Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the All Trails app, warn about the fake crypto mania, the 100k Capital One Venture X card, the Athens Marathon is in the books, how to travel to Machu Picchu, a place in Alaska you only get to via helicopter, a must read about personal finance that will come in handy one day, Covid is not done with us, order a fake Italian coffee, all new words, a Russian cosmonaut who went to his death knowingly and more!
TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate
You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
TRAVEL
You are somewhere and you get that urge to find a trail and you get this app started and boom! All Trails.
This is about a year old and I hope the info is still valid, Covid and all: How to Travel to Machu Picchu.
One day when I sell my blog to The Points Guy Inc., I am going to blow some money to stay here because it is, I think, the only place you get to with a helicopter: Sheldon Chalet. Inside Denali and how are you going to resist if money is no option?
Perched on a nunatak in the Don Sheldon Amphitheater of Denali’s magnificent Ruth Glacier, just 10 miles from the summit, Sheldon Chalet is more than a place to stay, it’s an exclusive experience of grand proportion.
Here I go being inspirational again. And if you thought I was serious about my blog selling out to The Points Guy…lol.
PERSONAL FINANCE
This is a must read: The Same Stories, Again and Again.
1. No one knows how they’ll respond to risk and setback until they’re in the moment of terror.
2. Declines occur because many people’s entire goal is to become so successful that they can relax, and relaxing leads to complacency that breeds decline.
3. Innovation is hard to predict and easy to underestimate because so much occurs by accident, when several boring discoveries compound into something extraordinary.
The #1 above is so true! I wonder how so many younger investors/speculators will react when buying the dip stops working…for a while. One of the quotes that stuck with me was “Only paranoid survive” so me relaxing is not part of my DNA. But it is nice to dream about it though…
Another cautionary article about crypto: Making Sure “Number Go Up”. Be careful out there!
Would you believe that an NFT of this image was worth $532M? How about nearly $1.1B? Most numbers that are quoted about cryptocurrencies are fake, in the sense that they are manipulated in order to fool the press, and thereby buy time until they become “too big to fail”. The credulous press reports make it look like the cryptocurrency market is much bigger and much more successful that it really is, further inflating the bubble. Below the fold, I provide a set of examples of the techniques that are used to fuel the mania.
COVID-19
I guess the virus is not done with us yet: Covid cases are surging in Europe. America is in denial about what lies in store for it. We need to make the vaccine boosters mandatory asap! Because waning immunity is real. Having said that, life will go on and one day we will all catch it so be mentally prepared for that. Unless you become a hermit…
1.53 min video how the mRNA vaccine works to fight the Corona virus.
ODDZ & ENDZ
This is a fun link. Create your own Fake Italian Coffee. May I have a “Dostina” please?
So many new words, all 455 of them: My favorite: “dad bod” which defines me lol.
I did not know about this story, wow, so tragic! Vladimir Komarov: The Cosmonaut Who Fell From Space.
Did you know that flights was spelled “flites” back in 1945?
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 100k Capital One Venture X, 75k CHASE Ink Cash, 75k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, three personal 100k CHASE Southwest cards, 50k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 80k CITI Premier, 20k CHASE Freedom Flex & CHASE Freedom Unlimited, 80k CHASE United Quest, 60k BANK OF AMERICA Alaska Business, 150K CHASE IHG Rewards Club Premier (look Under “Mastercard” for this one and not Chase!) and many more, including many AmericanExpress cards, including Delta, Marriott and Hilton cards! Please check out my Affiliate links. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you? Contact me!
This section is about my hobby addiction of collecting frequent flyer miles and hotel points since the early 1990’s! Feel free to skip this section and parts of the next one if this is not for you.
Newbies: Bloggers will say ANYTHING to get readers a credit card pushing their affiliate links. The current blog sphere mania to get everyone the 100k Capital One Venture X card is another reminder of the numerous conflicts plaguing this space…
Interesting mainstream article about an industry we know so well here: How Frequent Flier Programs Are Changing in a Changed World. Yep, expect more airlines to cater to their most important client, the passengers banks.
Good resource to just do a review of where you stand: Year-End Credit Card Checklist for 2021: Travel Credits, Spend Reset, Application Strategy & More.
What do I feel about the new 100k Capital One Venture X card? Look, the offer is compelling for the first year! And I am shocked that this bank has not started chopping some of these benefits already. Because, you know, this bank will do it sooner rather than later. Of course this assumes you get approved. Which is NOT easy! It appears CO may have relented a bit in issuing approvals which is another surprising thing about it as management seems determined to become an alternative to the other three main bank proprietary point currencies (Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points). And it is great to see the competition because we benefit! So, yeah, please use my links to apply for it to support this blog. But do not expect me to just publish numerous posts about how “amazing” it is, I am just not that into this type of pumping ok?
Here is a good review of it: Cutting Through the Noise: What Do You REALLY Need to Know About the New Venture X Card?
And another one: The New Capital One Venture X Credit Card – Big Features and Bonus, But Is It For You?
