BAR 2011 (Big Awesome Ride) Part 2

Posted on May 30, 2012 by wpengine

This is a continuation of BAR 2011…

Day 3

Staying at a Days Inn with a pool doesn’t always mean that the pool is going to be a great one.  I actually was rather dismayed by the pool, and felt like I needed to shower after swimming.  Luckily I was able to sleep on a bed that night but having six grown men in one bedroom meant that some were sleeping on the floor.  That is a hard thing to do when you’ve been riding on a motorcycle for 8 hours.

Day 3 Cranbrook to Banff Via Lake Louise

As we were all getting loaded onto our bikes at the beginning of the morning I noticed that something was wrong instantly when I let out the throttle.  I stopped, dismounted, and felt rather dismayed when I realized that my rear tire was flat.   I sped to the nearest shop and requested that they fix the tire.  The wait would be over an hour, which was a depressing thought when I knew that I would be holding everyone up.

Luckily the next destination was the shortest distance of the five day trip.  We only had to travel from Cranbrook to Banff (As you can see on the left).  However, our first stop would be Lake Louise.  The picture to the left tells everything about the terrain.  As with most of the Rocky Mountains they run from north to south and have valleys between the peaks.  The mountains on both sides of the valley are gigantic granite peaks with majestic green trees and waterfalls throughout.  The speed limit is only 55 MPH, but you wouldn’t want to go any faster for fear that you might miss some of the majesty (Plus a Mountie might try to catch you).

Kool-Aid Water

The water in the national park was best described as a Kool-Aid Blue.   Even though it might look inviting, don’t let it fool you.  The water is glacier water, and for this reason the water has this wonderful color.  However, the word glacier generally connotes freaking freezing.  It wouldn’t be hard for you to guess that we were the only crazy tourists who decided to take a dip in Lake Louise.  The Asian tourists were busy taking pictures of the “Crazy Idaho Boys” who were swimming in the lake.  After the refreshing swim the drive was short until we arrived at the town of Banff.

Dinner was an Irish pub where we ate many varieties of shepherds pie.  The atmosphere was accurate and the food was outstanding.  A band played authentic Irish music as we ate our meal and reviewed the day.  Banff Reminds me of Jackson, Wyoming.  Don’t plan on going there without booking your hotel first.  We got burned and ended up paying tons of cash for a five star hotel.

Day 4

Banff to Kalispell via Glacier

I might be giving you the idea that it can’t get much better, but somehow it did.  Day four was incredible.  We continued to pass through amazing mountains, high valleys, and green scenery.  The Canadian highway 40 is one that cannot be missed.  I’ve never seen so many Lance Armstrong candidates like I did on that Sunday.  They must have all had the day off of work and spent the day riding up hills and dropping down valleys.

Leaving the mountains was a refreshing taste of home for me.  Mountains are always in the distance, but wide open spaces.  Once we got closer to Waterton National Park things got more exciting.  Crossing the border was rather uneventful other than the mother black bear and her three cubs.  The Customs official mentioned that those were the only Canadians that he allowed to cross the border without checking their passports.  We watched them for about 20 minutes as they rustled through the trees and scraped the bark.

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is another piece of the BAR that will take your breath away.  The speed limit is between 25-50 so this was the only portion of which I rode without a helmet.  I realize that I could get killed at any point even going 25, but it was worth removing them helmet to experience Glacier.  We stopped for a moment at the top of Mt. Logan to survey the land.  We began our ascent to the peak, but the looming sunset required us to saddle back up on our bikes to ride into Kalispell for the night.

Luckily Brad used the “wink at the front desk attendant” to find us a good deal on a hotel in Kalispell.  Although it was only a Super 8 they gave a great deal.  It came with breakfast and we were all able to split it amongst the four of us.

