Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the best retirement advice, crypto bros went AI, the best street food, off to Thailand again, the best total solar eclipse photos, warnings about Best Of anything lists, AI slop, jury duty scams, museums and ticks and drones, e-visas to Vietnam, fun drives, the best photography and Thailand links and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of frequent flyer miles and points at the lower half of the post. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.
Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.
This blog started way back in 2012 focusing on my crazy hobby addiction of traveling with frequent flyer miles, hotel and bank points. It has since evolved to curated posts featuring the best web content along with my commentary.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
I will be traveling for the next month or so. I will try to keep posting here but if I take I break it is because I deserve it π
Follow me on Instagram if you want to see pics from my travels, I will try to post more often on that platform.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
βNo one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” – Nelson Mandela
The moon completely covers the sun in this photo of the total solar eclipse that was taken from an observatory in Arcos de las Salinas, Spain, on Wednesday, August 12. Christian Hartmann/Reuters
PERSONAL FINANCE
As most of my professional life these days revolve around retirement issues, I think this is indeed The Best Retirement Advice Ever.
1. Learn to match your lifestyle with your finances
2. Look after your health and energy like they are assetsΒ
3. Learn to feel comfortable spending your moneyΒ
4. You do not need to stay busy β you need to stay engagedΒ
5. The first few years shape more than you realizeΒ
6. Motivation usually arrives after action, not before itΒ
7. Expect your sense of purpose to evolveΒ
8. Family alone cannot carry an entire retirementΒ
9. Adjustment takes far longer than most people expectΒ
10. Be careful not to slowly lower your standards for effort
11. Expect your social world to changeΒ
12. Adaptability matters more than the perfect planΒ
13. Keep a reason to leave the houseΒ
14. Stay open to changing direction completelyΒ
My industry is abuzz with the report that someone at Forbes received a “small gift”: Forbes Fired Top Editor After Discovering He Received $6 Million Payment. Heads up, if you are basing your decisions to work with a financial planner because they made the “Top 10” of a Best Of list at Forbes or Barron’s, you are making a huge mistake. These publications have long ago sold out to the highest bidder as they branched out to new avenues of revenue as main subscriber and ad revenue has taken a hit. I did benefit from one of these Best Of lists over the years (by Investopedia) and I did promote this on my website and Linkedin. But I resisted all relentless follow up marketing pitches that come afterwards. And then somehow I ceased to being picked for the honor and you bet that would not have happened if I had followed up to fork over some money to help me in marketing my award.
But this guy receiving a $6 Million “gift” and then saying he is sorry about it that he should have disclosed it and feels awful losing his job is infuriating. Yeah, I am sure he is sorry with $6 million in the bank and now with all the time in the world to be “focusing on his own projects. In 2023, he co-founded the National Thoroughbred League, a competitive horseracing association. And this summer, he mounted a rock musical he wrote about Benjamin Franklin titled βThe Sound of Americaβ in Philadelphia that cast the founding father as βAmericaβs first rock star.β Only in America smh.
I feel bad for people falling for scams revealing all to journalists. Because they invite very negative comments towards them online. Then again, I feel grateful they do this because it can help prevent others from making the same mistakes. This was very disturbing: The βJury Dutyβ Scam That Cost This Family $25,000.Β In a growing ruse, swindlers pose as cops and use tremendous pressure to trap people; βThey had every single thing about me.βΒ
In the last few posts I wondered out loud whether I should drop Crypto coverage in my blog. Because, you know, all the crypto bros are moving to where the money is these days. Which is of course AI. So, here you go:Β How the AI Trade Is Stealing Cryptoβs ThunderΒ These investors are dropping bitcoin and other digital tokens after getting swept up in the mania over AI stocks.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Another site for the art lovers of my blog, looking at you Sam: The Last Museum.
We have many problems we are dealing with. Let me add another one you may not have considered: Kill the Ticks.
Their numbers are rising. Their ranges are expanding. And the diseases they carry are multiplying. Lyme cases have more than doubled since 2000, in which time scientists have also discovered eight new tick-borne diseasesβplus an unusual and potentially dangerous tick-induced meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome.
