Let’s take a wild ride making fun of the “amazing” new 50k Hilton Visa credit card, learn more about the Hyatt Diamond Trial and Companion Fares, learn how a SPG member can be too loyal, travel to Soccoro Islands and Colombo, learn about the JetBlue promo and Marriott Devaluation, take note of some good ebates promos, look at some incredible photographs of ancient tribes around the world and you can win $1 Billion dollars while at it too!
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As you know, I follow way too many blogs in my Feedly feeds. So, when you see suddenly the same credit card pumped like some huge development just broke out….you realize that all the financial product salespeople got the word to “PUMP YOU UP” so you can buy! And it is really sad when it concerns the Hilton Visa with a signing bonus of just 50k Hilton Honors points. I mean, come on! This may get you half a night at one of the near the top rated properties. Because the readers would be enriched by such a card they held off the presses and wrote a long ridiculous (cut and paste) post pumping it up because there is really no other stuff to write about. Shaking my head. Happens EVERY freaking day in this space by so MANY bloggers. I am sick of it and you should be sick of it too. Say NO to pumping, it is NOT okay. Oops, here I go again. When I go down this path my posts get way longer. Sorry my bad. I find, in my own opinion, these blogs are the cream of the crop in pumping cards!
A reminder at Hack My Trip on How to Get a Hyatt Diamond Trial. I can’t wait to experience the Hyatt Diamond benefits at the Andaz Maui in less than three weeks! Any must dos at the property? How about at the Fairmont Kea Lani? I have had phone calls and emails from both properties telling me they can not wait to see us. The feelings are mutual after the mother of all winters we had in Michigan!
This was followed by a fantastic post about “Which Companion Fares Save You Money?“. Oh wait, it gets better! I did not see any affiliate links in the body of the post but saw this disclosure at the end of it: Disclaimer: The links on this page don’t intentionally direct you to any credit card applications, but you might come across one by accident. If you’re interested in applying, I provide links for many of the credit cards I mention on my pages for the Best Travel Credit Cards and Business Cards. It’s spreading you guys, so great to see! Hey other blogs pump non stop and other blogs offer great value added information. Ignore the pumpers and reward the good ones with your clicks, thank you!
Visualisation of all the flights in Europe on a typical summer day. This is pretty awesome and quite trippy!
A SPG Platinum member stays 200 nights in Starwood hotels and gets downgraded to Gold, say what? Pretty shocking email exchange shown at Loyalty Lobby. Apparently there is a severe penalty being too loyal? Really Starwood, really?
An excellent and detailed analysis of the recent Club Carlson changes by Loyalty Traveler.
Celebrating Life in the Socorro Islands. Off the West Coast of Mexico. The marine life here is just spectacular. Found at The Adventure Blog.
JetBlue came out with a very attractive status match and challenge. Check it out. I always thought that the name it chose for its Elites “Mosaic” was, well, kind of stupid.
The devaluations just keep coming. Next up is Marriott (no surprise there!). 848 properties moved up, 233 moved down. Ouch! Loyalty Lobby has all the gory details. Another blogger wrote about this first but he tends to pump a lot of credit cards lately so there!
Ebates is running some type of special it appears. You can book Holiday Inn and Intercontinental hotels and get 8% back. Sears is at 9%, that’s not too shabby. Yes, you can sign up using my referral link and you can find my stash of them at the very top of this blog post next to my glorious Amazon affiliate link (a very special thank you to my brother in law who is renovating his basement and is using the crap out of it lately, your sister is in good hands, thank you!). Or click on the tab menu titled “Support TBB”. I like this company, I think it is the best run of all these shopping portal sites.
Sick of pictures with flat beds and suites? Ok, me too. I will always be with the people (unless I am flying across the country to spend the day at an AMEX Centurion Lounge, I did it for blog research purposes!). How about some back roads in Sri Lanka courtesy of Miles to the Wild with “A Rock Road to Colombo CMB…”
“Q and A for people who don’t understand advanced credit cardology” By PF Digest. An interview with an imaginary interviewee…Oh wait, is it the other way around? Very funny stuff. I would like to get credit for inspiring all this comedic talent overtaking the blogosphere from the credit card pump posts. Oh how I wish. Would you rather read stuff like this or the crappy new Hilton Visa offer huh?
Play March Madness and you can win $1 Billion Dollars! If you win you better not be a jackass and forget me! And if you don’t give a lot to charity no doubt you are a jackass!
I keep forgetting to mention. My twitter handle is: FlyerTalkerinA2. It has nothing do with seat 2A! A2 stands for Ann Arbor (in Michigan for my only reader in Tajikistan!). I was on Twitter well before TBB came into existence. I tried to change it to “TravelBloggerBuzz” but it was too long so I stuck with it. Frankly, I am just making it all up as I go along!
