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Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels

Posted on March 22, 2013 by wpengine

Sometimes when I tell people that I’ve been to Vietnam and that I really enjoyed my time there they look at me like I have a (guaca)mole on my face. The give the look like, who would ever want to visit Vietnam. I guess growing up in my generation and not knowing much about the whole conflict has given me a different perspective on the country. One thing you can’t miss are the Cu Chi Tunnels. I can’t wait to go back!

Please Note: I have the highest respects for anyone who spent time in the service in Vietnam. We lost many great people in the conflict and I mourn for the losses that so many families experienced from that time frame. A big thank you to all those who served and currently serve our country.

Vietnam

Vietnamese Mangrove on the Mekong Delta

I know this isn’t a history class, nor do I profess to be an expert on the subject, but having been there gives me a more unique perspective than someone who hasn’t ever seen the terrain.

Vietnam is beautiful. They’ve got amazing beaches, wonderful hillsides, and dense jungles. For us to show up in their backyard and try to fight them is not an easy thing to do. It is tough enough to win at your own game, but to play one that you don’t know very well is going to be tough.

The people of Cu Chi were a group of native Vietnamese who were basically sick of people trying to run their lives. The Chinese had ruled over them for 3000 years. Finally the French liberated them, only to then rule them and put a heavy influence on them for the following 300 years.

This sounds like a great time for the USA to show up and to try and tell the Vietnamese what to do…NOT. They were so sick of governing bodies that their willpower was stronger than that of my 1.5 year old. Basically they wanted everyone else to leave them alone. Ho Chi Minh rallies the troops and tells them that we’re trying to come in and dictate what they can and cannot do. We felt the effects of their bottled up anger that was ready to blow.

Seeing the Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi Tunnel. I’m underneath there.

This has to be part of your vacation when visiting Vietnam. Going there without visiting the tunnels would be missing out on a big part of history. Many companies offer day tours of the tunnels and the traps that these people used to fight against our soldiers.

Don’t worry about breaking the bank either. You’re in Southeast Asia. These tours usually run between $10-25 for the trip which includes the bus ride. I’m just not sure how they make money on the deal, but it is beautiful for you. Bring along a big water bottle because this place is hotter than Hades.

Pic a boo. I see you.

The People of the Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi people were very inginutative. They lived roughly 40 kilometers from Saigon, as it was called at the time, but now it’s been renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. There are tons of companies that offer day tours to the Cu Chi tunnels from HCMC. Most of them will have a tour guide who speaks great English, and will explain everything regarding the tunnels.

Cu Chi Tunnel Fake Entrance

They had fake entrances that would fool soldiers who mistakenly would think they had found an entrance to the tunnel. Once they got to the dead end, someone was waiting there to take their life from another angle.

The Cu Chi people did everything underground. They had hospitals that cared for the sick, homes, and even cooked underground. Because helicopters were so prevalent during the conflict they knew that a smoking fire would direct a helicopter to the exact spot where the people were living. For this reason they learned how to make fires underground and created a series of small rooms that were dedicated to absorbing the smoke from the fire. When the smoke finally came from the ground it looked like this:

Cu Chi Underground Kitchen

This would even be tough for someone on the ground to notice. This way they were able to avoid the bombs from the helicopters and continue to live their lives.

Other things to see at the Cu Chi Tunnels

As a part of the tour they’ll give you the chance to shoot some heavy artillery. Each bullet will probably cost you between $1-10. It isn’t cheap, but the gun fanatic might drool at the thought of shooting an AK47, or other guns reserved for war.

They’ll also show you other traps that the Cu Chi people built to stop the Americans from treading on their soil. Because it was their home field advantage the camouflage was all natural. They had things like this that were disguised by leaves and soil.

Sticking Trap

An American would step on the lever in the middle and the bamboo spines would stab them in the leg. Not only would it hurt to be stabbed, but they would rub animal dung on the spines, so it would definitely cause an infection. They were ruthless, and it makes me feel really bad for our soldiers.

