue a word of caution when booking a redeye. Always make sure that the leaving times and arriving times make sense to you. I made a mistake when booking this trip because I saw the redeye and thought to myself that I would leave at the end of the day, and arrive the next day. This flight was different because instead of leaving at the end of the day, and arriving the next day, it leaves early the morning of the 21st and arrives early in the morning on the 21st as well. This extended my trip a day, which isn’t usually a problem, but this gave me a gnarly headache as it caused me to miss two trainings that I originally thought that I would be able to attend.

I’ll probably get my car rental from Priceline. They have great deals on their car rentals. Save up to 40% on car rentals when you name your price at Priceline.com

Pier at Surf City, North Carolina

I’m really excited to take my son to the beach in North Carolina. The weather is going to be pretty nice with the highs in the 80’s. I’m sure that it has cooled down some from the heat of the summer, but I’m hoping that this is going to be great.

I’m really looking forward to checking out a cotton and peanut plantation. I’ve always enjoyed looking at sites like that wherever I go. Learning about agriculture often times is in the hearts of the people. Potato farming isn’t anything too exciting, but it is fun to see plants grow and be harvested each year. I also enjoy gardening, so learning about how plants grow and what type of weather they require is interesting to me.

Oysters from Elijas

Carolina BBQ caught my attention on my last trip to North Carolina.  I had never tasted any type of BBQ sauce like that one, but I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for my wife to try it as well.  The sauce is a bit more liquid and has a vinegar base.  I recommend you take a trip down there sometime to give it a try. I tried some Oysters the last time I went, but I wouldn’t really recommend them.  Everyone has their own tastes though.

I booked my flights on Delta.com as they had a great deal on their rates.  The flight was only $300 for the round trip ticket.  It is going to give me about 4000 Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM) that will go toward my delta tank.  It is always exciting to fly for free, but getting a great fare and the miles that go along with them is totally worth it sometimes too.  Especially when the company pays for it, or it can be a write off.

Sadly the whole area when I’m going doesn’t have any Starwood hotels.  This is the bummer of only having hotel points with one company.  I am really wishing that I had some Marriott points because they have hotels that are abundant in the Wilmington area.  I guess that is how you learn.  I also remember how bad the Howard Johnson Inn Express was last time I stayed their in Wilmington.  This time I’ll definitely be willing to pay a bit more to make sure that I get a reasonable hotel.  I’ve looked into the VRBO’s in the area, and it seems like I can get a small condo for the same price as a hotel.  Do I stay in a hotel and accrue some points, or do I get a bit of a local experience by staying in the condo?  What do you recommend?

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Update:

For a limited time American Express is going to be changing the terms of their current offer.  It isn’t as good as the offer that expired in August, but this lowers the spending requirement significantly.  I don’t have the link quite yet, but they are lowering the minimum spending requirement to $5000 instead of the monster $15,000 that they had before.  I’m still chipping away at the $15,000.  What a joke!  I’ve had a lot of family help me to meet it thus far, but I’m only at $9500.  The $5000 is completely doable.

 

Posted in Fun Travel Stories, Hotels | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Midway Car Rental in LA

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Brad Christensen

If you’re ever headed into LAX, or really anywhere in the LA area, I’d urge you to take a look at Midway Car Rental.  If you’re looking for a really cheap rental, they’ve got it.  If you’re looking for a really nice rental at an affordable price, they’ve got that, too.

In a recent search, I booked a Premium Car for the price of a Hertz Economy Car – $60.  That way even a cheapskate like me can justify riding in style.  Well, let me clarify that – when I called in to ask what the fleet of Premium Cars were, the lady started listing them: A Volvo S-80, Audi 8, MINI Cooper… I stopped her dead in her tracks and asked her to guarantee that I wouldn’t end up with the Cooper.  She laughed and told me that they were actually really popular, but not to worry about it.

One time I flew into Ontario and another car rental company tried to give me a PT Cruiser… which wouldn’t have even been so bad, but it was literally banana-yellow.  I wasn’t having it and offered to downgrade myself, but ended up landing a convertible Ford Mustang… not a bad trade, if I do say so myself.

Thanks for wanderlusting with us.

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Travel Location and Currency Quiz

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Brad Christensen

Where was this picture taken and what currency do they use there?

Posted in Travel Quiz | 4 Comments

Citi Reduced Mileage Awards

Posted on September 17, 2011 by wpengine

I know that we have been stressing the value of the American Airlines 75,000 deal that is still being honored.  It is unbelievable that the offer expired about a year ago, yet they are still giving out the deal.  Use the link on our Frequent Flier Credit Cards page to learn about how to score this card.

I wanted to show you the value of this card as a means of flying to specific places in the US or Canada that don’t require you to use 25,000 of your precious AAdvantage miles.  The Platinum card offers you options to redeem to specific locations in the US and Canada for 17,500 in coach, or 42,500 in first class. It is a benefit for those who hold the Citi AAdvantage credit card.  The program is called the Citi Reduced Mileage Awards.

I’ve taken a selection below that shows where in Canada that you can fly between October and December of 2011.  You have to call American Airlines AAdvantage desk to book the flights and their phone number is 1-800-882-8880.  I’ve highlighted the Vancouver for all those people who have ever dreamed about skiing at Whistler.  Make sure  you plan your vacation early because these deals go fast.