Check out this chart! Look at the disparity between productivity and median family real income…Wow! I found it here.
I am sensing way too many people are blogging about stuff like Bluebird, VanillaReloads and this Manfactured Spending thingie. Will there be more blow back from the banks soon? (on top of what we have already seen, thanks Amex!) Maybe we should be a little not so loud about it all showing off our “scores”. For the sake of us all continuing to take advantage. I don’t know, I am thinking out loud here…
30 Must-Do’s While You’re Young Enough to Read this. From Marc and Angel Hack Life. Some excellent and inspiring advice here.
15 Striking Portraits of Ancient Tribes Around the World. By Twisted Sifter. Speechless, must click. I think I have a major crush on Twisted Sifter!
Photography by Jimmy Nelson
What? You are trying to post THAT? TBB is going to get you…
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First
Second?
I give up…
“I am sensing way too many people are blogging about stuff like Bluebird, VanillaReloads and this Manfactured Spending thingie. Will there be more blow back from the banks soon (on top of what we have already seen, thanks Amex!) Maybe we should be a little not so loud about it all showing off our “scores”. For the sake of us all continuing to take advantage. I don’t know, I am thinking out loud here…”
While I share your sense I disagree with the stance. This s**t is doomed from the get go. It does not need us clowns posting scores to get it shutdown quicker. There are some idiots in this business who think that if they keep “down low” this stuff will last forever. They remind me of hamsters doing circles in the lab thinking the scientists are not watching them. This game is way too easy and lucrative and will be shutdown soon whether or not we do the secret handshake or blast on the front page. So may as well chill and make hay while the sun shines
Eventually, all of these loopholes and tricks come to light, get exploited, and if they become unprofitable for companies, get shutdown. This game is about finding the next one, and the next one…
We are already seeing tons of audits and closures due to VR. I’m sure that will continue.
Yes, just about all deals will die ( exception may be AP). But the half life is decreased by mentioning it over and over again. Most of us knew that the mint deal would die, but it wasn’t until a few publications in key media outlets that it finally died.
It’s doomed, yes. But when you’ve got mostly clueless bloggers making a month-long game out how they are MSing, it’s asking for trouble. But anything for clicks these days – everyone reaching into your pocket so long as affiliate $$ is in the offing – no pimp cares if methods are prematurely killed so long as they get their $ – eff everyone else!
Go look at The Free-quent Flier – unabashedly pimping his Uber link because he wants more freebie rides. Why not go panhandle on the sidewalk if you have no shame begging? Even VFTW seems to be pimping every day.
It’s disgraceful how so many blogsters rationalize the pimping – and contrary to what George suggests, nobody should EVER use a link. That only encourages more pimping.
Two things:
(1) Regarding that chart showing a divergence between productivity and median income, I think that corporate / stock market / whatever profits also starting diverging from their historical mean a few decades ago. Capital’s gain vis-a-vis labor may or may not have something to do with people being stressed and disillusioned, I don’t know.
(2) You know what’s awesome? Killer whales chasing a speedboat, that’s what:
http://www.surenews.com/were-going-to-need-a-bigger-boat-orca-whales-in-hot-pursuit-of-speed-boat-in-the-pacific-is-simply-amazing.htm
FYI, TBB, it almost never makes sense to use that Ebates link, as you can do much better with TopCashBack (7%) at Hotels.com, then double-dip with their Welcome Rewards program. It’s an effective 17%. The only way going through their site directly would make sense is if you’re going for status with them, which rarely makes sense with IHG.
Regarding MS, sadly my favorite drug store today only allows me to put exactly $500 on each GC/VR. Apparently a new store policy. So much for freedom of choice and the opportunity to buy 2 without being carded.Things will quickly get slower as 5x TYP bonus expires.
I have had good experience getting reimbursed with FatWallet and Ebates, not so good experience with TopCashBack and a terrible time with the AAdvantage shopping portal run by Cartera. I prefer FatWallet because they are very good about tracking purchases and you don’t have to chase them down multiple times to get the promised credits.
Ditto. I default to Ebates (and recommend it solely to my readers) for the same reason. No min. payout, push payments (as in they pay you automatically and you don’t have to request) via paypal quarterly, and never had a single payment not go through. Only transaction I’ve ever had declined was a Hyatt gift card purchase, and that was because I didn’t read the terms correctly.
The others may list higher payouts, but for me, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.
Regular reader but don’t think I’ve left a comment in ages.
1. Put me in the camp that thought the “A2” handle referred to the seat.
2. It may not even be the banks who shut deals down. Picture CVS deciding cash only a la OD. Even worse, Walmart and grocery stores strictly enforce a no money orders with PIN gift cards rule. It all goes eventually.