We are visiting Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam next monrh. After some frustration with the clunky website, I managed to get both our E-Visas processed. Most likely you will need to do the same using the official Vietnam National Electronic Visa System website. Here is a video on how to go about it: Vietnam E-Visa 2026: Complete Step By Step Guide. We are staying at the fabulous Park Hyatt Saigon for 4 nights using World of Hyatt points in a suite of course. Do you have any tips on what to see/eat/visit/do while in town?
There are so many AI related offerings out there, it is impossible to keep up. Including in travel. So,Β Can A.I. Get You Where You Want to Go for Less?Β According to the author, well, not really…yet?
Fun site: Make My Drive Fun. Turn the miles between here and there into a trail of oddities, hidden gems, and worthwhile roadside detours.
This visual: Countries by Share of People Who Have Traveled Abroad. Netherlands and Sweden at 99%., wow. Argentina at 37% is most likely due to people following the national team to each World Cup. Only African country that made this list is Kenya at 28%.
THAILAND
If you are going to be in Bangkok late August through mid September and available to meet please let me know. Always a treat when I meet my blog readers in person.
I’ll be spending some time soon in the Bangkok Bumrungrad Hospital doing some checkups, here is the website to check out all the packages it offers.
This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
There are some really weird banks in this space. One of them is US Bank. You just never know what they will end up doing. And the bank seems to be on a permanent “fluid” state in regards to its (or lack of) long term commitment in this space. And just when we all thought they changed their mind about adding transfer partners, here we go:Β U.S. Bank Finally Adds Transfer Partners (Accor, Flying Blue, Qantas & Ethiopian). Only with a card (Altitude Reserve) that is no longer open to new applicants. This is US Bank, always expect the unexpected to make us scratch our heads. Update: In typical US Bank fashion, two of the transfer partners (Flying Blue and Qantas) were taken down lol. Expect more “developments” here, oh US Bank you are in a different league.
What are the best travel rewards credit cards to get NOW? Well, of course it is the two no annual fee Chase Ink business cards:Β Earn $1,000 (or 100K Points) With No-Annual-Fee Chase Ink Business Cards! The thing is, some of us (cough) are likely not allowed to be approved to get these two cards with the Signup Bonus, so sad. But if you never had them there is a good chance that you will be approved. By using my credit card links you support this “venture” to stay alive, thank you.
LATEST OFFERS:
NEW: AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 150,000 points AND $250 Credit after $6k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)
NEW: AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Benvy: 125,000 points and $150 Credit after $5k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)
Β CAPITAL ONE Spark CashΒ : $1,000/100,000 points AND $250 Travel Credit after $10k spend in three months
Due to credit card vendor restrictions, the only affiliate links I can place in the body of my posts are for Capital One cards. You can always email me at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com with ANY questions.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting us with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
Would you like to be automatically notified every time a card comes out with (or is about to remove) an elevated welcome offer? If yes, I highly encourage you to sign up if you haven’t yet. And when you apply for a credit card from a link in these emails you help support the blog.
All you have to do to receive these free notifications is:
1. Click on the link above
2. Create an account
3. Subscribe
MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
This section will start with some content geared to more advanced points and miles hobbyists. And then continue on with some items pertaining to my actions in this space and then end with some personal news. So, here we go…
I did try Mileslink and as suspected, I got me a few emails pushing blog posts from Boarding Area blogs and, wait for it, The Points Guy. So I unsubscribed and deleted the bookmark. I guess no sponsorship requests are forthcoming from this company lol.
Our SE Asia trip is coming together with 31 hotel nights booked, see below.
More changes in bold font below:
For the record, award availability opened up nicely about nine days out, fyi. With several options almost every day. I thought about adding back another United award to have three open but I stopped when I told myself to stop being ridiculous lol.
I canceled my United award and instead got me a Business Class Air Canada Aeroplan award to fly east from Detroit to Frankfurt to Munich on Lufthansa and then to Bangkok on Thai Airways on an A-350 bird. I am still leaning towards keeping the American Airlines award but will keep both of these open and then cancel one at the last minute.