Leftover Artillery

Check out all of the artillery that are remnants from the war. They’ve got all kinds of bombs, bullets, and other types of things that were used against them. Fortunately they don’t have any agent orange laying around.

Why you should visit the Cu Chi Tunnels

I was super grateful to have visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. It gave me a much more comprehensive perspective of what happened to our soldiers, and why the conflict was so controversial. I’m grateful to all those who served and risked their lives, but definitely questioning the motives of those making the decisions.

Travel teaches things that the books don’t. Nobody in high school showed me these pictures. Having been there has taught me much more than I ever could have learned in the classroom. I recommend you make the trip so you can see, feel, and experience so much more than you could any other way.

It will emotionally help you to understand why a soldier returning from Iraq might have some struggles. We really need to show more appreciation for our men and women in uniform as they sacrifice so much for us.

Posted in From Wanderlusting to Wandering, Fun Travel Stories, How to Wanderlust | Tagged Chi, Củ Chi tunnels, Ho Chi Minh, ho chi minh city, Mekong Delta, Saigon, United States, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Travel- Do it While you’re young

Posted on March 20, 2013 by wpengine

Let’s be honest. You don’t take enough vacations. You’ve got a bucketful of excuses and you’re not afraid to use them. You go through life wishing that you would travel more, but don’t do anything about it. You’ve already accepted that you just won’t do it until later, or never.

Traveling while you’re young is the best time to travel. The experiences that you have early in life will carry with you for the rest of your life. Whether you’re visiting holy sites like Jerusalem, Mecca, Palmyra, or the Vatican or hiking the Himalayas, the Andes, or the Alps it is all worth it. I’ve never regretted a trip that I’ve taken to date and I’ve visited 30 countries before 30. You can do it. Take courage from the smashed excuses below. Open your eyes and make it happen: Travel while you’re young.

Banff Canada

Travel strengthens your relationship with your spouse

When was the last time you spent a week straight with your spouse? It’s probably been……never. Imagine how you could re-ignite the flame by spending more time together. No children to stop your intimate encounters. You’ll remember the time that you spent when you were dating and couldn’t get enough of each other. Now you just want to avoid each other. Leave the computer at your desk, turn down the thermostat at your house, and go.

In the daily grind it becomes really easy to neglect your spouse whether it be with quality time, physical touch, or whatever the love language. Too many people get to retirement, where they now are spending all day with their spouse and they end up in divorce after 40 years of marriage. Don’t let that happen. Book a trip together so you can keep the fire burning like the first time you set eyes upon him or her.

Loving Hikers

I don’t have very much vacation time

You’re probably right. America feels like the No-Vacation Nation as we are cheated on our vacation time. You’ll just have to look at the time that you do have and make the best of it.

We don’t have the money

(Used Car Salesman Voice) Oh man, do we have the deal for you. JK. That is why we created this blog. We’re just ordinary guys who don’t make millions. Our objective is to teach guys and girls like you to do what you think is out of reach, because it’s not.

If you haven’t been following our site, now is the time. Be sure to follow us on Facebook. We’ll give you the travel tips and tricks that will lower the overall cost of your vacation by at least 50%. In some cases we’ve been able to save 80% on our vacations from the normal costs.

Your children will survive with a babysitter

A little time away from the children is healthy. It’s good for them, and it’s good for you. Start with a weekend away to test the waters if you need to start with something small. Work your way up to a longer trip.

Asking family to watch your kids is the most affordable way, but sometimes you might have to hire a nanny. Imagine if you’ve got a parent who lives far away, there couldn’t be a better time for them to bond. Use some frequent flyer miles to fly them out to your house (which won’t cost you anything) and they’ll love it. Most grandparents I know would be more than willing to do this. The best part is…it’s cheap!

