Happy Hour

Yikes! I Need To Cancel Our Happy Hour This Thursday

February 6, 2018By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

I need to cancel our happy hour for this week at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Virginia. Hope to see everyone soon at our next happy hour!

Are You Joining Us To Talk Travel (And Do Good) This Week?

November 29, 2017By Edward Pizzarello1 Comment

Are you joining us this week to talk travel?

DC Travel Meetup-Toys For Tots At GeekyPizza 8!

October 26, 2017By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Our next happy hour is ready to rock. We’ll be collecting toys for tots, meeting new friends and old, sharing travel tips and enjoying the holiday season.

Are You Joining Us To Talk Travel This Week?

May 28, 2017By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

Are you joining us for our Travel Meetup? Come join our Happy Hour and talk all things travel.

GeekyPizza5! Join Us For The Next DC Frequent Traveler/Travel Meet-Up On May 30th

May 12, 2017By Edward Pizzarello3 Comments

Come hang out, share a drink, and get all your travel questions answered. We can’t wait!

GeekyPizza 4! Come Hang Out And Talk Travel At Our DC Meetup

November 2, 2016By Edward Pizzarello11 Comments

I’m having a ton of fun with our travel meet-ups. Jeanne and I are adding a couple of new elements to our next one. I hope you’ll join us.

Are We Getting Together To Talk Travel Next Week?

October 19, 2016By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

GeekyPizza 3 is less than a week away. I’m excited to get together with people in an informal setting and talk about travel. We saw some of the same faces at the first two happy hours that Jeanne and I put together. And, based on the registration list this time around I’m looking forward to seeing some of those same faces again along with more first-timers! Next Tuesday, October 25th, my partner in crime Jeanne from Le Chic Geek and I will be hanging out at Dino’s Grotto in Shaw. Well, at least […]

GeekyPizza 3! DC Area Travel Meetup Tuesday, October 25th

September 21, 2016By Edward Pizzarello

Are you joining us for round 3? Jeanna and I are getting together for another happy hour where ewe share travel tips with friends, newbies and experts alike. Everyone is welcome. Come help us set a new record for attendance!

Thanks And 2 Questions!

August 25, 2016By Edward Pizzarello10 Comments

What a great time last night meeting up with my fellow frequent travelers. But I still have questions!

Are You Joining Us This Week To Talk Travel?

August 20, 2016By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

The best way to learn in this hobby is to ask questions. What better place to ask questions than a happy hour filled with frequent travelers and newbies alike? Come join us for drinks and ask any questions you want about travel, miles and points.

Why This September 11th Is Just A Little Bit Different For Me

It’s a day to stop and think about the bravery it must have taken for first responders in lower Manhattan to watch the first tower collapse, then run up the stairs into the second tower to try to rescue survivors. I started forming the thoughts for this story a few weeks ago. My plan was to publish it last week, but as with so many things lately, time got away from me. So, here we sit on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. In some ways, September 11th is just another […]

The Canada-US Border Is Open. Here’s What Crossing By Land Is Like Right Now

If you’re thinking about crossing the Canadian border, I’ve got plenty of details on what to expect. Our family recently crossed the border into Canada and then back into the US. If you prefer to listen to the story than read it, you can check the whole thing out on my podcast. If you just want the quick and dirty, here are some key links: The ArriveCAN app (you need to complete an online application to enter Canada) Nova Scotia pre-arrival application Link to order Abbot BinaxNOW tests (rapid test […]

Recent Experience Shows How Marriott Properties Treat Award Bookings Differently Than Paid Bookings

Since Marriott acquired Starwood Preferred Guest a few years ago, the number of paid stays I’ve had with Marriott have been steadily dropping. It didn’t start out intentional, but I did find myself booking fewer and fewer Marriott stays . I don’t go out of my way to avoid Marriott. But, I used to go out of my way to stay with SPG. As the years have gone by, a number of changes have caused me to continue moving business elsewhere. Marriott has been fairly intentional in establishing a loyalty […]

Hyatt Adds 100 Leisure Hotels With More On The Way

Hyatt announced earlier this week that they were acquiring Apple Leisure Group. The move will add 100 existing hotels to the Hyatt family and another couple dozen that are in the pipeline for Apple (ALG). Here’s a quick description of ALG from the press release: ALG’s hotel portfolio consists of over 33,000 rooms operating in 10 countries. The portfolio has grown from nine resorts in 2007 to approximately 100 properties by the end of 2021 and has a pipeline of 24 executed deals with a large number of additional hotels […]

EXCITING! Aeroplan Is The Newest Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner

There’s really good news for folks who have a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, especially if you have easy access to Air Canada hubs (think Toronto and Vancouver). In anticipation of the launch of a credit card for US residents, to be issued by Chase, Ultimate Rewards transfers to Aeroplan are live. This is all part of a significant relaunch of Aeroplan that started last year. Aeroplan came up with a bunch of great new options like Status Pass, where you can grant elite status to a friend or […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]

Jon - September 28, 2021:
Welp, final update. I called the phone number listed in the email [...]

Sony - September 21, 2021:
Thanks so much for the crystal clear and speedy response. Much appreciated! [...]

Edward Pizzarello - September 21, 2021:
Meeting expectations, again.

Edward Pizzarello - September 21, 2021:
I can confirm that's correct. 72 hours, PCR test to get [...]

Sony - September 21, 2021:
Hi Ed, brilliant write-up. Thanks for the wealth of information shared:) Just to [...]