Natural Springs

Swimming With The Fishes. Athens & Paris For Dollars A Day

November 21, 2015By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Welcome to my multi-part review of our summer vacation. We spent 12 days abroad, predominately in Athens and Paris. We did squeeze in about half a day in Amsterdam before heading home. While I’m writing the series, I’m happy to answer any questions you have ahead of time. We traveled in mid-July, so right in the middle of the Athens financial crisis. Here’s most of what I expect to cover, including links to posts I’ve already completed: Planning Our Summer Vacation! British Airways First and Business Class Lounges at Philadelphia […]

Frontier Airlines Lowers Change Fees. Yes, You Read That Right.

Frontier Airlines is lowering their change fees across the board. Effective immediately, the airline has eliminated change fees if you change your flight more than 90 days ahead of time. They’re also lowering fees for changes closer in. This is definitely a positive move.

Is A Big Change Coming To Cheap Airline Tickets?

We’re in an unbelievable era of cheap flights. Every time I feel like saying these are the cheapest fares I can recall seeing, we catch another surprise. As with many good things, it appears it may be possible that the government is fixing to put a dent in that, albeit unintentionally. I’ve been reading about a bill working its way through Congress that would potentially limit fees airlines can charge. This is on the heels of a few airlines raising the price of your first checked bag. Not all the […]

Great Travel Deals! Travel Auctions Ending Soon

I’m a deal junkie. Chances are, you’re a deal junkie too. Take a look at these travel auctions to see if you can find your next great travel deal.

Marriott Quietly Removes Elite Benefits From Online Travel Agency Bookings

Marriott quietly made a change that’s likely to have a big impact on frequent travelers. Loyalty program members will no longer have elite benefits on stays booked through online travel agencies (OTAs). Will all Marriott properties be enforcing this rule, or will it be selectively enforced? Are you willing to risk it?

NowBoarding: Lee Huffman, Bald Thoughts!

Work and life have me running behind as usual. While we published podcast episodes the last few weeks, I neglected to post about them here. So, you might have missed Lee Huffman as my guest on the NowBoarding Podcast. Author of the Bald Thoughts blog, I can confirm he is bald. Really bald. From his early days as a kid listening on a CB radio and riding in a semi truck across Texas to traveling with his wife all over the country using the Southwest companion pass, Lee is very […]

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.

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]