Your health might not last

Let’s be honest. Taking a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia at 75 doesn’t sound like reality. Nor does taking the Eurorail and couchsurfing across Europe work for most people who are 72. It’s not because their hearts are too young. Their bodies are simply too old. Some medical conditions don’t allow for the flexibility that travel requires.

I’ve got a friend whose husband is on dialysis. They have a hard time going anywhere that is over an hour away. You just never know medically what might happen to you. For that reason it’s important to go when you know your health is good–right now!

If you don’t take your spouse traveling now, someone else might later

I know a lady whose husband worked hard his whole life. He was approaching 65 and getting prepared for retirement. They had worked and saved their entire lives for their retirement, and they were looking forward to the trips they would take as a couple and all the time they would spend together. Everything seemed like it was going perfect.

About six months before he turned 65 she woke up morning next to her husband who had passed away in his sleep. They never took those vacations they had always dreamed about. All their preparation for the “twilight” of their life had been flushed down the toilet.

Just Do it

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Imagine that place you’ve always wanted to go. Whether it’s the beach in Hawaii, the ruins of Machu Picchu, or the beauty of the Alps, it doesn’t matter. Now tell yourself that you really can travel now. If you’re not smiling, you’re not human.

Posted in Family Travel, Fun Travel Stories | Tagged Alps, Andes, Annual leave, Himalayas, Jerusalem, machu picchu, Mecca, Palmyra | 4 Comments

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express: More than just free hotels

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Brad Christensen

We have given you abundant reasons invite the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express into your wallet. First, we lured you with the Exploring Europe Itinerary, that would take you from the canals of Venice, to Juliet’s Balcony, into the Alps, then on to Pisa and the Duomo of Florence. Then, for the homebodies who fear attempting to speak to people in a non-native tongue, we invited you to take a loop through New England – we even made a video to make it easy for you to understand. If that weren’t enough, we tempted you with an American History Tour, and then poured it on with posts about hotels in Orlando and even Indonesia.

My favorite part about the card was of course the big up front bonus that allowed me to take my boys to San Francisco for four free nights and still have 4 more to spare. But beyond that, I have to say that I’m most excited about the low hurdle for me to rack up more and more benefits. Starwood’s Category 2 redemption level is just 3,000 points on weekends and 4,000 points on weekdays. What that means is that for every $3000 I charge on the card (in normal, everyday expenses, which I pay off in full and on time), I have another free night. I like it so much, actually, that when I tried(halfheartedly) to cancel the card before the $65 annual fee, and they offered me 2,000 points to hang on, I whistled all the way to the bank.

I’ve started to get more and more serious about getting the business version of this card to begin to accrue Starpoints more seriously. Why? Because in addition to all of the great free hotels I can stay at, there’s an exhaustive list of Starwood partner programs that I can transfer to and get a 25% bonus when I move points in 20k blocks. Here are some of my favorite transfer options. I listed the ratio assuming we always transfer in 20k blocks.

Frequent Flyer Program	Exchange Ratio (Starpoints : Miles)
Aeroplan/Air Canada	1:1.25
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan	1:1.25
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club	1:1.25
American Airlines AAdvantage	1:1.25 (Amazing value)
British Airways Executive Club	1:1.25
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles	1:1.25
Flying Blue	1:1.25
Hawaiian Airlines	1:1.25
LAN LANPASS	1:2.5(great for LatAm)
US Airways Dividend Miles	1:1.25
United Mileage Plus	2:1 (not usually worth it)
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	1:1.25

To illustrate, I’ll just give you some ideas of what you could do with the 25k bonus plus the 5k (30k) you’ll get from meeting the minimum spending requirement ($5k in the first 6 months) by using your card to make only necessary purchases at a rate of $850-$1000 a month for the first 5-6 months you have the card.