3. What really got me was the killer whales chasing a speedboat video.
Must things to do at the Maui Fairmont and Maui Andaz, you ask…..Exit the Fairmont and turn right go 2 miles and before you hit Makena Beach State Park, look for the orange shave ice truck with the Bob Marley stencil, for all your Maui Wowi delights…..as for the Hyatt Andaz things to do, Exit the Andaz and turn right go 2.4 miles and before you hit Makena Beach State Park, look for the orange shave ice truck with the Bob Marley stencil, for all your Maui Wowi delights…..Buzz how did you make out on a car rental, did you check the carrentalsavers.com destination Hawaii button?…..Be sure to drive along the water at the next town of Kihei, its nearby and affordable and down to earth………………………………………………………………………..HT to my man Harvson 3, NOOBITUP.
@ Helixcardinal: Numero Uno, congrats!
@ Nick: You remind me of…Avis! That whale video is awesome, I am supposed to go on a boat at the Fairmont Kea Lani (free!) and maybe see some whales but now I am kind of scared 🙂
@ Mel: Never ever give up!
@ Miles Abound and Dealspin: I agree but…I agree more with @ ABC 🙂
I said that for a specific reason #hint #pleasedontask #trustme
@ Dealspin: I can’t stand TopCashBack, it’s a personal thing. All I hear about Welcome Rewards is…devaluations 🙂 I like ebates, I never ever have issues with them.
@ ABC: I expect changes at those stores…
@ Fishing4Deals: OMG, Cartera…They are such a nightmare to deal with, even worse than TopCashBack…and that is REALLY hard to top!
@ctbarron:Welcome to the chaos of TBB comments, it’s a zoo in here sometimes but overall it is the favorite part of my blog:-) If CVS&Wal-Mart go…we can all go home I guess #sadface
That whale video is crazy…Could it be doctored? I don’t know, do whales really do that? I thought it was dolphins…Wow!
@RAMSEY: Pasted your suggestions to my “Maui 2014 Trip” Evernote file, thanks! Car rental: Went with DiscountHawaiicarrental.com 5 day Jeep Wrangler $290 plus (with Alamo) That was the best at the time Spring Break time and all. So, I fed the Alamo res # to Autoslash and boom, found cheaper rate with Thrifty at $275 plus. I expect lower rates as time gets closer…Of course it will all be paid with Barclays Arrival points. I could give Priceline a spin and cancel the current one but I don’t have the time.
@ P: I don’t like begging either! I also find it disgraceful how easy it is to rationalize pimping! But I also find it very encouraging that maybe some things are changing and do in fact let the content dictate the clicks. I TOTALLY hear you about NOT using any links because it only encourages more pimping. But after blogging now for almost a year and a half I think it is a little harsh. There is no doubt in my mind that the blogs in my Ignore list will be gone in a flash from the scene when banks decide to stop paying so much per app. But it may also lead some worthy bloggers who do add value to also leave the space and that would be unfortunate. This blogging thing takes a lot of time…heck it is a major time suck and what prevented me of starting my blog for years (heck, I was thinking about it even before Rick started his!). I was right 🙂 As long as the content is great, there is no bias towards posting what pays (i.e. new Hilton Card, the Ink cards, Plat Amex, Arrival and on and on), full and clear disclosures and in a separate tab and you were going to go for a card why not help out the good ones? The more the good ones get helped, the less the bad ones earn… and that’s a great plus for our society. Before I started blogging I would be more inclined to support your stance. Not anymore. It is after 1 am and I am answering yet another comment…#addiction
I get and support the comments on publicity ruining things, I don’t like it. I need to get some sleep.
Good night.
TBBon!
Thanks for giving the heads up on Miles to the Wild. We’re headed to Sri Lanka this summer, and could use first hand knowledge.
We stayed at the Fairmont and Andaz this February. Pretty sure I saw Dan down the hallway one day too. Have you reserved your spots at both hotels for the free outrigger canoe? Fairmont is definitely the nicer. Take the earliest the Fairmont offers and you might be able to race a local boat. Definitely try the Ko Happy Hour. $10 appetizers and $8 craft cocktails. Phenomenal stuff. Buffet breakfast is great but gets boring after the second day, so consider ordering off the menu. Loco Moco breaks all your diet stuff I’m sure, but so worth it at least once. For other cheap eats, catch the Fairmont SUV to the Shops at Wailea and hit up the Whaler’s General Store Deli. Their ice cream mochi for $1.25 each is a steal. Monkeypod Cafe is also a don’t-miss. They have an early and late happy hour with great $9 pizzas and probably the best cocktails on the island. You can catch the hotel SUV there too.
If you don’t mind taking the car out, there are great eating options in Kihei. Coconuts Fish Cafe makes great (and massive) fish tacos, 808 Deli for paninis and salads. Up near Lahaina, Aloha Mixed Plate and Star Noodle are always great
Remember, Longs Drugs = CVS = VRs.
