We bring you ways to get the new SPG Luxury card, a new travel app Mapstr, learn about ride sharing etiquette, travel to underwater hotels and to Tajikistan, score 4 Delta Business class award tickets, help you with your mid career malaise, learn all about the liver, check out some awesome iPhone photography, protect your money from shysters intending to deceive and sell you crap and lots more freeeeee!
TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS, shopping with our AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK & clicking our REFERRAL LINKS
Good advice here in the confusing rules with all the Marriott and SPG cards out there now all earning…Marriott Rewards points, get it? Up to 450K on the table and a short window of opportunity with Marriott & SPG. All small bloggers hope they get the SPG Luxury card affiliate links working on August 23rd. We are not Titans to get them as early usually. Expect a DEAFENING mother of all pump serial posts about this card ahead in the “travel expert” blogs 🙂
Marriott stock took a small hit after not meeting expectations in the last quarter. Marriott Still Working Through Starwood Integration Two Years After Deal. Some hotel owners are bailing out. Just wait until this company works through the integration and finally set its sights to screwing their own frequent guest members. Make no mistake, bloggers will enthusiastically sell every credit card they can. Because $$$ in their pockets silly!
This Thomas Cook company that has been around forever has 17 brands, explained.
Anyone using Mapstr to log all the places you have visited? The reviews are great. Please let me know. If I was a serious blogger I would have first looked to see if they have an affiliate “relationship” 🙂
So cool! In the Greek island of Naxos. This colorful art installation breathes new life to a 400-year-old Greek ruin.
This is great to know! The Etiquette of Ride Sharing (Uber, Lyft, Etc.).
Where to Sit?
One of the perpetual questions of ride-sharing. It’s not a taxi; it’s someone’s personal vehicle. So are the rules different? Not unless you want them to be. The majority of people just hop in the back, and that’s what your driver will expect as well, especially if you’re riding solo. If for some reason you want to ride in the front you sure can, but it’s a good idea to ask, just for the sake of politeness.
If you’re riding with other people, especially if your party is 3 or more, then it’s definitely alright for someone to take the front seat (and it’s quite possibly preferable for the sake of comfort).
If you do sit in the front, don’t fiddle with anything — stereo, heating/cooling, etc. You’d think this would be obvious, but it’s one of the top complaints of Uber drivers.
In case you suffer from this: How to Beat Mid-Career Malaise. I highly recommend this article!
Do:
- Diagnose the problem. Ask yourself: Is it my job? Or the organization I’m in?
- Seek meaning by making an effort to meet people who benefit from your work.
- Consider a lateral move. It’s a good way to take on new challenges and learn.
Don’t:
- Discount the power of making small changes to your routine and environment.
- Wait around for opportunities. Look for problems you want to solve and then design a new job.
- Put all your eggs in your professional basket. Think about ways to derive satisfaction through your family, faith, or a project or hobby.
What an awesome educational article about the liver, it will shock you! Okay, maybe it will not shock you but I guarantee that you will learn a lot! 12 Facts About the Liver. Did you know that it is the only organ that can completely regenerate? And it is yuge!
Your personal finance fix of the day: If it Sounds Too Good to be True. MUST read to learn how to avoid so much scammy shit you are going to be sold!
“The safest place on the planet for your money. Safeguard your money in a place with a century-long track record of safety. We know that out money is in the hands of the most conservative and prudent investment managers on the planet.” Safety is good, right? Conservative and prudent? Also good. These are the types of words that put people at ease. [Let me more blunt…Run Away Fast!!!]
Here you go: The winners of the 2018 iPhone Photography Awards.
These look really nice. Underwater Hotels you can Stay in. Maybe one day I can do a blog post with the top ones to stay for free only if you apply and get approved for some credit cards you can only get at my site too many sites 🙂
In case you were thinking to go: 38 Photos of Tajikistan that Will Make You Want to Go There Now!
To all: I am traveling in the Bay area and will be in LA next week…So I need to focus elsewhere and the blog may suffer. A little bit. Maybe. We will see. My replies to comments and emails definitely will so I apologize for that!
I do not recommend leaving any money with any banks. Private Client or Sapphire Banking and stuff like that. Just don’t.
I like the thinking behind this award booking: Business Class for Four to Italy Using Delta SkyMiles.
And I leave you with this…I wonder if this was a bucket list item 🙂
TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2 and now on Instagram.
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.
Yes, I am VERY aware that the liver can grow back.
Thanks for the Delta booking insight. Very interesting.
I suspect the liver note will generate much comment. A friend donated half of his for a transplant.
Hey Buzz!
Stop in Dushanbe, good sights to see in Tajikistan !!! The view of the mountains and city lake from the Hyatt is fab!
So tuned out from the pumpers and the new cards… sucker born every minute and they know how to catch them with the “it’s FREE… just apply for these 10 credit cards with $4k min spend each”
Cooling down in AA yet?
It is colder here in San Jose than Ann Arbor!
I think it is the last day today for the 100k Amex Platinum. I should have said something but…did you see the minimum spend to get the second 50k MR points on that card? Watch how many bloggers pump it WAY up today…I wonder how many newbies fall for it, sad!
The Hyatt Place in Columbus at Ohio State University is also great. This is my review of it. One sentence. Done!
Respect to ALL who donate body parts!
This 3 hour difference in the West Coast is weird. Waking at 5 am here is 8 am in the East coast and I had already done so much by that time…Now I am dragging myass to the breakfast area which is not even open yet!
The Country Inn and Suites in Sunnyvale is great! I emailed it and the Fairmont Miramar and the the Hyatt Centric Long Beach the same day last week and it was the only one that replied back to me from the general manager and the Reservations lady. Even brought me a welcome platter with water/nuts/chocolates. Great staff here, everyone is very nice. Coffee 24 hours. Great place to stay in the area in my opinion if you are not looking for caviar and Krug type luxuries 🙂
Downtown San Jose has this San Pedro Market area, great vibe, many eateries and pub type places.
I never had any idea the liver article would be mentioned twice already. Sometimes I say things I should not (never against the Titans). Did I do it again?
That Rene dude just can’t stay away….maybe needs the money lol.
At the end of the day, this miles points blog space is SOOOOO crowded. Too many blogs talking about the same unimportant things. And we get more “writers” posing as credit card models all the time smiling of course. Be careful out there if you are a newbie!
I gotta run…Well, I haven’t done much of that, I will try…tonight.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Not to be a downer, but, interesting timing on the Tajikistan post, given recent news from there:
“ISIS Says It Killed 4 Cyclists in Tajikistan – The New York Times”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/world/asia/tajikistan-attack-cylists.html
Reading about that definitely moved Tajikistan down on my list for a little while.
Unrelated, better see this tomorrow.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/average-credit-card-debt-in-every-state-ranked-2018-8
Nice to see Alaska win at something…
Richard Kerr: Just another credit card salesman at The Points Guy. Wells Fargo cards, so pathetic!
“It’s all about conversions” – Ingy The blogger who sold first and left way too many 0s on the table. SAD!!!!
yea, Richard Kerr has a FB group but when you post how is the best way to get somewhere with points and you would like some experience players’ knowledge. Instead of letting the post show individual, he groups dozens of people seeking advice. The list becomes so long, most people just gloss over it. I gather he wants you to pay him on his booking site…
As for his CC recommendations other day he was posting about new 10k AA card as if it was the cat’s meow..