A great shot of Machu Picchu from our friends at www.1000fights.com

To Machu Picchu from LAX – Move 27k of your Starpoints to LAN for a total of 64k LAN kilometros (points). 48k will get you roundtrip flights LAX/LIM and 16k will get you to and from Cuzco. (Thank you www.milez.biz) Of course, it might be hard to get those flights all in one day, so use your remaining 3k Starpoints to book a free night in the Sheraton Lima Hotel. Did one credit card sign up bonus just get you to and from LAX to one of the premier tourist destinations on the planet? Yep, with a free hotel along the way. – See why we’re always smiling?
Two RT flights in the US – American Airlines AAdvantage is likely my favorite Airline loyalty program. AA is especially generous to holders of their Citi AAdvantage cards, to whom they offer special reduced mileage bookings to specific destinations each quarter. You’ll need to be a Citi AAdvantage cardholder to pull this off (something we’d recommend anyway), but simply transfer the 30k Starpoints to your AAdvantage account and use the 35k points to book two 17.5k RT domestic tickets to any of the featured destinations.
From Mainland US to Alaska – Alaska Airlines has partners that serve most major cities in the United States and they’d love to take you to Alaska for as little as 25k miles. Lucky for you, your Starpoints will get them for you. Just move 20k of your 30k Starpoints to Alaska Airlines and you’ll have the 25k to book a flight. What to do with the 10k remaining? I guess that’s up to you…

I’ve told you before that flexibility is the key to obtaining value with your points and miles. The Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints program is among the most flexible – an excellent way for you to accumulate free travel by making everyday purchases.

One last hint. When you apply for this card, don’t do a joint application with your spouse. Wait a few months until you’ve met your spending requirement, and make a separate application for them. That way you double your bonus, double your free travel, and double your pleasure.

If there are any questions we can answer for you, please comment below.

As we’ve told you before, the beauty sharing these travel tips is that not only do you benefit from thousands of dollars in free travel, but we also get a small commission when you use our links. You certainly don’t have to, but we love it when you do.

Thanks for always wanderlusting with us!

Posted in American Express, Citi, Starwood Preferred Guest | Tagged LAX to LIM, machu picchu, spg amex, starpoints, starwood credit card, starwood preferred guest american express | 1 Comment

A $1,993 Disneyland Vacation for $509 (74% Off): Not a Fantasy

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Brad Christensen

We recently made this post on another blogsite, inviting others to enlist in our army of worldwanderlusters, battling the monotony and humdrum of everyday life by getting out to see the world. There are far many more places we’d like to take you aside from Disneyland, yet, it’s a pitch that never seems to take much convincing… and if that’s what it takes to inspire you to action, so be it. Enjoy!

At any given moment, there are thousands families all over the country who are in the process of “saving for a Disneyland vacation.” They share meals in restaurants, give up vices, and clip coupons – all in hopes of setting aside enough for a week of Disney entertainment. The savings targets vary, but few families can pull it off for less than $2000.

I’m going to show you how you can plan an entire Disneyland Vacation for about $509 – that’s not much more than you’d spend in a week if you just stayed at home. It will require the careful and diligent use of your good credit to obtain frequent flyer miles and benefits, but that’s something that you can feel comfortable doing once you fully understand that applying for more credit cards won’t demolish your credit, so long as you always make your payments on time and in full. We talk about this extensively, and we don’t take the idea of applying for credit lightly, but life is too short to put everything off for “someday.”

Disneyland Hotel

Right now, you can get as many as 8 nights in an Anaheim Hotel, in the shadow of the Disneyland fireworks, without paying a single dollar, you just need 30k Starwood Points. You’ll get 25k for the bonus and you’ve gotta spend $5k on the card, which will complete the 30k with the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.

How do you go about it? You need to have a credit score of at least 700 and be capable of making your payments on time and in full. It requires that you spend $5000 within the first 6 months of having the card, so you’ll need to use the card for most of your monthly expenses and then pay it off immediately – never paying interest.

Step 1: Get the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.
Step 2: Get 25k bonus Starpoints, plus 10k after your first purchase and another 15k for the spending $5k within the first 6 months.
Step 3: Use your 25k Starpoints to book this Anaheim Hotel with a shuttle to Disneyland for 5 free nights (save your other 3 nights for your next vacation)!

