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.

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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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Affecting Your Credit

Posted on September 13, 2011 by wpengine

We always tell our readers to make sure that they are making wise decision about their credit when they begin applying for new credit cards.  If anyone is going to be applying for a big loan in the near future, I would always recommend that you exercise much caution.

Remember that credit is like an onion.  (Do I sound like Shrek?)  As you establish the credit with different accounts it builds and makes your credit more stable.  If you are new to the credit game then I would always recommend that you exercise much caution by making sure that you establish a good foundation first.

My wife is pretty new to the credit game, and you can tell that it affects her credit more than it does mine when she applies for a new line of credit.  Last month she scored the Starwood Preferred Guest card on the last day of the promotion.  She opened her first line of credit in 2008 with a bank credit card.  It was her only line of credit at the time and has kept it open and paid great on that account every month since then.  It has grown and become more established since then.  In the beginning of 2011 we applied for her second credit card and she got the AAdvantage 75,000 deal.

The Capital One “Match my Miles” promotion was too tempting to let it pass us by.  She had over 100,000 miles with American because of the above mentioned promotion and she scored this as her third card.  I knew that because she was new to the game I had to be more cautious with her credit than mine as mine has been established for much longer than hers.

I wanted to make sure that she was able to get the the Starwood promotion because I felt like it was such a great deal.  I was a little nervous applying for it because I knew that her “onion” didn’t have a lot of layers, and needed to be cared for.  I just checked her credit score with CreditSesame.com and I noticed that over the last month her score dropped by 13 points.  It is ok because we don’t have any loans that we are going to be needing for the near future and we will be able to bring her score back up again before we end up needing another loan.  Her score is still in the excellent category as it now sits at 764.


The interesting thing is that my score actually increased during the month for which I applied for the Starwood Preferred Guest card.  This just goes to show that your “onion” or credit needs to be well established before you enter this world of wanderlusting on credit cards.

CreditSesame.com has been a great addition to me and I would recommend it to everyone who is following this strategy.  It gives you an updated score every month based on the Experian score.  They don’t provide you with the report, but it helps you to understand where your current credit situation sits.

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How to Get a Passport

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Brad Christensen

I know, I know… for most of you, this is hardly interesting or useful, but wouldn’t you agree we need to help out the slim majority of Americans that don’t have one?  Wait, let me fact-check that… no, well this is interesting… it’s not a slim minority- it’s not even a minority.  Roughly 63% of Americans don’t have passports.  Excuse me while I shed a tear.

Ladies and gentleman, this is a travesty!  Should any of you happen upon our blog, let me be the first to implore you – Please take the opportunity to leave the country.  If you are patriotic, you’ll become even more so.  We live in a great place, but the world is full of amazing people, cultures, adventures, and experiences.

In times past, world travel was reserved only for the affluent.  Airline travel was cost-prohibitive, but times have changed.  If you spend more than $3000 a month, there are places you could go in the world, which would actually save you money – net of your airline ticket cost!  Now, compound that with WorldWanderlusting’s credit card exploitation and other travel tricks, and traveling the world may just be an expense-saving opportunity for you.

To begin, you’ll need to get a passport.  First time passport applicants must appear in person at a Passport acceptance facility, which you can search for here.

But first, you’ll need get together the following:

Once you submit this at a passport acceptance facility or US Passport Agency, as long as everything is in order, you can expect your passport in 4-6 weeks.  Chances are that it may come sooner, but don’t gamble on it. If you need an expedited passport, you can expedite shipping for another $60, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you’re in a hurry and you need a passport now, I’d urge you to contact Travel Visa Pro.  They can also help if you need a Visa to visit any particular country for an extended period of time.

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CouchSurfing.org

Posted on September 10, 2011 by wpengine

I was sitting in the sauna yesterday in Jackson, Wyoming talking with someone from Russia. He has lived in the US for the last 10 years and now owns a small shop detailing cars and doing oil changes. He was telling me about some of the experiences that he has had traveling across the world.

He signed up for Couchsurfing.org when he wanted to stay with some stranger on a trip to Kiev, Ukraine. Couchsurfing.org is an organization of people who are willing to allow you to sleep on their couch or in a spare bedroom. It gives you a free place to stay for your journey, and then builds credibility for a time when they would like to stay with you.

It was tough for him in the beginning when he began hosting. He lives in Jackson, WY, which is a huge tourism hub. He had tons of calls and emails of people who wanted to stay at his place. It is rather modest, and he has since downsized to where he doesn’t have options of hosting anymore. When joining you can choose if you would like to host or not.

I’ve dreamed of an idea like this for years, but had never stumbled upon it until yesterday. I’m really excited to see how it works and sign up myself. I’m not sure my wife would allow a complete stranger to stay with us, but we might see who looks us up first.

I wish that I would have known about this when we went to Banff earlier this summer. We could have saved big bucks sleeping on someone’s floor as I ended up sleeping on the floor of the hotel room and paying the same as other people who were sleeping on soft beds. What a bummer for me.

Wanderlust with us.

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Wanderlusting Fuel:Human Planet

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Brad Christensen

As if you needed a catalyst to send your mind spinning into the netherworlds of travel fantasy.  Aren’t Fridays for wanderlusting?  I mean, weekends are great and all, but if you’re like me, they’re more yardwork and lazing than they are excitement and adventure.  What we really need to set us free is a good dose of imagination generation.

If you’re like me, and this is precisely what you need, set your DVR to record Discovery’s “Human Planet” series.  If you’re a little more strapped for time and you need a quick fix, or even if you need a taste to get you fully convinced, check out the clips on the Human Planet site.

From Mongols who hunt with eagles, to New Guineas who live in trees, these episodes will take you from the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to the western highlands of Papua New Guinea.   For all that we marvel at nature, both animate and inanimate, the human species is even more than amazing, it is miraculous.

I’ve added at least 8 more dream-locations just thanks to the few hours I’ve spent watching these specials.  The cinematography captures the experiences in ways I’ve never known video to do, so here’s just a sample of what you’ll see.

 

Thanks for wanderlusting with us.

Also check out: https://worldwanderlusting.com/2011/05/26/reading-like-viagra-for-wanderlust/

 

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