Thanks to Stephanie who gave us this picture. The question is…..Where was this picture taken and what currency do they use there? What currency did they use there prior to 2001?
Travel Reward Card Recommendation
From Wanderlusting to Wandering – Los Cabos, Mexico
I mentioned the cold winter as a wanderlust inducer. It’s actually been pretty nice so far, though I know that at some point in Jan/Feb I’ll be dying to get some sand between my toes. Tina’s photo will provide some solace at that point, but it would be even better to see myself on this beach.
This is extraordinarily convenient, as well, because a good friend of mine was just asking for a recommendation on an all-inclusive resort to celebrate his anniversary later this month. Admittedly, I haven’t been an “all-inclusive” kind of guy – but that’s mostly because I’ve always seen them as being over-priced and full of tip-grubbers.
That was before I found my way to www.vacationstogo.com. I’ve talked about it before as a great place to score a cheap cruise, but they do the resort thing, too. I wanted to put together some options so I did a search and came up with some surprisingly cheap options at some incredible places.
Somewhere around $500 will get a couple 3 nights in a worry-free Cabo San Lucas paradise – complete with food, fun and entertainment. Take your pick, but I dont think you could go wrong with the Royal Solaris Los Cabos Resort. The three night weekend stay at the end of January I checked in on was priced at $478 – and no, that’s not per person, that’s for the couple!
If you’re having a hard time justifying so frivolously spending $500, you could opt to exchange the 50k Ultimate Rewards Points you get from the Chase SapphireSM Preferred Card for $500 in cold hard cash.
The Flights
I’m going to give it to you straight… for whatever reason, unless you’re in Los Angeles, flying to SJD (Cabo) isn’t cheap – which is why you’re going to need some frequent flyer miles. If you were going to Cancun, I’d say buy your tickets – they get pretty cheap. But since we’re talking Cabo, I’m hoping you’ve got some American AAdvantage miles – 35k from the US with plenty of winter availability. If you haven’t gotten them the old fashioned way, you could look at this offer for 50k miles on the AAdvantage Citi Select.
The Wrap-up
I really hope it doesn’t sound like we are foisting credit cards on you disrespectfully. We fully realize what an asset it is to have good credit. Please check out our Before You Apply post along with the Doesn’t it Hurt my Credit? post. I know that just because you’re wanderlusters doesn’t mean you’re ready to gamble with something as important as your credit score and the last thing we’d want is for people to be irresponsible in their pursuit of glorious travel destinations. I can tell you, though, that it can be done responsibly. In the past year and a half I’ve applied for 7 cards (+6 for my wife) and my most recent credit evaluation from Credit Sesame, a totally free credit monitoring service, has my score as high as it’s ever been.
We also hope to be adding value and inspiring you whether or not you ever elect to take the credit card FF miles route. In full disclosure, we do get paid a commission when you use some of the links on our site. It helps me justify the time I spend to my wife as I neglect my honey-dos. More than anything, it is very satisfying to see so many people catching on and flocking to our blog. Thank you for taking the time and please stick around. Don’t hesitate to comment and send us questions.
Chase Ink Bold Card for Business gives you 50k Ultimate Reward Point bonus after meeting the $5000 spending requirement in 3 months. Click the card for terms and conditions.
Posted in Credit Cards, Credit Sesame, Mexico
Tagged Cabo anniversary, Cabo San Lucas, chase credit cards, Mexico all inclusive, travel hacking
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From Wanderlusting to Wandering – Edinburgh, Scotland
Our readers were kind enough to inundate us with stimulating pictures entered into our Facebook Page Photo Contest from their travels, now we’re hoping to pay the favor forward. You’ve seen the photos and now you’re wanderlusting, we’d like to show you how to put yourself in these places.
Thanks to Alise for showing us the beautiful picture of the chimneys of Edinburgh, now… let’s do what we do at www.WorldWanderlusting.com and get there by prudently using your good credit to obtain travel reward benefits.
Edinburgh Chimneys
First things first….The flight
I’ve searched through each of the frequent flyer mile programs and it looks like the best program for getting to Europe will depend on your origin. Every once in a while you can get 40k American AAdvantage miles to take you to select places in Europe, but more often than not, you’ll be looking at closer to 60k – and we haven’t been finding offers that will get you that many points all at once here recently.