Disneyland Airline Flights

You can take the idea a little further and get your flights free, too. If you’re in Salt Lake City, check out this post for how to get 5 RT flights to LAX.

Step 1: Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card
Step 2: Spend $1000 month for the first two months
Step 3: Get 50k Southwest Rapid Rewards Points (SW also has free baggage – mega savings over other domestic airline flights)
Step 4: Pay the $69 annual fee
Step 5: Use for 50k Rapid Rewards Points to book 2 RT tickets in the US (You can get SW “Wanna Get Away” fares for 60 points per dollar – so these points equate to $834 in free travel – 2-4 RT tickets!)

Disneyland Park Passes

You knew it. At some point, you’d have to pay for something. Such a shame. But we won’t let you do this the expensive, unwilling-to-research-the-good-deals price. If you really want to do it right, you need a multi-day park hopper pass that will allow you entry to California Adventure Park, too. A 3-day pass would run you $250 over age 10/$235 under age 10. Ouch.

But before you pony up all that cash, take a look at these options:

Military Discount: $125, must be purchased by active or retired military at military sales outlets or at the ticket desk.
Craigslist:~$150, but be careful. Your best option would be to buy in person and check expiration.
Mousesavers.com: ~$215, with various options and good advice about getting deals on entry.
(There is a way to redeem Hilton HHonors points for Disneyland Passes, too, if you have any of those).

What you’d spend at home

Now, I promised you could do this for what you spend at home. I’ll have to make some assumptions here, but I’ll give it a shot. Let’s say you’d normally spend $130 in fuel costs between your two vehicles. You also spend about $600 a month in groceries, so let’s take a quarter of that for another $150. Staying home would also necessitate a date night, which you’d spend a good $80 between dinner, a movie, and a babysitter. That about covers the cost of your 3 Park Passes assuming you can get a military relative to help you out.

You’ll be on the hook for some booking fees ($15) and the $69 for the Southwest card. Those costs you’ll have to cover with what you save on a week of low/no utility use – turn down the furnace or the AC, unplug electrical devices, and put your home on conservation mode.

You’re going to have to eat on your Disneyland trip, and that can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. For our purposes, we’re going to ask you to go backpacker-style. You can bring snacks and meal bars into the park. Spring for a $12.99 refillable mug, rather than several $4 drinks a day. Use your hotel room microwave to make other meals and shoot for $10 a day… we don’t want to starve you, but we want you to do this now, not “someday.” Hopefully the money you spend there will be saved in not making that $50 shopping trip you make every week.

Please let us know in the comments if you have any questions or other ideas! We love to have feedback from you.

Posted in Children's Travel, Family Travel | Tagged Anaheim California, anaheim hotel, California, Disney, Disneyland, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland trip, family to disneyland, Frequent-flyer program, Los angeles travel, Recreation, Salt Lake City, Sheraton, starwood hotels in la, Theme Park, Things to do in LA | 6 Comments

Get to Costa Rica for $145

Posted on March 13, 2013 by wpengine

DISCLAIMER: FRONTIER AIRLINES HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR CHANGING THEIR DESTINATIONS REGULARLY. CHECK TO SEE IF THEY FLY FROM YOUR AIRPORT TO COSTA RICA PRIOR TO GETTING THIS CARD.

If you’ve followed our blog for long you already know that Brad and I both love Costa Rica. Between us we’ve got four visits to the land of Pura Vida and lots of knowledge on what to do on your trip to Costa Rica. We’d love to show you how to get to Costa Rica by only spending $145.

La Paz Waterfall Garden in Costa Rica

How Much Does it Normally Cost to Get to Costa Rica?

This is going to vary greatly depending on where you live. If you’re based out of Miami, then you’ll probably be paying $400 on average for a trip to Costa Rica. Living somewhere more remote might cost you more like $800 to fly to Costa Rica. Thinking about coughing up $1600 for a couple for your flights sounds depressing to me. It just might deter me from even taking the trip.