And I finally confirmed my one free Platinum complimentary night at the brand new Fairmont in Bangkok (it opens August 23!). Interestingly, this new property did not allow me to use a Platinum suite upgrade cert with my complimentary night cert, boo. So I booked a standard king room and will rely on my charm to talk me into a suite again lol. This meant cutting one night from the two night reservation at the Pattaya Hilton, one night there should be more than enough. I had two reservations while the Fairmont reservation was up in the air and when I confirmed it I canceled the two night reservation (and got 120,000 Hilton points back).
100,000 United miles for one way Business Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Chicago and Tokyo Haneda) flying United Polaris and ANA Air Japan
110,000 American Airlines miles for one way First Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Dallas and Tokyo Haneda) flying AA and JAL Business Class
OR
118,500 Air Canada Aeroplan miles for one way Business Class from Detroit to Frankfurt to Munich on Lufthansa and to Bangkok on Thai Airways
75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred,100k CHASE Ink Cash, 100k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 80k CITI AAdvantage Platinum Select, 75k CITI Strata Elite, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
You can also support the blog to help cover the costs of running it and keeping it free by donating via Paypal:
This site may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Travel Blogger Buzz and Your Best Credit Cards may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the authorβs alone.
Good morning Buzz,
Gold, silver or bronze this morning perhaps.
Thanks for the great links today.
Have a great time in SE Asia, you do deserve it. Will look forward to whatever you may end up posting, as we are heading that way in a few months.
George, you have the best travel (and everything else!) blog on the internet.
You are a Unicorn.
Please keep it up!
Thank you very much:
Stacy Stark
Long Time Reader
Woo! Lots of good reading for my weekend! Thanks, George! Looks like a fun trip coming up for you though lots of hotel changes. But you will have fun I am sure! Still trying to figure out my next trip without much success but that is OK. Part of the problem is deciding where to go and how!
Good stuff George! I’m looking forward to reading all your trip reports!
May I recommend a long-form article to read? It’s about the fabulist Stephen Glass (the guy from “Shattered Glass”, for those of you who have seen that movie) and his wife, who died of early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Looking forward to hearing how the KROMO Bangkok is! That one was on my radar as a place where you could get 2 free nights with the FHR credit, and the location looks pretty nice. Great stuff as always, keep up the amazing work.
Any list of street food that excludes Bangkok from the top 10 is dubious at best.
In a very rare instance of disagreeing with you completely, holding multiple award reservations – particularly in premium cabins – is absolutely wrong. I mentioned a blog post to my wife this morning where a blogger had booked a “placeholder” booking on top of their regular one, and she was similarly appalled. She said that that exemplified everything wrong with our hobby: the “I got mine and everybody else can go screw themselves” mentality. While not quite as vehement, I must admit she’s right. Why are we holding redundant award flights when other people badly need them? Are we better than everyone else because we have spare miles? It’s an uncomfortable subject but I’m going with no.
For the Park Hyatt Saigon, leave yourself a day to just chill and enjoy the pool and immediate environs. The bath towels are the size of tents and the toiletries are worthy of theft. Breakfast is out of the ballpark.
On the A/C front, with global warming it’s just becoming more necessary all over.
The criteria for that street food list skews the results so far out of whack East Asia had no chance. I’m surprised Vietnam made it. I’m also confused why Rome is so far up the list. I am in Rome 2~3 times per year for work and dont recall seeing what I consider a street food vendor ever. Does a gelataria count? Does sitting down to an outdoor table count? Yes those do “as well as sit-in restaurants that serve classic street food bites.” That isn’t street food!