We’re finding that your best bet to almost anywhere in Europe, though, may just be to load up some Ultimate Rewards points. The Chase Sapphire PreferredSM and the Ink Bold® Business Card will give you 40k and 50k Chase Ultimate Rewards points respectively. These can be used as cash towards airfare at a rate of 1.25 per 100 points. By the time you meet the spending requirements, you’ll have at least 43k or 55k points (or 108k if you opted for both). Then go to Kayak’s Explore Tool and see what flights land near Edinburgh and when they might be available.
I did a quick search and saw that $787 will get you into Manchester in February. The 53,000 points can be redeemed for $662 in airfare. So if you can cough up the difference – a measly $125, you’ll be on your way.
This is sounding good, but it’s about to get even better. Because you’re using the Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll also accrue frequent flyer miles. According to Milecalc’s website and found that a flight from SLC to Manchester would rack up around 10,660 more miles. Do this twice with most programs and you’ll be well on your way to anotherl free flight within the US.
The best part is that you can apply for a new Chase card every 30 days. So you could score the Chase Sapphire PreferredSM and then wait until you had your spending requirement met, then get the Ink Plus® Business Card to cover for two people or the entire trip the first time around. Your spouse could apply for both cards too, then you could take your family of four to Europe for $500 ($125 x 4). Keep in mind that this excursion would score you 42,640 FF miles as well! (10,660 x 4). I don’t know about you, but I’m sweating.
Hotel
As a bonus, then, you’ll get to enjoy the drive from Manchester to Edinburgh. I’m sure that Alise could testify, as the pictures demonstrate, there are some breathtaking sights. Just remember to drive on the left side of the road. Staying downtown in a large city will usually require more points or dollars. So, sometimes it is better to look a little outside of downtown. I’ve looked up a few hotels and here are a couple of ideas on where to stay.
- Sheraton Edinburgh Grand Hotel and Spa. This place is $200 per night if you were to pay full price. I discovered that it belongs to the Starwood Preferred Guest family of hotels. This particular hotel requires 10,000 points per night to stay for free. Ouch. That is a lot of points. I would recommend the Cash & Points option. This will cost you 4000 points and $60 per night. I think this is a bargain because you’re getting an amazing hotel at an incredible location for only $60 per night. The current offering from the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express. Apply now. gives 25,000 bonus points after meeting a $5000 spending requirement witin 6 months. That leaves you with 40,000 points that would last you a long time staying at this place. Unless you’d like to try out www.couchsurfing.org, I think that this would be the best option.
Alise’s picture has definitely inspired me to get to Scotland. I’m thinking that it would be a great place to visit during the summer or even the winter. Hopefully this post has inspired you to plan a trip and make it happen. Stay tuned for play-by-plays on how you can get to some of the other amazing destinations.
Nothing pains us more at WorldWanderlusting.com, than hearing “I’d love to travel, I just can’t afford it.” We write about inexpensive ways for people to get to places they had only dreamed of. Follow us on Facebook or check out these other great posts:
- Eight Great things to do in Panama
- Your Spanish Dream Vacation with free nights in Marriott Hotels
- How to Make $135 by taking a Cruise Vacation
- Explore Europe with 8 free nights in Starwood Hotels
Wanderlust with us.
Worldwanderlusting Facebook Travel Photo Contest
If I had to identify the primary wanderlust-inducers, I think it would go something like this:
- Seeing amazing travel location photos
- Reading or hearing stories about history, cultures, or adventures
- Daydreaming about exotic foods and flavors
- Nasty, cold, windy Idaho Falls winters
Naturally, then, it would make sense to find an abundance of these things on our blog, whose sole purpose is to turn you, who happened to find your way to our site, into a voracious wanderluster – insatiably hungering for worldwide adventure. With the exception of Idaho Falls winters, which we’ll keep to ourselves, we’ll deliver all of these things, in addition to a variety of ways to transform your wanderlusting into wandering.
Along those lines, we’re very happy to bring you the submissions for the first ever WorldWanderlusting Travel Photo Contest. If these photos from our fellow wanderlusters won’t wet your wandering whistle, we’ll wonder what will (yes, that was 9x alliteration).
If you’d like to vote for your favorite (and we know you do), just “like” our Facebook page, go to the photos, and cast your vote. Because we’ve never done this before, we’re not exactly sure how long it will last – so do it today!
If you think that’s exciting, just wait until we start to show you how you can join the travel-hacking world and visit these places on a budget that almost anyone can afford. In the next few weeks, we’ll show you how you can get to each and every one of these places to bring home pictures like these with you in them.
As always, we’re thankful that you came to wanderlust with us. As we embark on a new year, we’re happy to have a following of people who are as passionate about travel as we are.