Day 5

The last day was the longest of the ride.  We had to get from Kalispell to Idaho Falls in one day.  We made sure to drive on the East side of Flathead lake so we could purchase cherries from a local stand.  During the early summer the flowers on the cherry trees bloom and in August you can buy the most fresh cherries ever.  They are to die for and I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to goes to Glacier in August and they purchase some delicious cherries along the way.

The weather was incredible and the ride was beautiful.  We stopped at a few gas stations for hot dogs and Red Bulls (The perfect riding food) and continued from Missoula to home.  Instead of following the exact same road home, we took a small detour to visit a couple of sites along the way.  The Western United States is famous for hot springs.  If we would have had more time it would have been amazing to stop at the Lost Trail Hot Springs, or the Jackson Hot Springs.

The Big Hole National Battlefield was one of our stops on the way home.  It was a gloomy feeling as we learned about the Nez Pierce and how we corralled them up like cattle and gave them some of the crappiest land.  It was a total bummer what we did to them as a country.  It was a great educational event.  I would recommend it to anyone.

We also did a quick detour to visit Bannack, Montana.  In the days when Montana was a territory it was the first capital.  Today is a well preserved ghost town and provides a taste of what it might have been like in the late 1800’s.

The rest of the ride was Interstate 15.  Fortunately it was the only part of the interstate that we had to take on the entire trip.  With a motorcycle ride it is almost always better if you are on your own without the freeway.

Overall the BAR was a great success.  We all had an incredible, and safe trip across the Rockies.  For anyone who hasn’t done something like this, you are really missing out.  It isn’t airline travel, but it will take your breath away.

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Priority Club Point Breaks

Posted on May 23, 2012 by wpengine

Being a Wanderluster and a frugal person for some people can be a funny match. Many people who know that I love to travel ask me where I’m going next. My usual answer is, “Wherever is a good deal.” At this rate I’ve got desires to see the whole world. Visiting one particular destination isn’t usually my style.

While many people don’t understand this, most of you probably will,–because you’re reading this blog. You’ve probably seen that Brad and I usually go random places at random times because the deal is good and we want to go there.  If the offer came up to visit Japan tomorrow for $50 I’d go there.  If someone offered me housing and a tour in Rio, then I’d find a way to make the miles get me there so I could take advantage of the sleeping deal.

In fact, this is how we came up with the Starwood Travel Loop.  We found that there was an abundance of category 2 hotels for Starwood Preferred Guest in the Alpine Europe area, and so we booked an AAdvantage ticket to get us there so we could take advantage of the great location of the hotels.  You’ve also seen us show you how to visit amazing sites in Spain using the Marriott Rewards Credit Card.  We’re also working on one about how to visit Germany using the most recent Club Carlson Big Night Giveaway.

This is where the Priority Club (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites,  Crowne Plaza, and a few others) Point Breaks can be amazing.  They are hotels that would normally cost you from 7500-40,000 Priority Club points per night, but instead are “on sale” for 5000 points per night.  They are released every quarter and have tons of hotels across the world where you can stay for an AMAZING deal.

Right now the deals are out and you can stay at any of these properties for only 5000 Priority Club Points through July 31st 2012.  One great advantage of the Priority Club is that your points will never expire.  You don’t have to worry about staying at a hotel every 18 months so your points don’t go to waste.  Their hotels oftentimes come with free continental breakfast, which is a huge advantage.  So, if you’ve been dreaming about steak for dinner and learning to Tango, then stay at the Intercontinental Buenos Aires.

Have you ever redeemed points for a Points Break deal?  What was your experience?  Would you do it again?

 

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Save Dollars, not Pennies, with the Club Carlson Promotion

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Brad Christensen

My high school government teacher was well-known for his hobby – he picked up pennies while jogging around town.  His theory, which he shared enthusiastically with just about everyone, was that he could pay for a new pair of running shoes by collecting pennies he found along the way.

