Currency and Travel Quiz

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Brad Christensen

Welcome to our Sunday post.  We always put up a picture and allow you to guess where the picture was taken and what currency they use there.  Some pictures are from the USA, and others are not.

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

Thanks to Stephanie who took this picture!!
Credit Sesame gives you an Experian credit score each month for FREE.  It doesn’t affect your credit to get it checked either.

Posted in Travel Quiz | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Couponing for Travel

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Brad Christensen

We like to think of our way of using credit card rewards as the equivalent of couponing for travel.

My wife has taken a liking to the many blog posters who share their methods of combining coupons to rake in amazing deals on massive quantities of everything from cereal to toothpaste.  There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting something for free, or at least “almost-free.”  That feeling is all the more meaningful when it’s an $800 airline flight you’re getting for free, as opposed to two sticks of deodorant.

Just yesterday, for example, I took advantage of a promotion American Airlines is running, and got a code for $100 off a $250 flight.  All I needed to qualify was to be a member of their FF program, AAdvantage, and a holder of the Citi AAdvantage card.  I thought I had hit it big with the 75,000 mile bonus I had gotten for both my wife and myself, but it appears that the benefits just keep on coming.

Here’s a sampling of the places I’ve been by taking advantage of Airline Frequent Flier programs:

I took my entire family to Medellin, Colombia.  It was a phenomenal adventure, and our flights cost us nothing more than the taxes – all thanks to the two 75,000 mile bonuses for signing up for the Citi AAdvantage cards.  Together we climbed to the top of El Penol, visited Spanish colonial pueblos, indulged in a $19 per day nanny, and paraglided over the verdant mountains of the Andes.

Delta and KLM miles that came in the form of transfers from American Express points took me to the tallest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, for an incredible expedition through five climatic zones.  You begin the hike in a lush rainforest, and end it in the harsh cold of glacial tundra.  It was a testing adventure that will never be forgotten.

On Northwest Airlines, we flew to Cancun, Mexico, and gave ourselves a self-guided tour of the Mayan Ruins,  relaxed on white sand beaches, and pretended to be high-rollers at an amazing beach house that we rented for an even more amazing price.

 

There are more places we’ve visited, and many more that we will visit.  Travel has opened our eyes to things they couldn’t have otherwise seen.  We live in a beautiful world, a world that is under-appreciated by too many who find themselves comfortable in “adventures by Disney.”  Catch the wanderlust, and wanderlust with us.

See our favorite hotel offerings that you can use for free with Starwood points for signing up for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

 

 

Posted in Travel Tips | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Cheap Exotic Honeymoon

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Brad Christensen

One of our readers asked us how we might plan a cheap and exotic honeymoon.  Everyone plans trips differently and likes different things.  Here is one idea of a honeymoon that would be unforgettable without breaking the bank.

I know that a cruise is a cliche idea of a honeymoon, but you can’t beat the food and entertainment all-in.  Let me show you how to do all of it for a great deal!

The Flight

Getting your flight should be pretty easy, but you will definitely have to book it in advance.  Living in Idaho makes it very difficult to fly into Miami, or San Juan the exact day that the cruise starts and leave the same day it ends.  This is really difficult because I always have to make at least one connection, if not a couple more.

Citi is still honoring the American Airlines 75,000 to today, but it could turn off at any time.  I really feel like this is the best card that is even available right now.  You can use the 75,000 AAdvantage miles to get two people to Florida or to San Juan very easily. I pulled this from AA’s website and it shows how many miles it requires for a one way trip.  You can see that the Florida option would cost you 12,500 each way, or 25,000 miles for one person on a round trip to Florida.  Going to the Caribbean is probably going to cost you 35,000 to get you to San Juan.

Any way you slice this one it is an amazing deal on the 75,000 bonus miles.  You still have some costs to consider:

  • Baggage fees: $25/per person per bag. This is going to run you $100 on the trip unless you are cheap as I am, in which case it would only cost you $50.
  • Taxes:  If you go to Florida you might expect to pay $1o per person, if you go to Puerto Rico, you might expect more like $25 per person.
  • Total for Airfare: $70

By doing this you are going to be able to save between $600-900 on the airfare.

Hotel

I know we have pounded the Starwood card lately, but that card is incredible.  I blogged the other day about how you can use the Starwood card before going on a cruise to stay at the Miami Sheraton Airport with the Starwood card there too.

  • Taxes: $20 per night making that $40 if you stay a night on the way there and one on the way home.
  • Transportation to cruise: I’d guess that this will cost you $20 per trip.  You might even be able to find another couple and pay half.
  • Hotel and Transport to Cruise: $80

The Cruise

Cruising is a lot of fun.  Before going on the cruise I always do quite a bit of research on Cruise Critic.  This is a message board where you can meet other people who will be on your ship before you go. They all update you on what they are doing and throw out ideas of how you can work together to get your excursions for much cheaper.

My wife and I love taking local transportation as much as possible instead of taking taxis whenever possible because it allows us to better understand their lifestyles and how they live their lives.  (It’s always cheaper too :)) We love chilling on the beach and soaking up the rays.

Unless you drink alcohol you don’t have to pay for virtually any food on the cruise.  This makes your honeymoon rather cheap.  You can eat whenever you would like and sit at a table for two every night if you desire.  It is a great time to spend with your new spouse.  No pressure of where to eat or how much you’re spending.  It’s all included.