It’s a simple solution. That’s why we recommend you don’t pay $1600, but you still live the Pure Life as the Costa Ricans might say.

How do I Get to Costa Rica for $145?

First you’re going to need to score The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®. If you’re a couple, then you both need to get the card. For more information about the card you can read an earlier post we did about the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard.

This card is going to offer you 40,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases in the first 90 days. Then an additional 10,000 bonus miles on balance transfers (1 mile per $1 transferred) in the first 90 days. EASY!

Babymoon in Costa Rica

If you don’t spend at least $750 per month then I’m not sure if you’re from Mars or Jupiter. Probably Jupiter because you go there to get more stupider. While you could be at Mars with more candy bars (cheap trips). Just put all of your expenses on the card and pay it off in full at the end of each month. SIMPLE!

A trip to Costa Rica is going to burn 30,000 of your EarlyReturns miles, which leaves you with 5K in the tank. Here is a summary of your costs for the flight to San Jose, Costa Rica:

$69 Annual Fee on Credit Card (Not Waived)
$46 Taxes
$40 Baggage (1 Bag each way)
= $145 Total

In the words of the late Chris Farley, “Well La-Dee-Frickin’-Da.” The couple is going to cost you $290 for an unforgettable babymoon, honeymoon, or retirement trip where you can enjoy the Pure Life.

What Can I do in Costa Rica

Gallo Pinto, Eggs, and Fried Cheese. Delicious!

Follow our Eight Great Days in Costa Rica if you’re a vagabond like me.

Pour some more Salsa Lizano on your Gallo Pinto. Don’t worry. This isn’t a naughty phrase…

If you’ve never been to Costa, you need to go so you can figure out what it means. One of their most famous breakfasts is called Gallo Pinto, and is absolutely delicious, and it contains a signature Costa Rican sauce called Lizano.

Get out of San Jose. Let’s face it. You don’t go to Costa for the capital. They have the airport (actually it’s in Alajuela), but you should really only plan on staying there for the night you arrive and the night before you leave.

Sunset over Parrita, Costa Rica

Watch the sunset over the ocean. This photo was taken with my iPhone, and it doesn’t even give justice to the actual moment of watching this sunset on a vacated beach. Nobody was around to bother my wife and I as we enjoyed our last vacation before our first child arrived. Costa Rica is a great place to babymoon. It was at this hotel that I distinctly remember my son kicking me in the back for the first time. (It definitely wasn’t the last)

Waterfalls Galore– Costa Rica has some of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen. The best part is that you can swim in most of them as well. Whether it’s Nauyaca, Bajo del Toro, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, or La Fortuna, you’ll love them all.

Here’s another summary of 10 Reasons to Visit Costa Rica that might wet your whistle. Whatever you like about Costa Rica, this is one of the most affordable ways to get there. Don’t hesitate until the offer is gone. Apply today and get the Frontier card so you can be on your way to Central America. Full Disclosure: We do earn a commission when you apply through our link, and we would appreciate if you would use our link when applying for this card.

Posted in Barclaycard, Cheap Honeymoons, Credit Cards, From Wanderlusting to Wandering, Frontier | Tagged Costa Rica, Costa Rican, credit card, Gallo Pinto, iPhone, Parrita, Salsa Lizano | 4 Comments

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass: $3500 in Free Travel

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Brad Christensen

You know what would be cool? It would be cool if an airline would give you a “companion pass,” so that every time you fly, you could bring someone along. That way instead of buying two tickets (I’m speaking metaphorically here – I wouldn’t actually suggest that you spend money on tickets, right? I mean, why do that when you have a plethora of points?) you’d only have to “points-book” one. That would certainly help stretch your miles.

It’s a pretty far-fetched idea, and no doubt if an airline did do something like that, they wouldn’t let you get away with it for a full year… but man, that would be really nice if you could have it for all the rest of this year and next year, too.