I never did the math then, but now that I buy my own shoes, I thought I might make some calculations.  If a pair of running shoes cost about $80, he’d need to stoop about 8,000 times to collect enough to replace his Nikes.  If he averaged a penny every other mile, he’d need to run some 16,000 miles, or 10 miles a day for a little over four years.

What I’m getting at here is that saving pennies is great, but if you really want to make a dent in things, you need to save some dollars.

We posted last week about the Club Carlson promotion and how you can get 188,000 Club Carlson Gold Points from staying 4 nights (spread between you and your spouse and the two different promotions) at Club Carlson Hotels before July 15th.  What we didn’t tell you was that those 188,000 Gold Points could be worth almost $2000 in free hotel nights.  I know it sounds too good to be true, but this is exactly how it works.

The promotion is allowing the first 100,000 registrants to participate… and to me it is just bizarre to see that 100k people haven’t picked up the monstrosity of cash that is just sitting there, waiting to be scooped up.

You risk absolutely nothing to register, so think of it like this; you are jogging past an enormous pile of cash, just stoop down and make yourself eligible to get in on this sweet action.  Register here for the Radisson Big Night Giveaway, and register here for the Country Inn and Suites promotion.

We, the proprieters of WorldWanderlusting, get nothing for having you sign up through our site – nothing besides the satisfaction of enabling you to travel to amazing places.  Though, in the interest of full disclosure, we do get a commission when you use some of the links on our site to sign up for travel-reward credit cards.

If you like the idea of registering, but you’re not exactly sure what you’d do with your stash of Club Carlson Gold Points, sign up for our mailing list and you’ll soon get treated to an epic vacation itinerary through Germany, where Club Carlson has all kinds of Category One hotels which you can book for 9000 Gold Points a night.

Wanderlust with us on Facebook!

P.S. My teacher would have to run 10 miles a day for 109 years, picking up a penny every two miles to save equivalent of the $2000 from maximizing this promotion.

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Taking My Wife on her First International Trip

Posted on May 16, 2012 by wpengine

Shae and I were married in May of 2008. On Thursday we will celebrate our fourth anniversary together. I always tease her and tell her that they have been four L-O-N-G years, but it is only teasing as these years have been incredible. We’ve had many adventures, and can’t wait for more. Last year we welcomed our little boy Max into our family and it has been incredible.

For those who know me all know that I’m a very frugal person. I also love traveling. Most people would probably say that those two don’t mix, but I have been able to prove them wrong. When I first met Shae I told her that she needed to have a passport in order to be married to me. 🙂

Our honeymoon was a quick trip to Vegas, but we hadn’t been home from our honeymoon for two weeks before we spotted an amazing fare to Panama. I had never been there, but the $230 round trip fare was something that I couldn’t resist. I had previously promised that we would take an international trip within our first year of marriage and this was the chance to deliver.

Brad posted yesterday about Eight Great Things to do in Panama. He posted about some of the amazing things that we did while we were on our trip in June of 2008.

The locks at the Panama Canal were amazing.  Although it is millions of gallons of water they only take a couple of minutes to fill up.

They also taught us that the water is slowly leaving the canal and going into the ocean  each time the gates open.  This could cause problems in the future if they don’t come up with new ideas.

Currency

Even though Panama is a foreign country they still use the US dollar for their currency.  Shae’s first trip outside of the country and she didn’t even get to deal in another type of currency.  Although it can be stressful looking into exchange rates, finding ATM’s, and banks it can be fun.  There is nothing like having your wallet full of Dong, Rubles, or Colones.

Hotels

Most of our trip was planned out before we left, but we hadn’t booked any hotels.  Places like Isla Grande don’t have any Marriotts.  For Shae it was quite an experience staying in small hotels with mosquito nets.  She also had her first run in with hotels that didn’t even have a heated shower.  Luckily Panama isn’t short of heat, so a cold shower felt nice.

