We learn about the latest Alaska Airlines offer, bank churning rules, United award routing rules, Europe travel, hated Fuel Surcharges, visiting Iran, and micronations.
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Hello from the breakfast area in the Thessaloniki Hyatt. It is my last day in Greece and I leave while the place is going to hell. Dramatic (but not surprising) developments while I was here the past two weeks. It has been a wonderful vacation with my family and I managed to treat my mother to several things I had never had the chance to do before. Son was in charge of all the pictures so maybe one day I will do a trip report. But what awaits me is a vast amount of work to catch up!
This is a catch up type post so excuse if some of these links are somewhat old.
I keep seeing the Alaska Airlines Bank of America credit card offer for 25k miles AND a $100 statement credit. I think it comes and goes. Maybe the link in the post by Mile Nerd still works.
Running With Miles has an excellent post with an overview of banks and their current “churning” rules. I don’t like the trend folks #sadface
Travel Codex decodes United’s Award Routing Rules.
Travel Codex (back to back, it’s like a Jeopardy Double!) tells us How to Travel by Train in Europe.
Please, sit down. Travel Codex is on a roll! Excellent reference post on how to Know the Partner Airlines when Searching for Award Travel to Europe.
Loyalty Lobby informs us of the Hilton HHonors Award Category Changes effective July 8, 2015. In other words, the beatings devaluations will continue until morale improves economy goes south!
Lazy Traveler goes on a rant about one of the most hideous features present in our hobby: Airline Fuel Surcharges. You have been warned, just say NO!
Fishing4Deals recounts her experience with several banks trying to get annual fees rescinded.
12 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Airports by Mental Floss. Great article!
Yomadic does it again with another gem “Is Iran The Most Important Destination in Our Lifetime?”
9 of the strangest micronations in the world. In true TBB fashion…WTF!
The ghostly white world of Egypt’s stone cutters. Wow!
Winners of the 2015 iPhone Photography Awards. Double wow!
Awe-inspiring images of skies. Mega stunning!
20 photos showing how we are destroying the Earth…
20 FIRST photos from the history of Photography via PetaPixel
TBB
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Dare I say first?
First First?
Hope you got all your kids college $$$$ out before the “crash” doesn’t look to good at the moment… Glad you did the family thing… Have to get up to MI this summer to see the family as well! Looking to bigger and better TBB when you get back!
Think I’m #2 …
I am back! Getting back into it…steadily!
I’m dying to hear about what its like to be traveling/living in Greece these last few days. I’ve heard rumors that there is fuel rationing and that ATMs are running out of cash.
I feel so bad for the Greeks right now. They are such a hospitable and hard-working (the ones that have non-government jobs) people. I’m hoping that they come out of this crisis soon, although it’s not looking good right now.
It would be great if you did another post on Greece like the rant you did last year.
The situation is deteriorating rapidly. The new govt is a bunch of dangerous buffoons that have managed to do things nobody else imagined in their worst nightmare. And I am afraid the worse is yet to come…
Saw this on DansDeals so I thought I would share for those reading with a balding horse……..
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WIN a pair of lounge passes for Air Niugini to anyone who can correctly identify my gravater first.
Your contest is discriminatory against older readers. It’s only about 1/3 inch square on my monitor. Can’t see it even with my reading glasses on. Looks like a mug shot, and I think alcohol and/or drugs were involved. Or could this be a picture of you from the 70’s?
Man, I go away and miss on all these super deals, whyyyyyyy?
I second the suggestion for a post on the current situation in Greece. I think your “on the ground” experience would be quite interesting. I assume that credit cards are still working fine and it is just access to cash that is problematic for travelers? Hope you get home OK without any drama.
I am back, it is July 3rd and the country is paralyzed and about to do the final act of suicide this Sunday with a hideous referendum vote…
It is a giant clusterphuck of unimagined proportions…in just 6 months, everything collapsed!
Well its not like everything was fine 6mos. Greece has been a trainwreck coming into the station for a while.
Another vote for a post on current conditions in Greece. I have a trip planned to the islands coming up this summer, starting to wonder if I should back out of it? I booked refundable hotels but would hate to give Delta a change fee! Would appreciate your thoughts. If we go as planned I’ll be bringing a lot of cash I think…
PS I signed up for the DL platinum card via your link yesterday. Wasn’t instantly approved but I was approved automatically this morning. Hope you see something from it.
Don’t do anything before Monday. The referendum vote will show a lot. Bottom line, if the ECB does not step in, the banks are finished. Imagine an economy running with no cash, no money moving. It is fine now but current inventory supplies are ending.
I am very afraid things will turn ugly Argentina style with a NO vote win or a split.