And what would make it even better is if you could change your companion every once in a while… for you unmarried wanderlusters, you probably change up who you’re dating every 6 months or so, right? And for the married ones, sometimes we need to take trips with buddies, or family, too… right? So, yeah, even if we could change the preferred companion like 3 times, that would be good.

It would be great if they had a lot of destinations, so we could really cover some ground… I mean, I’d like to get to Boston and New York. I’ve heard Branson, Missouri is cool, and there’s always something to do in Las Vegas. Who doesn’t want to go to Florida and California?

Sigh. That kind of thing is too good to be true, right? You ought to know by now that WorldWanderlusting is not about travel deals that are too good to be true. We’re not here to tell you about contests to enter that you “might” “possibly” “just maybe” win. We don’t want to tease you with our great stories that you can’t replicate. We want to deliver. We want you to come back to us with one-uppers that shock and awe us.

companion pass

That’s why we’re glad to say that this “Companion Pass” idea is not a castle-in-the-sky. It is Southwest Airlines’ loyalty program of the century. That’s right. Get yourself some durable suitcases.

How to get the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass

You’re thinking, “Okay… which of my children do I need to sell into slavery in order to obtain one of these things.” Well, fortunately (and, to at least some degree, unfortunately) you won’t need to abandon a child. You can go about it the old-fashioned way and take 100 one-way flights on Southwest to qualify, or you can go about it in WorldWanderlusting style – by accruing 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points.

How will you get 110,000 Rapid Rewards points, you ask? Well, you’ll get them the same way you get many of the points we’ve instructed you to get… by using your carefully cultivated credit score to apply for credit cards, which you’ll use responsibly until you meet the minimum spending requirement. You’ll make all of your payments on time and in full, and before long you’ll be bathing in Rapid Rewards points. All of this can be done without a grossly negative impact on your credit score.

There are four separate Chase-issued Southwest Rapid Rewards cards which are all presently offering 50k bonus points:

Chase Southwest Credit Card
1. Must spend $2k in the first 3 months – $69 annual fee not waived
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Personal
1. Must spend $2k in the first 3 months – $69 annual fee not waived
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Business
1. Must spend $2k in the first 3 months – $99 annual fee not waived
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business
1. Must spend $2k in the first 3 months – $99 annual fee not waived

Your strategy, now, should be to get two of these cards as soon as possible. Unfortunately it may not be as simple as just whipping out a plus and a premier. From what I can gather, Chase has been reluctant to approve holders of the plus for the premier and vice-versa. That leaves one of these options and the business card. Don’t fret if you don’t already have a business – free-travel-guru Daraius of www.MillionMileSecrets.com wrote this awesome post about how to apply for a business you’re going to start.

pack your bags The next dilemma comes in the fact that Chase generally doesn’t want you making more than one credit application within 30 days of each other. You may be able to sweet-talk a customer service rep on the Chase reconsideration line and get a business card approved at the same time as a personal card, though. Otherwise, spacing the applications out will also help you meet the minimum spending requirement without making unneeded expenditures.

A careful reading of the Companion Pass Terms and Conditions says that they’ll issue the pass once the Rapid Rewards member has obtained 110,000 qualifying miles within the calendar year. The companion pass will expire at the end of the next year (2014).

Assuming you haven’t earned any other SW Rapid Rewards points, you’ll still need to do some work to get to the 110,000 mark. You’ll have 104,000 (4,000 from meeting the minimum spend), so you may need to make some more purchases or take a flight to get there, but let’s not kid ourselves – this is worth doing.

What do I do with all this free travel?

In the end, you’ll have 110,000 points which translate to $1751 in free flights, on which you’ll also get a free companion pass for a total of $3500! We’re getting used to big numbers, but that is getting just downright silly.

The 50k bonuses on these cards don’t last forever. They seem to keep coming and going. I see this as one of those “don’t hesitate” deals. The other worry is that the idea that points accrued from cards may eventually no longer qualify (gag). That’s why this idea feels like it has some urgency.