@Dimitri: Kind of funny calling you that name. My blog is so popular I guess that another reader started posting with your real name lol. Thanks as always for the support. Will see what ends up being posted here…
@ Stacy: Wow, thank you. You have been a reader for a long time. I am trying to have a quality product here and the intention was if I build it they will come. Well, NOT. Woke up at 3 am on Friday morning to finalize the post. With dwindling cc sales (just 2 in July and August, sad lol) this has become kind of a farce on me. And you guys are tired of me whining. Which I now do in the comments only and not in the body of the posts. Anyway, it is what it is. This is a public service product really, enjoy it while it lasts. Please forward a link to everyone you care about…maybe one of them is under 5/24 and takes a pity to give me a cc app LOL.
@ DML: Thank you for always taking the time to post, it really helps ad revenue around here. Ok, laugh with me. Those old trip reports? You can multiply by 10 the amount of time it takes to produce one compared to the amount of time it takes to produce one Friday post. Meaning, they are never coming back. Wait, no. I will do an old style trip report again when my blog hits 10 cc sales per month (which is supposed to be the minimum quota by the way and I have no idea why I still have not lost the links!). When my cc links are taken away due to low sales volume, this blog ends. I am shocked I am still around and posting regularly since 2012 you guys.
@ Carl: Yeah, a bit more hotel changes than usual. And wife hates moving hotels so this trip will be interesting. But the first two hotel changes I am solo as she tends to her elderly mother in Malaysia. I just hope our elderly mothers do not interfere with this trip, it’s getting dicier as time goes by. Hope your trip comes together. I am looking forward to slower trips because this pace can be a little intense at our age lol.
@ bc: Ok, I will likely post more pics/videos on the KROMO in Instagram. Son identified and stayed there using the Amex THC deal, which is fantastic indeed. Basically free for 2 nights and then all the Amex goodies on top. He liked it but he did not love it and I will need to confirm. So many choices in Bangkok to burn the Amex Platinum FHR/THC credits!
@ Nick: That article you sent, Wow. I read it, it will make it to the next TBB post. I had heard of this guy a very long time ago. I don’t think I have ever seen the movie. But the turnaround in the middle of the story was intense, great read, thank you.
@ Sean: Yeah, that was such an odd list. Sometimes I like to have those here because they create controversy which increases traffic which increases ad revenue. Oh wait, I don’t have any ads. I have another list from the same source which will likely make it to the next post and I expect pushback as well. If I make another post that is. Which, based on my history, is likely a certainty π
@ Christian: Thanks for agreeing with Stacy and of course that incomplete street food map & A/C should be in the same necessity list as wifi π
Now let me address your push back on me holding a 2nd reservation. Notice I said “2nd” which is definitely not “multiple award reservations” imho. For the record, this is the first time I have done this. Because, yeah, I thought it was wrong. But things have changed and let me explain why.
I have not been able to use my AA miles in several years now. Actually, what I booked was a fluke. My last two times flying AA was a complete disaster. So am I hurting AA by doing this? You know, after stranding me on my birthday last year please excuse me if I do not feel anything at all for trying to hurt AA π
Wait, I have more. I burned 18,500 more miles to book me the Air Canada Aeroplan award. Which is called “Latitude” award. Which specifically says it allows me latitude to cancel up to 2 hours before departure. I think I played by the rules, Air Canada’s rules.
Man, with fucking ticket resellers and bots just grabbing awards mere seconds after they become available and ruining this whole award availability thingie, please excuse me for fighting back playing by their rules. Don’t get me started on all major bleeding devaluations we have suffered in the last several years. So, please excuse me for having a 2nd reservation that I am certain when I cancel one it will be wiped out by a bot before you say “upgrade” π
I have not decided yet which one and when to cancel. I am just wary of AA getting me to DFW from DTW on time due to prior experience. I am now monitoring weather…
Will definitely slow down and enjoy the Park Hyatt in Saigon. Actually, the older I get the slower I travel.
Will try to keep up the Instagram posts, my way of doing trip reports these days.
Do yourself a favor and watch “Shattered Glass”, it’s a good movie. It’s also a nice time capsule of the media and the internet circa 1998. When people say Hayden Christensen can’t act based on the Star Wars prequels, I point to this movie to make the case that George Lucas, whatever his strengths, has some shortcomings when it comes to directing actors.
