I boarded a plane in New Zealand in early March, bound for the United States. While I sat on the tarmac the US announced they were closing the borders to pretty much all travelers arriving from Europe. At the time, it seemed surreal. When I landed in the US, I spent a few days working in Las Vegas. While I was there, school was cancelled for two weeks at our home in Virginia. I finished my work and headed home. At the time, I expected to stay home for a […]
WHOA: A Week In A Maldives Overwater Villa For $2,000 (Refundable)
There have been some insane travel deals the past few months, but most of them have been for travel now (or in the near future). Now, my buddy Richard Kerr has found an incredible deal on TravelZoo. For $2,000 you get 7 nights in an overwater villa, including all taxes and fees. It also seems to have pretty generous refund rules. The resort appears to be called You and Me. And, it has a pretty awesome looking underwater restaurant (which you get to dine at once for free). Two things […]
American Express Begins Reopening Centurion Lounges
American Express has been able to boast some of the best airline lounges in the United States since they opened their first Centurion Lounge in 2013 at Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport. When the pandemic began halting most travel in March, American Express closed all 12 of their lounges worldwide. While American, Delta and United Airlines temporarily closed a number of their lounges in the United States, they did keep some open. Additionally, the Big 3 US airlines have slowly been reopening lounges and have also recently announced increases in the […]
Bring Your Kids To School At The Four Seasons And Sneak Away To Disney World
School will take on many different meanings for students across the country this year. If your child’s school is in online learning mode (or you’re home schooling) and you have cash to burn, the Four Seasons in Orlando has a new package you might be interested in. For $50 per day, the Four Seasons will provide a desk in a quiet work environment for your child on school days. They’ll also feed them lunch. Dubbed “schoolcation”, Four Seasons has introduced a variation on the traditional kids club that I don’t […]
What I’m Thinking About On 9/11
The last 5 months have gone by incredibly fast and incredibly slow for me, if that makes sense. So many things continue to change, and at a sustained pace I don’t recall seeing in the past. Amidst that backdrop, I’ve been thinking about 9/11 and what it means to me and to the country as a whole. It seems impossible to me that we’re only one year away from 2 decades since the twin towers fell. Growing up in New York, the towers were an iconic part of the skyline. […]
I’m Probably Not Getting On Another Plane In 2020
How did it get to be September? I’m sure many of you have gone through something similar. Time seems to be crawling along, and yet it’s September. The last time I got on a plane was in mid-March. I haven’t checked my records, but it’s been at least 10 years since I’ve been home this long. I’m guessing another month or so will be my longest streak since I was in college. You probably think I’m desperate to get back on a plane. While I do love to travel, I’ve […]
Just Like That, Airline Change Fees Are a Thing of the Past (For Now)
United Airlines apparently started a trend on Sunday when they announced they were permanently eliminating change fees on tickets and making it easier to standby or same-day change to another flight. There’s no question this is a customer-friendly move. We can argue how long “permanently” will be since I’m pretty sure I’ll be writing about travel when change fees are once again a revenue source and a thorn in customer’s sides. But, there’s no argument this puts more money back in customers’ pockets. Delta and American were quick to match […]
United Airlines Eliminates Change Fees And Standby Fees on All Domestic Flights
United Airlines announced some significant changes today that will benefit customers. They call this a permanent move. Here are the changes: Effective immediately, United Airlines will no longer charge change fees on virtually all domestic tickets with the exception of Basic Economy. This is for all tickets, not just for elite members. On January 1, 2021 United will also eliminate standby fees for all passengers. United is also expanding free same-day changes. Now, Silver members will also be included in free same-day changes. You’ll still need to find the appropriate […]
Our First RV Rental: Minnie Winnie Winnebago 31H Motorhome
As part of our family’s exploration of the RV world, I’ll be writing a series of articles about what we’ve learned so far. I started out with a beginner’s guide to renting an RV. I plan to write a few articles about the types of RVs we rented and some of the campsites we tried out. I’m pretty sure there will be a “lessons learned” article as well, since we’ve made all kinds of mistakes! Our first RV rental was a motorhome. We pulled the whole thing together at the […]
Why The American Express Business Platinum Might Need A Spot In Your Wallet
From the outset, let me note that I don’t earn any affiliate income from this or any other credit card. These are just my thoughts as the travel world changes in the era of COVID-19. You guys know I don’t talk a ton about the nitty gritty of credit cards here, but work with me for just a few minutes. I’ve had the American Express Business Platinum in my wallet for a bit over a year now. I made a mistake when I applied for the card. I mixed up […]