Just saw above that you have scheduled the Fairmont canoe. Book the Andaz too, you won’t regret it, especially if the whales are still around. It will be near the end of the season though.
Don’t be scared, but this video was taken on the outrigger used by the Andaz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYQrI7X4mPk
I was there Feb 4th-11th. Should’ve said hey 🙂
I could’ve even told you about a nice free parking spot 😉
Email me about the free parking spot, I love free stuff! Thanks
32nd. Woo Hoo
I think that makes me 33, but you’re always #1 as far as I’m concerned.
I join in the vote for Aloha Mixed Plate. Its not fancy, but its great. your family will love it. http://www.alohamixedplate.com/
@ TJ: Great for the suggestions. I have so much in my notes plus I just got the book Maui Revealed (using my own Amazon link haha) that I think we have more than enough to check out. I wish we had more days there. I had no ideas whales can get that close to boats! Do they ever, you know, mess with the boats, is this safe? I don’t want my kids to have a traumatic experience! And I think my wife will not get on the boat now, she is not a good swimmer! We have TONS of Fairmont gift cards and Plat dinning certs that we won’t go hungry. Definitely doing the Happy Hours! Thanks a lot.
@ Another Mark: That was funny.
@ Kathy: Noted, thanks!
@ The Deal Mommy: Yep, we are definitely on the same page with Ebates! I need to take that TCB referral link out of my “Support TBB” page but I think I have enough of cautionary language that nobody clicks on it (on the rest of them for that matter too lol). Thanks.
Hit momma’s Fish house if you’re in the neighborhood……
Gotta back up TJ above – definitely do the Andaz’ free outrigger canoe trip – we liked it so much we got sucked in to booking a paid one – and Coconuts Fish Cafe has fish tacos that are the TRUTH. Amazing stuff, and the owner and kids are there most days!
Food on Maui is pretty amazing stuff generally – fresh fish and fruit/veg – price is determined by your hotel status and/or how fare off the tourist track you are willing to go!
Maui Revealed is a fantastic resource, also got the app for pushing addresses/GPS coordinates straight to our phone maps/nav programs.
Mama’s Fish House is great (if you’re looking to spend ~$100/pp)
Momma’s Fish sounds a bit pricey considering our Fairmont gift cards/Plat certs will go a long way 😉
I am tempted to do the Andaz free outrigger canoe trip but that will slow us way down for another day…so I am going for the Fairmont one. I say one of two should be fine.
I love fish tacos. We had the best fish tacos in a small eatery in Los Cabos full of locals with a guy playing the quitar and singing next to us. I should dig up a picture and post soon at TBB.
I need to get get started on Maui revealed book, love those books!
Great suggestions, added them to my Evenote “Maui 2014” file and hope I get to them! Thank you.
The outrigger is nothing to worry about at all. You’ll be lucky to get within 50 feet of a whale, and they’re the most harmless creatures ever. That video was a total fluke (pun intended). Just a clueless baby. You won’t get out of the boat, and the paddling is not strenuous (unless you catch the local outrigger group and challenge them to a race). Take the earliest time if you can. It’s gorgeous and calm.
If you’re doing the Diamond trial, keep in mind that Ka’ana Kitchen has scaled back a bit from when they first opened. No more juice mixologist and ordering “off the menu” is limited to slight variations of what they already have. Ask for a “pour over” coffee, rather than the regular stuff.
I think I’ve been to the truck that Ramsey talks about. No wonder their selection of fruit was so pitiful and overpriced.
Got it, thanks a lot
What’s this I hear about you joining F2B?
Shhhh….It’s an undercover operation so I can be next to Wallet Slut and slap him upside the head as he posts yet another credit card pump post!
Holy crap, I hope that’s a joke — F2B appears to be on a rapid downward spiral. What’s up with their rebranding/redesign? Also — BooginHead Squeez’Ems, promoted by a blogger (ahem, affiliate marketer) called “The Essentials”?
I think the new design is an improvement from the previous one.
TBB in between Wallet Slut and The Essentials Review Team…oh boy.
I better shut up, you all just need to wait
We do throw a hell of a party.
I thought Mamma’s Fish House was shockingly overpriced. Food was good, but not that good! Pretty setting, but there are lots of pretty settings on Maui…
Ok, got it. Thanks.
If you screw up and get one of the citi hhonors cards, do you meet the spend req and cancel or just toss it in the drawer??
Your call. No big deal at all. I would keep it and use it a few times or so here and there for small charges. At 10 months out call to see what you can get for retention. Remember HH has a 12 month expiration policy! In the time between I started this comment and now ending it I canceled my Citi Amex card after getting $85 statement credit and 1k extra AA miles for ever month I charged $1k.