Posted in Contests
Tagged travel 2012, travel hacking, travel photo contest, Wanderlusting
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Currency and Travel Quiz
Where was this picture taken and what currency do they use there?
Eight Great Foods To Feed the Wanderlust
As I’ve talked about before, food is one the biggest reasons why I love to travel. Trying the local fare in each place is always a highlight for me. I’m always glad when people post pictures of the foods that they ate on their trips.
I’ve compiled a list of eight great foods that will make you want to travel. It seems like the food is never the same when you get home from your destination, but it can feed you the wanderlust.
Pho
- Pho. This is a Vietnamese staple. Even when the temperature reaches over 100degrees you will find all of the locals eating this meal. They don’t differentiate breakfast meals from lunch or dinner like we do in the US. They have this for all three meals everyday. Although it is simple, the dish is quite impressive. Almost always they load it with seafood, but sometimes you can find it made with chicken, beef, or pork. The broth is a not too complex, and is loaded with soft rice noodles. I’ve seen it in the states at Mongolian Grill Restaurants, Thai restaurants, and occasionally you can find them at a Vietnamese restaurant. They always have side plates of bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapenos, and more to put in once the soup has arrived. This is truly a local food, but I highly recommend it.
Pad Thai
- Pad Thai. This is the most common type of Thai food found in America. It is usually at the top of the menu and is pretty easy to remember. The main part of this meal is rice noodles, but they usually include some type of meat. You can order with seafood, chicken, beef, or pork. It is usually garnished with cilantro, lime juice, and crushed peanuts (Love these). It is usually pretty affordable in Thai restaurants, but highly recommended. My wife loves this the most of all Thai foods, but my favorite is up next.
Laab--My Favorite
- Laab Moo(Pork) kai (Chicken) This is a salad that is my favorite Thai food ever. I will usually buy it and also purchase a bowl of rice. This ensures that I fill up, and helps kill some of the spice. This is a blend of deliciousness. My mouth is watering as I explain how good this is. They mince the meat and blend it with sliced up red onions. They also add spice, lemon juice, rice powder, sliced shallots, and much more. I HIGHLY recommend this food for anyone who wants to try something new. I’ve never been disappointed by this food
Chicken Tikka Masala
- Tikka Masala. This is an Indian Cuisine that was first introduced to me by my good friend Trevor. He was probably the one who got me wanderlusting in the first place. He fell in love with this dish and showed it to my wife and I. We found a great recipe and we have been making it ever since. I’m actually really sad that I never hit up my old neighbor Mandeep, who was from India, to ask him to make this for me when I was in high school. It is a blend of many spices, and isn’t easy to make. The result is absolutely amazing. You must purchase the naan bread to go with this dish. It is an essential part of the Indian cuisine as well. Cilantro is a common garnish, and is laid on a bed of long grained rice. The naan bread helps you to clean your plate when you are done as well. I’ve never been to India, but this food makes me want to take a trip there.
Mark Enjoying Pikliz
- Pikliz. People tell me that this is similar to the pickled cabbage that is eaten in Korea, but I feel like this stuff is different. I went to Haiti in April of 2010 to help out after the earthquake. What an amazing experience. I’ll write more about it later, but we had someone cook all of our meals. When she asked what we wanted to each at the beginning of the day, we would always respond that we wanted pikliz as a side dish to our main course. The main ingredients are cabbage, carrots, onions, spicy peppers, vinegar, garlic, and salt. It isn’t everyday that you get the chance to eat at a Haitian restaurant, and I’ve even seen some recipes online that can be replicated, but this stuff is good.
- Mangoes and Sticky Rice- I know that you are noticing a theme that many of
Mangoes and Sticky Rice
these foods are from Southeast Asia. The main reason for this is because there is an abundance of these restaurants in every town that you might not have ever tried. Everyone is used to Chinese, Mexican, etc. It is time to branch off and find a new food that inspires you to want to travel. That is the purpose of this post. Hopefully it is inspiring someone out there. This is actually a dessert, and it is horrifically expensive in the USA. They usually want about 6-10$ and it is usually a small amount of food. This delicacy is based on a bed of sticky rice that is warm. They then place chilled mangoes on top of the bed of rice and pour warm coconut milk on top. If the location is really legit then they will also put toasted sesame seeds on top as a garnish. My wife and I fell in love with this stuff on our trip to SE Asia, and after your first bite, I’ll almost guarantee that you will too.