@George – Fair enough. Sorry to take my ire out on you. It just grinds my gears that some people have the bad taste to actually brag about taking award space from everybody else. I wonder how they would feel if someone made multiple redundant appointments including one with them, knowing that the person would just cancel last minute after deciding which one they felt like attending.
As to bots and jerks hogging saver space, look into EVA’s program. Great airline (with mediocre lounges) and it has pretty solid saver space in business. Big PITA to book though.
Regarding EVA, “Big PITA to book though”: I was going to take a closer look but your comment will keep me from doing so…And as miles dwindle (from Chase) I think I am going to stick with what has been working. At this stage of my life I need less PITA of everything lol.
Great links today. The ben franklin musical looks way cool. I’m actually a huge fan of bloody bloody andrew jackson (though i haven’t gotten to see it). Here’s a doc if you have 30 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWZyAsAEMSc
Long weekend here…trying to figure out if I posted anything about musicals in this post π
And now need to pack and cancel one reservation…I am afraid as soon as I cancel the Aeorplan award the AA flight disruptions will start LOL.
omg the crooked forbes guy wrote a musical. here’s one of the songs. not as good as BBAJ but maybe it’ll grow on me. Limited run is over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceGrdeieXXc
oh yeah I see, forgot about that last paragraph of the link with the crooked Forbes guy. I don’t this song will ever grow on me lol. I can’t believe Forbes still had that video up, at least they noted “Former” Chief Content Officer…
$ 6 Million…
and he is sorry about…he lost his job, Phuck! We are all immune to the corruption these days, what is $6 Million when the Prez hauls in billions smh.
Greetings from Sapporo, finally got out of the heat and humidity. Cools off quickly here in the evening, similar to Chiang Mai in that regard. Last days of the beer festival here. Been pounding Sapporo Classics like it is my job.
For Saigon, visit a pasteur street brewing for a beer. They are pricey relative to the local stuff but worth it. Good food options as well. When I was there in late May/June i spent a couple evenings at the one in District 3. But you can go to the ones closer to town as well.
For Bangkok, try and get to a Thai Port FC match. They have a nice setup pre-match outside the stadium with street food you can eat. Show up early and try to beat the insane afternoon traffic.
Greetings from the Sakura Lounge at HND on my way to BKK.
My alcohol drinking days are behind me. Not that I was ever a big time drinker.
I did check out the schedule for Thai Port FC matches, it looks like the season starts later in the Fall. One day I am going to attend a Buriram United FC match, I watched a video from the awesome stadium the club has and I was more than impressed.
Good morning Buzz,
Gold, silver or bronze this morning perhaps.
Thanks for the great links today.
Have a great time in SE Asia, you do deserve it. Will look forward to whatever you may end up posting, as we are heading that way in a few months.
George, you have the best travel (and everything else!) blog on the internet.
You are a Unicorn.
Please keep it up!
Thank you very much:
Stacy Stark
Long Time Reader
What Stacy said!
That is some trip you have planned … waiting for the Old Style Trip Report!
Thanks for everything!
Woo! Lots of good reading for my weekend! Thanks, George! Looks like a fun trip coming up for you though lots of hotel changes. But you will have fun I am sure! Still trying to figure out my next trip without much success but that is OK. Part of the problem is deciding where to go and how!
Good stuff George! I’m looking forward to reading all your trip reports!
May I recommend a long-form article to read? It’s about the fabulist Stephen Glass (the guy from “Shattered Glass”, for those of you who have seen that movie) and his wife, who died of early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Link: https://airmail.news/issues/2021-12-4/loving-lies
Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/ebUbR
Looking forward to hearing how the KROMO Bangkok is! That one was on my radar as a place where you could get 2 free nights with the FHR credit, and the location looks pretty nice. Great stuff as always, keep up the amazing work.
I’m with @Stacy
Any list of street food that excludes Bangkok from the top 10 is dubious at best.