A helpful trick on quickly searching your Amex offers. Control + F does it…
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
Update: Got this crazy idea to do my trip report, all on Twitter. Follow this thread and hashtag #TBBTripping. I am keeping it up…barely.
I read every comment and email but may not have time to reply these days while traveling.
I finished the 2021 Athens Marathon. It is known as The Authentic because it is the original course starting in the town of Marathon outside Athens and finishing in the iconic all marble stadium where the first Olympic games were held back in 1896. What an amazing experience it was! And I was warned many times about the hills which, well, felt monstrous. This is NOT the course you run to qualify for the Boston marathon, let’s put it that way! It is my second full marathon and it was 30 minutes faster than the first one so I am very happy, considering the tough year I have had with injuries and physical therapy sessions. That feeling when you cross the line is like crack…not like I have ever done crack. My kids tell me I am the only one laughing with this joke…but I still laugh when I say it woohoo! Just two pics of me crossing the finish line and then afterwards holding the beautiful medal, smiling all the way:
I am really behind on reading and I am trying to keep up this blog so each post is a struggle now while traveling. I get to my hometown Larisa later tonight so I need to catch up…some day.
Let me leave you with this…
Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoy it please pass it on to a family member or friend, thank you!
TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.
You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Good crypto article. Everybody should know what a wash trade is to help cut through the NFT b.s. so if that term isn’t in your vocabulary, click on that link.
Let’s all give a round of apt to George!!! Well done !!!
And may you never sell out
Buzz-
Are you speaking at Card Con, the big ‘do’ in Denver?
Do you think they know how it sounds to have folks who get commissions to sell credit cards at an event called Card Con?
Do you think Gary’s keynote address will mention Cap One? Do you think Cap One will have apps available in the back of the room?
Do you think they’ll have a moment of silence to remember the first guy who posted an affiliate link? Yes, that’s right, the guy who thought it all up but gets almost no credit (and no ongoing commish).
Sam, I’ll take this one for the sake of fairness.
I’m at CardCon right now.
No one is selling credit cards. No Cap One or other CC applications are available anywhere in the room.
Gary and David Gold did mention Cap One in passing along with other issuers because they were discussing the state of the industry. I didn’t detect any attempts to sell anything.
This conference is just like any other conference I’ve ever been to. People are trying to network. Sponsors are hustling for more eyeballs while freelancers like me are hustling for gigs. Business as usual and nothing untoward.
Of course, there is always tomorrow, but so far everything’s cosher. 🙂
I’ve read about Komarov before and yes, what a tragic story. Good info on Crypto as well. I think it is some insane scam of some sort. I won’t touch that stuff with a ten foot pole.
CONGRATS AGAIN ON THE MARATHON! Have a wonderful rest of your stay in Greece!
Yes, CONGRATS! … So great to see that!
And of course the links are terrific.
I always thought calling it CardCon was so appropriate 🙂
I was not invited…again. They all are in the marketing business. I see myself as a fiduciary…the F word for the pumpers lol.
I am now in my hometown Larisa. I need to hunt for a rapid covid test and then I am going to pray non stop it is negative and then off to see my mom. Today I went to my old stomping grounds looking for some food and all cafes and restaurants are closed as a protest against the strict Covid rules…they need to check vaccination cards of everyone and impose limits on attendance. Definitely not a good time to be here. And then…on my Olympic Air flight to Thessaloniki from Athens this guy in the row in front of me kept coughing up a storm..,and everyone around him sprinted for the back (plenty of empty seats) and now I am paranoid I got it…
We’ll see what happens tomorrow…
I am still sore but getting better…
George, congrats on the marathon! You’re a hero.
About this Komarov article: I’m skeptical about quite a few things, as I’ve read a lot about this tragedy including his daughter’s interviews. Gagarin throwing a drink in Brezhnev’s face is a really big laugh.
The truth is: not a single space ship launched in Russia in the 60-s was fully debugged.
There was a space race with the U.S., the pressure was enormous, and no one was safe.
There were issues with every spacecraft ever launched in the 60-s. The first one piloted by Yuriy Gagarin was plagued with issues until the launch. Then there were several life-threatening situations during the flight and landing.
Komarov did see the craft before the launch, and he presumably did tell one of his friends that there was a 90% chance he wouldn’t get back. That part is true.
But one thing that people don’t understand is that test pilots in the USSR lived in a constant anticipation of death. That’s how Gagarin was killed eventually – during the test flight. They were a special breed, these people.
During the flight Komarov did talk to Premier Kosygin, but not the wife. That never happened. When he managed to start the descent, she, as well as people in the Space Center, believed the scariest part was behind them. Komarov who had to take manual control, did many things right in a situation he’d never been trained for, but then the parachute didn’t open. Perfect storm.
Congrats on the marathon finish! That’s really great considering the injury year you had.
Congratulations George, way to go!
Good luck with your Covid test and spending time with your mom.
Congratulations! We are proud of you, we’ll done, George!