I once had two HHonors cards, pre-devaluation. Called and cancelled one post-devaluation. Converted the other to a no ann fee Citi Dividend, which has 5% categories and limits to $300 cash back per year, not just $75 per quarter. 1Q bonus category is drugstores and fitness clubs. Made >$250 back, sent as a check, stuck the card in the drawer until 2015.
Contra TBB, I can’t imagine a retention offer earning HHonors points that would make me keep the card.
You are probably right….my point was that it doesn’t really matter what she does…this is just not an important card in the arsenal of weapons we deploy in the battles to maximize our travel experience in the expense of banks 🙂
Not being a a NW RR member, I had to look this up and everyone from TPG, to Ben/One Mile, Loyalty Lobby and SmarterTravel gave me the same answer… After the 31th, RR points will be worth 1.4 cents each, so then why is FTG telling readers that “Southwest points are worth 0.7 cents.” Loyalty Lobby broke it down nicely: “The value of a Rapid Rewards point used for Wanna Getaway fares is 1.4 cents, 1 cent for Anytime fares and 0.83 cents for Business Select fares.”
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/03/reader-question-how-can-i-redeem-southwest-rapid-rewards-points-for-car-rentals.html
It’s my main problem with the FTG blog. Half the time the content is bland and the rest of the time, the information is just plain wrong.
“It’s my main problem with the FTG blog. Half the time the content is bland and the rest of the time, the information is just plain wrong”
Wait, are you trying to insinuate the blog that a couple of months ago told someone in the “Travel Challenge” to open up 9 credit cards, and to use those miles on flights that didn’t exist, at a cost of 30K miles less than it actually would’ve if it did exist….. is a horrible blog?
For all Rick’s talk about how the blog is “geared” towards newbies, the truth is that it’s not so much geared towards newbies as it is targeting newbies. Because those are the people most likely to fall for Rick and his merry band of used car salesmen, and the least likely to realize how amateurish (as you show with your SW example) the content is. It’s a double win for team FTG!
Hmm, I made the above post before seeing the latest embarrassment
So if I have this straight:
1) They are recommending using AA miles for coach travel on British Airways, probably the single worst piece of advice one can give a rookie
2) They are recommending using UR points a 1 cpp…. not even 1.25
3) It completely ignores the annual fee on the AA card
4) Got in a gratuitous Chase Ink Plus link in the end, just because
Is it normal for people to have as much contempt for your readers as FTG has for theirs?
In my humble opinion, the number one metric the IB guys judge is conversions. So, if they are good the blog is successful.
No idea about the 0.7 valuation. I better stop here.
Steve, how is your lawn mowing business? 🙂
Hey Rick, if you read the other tabloid journal, one of my pieces was #1 in “Most popular” today and I took a screen shot just for the heck of it. I should start charging them per word. It’s okay. If I got just one person to do a prenup before getting married it is all worth it!
Where were you with the prenup advice 20 years ago when I needed it? Send me an email with the link to your #1 article. I’d love to read it but can never find them online. Are you using a stage name so the TBB readers can’t make the connection?
Please.
Steve, please don’t call me out personally for stuff I didn’t write or have any editorial control over. There that was nicer wasn’t it?
And your comment about pushing the highest commission is wrong. There is one that is generally higher but nobody pushes. Can your readers all guess?
Much nicer!
My stage name is: DJ Grandmaster Flash George 🙂
I’ll send the link if I remember to do it.
The Carnival card? 😉
First time, long time. I want to start off by saying great blog and keep up the good work! Second, I just had to comment about the 50K Hilton HHonors card offer being pushed. If you’re really lucky, the 50K points and the $50 credit get you ~$300 in value but more likely $200-$250 and 2 pts/$ is less than 1%. I was recently able to use Hilton points using the off-season points rate at the Hilton Stucky Molino Venice, one of the better redemptions I’ve found, and I struggled to get over $0.005/pt.
There are so many better cards than this one in terms of sign-up bonuses, annual bonuses and earnings from spending. If someone’s that deep into CC applications that this is one of the few you can still get a sign up bonus for, they probably don’t need 20 bloggers rubbing it in their face to be aware of it!
The best part about the card is that it’s very easy to churn. But I have a feeling nobody with affiliate links said that.
You can tell which cards do and dont pay affiliate commission just by how frequently they’re discussed
For example, I can safely assume the AA, UA and US cards don’t pay affiliate commission. Does anyone remember the last time the UA or US cards were even brought up?
@ Milesmath: Thanks for reading and commenting and for the kind words, greatly appreciated. Yep, I think you nailed it pretty good with the Hilton card.
@ TJ: Are you saying it does not follow the “pattern” of the other AA cards at all…Churn as in how often?
