Tag: frequent flier programs
-
Podcast #188 — My Top Travel Tips to Survive Airport Chaos
Distilled my travel advice down to the top 13 travel tips to avoid the current chaos. Also, the scrapping of COVID travel test rules and why frequent flier award travel is a bargain again. Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #187 — Moving to a Non-Hub Airport; What Makes A Great Taproom?
The last episode recording in Chicago before we relocate the TravelCommons studios, and our lives, down to Nashville. We close out our threads on in-flight mask mandates and hotel housekeeping, and critique an academic paper about the moral hazard of frequent flier elite status. I talk through the changes I’ll have to make when flying out of a non-hub airport.… Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #173 — What’s New in Travel Insurance; Keeping Ahead of Expiring Miles
As travel bookings beginning to rise with vaccination rates, we talk with Michael Giusti of InsuranceQuotes.com to find out what’s changed over the last year. I make the rounds through all my frequent traveler programs to reset impending expiration dates. We also talk about yet another travel data breach, a favorite beer bar is a COVID casualty, and bankrupt Hertz… Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #172 — Timeshares Without the Pitch; Notes on Tucson
Escaped Chicago winter for a week of hiking and eating in Tucson; CEO of Koala talks about renting timeshares; travel planning gets hot and then cools back down Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #152 — Overwhelming Travel; New & Old Restaurant Trends
Latest in Sustainable Food Delivery Moving the TravelCommons studios kept me mostly off the road this month except for a quick trip to Nashville, but staying out of restaurants has helped me finally drop the last bit of Christmas weight. We talk about the “earn and burn” strategy for frequent travel awards; answer a listener’s question on how to keep… Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #136 — Is Cash A Waning King; Don’t Make It Hard to Cash in on Loyalty
After traveling with younger colleagues who pay for everything with cards, I wonder if I’m the last generation of cash payers. I also talk about the upcoming smart luggage ban on US airlines and a long Saturday afternoon trying to redeem some British Airways Avios points. All this, a new Uber driver story, and a few Christmas carols at the direct… Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #134 — Value of Loyalty; Need Those 5 Stars
Finding a Jag in the Hertz Presidents Club aisle has me thinking about the differing value of loyalty from hotel, airlines, and car rental companies while 5-star rating schemes are pushing grade inflation. All this and comments on luggage discounts, traveling while injured, and #metoo while flying at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here… Continue Reading →
-
Podcast #116 — Traveling Thru Japan; Luggage Trends
Back behind the microphone after an extended summer break highlighted by a two-week family vacation in Japan. We talk about traveling in Japan. It was a fantastic time, though we were lost without translation at times. But with the US dollar buying 124 yen, it was the right time to go. We also talk about frustration in using frequent flier… Continue Reading →