The snorkeling was great and the lobster for lunch was incredible.  Prices were very reasonable and our lunch was on a pier.  Shae was experiencing small town travel.  Most hotels had hammocks outside so you could lounge in the shade and enjoy a cold Coke.  Those are two of my favorite activities when traveling to other countries.

Food

I’m usually not much of a fish eater, but when I’m close to fresh fish I’m much more likely to eat fish.  They usually pair the fish or chicken with beans and rice.  Those are staples in the central american countries.  The Coca Cola is incredible too.  You can find that stuff almost anywhere in the world.  Shae definitely wasn’t accustomed to that food, but it did grow on her as the time went on.

San Blas Islands

Brad already talked to you about how cool these islands were, but it still won’t do justice until you’ve been there.  Our trek out there was definitely an adventure.  When we showed up in El Porvenir, Panama we were expecting quite a few commercial boats that could take us to the islands.  What we found was something quite different.  It was a very small fishing town with one restaurant.  My wife thought we were crazy when we convinced a fisherman to take us in a small fishing boat out to the islands.

Once we arrived at the islands she was convinced it was a good idea. The water was crystal clear and the beaches had white sand.  It was quite different than the California beach, which she had only seen twice.  The warm Caribbean sun was so inviting and the water was very refreshing.  She was hooked.

Our Panamanian experience was unforgettable.  When the rates dropped the other day to $330, we knew it was time to go back.  We also knew that it was time to take our little boy to Central America too.  If only he could somehow remember it, but we know that pictures will be our only evidence.

Today

Since Panama I’ve taken Shae to 20 countries.  She has been bit by the travel bug.  When traveling to other countries you might have to shrug off a few small things, but for the most part things are the same.  Seeing people who live different lives is very interesting to me.  I love to partake of their culture, eat their foods, and shop in their grocery stores. This sometimes gives you a feel for what it is like to live in that country.

Shae used to feel a bit nervous about international travel, but now it excites her.  The fear has subsided and the excitement has taken over.  This is worldwanderlusting: Enjoying and experiencing other cultures.  If you’ve ever had the desire to do these things, don’t hesitate.  You can register for the Club Carlson Promotion to help you build up an arsenal of hotel points, which will in turn save you $$ to make your trips both more affordable, but more importantly more often.

 

 

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188,000 Club Carlson Hotel Points – No Credit Card

Posted on May 14, 2012 by wpengine

If you’ve been wanderlusting with us since last December, you know that we hooked you up with an opportunity with Club Carlson to lock down as many as 5 free nights in a hotel with a single night stay purchase – something many of you opted into for yourself, as well as for your spouse.

Deals like that just don’t come around very often, but we are beyond excited that this same promo is back in action for the first 100k people to register!

If you would love to stay at any of these hotels then this is your chance.  It’s very simple, so do it right now, and ask questions later.  You’re not risking anything at all to register.

  1. Sign up for the Club Carlson Loyalty Program 
  2. Register now for this amazing Radisson promotion.
  3. Register now for this amazing Country Inns and Suites promotion.

After registering for this promotion, stay a night at a Radisson Hotel between May 15th and July 15th and receive the 50,000 Club Carlson points.  Also stay in a Country Inn and Suites hotel to get 44,000 more Club Carlson points.  Do this for your spouse as well and you’ll have to buy 4 nights in hotels for roughly $80 each ($320), and then you’ll have 188,000 Club Carlson Points – enough for 20 nights at the lowest redemption level.

Keep wanderlusting with us, because about a week from now, Park Inn Hotels will be doing the same kind of promotion.  Click here to see their countdown page.  We’ll also be showing you some super-amazing itineraries with your treasure trove of points!

