We learn about some sweet airline award routes, weep together with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus devaluation, register and plan for the quarterly 5% bonus categories, how to get to Europe on Business Class Awards, visit remote islands, learn a lot with 32 awesome maps, climb El Capitan and more!
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I am catching up with my work, I hope to be back at it at full speed after the holiday weekend! I was not going to post until next Monday but, thanks to jet lag, I decided to do a short post before my Alexa rankings suffered another vicious blow lol. I will try to answer TBB comments & emails over the weekend too.
I have heard you would like me to write about Greece again but I am too distraught to put my thinking into words at this time. Greece is facing a hugely important vote for its future this Sunday. The present administration managed to destroy everything in less than six months. Seeing the ATM bank lines was shocking for all Greeks! I fear for the nation’s future. At least my mother is seriously considering to come to the US to stay in the winters. For now, this old blog post of mine written aboard a Lufthansa Business Class seat back in December 2013 is still very valid as it gets to the main culprit…the Greek state apparatus!
Travel Is Free is at it again with 8 Non US Based Sweet Routes. Continues to be the best miles/points blog in the land.
The devaluation hits keep on coming. My favorite card, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, is changing and not for the better. The 10% becomes 5% and no more Tripit I can live with. But increasing the threshold to redeem to $100 REALLY hurts as it was a no brainer to pay Uber rides, Megabus tickets, etc with the card. I need to sit down and really cancel a bunch of cards. With the Chase policy change and Redbirds and (fill in numerous other hits) this hobby is under siege! Travel Codex has the gory details on the Barclaycard Arrival Plus changes.
New Month, New Quarter. Miles to Memories has all the details on the 5% card categories, good reminder.
Looking for Business Class awards to Europe this summer? Great post by Milescards. Go to Europe this summer, the exchange rate is great! And if you go to Greece, bring LOTS of cash lol.
Attention! Mile Nerd will write about…Manufactured Spending. I think he will do it in such a way that nothing will be killed 🙂
Doctor of Credit has the link where you can get a 20% bonus when you transfer Starwood SPG points to American Airlines. I was very surprised to see this and wonder if a tighter relationship between the two companies is in the works (dreaming). I use my SPG points at SPG hotels but this may help some of you if you are looking to get enough for an AA award.
15 Stunning Entries from the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Love these posts at Twisted Sifter.
32 Maps That Will Teach You Something New About the World. Probably one of the most educational links I have posted at TBB lately, WOW!
25 Remote Islands you should visit in your lifetime.
Dog says Goodbye to his best friend. This movie will make you cry…
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Hello, 1st?
Live from the Outer Banks, it’s 2nd!!!
Third for the win!
Congrats to the Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists! I would like to award you…drachmas! lol
Small note while dropping by:
I was slightly amused by the
titans of travelmarketing affiliate blogs’ difficulty in dealing with the Chase policy change. Apparently they either can’t or won’t get in touch with the appropriate department at Chase and ask for clarification on the policy, despite(?) the fact that they’re Chase’s own contractors. Instead we’re all left with “seems like” or “might” or “should.” Or in Summer’s phrasing, crowdsourced with a sunny “let us know!”Customer/reader service was so bad, even Robert Hanson stopped praising Gary Leff and attacking Gary’s critics long enough to notice and complain.
Haha, very insightful as always, thanks for dropping by!
Welcome back, Buzz.
Yes, it’s been a pretty tough month or two with all the closures, devaluations and other changes.
Thank goodness Dan has a deal to help clean up the mess:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/69013
Dan always finds these killer deals lol.
Actually there are reports of toilet paper shortages in Greece!
We are not talking about a Miles/Points meetup at Burger King like the ones hosted by TravelWithGrant or Travel Codex. No,No, No… this is a meetup Portland style. To celebrate the legalization of pot and to sell a few of his glass pipes, Tommy Chong will be at the Lake Oswego, OR., Mary Janes House Of Glass 1-4 p.m July 4th……Buzz this is no joke and I will buy one of his two hundred dollar glass bongs if I have to, to get a picture with him……….Ramsey
Bucket list item: smoke one with Tommy. Actually, he was in Ann Arbor in April for the annual Hash Bash but I had a meeting with a client. Actually, (again), the last time I attended the Bash was in my college years lol. After going crazy on the souvlaki and gyros and spinach pies back in Greece…last thing I need is to smoke weed and, you know, get super hungry and eat everything in sight. I wish there was a weed that did NOT make you hungry! If there was, I would bust my butt to get the exclusive affiliate links for it so I can finally hit it big like them Titans 🙂
Good for the Geeks today, there is no point of continuing the dumpster fire of going from one bail out to another. They are broke and at this point a near complete write off is the only way forward. With the slightly improving economy and better and cheaper analytic our days are always going to be numbered.