In a very rare instance of disagreeing with you completely, holding multiple award reservations – particularly in premium cabins – is absolutely wrong. I mentioned a blog post to my wife this morning where a blogger had booked a “placeholder” booking on top of their regular one, and she was similarly appalled. She said that that exemplified everything wrong with our hobby: the “I got mine and everybody else can go screw themselves” mentality. While not quite as vehement, I must admit she’s right. Why are we holding redundant award flights when other people badly need them? Are we better than everyone else because we have spare miles? It’s an uncomfortable subject but I’m going with no.
For the Park Hyatt Saigon, leave yourself a day to just chill and enjoy the pool and immediate environs. The bath towels are the size of tents and the toiletries are worthy of theft. Breakfast is out of the ballpark.
On the A/C front, with global warming it’s just becoming more necessary all over.
The criteria for that street food list skews the results so far out of whack East Asia had no chance. I’m surprised Vietnam made it. I’m also confused why Rome is so far up the list. I am in Rome 2~3 times per year for work and dont recall seeing what I consider a street food vendor ever. Does a gelataria count? Does sitting down to an outdoor table count? Yes those do “as well as sit-in restaurants that serve classic street food bites.” That isn’t street food!
@Dimitri: Kind of funny calling you that name. My blog is so popular I guess that another reader started posting with your real name lol. Thanks as always for the support. Will see what ends up being posted here…
@ Stacy: Wow, thank you. You have been a reader for a long time. I am trying to have a quality product here and the intention was if I build it they will come. Well, NOT. Woke up at 3 am on Friday morning to finalize the post. With dwindling cc sales (just 2 in July and August, sad lol) this has become kind of a farce on me. And you guys are tired of me whining. Which I now do in the comments only and not in the body of the posts. Anyway, it is what it is. This is a public service product really, enjoy it while it lasts. Please forward a link to everyone you care about…maybe one of them is under 5/24 and takes a pity to give me a cc app LOL.
@ DML: Thank you for always taking the time to post, it really helps ad revenue around here. Ok, laugh with me. Those old trip reports? You can multiply by 10 the amount of time it takes to produce one compared to the amount of time it takes to produce one Friday post. Meaning, they are never coming back. Wait, no. I will do an old style trip report again when my blog hits 10 cc sales per month (which is supposed to be the minimum quota by the way and I have no idea why I still have not lost the links!). When my cc links are taken away due to low sales volume, this blog ends. I am shocked I am still around and posting regularly since 2012 you guys.
@ Carl: Yeah, a bit more hotel changes than usual. And wife hates moving hotels so this trip will be interesting. But the first two hotel changes I am solo as she tends to her elderly mother in Malaysia. I just hope our elderly mothers do not interfere with this trip, it’s getting dicier as time goes by. Hope your trip comes together. I am looking forward to slower trips because this pace can be a little intense at our age lol.
@ bc: Ok, I will likely post more pics/videos on the KROMO in Instagram. Son identified and stayed there using the Amex THC deal, which is fantastic indeed. Basically free for 2 nights and then all the Amex goodies on top. He liked it but he did not love it and I will need to confirm. So many choices in Bangkok to burn the Amex Platinum FHR/THC credits!
@ Nick: That article you sent, Wow. I read it, it will make it to the next TBB post. I had heard of this guy a very long time ago. I don’t think I have ever seen the movie. But the turnaround in the middle of the story was intense, great read, thank you.
@ Sean: Yeah, that was such an odd list. Sometimes I like to have those here because they create controversy which increases traffic which increases ad revenue. Oh wait, I don’t have any ads. I have another list from the same source which will likely make it to the next post and I expect pushback as well. If I make another post that is. Which, based on my history, is likely a certainty π
@ Christian: Thanks for agreeing with Stacy and of course that incomplete street food map & A/C should be in the same necessity list as wifi π
Now let me address your push back on me holding a 2nd reservation. Notice I said “2nd” which is definitely not “multiple award reservations” imho. For the record, this is the first time I have done this. Because, yeah, I thought it was wrong. But things have changed and let me explain why.