 

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Eight Great Things to do in Panama

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Brad Christensen

I remember it like it was yesterday… it was April of 2008 and we were driving back from Boise.  Sheldon called me up as we were crossing the Arco desert.  “Dude, I ju——————kets to  Panam——————— American Air———-June for $230!!!” Those long dashes aren’t  mistakes, they’re my phone cutting out (I have AT&T).  I started to respond to probe for more details and I dropped the phone call altogether.  I looked over at Nicole with a sly grin as I held my phone up to try for a better signal. “I think my brother’s trying to tell me that he found insanely cheap tickets to Panama…”

She knew exactly what that meant… and by nightfall they were booked.  June isn’t optimal for leaving Idaho, but a nasty snow flurry bid us farewell and we had an amazing adventure through Panama for 9 days.

Now this was pre-WorldWanderlusting days when we actually had to pay for plane tickets – but that was a I price that I was glad to pay – the kind that just doesn’t come around very often.  In fact, I’m not sure we’ll ever see a deal like that again, but we are seeing something comparable at this exact moment – and there’s no telling how long it will last.

We always fly out of SLC, but if you live near an American Airlines-serviced airport, you may be able to swing something as good.

If you’re ready to go, get this puppy booked and then tell us about it.  My plan is to use Chase Ultimate Reward Points – Does that mean the 50k UR points you got from the Ink Bold® Business Card equate to 2 RT tickets to Costa Rica? Ummm, yes.

If you’re thinking, “What would I do in Panama?,  boy, I have a treat for you!

Things to do in Panama

Miraflores Locks – the Panama Canal

Yes, the marvel that is the Panama Canal.  Few people know that the engineering marvel is more God than man, more lake than it is canal.  Yes, it’s still among the most impressive human feats in history, but it wouldn’t be possible without the lakes and the locks – the means of getting boats into the lakes.  To watch it in action is simply amazing.  Massive ships like this Disney Cruise ship in this video are lifted some 25 feet in a matter of minutes.

San Blas Islands

This experience is quite literally just as “don’t miss” as the canal itself.  Nowhere on earth have I felt so transposed as on the 365 islands that compose the San Blas Archipelago.  The Kuna Yala indian people are unique in the maintenance of their culture despite globalization.  Only the fact that they expect a dollar for every photo you take betrays their modern tendencies.  White sand. Turquoise water. Uninhabited islands so close you can swim between them. Yes.

Portobelo

Before there was the Panama Canal, there was the Golden Road – the footpath whereby the Spanish carried Peruvian gold and silver across the narrow isthmus to send back to the old world.  The footpath ended in Portobelo bay, where cannons protected ships as they were loaded.  Sir Francis Drake so loved the place that he was buried in a lead casket there. I think you may just end up feeling the same. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve raved about Portobelo before.

Parque Metropolitano

Just outside Panama City lies a wildlife preserve where I discovered one of my true-loves in life: vine-swinging.  Yes, there’s a little bit of Tarzan in me – and Parque Metropolitano is a great place to let it out.  Once you reach the top, you’ll have a breathtaking view of the city on one side, and a thick jungle on the other side – the only exception being the spire of the LDS temple rising from the lush greenery.

San Felipe District – Panama City

Courtesy: www.miaminice.com

You won’t find me recommending much in the city – not that it’s not great, just that I’m not a city kinda guy, but you must see the old city – the “casco viejo.”  It’s a taste of what used to be… colonial architecture, remnants of what was a pivotal city in the history of the world.

El Puente de las Americas

With the forgivable exception of stalling out in the thick of the Darien Jungle, the Inter-American highway stretches from the northernmost parts of Alaska to the southernmost parts of Argentina.  North and South America join at the Puente de las Americas – a bridge that I’m regretting not having put into my post on the most amazing bridges in the world.  See it.  Love it.  Tell the story.

Peacock Bass Fishing

I am not a fisherman.  There are few things I find less amusing than waiting for fish to bite.  But from what I understand, Peacock Bass fishing is a little bit of a different story.  They are as aggressive as fish come, and come in a splash of rainbow colors that evokes their name.  Gatun Lake is chock full of them and they are there for the taking.