@ Steve: Absolutely. I find it comical they are still pushing the Amex Platinum because that one still pays the most! And then it’s the Ink cards of course. Pretty much I validate to myself how great my “Blogs I Ignore” list 🙂
The UA card pays commissions. DD pumps them, telling people to use his links then bump the bonus instead of signing up for the better offer. Other bloggers won’t stoop that low.
Hi Sticky.
Please post a link for 55,000 United miles plus $50 cash back for spending $1,000.
I’ve never seen one. And yet there is a 100% successful SM match reported on DDF.
Only limit seems to be the citi app limits, 1/day, 1/week, 2/65 days or so….this is what the old FTG would use to be great for.
Just canceled total of 3 Citi AA cards. Thank you points for some reason do not like me. I will wait a little before I approach Citi again, need a time out and try to work on burning some ridiculous AA miles I have stashed! Thanks.
Manchester United 3 – Olympiacos 0
The “Greek” side brought to life the walking dead. The ball did not bounce their way. They played well enough to advance but horrendous defensive mistakes cost them. But, as so often has been the case, it came to mentality. For a VERY long time Greek clubs have an inferiority complex against the top European clubs (unlike the Greek national team, no more!). This Olympiacos club pretty much controls everything in Greece in the sport. A bunch of mafiozi assholes who can order a PK or an opponent red card at moments notice when they need it. Actually, the whole Greek professional soccer scene is just super phucked up. People have stopped going to the games because of hooligan violence and they know Olympiacos will win the championship again. They buy the best available players and they are all pretty much non Greeks! I mean, this team’s first language is Spanish! So, they beat up on the little teams all year and then they have to go to Europe and get their heads splattered when every year they say “this is they breakthrough year”. How can you throw away the game when you win the first leg 2-0 at home in this fashion? Again, it’s all mental. Ok, off my soap box.
No blog post tomorrow, not much happening. Unless you consider Hyatt bringing back toothpaste 🙂
Have you Olympiakos record in England?
Thanks to Olympiakos for giving us United fans one season highlight. Loved the play of that young Welsh kid Giggs. He’s got a bright future, the next Gareth Bale!
Missed out the word “seen”. They always lose in England.
Yeah Greek teams’ record playing in England is just amazingly awful. It’s mental I think. I think Olympiacos played well enough to advance. I am sorry but Man Utd is not going through the next round. If it was any other team the coach would be gone months ago. Something which I appreciate deep down as coaches are so conveniently blamed these days. Funny how the Olympiacos fans are all up in arms about the officiating. Hahahaha, if this ever happened in Greece the official would be officially “retired” the very next day.
F2B – it is STILL a mess. It is better, but a mess.
Here’s some free advice. The home page (a la Boarding Area) is a place for promoting your bloggers. It is NOT a place to fit in as many ads as you can at the detriment of promoting your bloggers.
Only 1 ad on the BA home page. And Randy isn’t usually shy about putting them in 🙂
I think this is pretty good and free advice,hope they listen.
+1 Wow is that site a mess now. Cluttered and the new logo is odd…Not an improvement IMHO
Nice comment by Rick, after one by Steve that, while correct, didn’t add to my knowledge base. FTG, the blog, is useless to anyone with any experience in this hobby and could lead some just getting started to some bad decisions. While Rick may come one here and bluster, I think when he looks in the mirror, he may be embarrassed to be the face of that blog as it exists today. No need for me to add fuel to that fire.
As for Rick himself, nice to see some participatory comments. I don’t need to read his thoughts on how TBB is doing, but I would like to read about what he thinks about other blogs. TBB makes a splash for pointing out the princes with no clothes on, and many of us join in. Come on Rick-which of those other blogs really makes you boil?
Contrary to popular opinion, I never intended to make a splash. I blog to Entertain, Educate and Inspire. Adding value to readers (in one of the three ways in the blog’s mission) is paramount. I do enjoy some of the “pointing out the princess with no clothes on” because, I think, I try to make it entertaining and educational. But, I hope anyway, my blog is a small part about that stuff.
But, I must admit, I do have “anger” issues, I am working on it. Like this morning, I saw MMS blog about and blast through every Amex cc ad he could get his hands on and show us Emily holding the VR cards again….To the reader who keeps emailing me that MMS does not belong in my Ingore list, all I can say now publicly is “Shut up please, every post every day confirms it does belong there!”.
I think Rick may be contractually forbidden to talk about other blogs? I say on top of his list is: MIlevalue 🙂
I avoid only three but it is personal decision and really doesn’t add anything to the space for me to rant, complain, demean or comment. I think the experience level is so widely varied based on the ease of entry into the world of blogging and the motivations are as varied. For some it is all about the money. For some it is ego and for some there is a genuine desire to help others. I’m not suggesting that the motivations are all or nothing with each individual bloggers. Some have been corrupted by the money, some have been sold to the money.
We all agree on one pimping, disagree on another based on my observations behind the scenes and one is seldom discussed.