I have not been able to use my AA miles in several years now. Actually, what I booked was a fluke. My last two times flying AA was a complete disaster. So am I hurting AA by doing this? You know, after stranding me on my birthday last year please excuse me if I do not feel anything at all for trying to hurt AA π
Wait, I have more. I burned 18,500 more miles to book me the Air Canada Aeroplan award. Which is called “Latitude” award. Which specifically says it allows me latitude to cancel up to 2 hours before departure. I think I played by the rules, Air Canada’s rules.
Man, with fucking ticket resellers and bots just grabbing awards mere seconds after they become available and ruining this whole award availability thingie, please excuse me for fighting back playing by their rules. Don’t get me started on all major bleeding devaluations we have suffered in the last several years. So, please excuse me for having a 2nd reservation that I am certain when I cancel one it will be wiped out by a bot before you say “upgrade” π
I have not decided yet which one and when to cancel. I am just wary of AA getting me to DFW from DTW on time due to prior experience. I am now monitoring weather…
Will definitely slow down and enjoy the Park Hyatt in Saigon. Actually, the older I get the slower I travel.
Will try to keep up the Instagram posts, my way of doing trip reports these days.
Do yourself a favor and watch “Shattered Glass”, it’s a good movie. It’s also a nice time capsule of the media and the internet circa 1998. When people say Hayden Christensen can’t act based on the Star Wars prequels, I point to this movie to make the case that George Lucas, whatever his strengths, has some shortcomings when it comes to directing actors.
btw is U of Michigan tired of being thought of as a good school? https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/no-grades-for-first-semester-u-m-freshmen-next-year-in-new-program/
@George – Fair enough. Sorry to take my ire out on you. It just grinds my gears that some people have the bad taste to actually brag about taking award space from everybody else. I wonder how they would feel if someone made multiple redundant appointments including one with them, knowing that the person would just cancel last minute after deciding which one they felt like attending.
As to bots and jerks hogging saver space, look into EVA’s program. Great airline (with mediocre lounges) and it has pretty solid saver space in business. Big PITA to book though.
Regarding EVA, “Big PITA to book though”: I was going to take a closer look but your comment will keep me from doing so…And as miles dwindle (from Chase) I think I am going to stick with what has been working. At this stage of my life I need less PITA of everything lol.
Great links today. The ben franklin musical looks way cool. I’m actually a huge fan of bloody bloody andrew jackson (though i haven’t gotten to see it). Here’s a doc if you have 30 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWZyAsAEMSc
Long weekend here…trying to figure out if I posted anything about musicals in this post π
And now need to pack and cancel one reservation…I am afraid as soon as I cancel the Aeorplan award the AA flight disruptions will start LOL.
omg the crooked forbes guy wrote a musical. here’s one of the songs. not as good as BBAJ but maybe it’ll grow on me. Limited run is over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceGrdeieXXc
oh yeah I see, forgot about that last paragraph of the link with the crooked Forbes guy. I don’t this song will ever grow on me lol. I can’t believe Forbes still had that video up, at least they noted “Former” Chief Content Officer…
$ 6 Million…
and he is sorry about…he lost his job, Phuck! We are all immune to the corruption these days, what is $6 Million when the Prez hauls in billions smh.
Greetings from Sapporo, finally got out of the heat and humidity. Cools off quickly here in the evening, similar to Chiang Mai in that regard. Last days of the beer festival here. Been pounding Sapporo Classics like it is my job.
For Saigon, visit a pasteur street brewing for a beer. They are pricey relative to the local stuff but worth it. Good food options as well. When I was there in late May/June i spent a couple evenings at the one in District 3. But you can go to the ones closer to town as well.
For Bangkok, try and get to a Thai Port FC match. They have a nice setup pre-match outside the stadium with street food you can eat. Show up early and try to beat the insane afternoon traffic.
Greetings from the Sakura Lounge at HND on my way to BKK.
My alcohol drinking days are behind me. Not that I was ever a big time drinker.
I did check out the schedule for Thai Port FC matches, it looks like the season starts later in the Fall. One day I am going to attend a Buriram United FC match, I watched a video from the awesome stadium the club has and I was more than impressed.