If you live in a cold and frozen tundra (Like Idaho Falls), you might consider visiting a warm location.  Because you have the Citi card you are eligible to fly to Fort Walton Beach, Florida for only 17,500 AAdvantage miles.

Remember that once you have canceled your Citi AAdvantage card you are no longer eligible for these deals.  So plan on taking these trips while you still have the card.  It might even be worth paying the annual fee to keep it if it allows you to save so many miles.

Plus if you are doubling down on the deal as explained on the Frequent Flier Credit Card page, then you could take up to 4 people with you per card.  If you have up to six children then you can take the whole family with you to any of these locations.

Shae and I are looking forward to our trip to Tennessee which only cost us 35,000 AAdvantage miles for both of us.  This means that we saved 15,000 AAdvantage miles by booking our trip with the Reduced Mileage Awards.

Have you booked any trips using the Citi Reduced Mileage Awards?  Let us know how it has benefited you.

the New Amex Business Gold Rewards Card offers 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points for spending $10,000 in the first five months

Posted in American Airlines | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

United Mileage Plus Saver Awards/Honduras Awaits Me

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Brad Christensen

For a limited time, United Airlines has reduced the FF mile “cost” of some specific domestic flight routes, and even some Continental (they’re merging) International flights by as much as 20%.  So, if you’re like me and you have some of these miles that are burning a hole in your pocket, it’s time for you to visit the site and see what options present themselves.

Here are some of the ones that I found particularly exciting:

  • Houston to Panama City, Panama for 28,000 miles
  • Newark to Liberia, Costa Rica for 28,000 miles
  • Jackson, Wyoming to LA for 20,000 miles

There are many more options and I’m sure that the routes aren’t limited only to these hub-travel areas.

Honduras: Booked

On another note, I’m pleased to report that I did end up booking a brief getaway to Honduras this fall.  I wavered between using AA miles and Delta, and ultimately decided to go with Delta because I could wing an open jaw into Tegucigalpa (TGU) and out of San Pedro Sula (SAP) for 35,000 miles and $25.  Yes, you read that right, I’m flying to Honduras for the same price I paid for two Dominos pizzas and a delivery tip last night.

I’m not exactly sure whether I should be more excited about the flight bargain or dismayed about the pizza rip-off.  From what I understand, my value/pleasure ratio will only continue to increase, as we’re already making arrangements with a dive shop that will be costing us $20 per dive – a far cry from what we paid in St. Kitts on our cruise in February – which was even more when you count the cost of shipping the divemaster a Boise State Broncos shirt.

For at least the next couple of weeks, Honduras will bear the brunt of my wanderlust as I search out hidden gems like the Pulhapanzak Waterfall – the kind of swim-in waterfall that makes Central America such a siren’s call for those of us for whom October is as much a winter month as it is autumn.

If any of you have any Honduran travel tips, I’ll be anxiously awaiting your comments.

I’m excited about a new feature that Mint.com is providing which allows users to subscribe to mobile alerts to ensure that we never miss a payment date on credit cards and/or other expenses.  If you aren’t using it already, I’d urge you to give it a try.

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US Bank Flexpoints Bonus Card

Posted on September 15, 2011 by wpengine

Today when I went to my local branch of US Bank I noticed a flier that was sitting on the counter. I’ve taken a picture of the flier and included it below.

The offer isn’t out of this world, but it is a great offer from a bank that usually doesn’t have stellar offers.   US Bank doesn’t have any ties to any specific US airline, and hasn’t since the Northwest and Delta merger a couple of years ago.  They still offer a card that gives points through LAN, but that is a separate offer.

As I understand the flier it looks like this:

  • Spend $2500 on the card within the first 5 months of card membership
  • They bonus you an additional $17,500 points for meeting the initial spending requirements.
  • This gives you a total of 20,000 Flexpoints. This equates to $400 in airfare. It also gives you $25 credit for baggage fees.

The flier isn’t too clear, but it seems as though there is an annual fee of $70, but that is still unconfirmed. It is also unclear if the annual fee is waived for the first year. It also specifies that this offer will only be honored in branches, rather than being offered online, so it might be tough for those of you who live in areas where there aren’t any US Bank branches.

The offer expires on the 4th of October, so there isn’t much time on this offer, but it looks like something that I’ve never seen before.

Also remember that these points aren’t transferable to an airline, therefore you have to use the points before you can cancel the card. So make sure you plan on traveling within the next year to make sure that you avoid paying the annual fee in the second year.

Posted in Credit Cards | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Basque Country – My first foreign love.

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Brad Christensen

“Euskaldun berria naiz.”  It means “I am a new Basque – an adopted basque.”  I’ll never forget descending below the clouds to see the green rolling hills of the Basque Country.  Others know it as a part of Northern Spain, but for the Basque people, and we adopted types, it’s much more than that.  One of these days I’ll make the time to tell you all why it is beyond amazing, and I’ll have you wanderlusting for a week in a Basseria (Basque farmhouse).

Today, since my time is short, I just want to share this video which shows just how diverse and amazing this corner of the world truly is.

Thanks for wanderlusting with us.

 

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