Enough said from me.
“While Rick may come one here and bluster, I think when he looks in the mirror, he may be embarrassed to be the face of that blog as it exists today. No need for me to add fuel to that fire”
Highly doubtful
At the point of sale, the blog was far worse than it is today. If he’s embarrassed by this, I’d be curious his thoughts towards the end of his ownership
I would cut some slack if he sold what used to be a great blog and then the blog became crap, but that’s not what happen. He took a great blog, made it horrific, THEN SOLD IT, and here we are today where it’s slightly less horrific than pre-sale
He still writes for the blog. The blog is still named after the nickname associated with Rick. There are still references to him on the side panel. And the person who wrote the Travel Challenge post I criticized upthread has been writing for the blog even when Rick owned it (he’s not some new guy that IB brought in when they bought it). I understand why the “Guy” being referenced in the name “Frugal Travel Guy” doesn’t want to be associated with this blog at times, but sorry…. it is what it is.
Never hesitant to express my opinion either Steve. In my last months of ownership, I was tired, overwhelmed and could see the disaster on the horizon. And I’m sure if I went back and looked at those last couple months posts the posts may not be my best stuff. I never looked back.
But here is what matters, IB could have made a deal with anybody and they chose mine. They went through their due diligence and closed the sale, so your liking it or not is truly irrelevant. They got what they wanted. I got what I wanted which was out of the day to day, and I think based on what was coming, I got out at the top of the market.
As far as being associated with the blog as it is: it is what it is ….., I’m being compensated for my time and will continue until I or they, wish the association to end. Don’t forget that your opinion is that of a minute minority. Very small percentage that means nothing to me.
As the French security guard told me at Charles DeGualle one day, when discussing how the French treated Katy and me : ” There are assholes in every country”
If i wanted to read someone saying a lot without actually saying a lot, I would read MMS
Thanks for letter us know that you are being compensated for your time until you or IB decide to end that partnership…. I had no idea that’s how employment works in this country
So what is your bone Steve old boy? Pissed u didn’t write a blog? Bad credit score and can’t take part? Didn’t get an email answered? I’ve been reading your troll posts since you got here and still haven’t figured out why you are mad at every blogger?
Steve in one sentence, please tell us all: Why so angry and negative all the time?
You ooze anger. What’s up buddy?
“Steve in one sentence, please tell us all: Why so angry and negative all the time?”
I can’t answer a question based on a faulty premise
I call out the crap and I praise the good.
If you ACTUALLY read what I write, instead of reflexively turn into a sociopath anytime you our your blog get criticized, you’d notice I regularly praise bloggers here…. heck, even ones that incessantly pimp credit cards like Dan or Gary. And I’ve also praised many of the bloggers who write for the FTG site…. when they’re not being constrained by the craptitude that is FTG.com. Drew is one of my favorite bloggers!
Well thanks Steve for the clarification. I’m sure nobody else sees the anger in this response and most of your others as well. You are just a happy go lucky guy 🙂
“Sociopath, pimp, crapittude” All very uplifting words ???
Does Drew even write for FTG any more? I haven’t seen anything from him in seemingly weeks.
““Sociopath, pimp, crapittude” All very uplifting words ???”
I refer you to my above post…. I call out the crap and I praise the good.
Sorry if I don’t beat around the bush for the sake of beating around the bush.
“Does Drew even write for FTG any more? I haven’t seen anything from him in seemingly weeks”
Not sure. Rick would probably be in a better position to answer whether Drew in fact decided he didn’t want to degrade himself by bringing his high quality posting down to the level of FTG.com
Drew is somewhere in Bali. I set him up with a media contact that may lead to something big (or not). Doing good things every day at TBB.
Rick: I think your views about Steve are wrong. He calls it as he sees it and definitely does not beat around the bush. I am sure he will let me know when I fall flat on my face, we all do at some point, we are human! Instead of me getting angry and totally dismissing people who criticize me I take the opposite view….I embrace it! They wouldn’t do it if they did not care so I see these occasions as an incredible opportunity to see how readers think and how I can improve! I am a firm believer in getting to uncomfortable situations because this is THE way to grow personally! I am no praise praise kissass kind of guy, sorry. So, yes I am very glad Steve posts here. It is obvious to me he has been around this hobby for a long time and is not afraid to speak out. That was just my two cents.
We were all happy you sold and your timing was (on hindsight) amazing. Just like what’s the Whatsapp guys….amazing accomplishment. I can empathize about being overwhelmed…I am overwhelmed in comments lol. As a former FTG fan (in your early days) it hurts me to see the site like this now.