What do you have to think about now?

Where could the Rapid Rewards points and Companion Pass take you? Southwest’s “Where we fly” tool.

Maybe it could be your ticket to one of these great free hotel loops we’ve written about recently:

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Posted in Southwest | Tagged Companion pass, free travel, rapid rewards, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Companion Pass | 4 Comments

Visiting the Panama Canal

Posted on March 8, 2013 by wpengine

For hundreds of years the isthmus of Panama has been used as the quickest way to get from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Even as far back as the days of the Spanish domination of the New World did they dream about building a Panama Canal. But dream is all they did, with the limited technology they never would have accomplished the feat of building the Panama Canal.

Preparing for your Trip

If possible, please purchase the book entitled The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough long before taking the trip. Reading this book will give you everything about the process of building the canal. Mr. McCullough is an incredible storyteller and he’ll captivate your attention from the first pages.

Determine what parts of the canal you’d like to see. If your desire is to see the locks, then you can plan on Visiting the Gatun Locks that are on the Caribbean side or the Miraflores Locks if you’re visiting the Pacific locations.

Locks at Gatun

Why you need to see the locks of the Panama Canal

These same locks have been operating for 100 years starting in 2014. The only other things working from 1914 til now would be the elevator at the Biltmore and John McCain (Some people might dispute that he’s actually working). Most things weren’t built to last like these locks were.

Although you might think that watching a ship go through the locks would take all day, think again. Amazingly, the locks fill up faster than your bathtub. With a one hour visit you’re almost guaranteed to see at least one ship go through the entire process. The fee to see the canal definitely is minimal.

Why you want to see the Miraflores Locks

They’ve got a video at the Miraflores locks if you chose not to read the book that I recommended above. I haven’t personally seen the movie, but it might be worth checking out.

These locks are within an hour of downtown Panama City, so you should be able to easily reach them as a day trip from Panama City. The cost to see the locks is about $5 and they take the US Dollar as it is Panama’s official currency thanks to our efforts building the canal.

Unnamed Grave at the French Cemetery

If you’ve got an extra 45 mins then I’d recommend you drive up the old highway that leads to the Soberania National Park. You’ll be able to see the Panama Railroad and every once in a while you’ll get a glimpse of the canal. Stop and ponder at the French Cemetery that honors their efforts to build the Panama canal that ultimately ended in bankruptcy and scandal.

Why you want to see the Gatun Locks

These locks are within 20 mins of Colon, Panama. They are a little harder to find (everything is freaking hard to find in Panama), but they are really interesting. You’ve got all three sets of locks in one location vs the Miraflores locks which has two locks, with the third close by.

My Family at the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal

This place is also the ticket to the Forte San Lorenzo. This Spanish Fort protected the entrance to the Chagres River, which kept out the pirates during the Spanish domination of Panama. It is remarkably well preserved, and definitely worth a visit. You’ve got to pass through part of old Ft. Davis, which was an American base that now looks more like a ghost town since we left the place in 1999.

You’ll want to make sure that you score the Club Carlson Credit Card and stay at the Radisson 2000 Hotel & Casino in Colon. At 15,000 Gold Points per night this place is a bargain! The hotel comes with FREE breakfast that has lots of options and delicious fresh fruit. Parking is free and they’ve got a 24 hour supermarket within walking distance, so you’ll always have access to something if you’re hungry.

Visit the Panama Canal!

Travel brings history back to life. After reading about the canal in The Path Between the Seas, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the canal and you’ll much better understand the sacrifice that came with its construction. Make sure you get your hotel points and your airfare points so you can afford the trip. Here is an easy way to pick up some US Airways miles:

Posted in Central America, Fun Travel Stories | Tagged Chagres River, David McCullough, Miraflores, panama, panama canal, Panama Canal Locks, Panama City, United States | 1 Comment