So much damage by the current govt since they were elected it BOGGLES the mind.
Thanks for getting the DL card thru my site, I see the click! Much appreciated.
I had the chance to hang out with George (and meet his wonderful family) today and share some experiences here in Greece. I live in northern Greece and would gladly give any info as time gets closer for any of your trips. Of course, George being from Greece will have a much better perspective. But, I am here if anyone needs any info in the future!
Nice for you to stop by. Great kid you got! I am hopeful the sinking will stop but you should probably make some arrangements to get the family out. Greeks tend to do mega stupid things, they are just not very good in governing 🙁
Buzz-
Do many ponies read TBB?
I wished ponies could apply for the Prestige card lol
Thanks for the comment George. Gave me an inclination to re-read my post and correct some stipid typos. Gee, I need an intern.
And my widgets have disappeared. All of them! Never heard or seen anything like that!!!
Man, I DO need an intern!
If you find one willing to work for peanuts send him/her my way. I can provide great recommendation letter or whatever he/she may need lol.
Principality of Seborga. One of my friends from college was just made U.S. Ambassador there. I am not making this up. Her kids posted the photos from the ceremony one her FB page and at first I thought it was a joke. I had never heard of any of these micronations until last week when I had to look to see if this Seborga place actually existed. It is funny how when something gets on your radar. If the post had been a month ago, I would have hardly noticed.
I’d like more info on Greece as well. What a mess.
You might not be making this up, but your friend surely is. 🙂
10 Bizarre Tales From Self-Proclaimed States
Nope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQjGBmLxgkU
Wow, just wow. Wild stuff.
Greece is a giant clusterphuck, I have no words to describe. At the moment, cash is king!
“20 FIRST photos from the history of Photography”
You give ppl an iphone and you get dick pics flying over the web. Who was the Brett Favre of the 1830s? Where are the nude pics?
John Melendez?
how do i get my lounge passes?
Hello everyone,
I am back home in Ann Arbor. I have way too much to catch up so please give me a few days before I get to do another blog post and respond to emails & comments. Motherland Greece is seeing dramatic developments which have consumed me, I fear for its future and…my mother’s well being. Thanks for reading and all the support as always.
TBB
Sorry you are having these worries about your mother. That must be so difficult from afar. I know you are glad you had this visit. Is this fairly accurate? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33370589
Well, I wrote this in a FB post:
Everyone is pissed off and looking to blame someone for the last 5 years. It’s a freakshow for the world to watch while the most vulnerable are being hurt and the real economy goes to hell. At this point, I am kicking myself for not over ruling my mother who continues to insist she wants to stay. How to get out of the mess? This gang of Bolshevik buffoons in power right now must go. I am afraid even with a YES vote they will not go…Like I said, a giant clusterphuck! Just when we were all thinking that maybe, just maybe, they were about to turn the corner…it’s been downhill ever since these bozos were elected!
It took many years to get into this mess. The reasons are multi-faceted: historical, cultural, educational, yeah corruption/tax evasion is certainly a factor. You can’t “get” Greece unless you lived there for a while. It is a country of the “absurd”. Still rocks as a vacation spot though
When one of my sons was studying in Germany, he did a paper on the situation in Greece from an economic point of view (econ major). This was about two years ago. It was pretty grim. Most of what he wrote about makes a lot of sense in terms of the current situation. I know how hard it is to have stubborn parents and how we want them to move and they won’t. Been dealing with that for a decade. Must be really hard for you.
If the NO vote wins, I think I am going back to get her.
This is not going to end well…
Thanks Buzz, good luck with everything.
I coined an alternate term, “cluster effect”, I prefer it due to it’s more socially acceptable nature. It has gotten a few sniggers when I use it in meetings, however I always say it with a perfectly straight face.
😀
Oops sorry that was me and not Anon in case you couldn’t tell and btw the GF is Iranian, last thing I want is to be dragged back there on vacation, I just don’t want to for some reason so let’s keep this to ourselves, shall we ?
I saw this funny thing when looking on one of those sites where people help with each other’s language. An Iranian guy made a comment something to the effect, “Right, there are no gays in Iran because Ahmadinejad said so, and now he has also said that in Iran there are no bossy women.”
Draw your own conclusions, (hope there are no Iranian women reading TBB, shhhh . . . . )
😉
Not to perseverate about Iran, but just was reading the linked blog, very nice. I think a lot of people understand it is not the people who are the problem, but the government. The GF and her family and friends despise the government and the so-called revolutionaries, and say that the revolution ruined Iran and it will never be the same. A tone of bitterness comes into her voice, and why not, considering the way women are treated.