There are a few costs that you need to remember when looking at cruises:

  • Gratuities: Instead of paying each person that waits on you hand and foot they have you pay a flat fee per day that goes toward all the people that help you.  This fee ranges, but it is normally about $10 per person per day.  That means that you need to add on $140 for gratuities at the end.
  • Alcohol: Luckily I don’t drink and neither does my wife.  If you do, I’d recommend a sobering trip.  You will go broke paying for drinks on the boat.
  • Soda: You can get a soda card for $40 or something like that for the entire trip.  You’ve got to be drinking a ton of these to make it worth it.
  • Cruise Excursions: Horrifically expensive.
  • Lunch: When you’re off exploring the island, or the mainland, remember that the food does cost off of the boat.  I always look for the local fare because it one reason that I love to travel, but also it is cheaper too.  (Starting noticing anything about being cheap? :))

Really you should be able to get the cruise for $400 per person.  I used cruise.com to book our last trip and it came with $150 in onboard spending.  We used it to pay our gratuities and offset those costs.

In sum:

  • Airfare: $70
  • Hotel and Transport: $80
  • Cruise: $1100
  • Total: $1300!

Traveling smart can save you thousands.  This is a method that I’ve been using and have found it to save me thousands in travel.  I recommend it to you.  Watch for the good deals, and jump on them.  The SPG Amex is going to expire on the 22nd.  Don’t miss this deal!


Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Banff and the Canadian Rockies

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Brad Christensen

I suppose I’m guilty of the assumption that travel destinations increase in awe-inspiration the further they are from home.  Yet, in practice, I find that it’s far from the truth.  I’d put the serene lakes of the Boulder Whitecloud Mountains in Central Idaho against any other beauty on earth.

So I’m not sure why I find it such a surprise that nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies.  I was excited about our motorcycle loop and I expected to be wowed, but I figured mountains were mountains.  Oh how wrong I was.

It’s as if God were angry when he began to carve those mountains into the earth.  With utter disregard for suitable angles and pitches, the peaks rise with sharp, jagged edges.  While you might expect a few dramatic summits here and there, you’d never imagine there would be such a profusion of

And yet to temper the ferocity of the scene, he filled the valleys with placid lakes and meandering rivers of a color so clear and blue, you might mistake it for the sky.  An abundance of wildflowers cover the ground floor in yellows and purples, striking a contrast to the deep, luscious green that covers all but the most exposed peaks.

It is a veritable wonderland, and it’s hard to manage anything that can truly compare.  I’m sure I would enjoy the view from the comfortable seat of a car, but seeing it from the seat of motorcycle, with nothing to do but to ponder the wonder of it all, I was in a state of genuine peace.  It’s that feeling that provokes the wanderlust.  It’s a feeling of deep satisfaction that everyday life doesn’t bring.  I suppose I’m addicted, but so what?

If travel is your vice, as well, we hope worldwanderlusting.com will help you seize the opportunities to descend further into reckless abandon.  Casual travelers, we suppose, are welcome as well, but we’re looking to build an army of travel-zombies, anxious to take the world by storm.

Wanderlust with us.  If you haven’t seen how we mapped out a path to use 8 free nights in Starwood Hotels to explore Europe, check out this post on Starwood Hotels in Europe.

Posted in Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Salt Lake Sheraton

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Brad Christensen

Driving down to Salt Lake for the weekend is always painful because I always feel like I’ve gotta either infringe upon someone’s house, or pay $60 per night for a hotel.  That bums me out as well because if you go for two nights you’re out $130 by the weekend is over and you haven’t even accounted for food, gas, entertainment, or shopping.  I’m always looking for ways to make my life more frugal, and to save on my travel expense.  I’ve found a great way to enjoy weekends at the hotel in Salt Lake without paying for the room.

The Starwood Preferred Guest credit card is your ticket to this deal.

The Salt Lake Sheraton is a Category 3 hotel.  This means that a night will cost you 7000 points per night.

It has great access to the I-15 freeway and is right in the heart of downtown SLC.  You can visit Temple Square on foot if you would like.  Bring your kids to the hotel and swim in their outdoor pool. Soak up the rays while your children splash around the pool.

This location is also great for the person who enjoys skiing one of the many resorts that surround Salt Lake, but don’t enjoy waking up so early in the morning to drive there and then once the long day of skiing is over then they would be required to drive home.  Wouldn’t it be nice to just soak in the hot tub after a long day of hitting the trails? Either way it is a simple stay at the hotel, and then a quick drive to world famous ski resorts like Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City, Alta, Snow Bird, and more.

This hotel also provides a shuttle to the Salt Lake International Airport.  Remember that when you are flying on Frequent Flier miles you might not be catching the 11:00 AM flight, it might be more like the 6:00AM flight because all of the other flights were full.  Instead of waking up at 3:00AM (Which I’ve done a number of times) and driving like a zombie to the SLC airport and hoping that you aren’t late to catch your flight, you could get a full night’s sleep before a long trip.  You can be shuttled to the Salt Lake Airport for free and leave your car at the hotel while you’re on your trip.  The airport charges $7 per day.  That means you save $49 per week!!

 

Posted in Starwood Preferred Guest | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog update

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Brad Christensen

We’re working on what will be a pair of totally amazing trip report posts – one from our recent motorcycle ride through Banff and Glacier National Park, and one from Tyler’s escapade to Jordan with stopovers in Amsterdam and Paris.  Keep your eyes peeled for those, as they’re both sure to have you anxious to get wandering.

Also, maybe you have noticed we’re changing the hosting on our site.  We’re trying to make some adjustments that will allow us to post video, use javascript, and other web-geek terms that we use without really knowing what they mean.

We’re loving the way our blog and our following is coming along and we are anxious to keep sharing any travel tips and ideas we come across.  If anyone is interested in making a guest post, please let us know.

If you haven’t applied for the Starwood Card, you may want to jump on that opportunity before the offer expires on August 22nd.  We’ve made a number of posts on where it might take you.  If you have any questions about this card, any of the trips we’ve mentioned, or anything else, we’d love to correspond with you.  Just post a comment on this blog or send us a message.

Thanks for wanderlusting with us!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment