All aboard for take off learning about Asia award seats, seat assignments, hotel best rate guarantees, British Airways fuel surcharges, Spirit miles, visit waterfalls, USA road trips, Bhutan and hostels.
TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order
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Hacking Award Seats to Asia: All 177 Routes! By Hack My Trip. I appreciate all the work that went into this!
What to do When Your Seat Assignment Sucks. By The Jetsetter’s Homestead. Some great advice from one of the new blogs from someone who is knowledgeable about the subject and is quality minded.
The Complete Guide to Hotel Best Rate Guarantees. By Travel is Free. Great comprehensive infographic.
Dans Deals broke the news about British Airways now collecting fuel surcharges for US Airways international flights. Good post with only one card pumped 🙂
Another blog joined Prior2Boarding: Travelling the World.
Miles4More with a great post thinking out loud and from a macro point of view about “Planning and Funding Your Own Travel Savings Account“.
Loyalty Traveler with a great post for reference on “Hotel Programs that Count Award Stays for Elite Membership”
Complain about Spirit and get 8,000 miles. Big deal you say? I thought so too. Until I saw how these dudes over at DansDeals are hitting it for…magazines!
10 Dreamy Waterfalls. At Dashburst.
Great American Road Trips. At THE CHIVE
Absolutely stunning video about Bhutan. At The Adventure Blog. I should add this blog to the Blogs I Like one of these days!
30 Signs You Are Too Old To Stay In A Hostel. At Matador Network. LOLOLOLOL…Guaranteed!
From Inside Flyer July 2014 issue:
Reader Jason sent in a joke: “…Stephen Colbert is interviewing Satan over the phone from hell and Satan says, ‘Sorry I couldn’t be there in person but the only flight to New York was in coach on United Airlines, and I spend enough time in hell as it is'”. LOLOLOL.
IF interviewed Suzanne Rubin, President of American AAdvantage. There are three phases to the merger of the AA and US loyalty programs. “Reciprocity”, “Integration and Stabilization” and “Innovation”. I bet my Award Wallet balances the last phase will not be pretty for my readers #preparetobeshocked! No inside information, just gut feeling.
IF interviewed Chris McGinnis, editor of TravelSkills who also joined BoardingArea. He has been around travel for ever and was quite an accomplishment for the BA team to land him. Anyways, there is something he said which I thought was SO RIGHT ON that I think you should read too (page 43): “…I know I ‘ll catch a lot of flack for saying this, but I think what Delta (and Virgin America, Southwest, JetBlue) did makes a lot of sense and will improve the loyalty experience for true frequent business travelers in coming years. The airlines made a mistake when they started distributing applications for “frequent flyer” programs to everyone –even those who fly once or twice a year. That diluted the loyalty experience for the airlines’ best customers…the ones who pay the most (not those who flew the farthest). It opened the door to a wily generation of “gamers” who figured out how to snag more than they were entitled to by manipulating an admittedly imperfect system. The move to revenue-based programs realigns the system back to its initial premise: to reward truly frequent business travelers, those who fly 10+ times per year on non-discounted fares. If that’s not you, then sorry. If that is you, then get ready for things to get better. But it will take a while“. Bingo, exactly what I have been saying all along!
And I leave you with this…Hope it does not happen to you!
Okay one more…
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Erst.
I think he scored too 🙂
Buzz I was just about to SUPPORT TBB and use your referral link to Big Crumbs to order some of their outrageous cupcakes, but they filed chapter 11 yesterday.
Lol…I am sure you can find them elsewhere. Thank you for your support, you know I appreciate it 🙂
I can vouch for the Columbia River Gorge being on of the best roadtrips in America.
Indeed. beautiful area. And i love the Nines in Portland. One of the better SPG club lounges around.
Noted, thanks!
So glad to see Multnomah Falls pictured. If you have time, take the shortish, easy hike from there, don’t just gawk at the falls.
And my fav winery for a stop in the area is Willakenzie. You’ll love it.
And look what info showed up in my inbox just now from Willakenzie Estates:
“On June 25th, Decanter Magazine announced our 2011 Emery Pinot Noir as the #1 Pinot Noir from the United States, at the Decanter World Wine Awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. The Decanter World Wine Awards is the largest international wine competition in the world.
This year, just under 15,000 wines were tasted. 1% of those wines were awarded a regional trophy and only one Pinot Noir was named the best of its varietal from the United States.
Here is what the panel at Decanter had to say about 2011 Emery Pinot Noir… ‘Ripe strawberries, cranberries and rhubarb aromas meet floral notes, spice box and black pepper. Gorgeously pure flavours of forward red berry fruit have a stemmy complexity and a pitch-perfect high tone of burnt orange and coriander. Immediately pleasing but with terrific ageing potential.’
Three additional WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noirs were entered as well, and each of them received an award. Pierre LĂ©on and Terres Basses both earned silver medals and Aliette earned a bronze medal.”
So if you don’t have enough points for a trip to France, come to Oregon!
>>>>>if you don’t have enough points for a trip to France, come to Oregon!
Could be a nice slogan for Oregon Tourism Office 🙂
Where’s that d-bag Steve? Good to know the ever-useless Ramsey is here to fill the void in your rear George.
Is this my wife, again? Beat it you old bat!
Anyone else see this? https://twitter.com/garyleff/status/486923726617718785
In addition to not looking at your phone while on vacation I guess you can add taking your shoes off on an 8 hour flight as violating a Gary Leff rule of conduct.
I would rather look at someone’s feet than at the inside of an airplane lav, with credit card salesman gleff in a PJ no less…
I find taking others’ photos without their permission and posting them online extremely obnoxious. Darn Libertarians destroying our privacy rights smh.
Well, it is revolting he’s putting his bare feet on the seat. Not because his feet are likely dirty, but that the seat back surely is.
Watching the World Cup match at the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica. Too bad CR isn’t playing! Free beer and snacks…free minibar in my suite which costs $100 a night points and cash with Diamond upgrade. Got here on AA for $350 RT and was upgraded to business/first on all 4 legs. Is this a great hobby or what?
Greeks could have easily been there instead of the Costa Ricans!
Nice job, wow!
About the man swinging and falling off the mountain, I was waiting for Doctor of Credit to comment that he must be a good engineer too. As he did about the man who lived in a 727 propped up on wood blocks. (just kidding Doc, where u b lately?)
I think he got a new assignment in his job so much less time to leave comments elsewhere.
He does have some good stuff though…
Good news everyone, Gary just reported that the Chase Sapphire Preferred solved the middle east crisis
This is becoming beyond ridiculous:
View from the Wing: “Stop! Don’t put your spending on that airline or hotel credit card”
One Mile at a Time: “Best Credit Card for Maximizing Hyatt Points & Benefits”:
Mommy Points: “5 Rewards Credit Cards I use the most for everyday purchases”
If you patronize these credit card sales people YOU are part of the problem!
“That diluted the loyalty experience for the airlines’ best customers…the ones who pay the most (not those who flew the farthest). It opened the door to a wily generation of “gamers” who figured out how to snag more than they were entitled to by manipulating an admittedly imperfect system.”
Is this dude talking about… me?
I had the same reaction when I first read this!
Surprised about Dan’s comments on Spirit. He is usually top-notch. Free Spirit is the most underrated programs out there. Which is not a bad thing, I guess.
Their marketing is really something…appears straight out of a fraternity house in college 🙂
Oh yeah. Very endearing 🙂
On the floor about the youth hostels. So true!
I was on the floor too…had to share it here!
I absolutely loved this one:
“11. “Puff puff pass” seems to be losing one or two of the puffs lately. ”
Wow!
Great site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours nowadays.
I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!