That’s all. I posted a new blog post. Let’s take it there. Over and out
Mama’s Fish House was worth the splurge, in my opinion. I thought the food was really good. I took my family of 4 there for lunch and was able to easily escape under $50pp (maybe the lunch prices are better?). As for things to do…our family enjoyed surfing for the first time with Maui Waveriders in Lahaina. Living in the Midwest like you, this was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had. It was a little pricey but well worth it IMHO. If you plan on seeing the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala, I recommend that you do it on the first morning you arrive before your internal clock adjusts. HI is 6 hours behind MI, so if you land in the late afternoon, you will probably want to go to bed anyway between 6-8PM (which is midnight to 2AM MI time). Wake up at 1-2AM – your body may do this whether you like it or not – and head to the summit. Lots of people say “do the road to Hana” but I think it is a bit masochistic to do the full drive in 1 day Too much traffic and a day doesn’t give you much time to linger and enjoy each stop. Better to drive to Hana and do about half the stops and cap off with a swim at the last one, 7 sacred pools. Stay the night in Hana, get up in the morning and hit the remaining stops heading west – traffic will be light because you have beaten the “return rush”. If you really want to do the “Road to Hana” in 1 day then leave early in the morning – like 6:00 or 6:30 – and you will be ahead of the traffic. Two more tips: Pick up the book “Maui Revealed” or download the app from iTunes – lots of good info in there and the app works with your iPhone’s GPS. Another app that we enjoyed was the driving tour from GyPSy Guide – we purchased the full island version which included road to Hana. As you are driving around, it uses the GPS from your smartphone to give you a tour/provide interesting facts about the area. We had a car with a bluetooth connection and it worked great to have audio route through the car stereo. See http://www.gypsyguide.com/apps/Maui.php for more info.
Thanks a lot DL Flyer!
Our time is limited as we only have 5 nights. First two at the Andaz, last three at Fairmont Kea Lani. And we are getting there in the afternoon the first day. We plan to maximize our breakfast bot morning in the Andaz 🙂 And I have tons of dining/gc for the Fairmont to use too so getting up at 6 am on vacation I may have trouble convincing the rest of the TBB crew 🙂
I have this book already (and I used my own Amazon link,yes!). I will read it on the planes it appears. I am sensing there is so much to do that we will miss a lot so we may book a return trip to compensate! I need to learn more about that road to Hana, staying overnight is just not an option. Lots to digest, my Evernote Maui file has a lot I need to ponder. Thank you.
Watch out Cal Ripken
MMS has 11 posts in a row which contains affiliate links. Apparently there hasn’t been a single topic worthy of a post in the last week which didn’t relate to Chase, Amex or Barclays links…. what are the odds!
The streak was only broken by hard-hitting posts like 10K Hyatt points giveaway, 10K IHG giveaway and the Friday snoozeterview
You have to go back to last Thursday to find the last time he made a real post that didn’t contain affiliate links. Somewhere, TPG is demanding MMS provide a H/T
Yeah really. I think he got a full time job, maybe getting ready for a baby and now just making these posts late at night to earn some more money for college fund. I think he probably gave up on hiring two employees.
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT HYATT IS REINTRODUCING TOOTHPASTE IN ITS HOTELS?!
That will make each Hyatt point worth $.0000136 more than before. Or even more at lower cost Hyatts!
I joked about this on Twitter on Wednesday. I swear I had almost no miles/points material other than toothpaste that whole day 🙂 Even a Hyatt twitter staff person made a joke about it to me!
George, Here is food for thought. Although you and I have had our tiffs (to say the least), I think that Steve is indeed your troll. Think about it. Always complaining about others post in a very negative fashion. I of course react and give it back to him. If you look at the history of your blog, it seems throws flames as often as bloggers include affiliate links. Very little positive contribution to your efforts.
Think about it will ya? And as for your recommendation “Don’t feed the trolls” I think I’ll take that tact with your real troll. It seems nobody else responds to his attacks or interacts with his comments. Maybe if I quit, he’ll just go away 🙂
I just saw this comment after I made a comment above in the very long comment exchange! I respectfully disagree. Steve has done a lot of praise too! I find his judgment on the different blogs superb really. And I think he keeps it to the blogs and not make it too personal. But doing that IS REALLY HARD. I mean, blogging is PERSONAL. You pour your heart out, well, at least I do here.All bloggers do at some point (well, except Deals We Like, must be a bot) 🙂
If you quit I am sure Steve is staying, nice try 🙂
As far as the “flames” thrown out, I am convinced that the recipients can take that into consideration and use them to IMPROVE what they do. Reader feedback (ANY feedback) is PRICELESS! I consider it as a free focus groups companies spend mega $$ to do!
My two pennies. New blog post is on, I think you ‘ll like the map of Europe according to the Greeks. They can be such assholes sometimes lol.
Last?
LOL!
Next time I ‘ll let you be Last 🙂
DLFlyer can be last – at least until I finally get here! See ya on the new post!