Chagres National Park

Chagres is home to an astounding amout of wildlife – including various species of monkeys, Tapirs, Sloths, Crocodiles, Jaguars, and other jungle inhabitants.  There are lush mountains, whitewater rivers, and the Embera Indian tribe – all impressive in their own right.  If those aren’t enough re-trace Camino Real with Ancon Expeditions.

I hope you’re inspired.  If you’re still unconvinced, browse through the other pictures I just felt like I had to upload to help tell the Panama story.

As I mentioned, I’m booking my Panama flights with Ultimate Rewards like the 50k you can get with the Ink Plus® Business Card.  We hope you enjoy wanderlusting with us.  Please remember to use our links when you finally do get to the point to where you can’t take it anymore and you must start booking some of this sweet action.

See also: Eight Great Days in Costa Rica

 

 

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Posted in American Airlines, Central America, Chase Ultimate Reward Points, Eight Great, Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Return of the Radisson Big Night Giveaway

Posted on May 8, 2012 by wpengine

The absolute best hotel promotion that ended in December is making a surprise comeback.  Somehow they are going to be doing this again and I can’t wait to get my paws on this deal.

All of the details are still unconfirmed, last time you could scoop up an EASY 50,000 Club Carlson points for a single night’s stay in any Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel.  Our quick weekend trip to Salt Lake City was a great success as we stayed two nights in the Salt Lake City Airport Radisson on North Temple.

Countdown!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This promotion doesn’t even require a credit check of any kind.  All of our Wanderlusters out there should sign up for this promotion and then make it happen that they get their 50,000 to cheapen their next vacation.

How To Score

1. Sign up for a new account with Club Carlson.  More than likely you haven’t heard of this loyalty program, but it includes Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Plaza, Park Inn, and Country Inns and Suites.  They have locations all across the US and many hotels in other countries as well.

2. Register using the RadissonBigNightGiveaway link after 12:01 CDT on May 15th.

3.  Stay a night in a Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel between May 16th and July 15th.  You must pay for this hotel, but hopefully your Radisson is a reasonably priced room so you can make the most of this offer.  Depending on where you would like to stay this thing can be worth three free nights in a category 2 hotel or four free nights in a category 1 hotel.  Even if you end up getting two free nights out of this deal it is still worth it.  You essentially pay for one night and get two free.  That is a bargain!

Also remember that you can register for yourself, and register for a spouse.  Last time this offer came around we both booked a room night after night.  In the morning I checked out and my wife checked into the very same room.  We were both able to pay for one night and get 100,000 Club Carlson Gold Points.

How it Worked for Me

Park Inn Zurich Airport

As you well know we took an unforgettable trip to Europe at the end of April.  I’m still sad that I didn’t get more time to soak in the experience, but you have to come down from a high at some point, right?  When we were looking for a hotel in Zurich we found that they all ran about $200 per night.  Ouch!

Because I had a few Club Carlson Gold Points stashed away from my previous Big Night Giveaway we found a Park Inn by Radisson right by the airport that would use 38,00 of my Gold Points.  Obviously it was a bummer to use up so many points in on stay, but it did save me $200.

Not only did it save me $200, but I still have about 15,000 points left so I can get one more hotel that is a Category 2 hotel for free on points as well.  So I turned $68 from the Salt Lake Radisson into another $300 probably.  Talk about pulling a bunny out of a hat!

I’m really looking forward to this promotion from Club Carlson.  Like I previously mentioned it is one of the most lucrative non credit-card wanderlusting activities that you can do.  Having a fun weekend getaway at the hotel can be fun anyway.  Swimming in the pool and sitting in the hot tub are always favorites of the kids.  Although most Radisson’s don’t include breakfast, you can usually find an Egg McMuffin close by.

So, are you going to score an easy 50,000 Club Carlson Gold Points this time around?

Get your own 100,000 British Airways Avios by Chase. Offer expires June 7th 2012.

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