- Foreign Made Coca Cola. I enjoy drinking Coke in the USA from time to time, yet
my main preference is Mountain Dew. It does seem like the Coke in other countries has a sweeter taste. I’ve never been there, but supposedly in the Coke factory in Atlanta you can try different recipes of Coke from different countries all across the world. Although the main ingredients are similar, there is nothing like drinking a foreign Coca Cola. I’ve tried Pepsi, Sprite, and other types of soft drinks, but nothing is as good as Coke. I always look forward to sipping down a Coke after a delicious meal or as night falls on the beach. If you’re not a soft drink kind of person then this might not be a good recommendation. I always say that the Coke will kill any of the bad stuff that I might eat. My wife rolls her eyes, but I kinda believe it….. - Gelato- Although the word is Italian, it is used in countries all across the world.
My wife is an ice cream connoisseur and she knows when ice cream is good. She loves the Italian Gelato and it can be found in places across the USA, but you can also find it in Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala, and I’m sure almost everywhere else. This is usually a little bit softer than the ice cream that we have in the states. It can sometimes even be purchased on cruises. Look for this stuff and give it a try. You might still enjoy your normal ice cream, but this is worth a shot. Keep in mind that sometimes these will be laced with liquor and rum, so if it burns your mouth instead of freezing your brain then you might have gotten a flavor with some alcohol. Don’t let your kids get the wrong flavor either. Many other countries don’t have age restrictions for their children on when they can have alcohol.
I hope that I’ve inspired someone out there to give one of these new foods a try. Most of you have probably never tried any of these foods, but I encourage you to break the mold of pizza, Chinese, and Mexican. Try something new and it might inspire you to take a trip to one of these countries.
Wanderlusting for different foods can be exciting. You can always ask your server what the ingredients are for each dish. As long as it doesn’t have mushrooms then you will be fine. 🙂
All New United MileagePlus Explorer Card
Posted in Eight Great, Fun Travel Stories
Tagged laab moo, mangoes and sticky rice, pad thai, pho, travel foods
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Miles for Magazines
Would we dare recommend that you use your precious miles and points for anything but airline travel and hotel redemption? Why yes… we just might.
Today I scooped up a copy of the most recent National Geographic Magazine – always an interesting read. I had a subscription a couple of years ago, but I didn’t renew and I’ve gotten my anthropologic fix from interesting bloggers and the occasional news article.
It got me thinking I needed another year’s worth of intriguing pieces on mapping the human genome, isolated cultures, and geologic wonders. At first glance, I couldn’t find a subscription for anything less than $15 a month (I know, see how cheap I am?). Then I remembered a little trick I pulled off a few years ago to keep alive the small balance of AA miles I had at the time. They require periodic activity – which doesn’t necessarily equate strictly to flying. I used some miles to sign up for a copy of Travel + Leisure, which, while it does contain a few nice pictures here and there, is really just a waste of paper. Unless, that is, you’re into all-inclusive resorts and Breitling watches (I’m not).
I thought I’d see what my miles would get me that would provide something deeper than airbrushed resort women and lists of hotels that I’d never cough up the money to stay in. While many, if not all, point programs have some kind of magazine program, we’ll isolate our focus to Delta and AA. It appears that they both use the same vendor, who’s probably losing money on your subscription in hopes that you’ll auto-renew. (I always set my www.google.com/calendar reminder to ensure that I don’t get burned on these kinds of things).
It’s really quite amazing just how cheaply you can score some really great magazine subscriptions. Here’s a link to the entire list, but I’ll list off my favorites:
- National Geographic Traveler 300 miles+$2
- Time (weekly) 1200 miles
- The Economist (weekly) 3200 miles
- Outside 800 miles
- Readers Digest 300 miles+$
There’s not an enormous list, but there are quite a few and chances are that you might find something you like.
The way I see it, these miles are so minimal, it’s not like you’re really inhibiting your ability to travel anywhere unless you’re inching towards one of the award ticket minimums. Also, As a general rule, I’d suggest that you use any Delta miles over AA miles, just because the redemption values are usually lower on AA.
Hopefully there are a few of you wanderlusters who were wanting a subscription to provide a monthly dose of daydreaming fodder.
We are still taking travel photo submissions for our contest. We’ll choose 10 photos to compete for a $100 Amex giftcard. We still haven’t even picked the 10, so hurry and post your photo to our Facebook page or email it to bradleyjai@hotmail.com.
We still feel like the Chase Sapphire preferred card is the best option out there at the moment for piling up a frequent flyer arsenal.
