Giveaway: Enter Here for Frequent Traveler University Tickets AND HOTEL NIGHTS!

by Gary Leff

Frequent Traveler University, December 5-7, Hyatt Regency Crystal City (near Washington’s National Airport)

This promises to be the largest gathering of frequent flyers ever, bringing together some of the best minds in miles and points and creating an opportunity for folks interested in the hobby to learn, trade tips, and build friendships (and networks for sharing knowledge offline as well).

I’m excited to be helping to put it together, and I’m giving away two packages to FTU on the blog this week. Each of two winners will receive:

  • A complimentary ticket to FTU ($149)
  • 2 hotel nights for the event (valued at $99+tax per night)

So that’s over $350 in value per prize, with two prizes, an all you have to do to enter is comment on this post as I explain below. And of course everyone who buys (or wins!) a ticket receives Hyatt Platinum status.

And don’t worry, you can go ahead and buy one, if you win the contest I’ll make sure your purchase gets refunded – or refund it myself!

Here’s the details for the giveaway:

  • This is the official entry post. Comment on this post to enter, by providing either one travel tip or one thing you would hope to learn at Frequent Traveler University.
  • Since there are (2) questions, you may enter to up (2) times.
  • Contest ends Friday at noon Eastern time.
  • All of my decisions are final and unappealable and by entering you agree to this. In other words, don’t make it hard for me to give stuff away!

Truly a can’t-miss event and promises to be the best Frequent Traveler University ever! The room block is filling up, so I’d suggest signing up now…

Frequent Traveler University

Related:

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

More articles by Gary Leff »

Comments

  4. Being able to rub shoulders with the pros, I hope to improve my skills by osmosis! 😉 Plus….I need one more trip this year and DCA is a cool place to visit.

  8. My travel tip is to carry a “gator” type clip. These are the large style paper clips that are black with two silver handles that fold back. Or ladies can use their old hair clips as well. These clips are great at holding hotel room curtains closed when you need to sleep past sunrise.

  11. My tip is that you should use Delta miles on Alaska Airlines. Alaska actually releases decent award space to Delta and has a lot of flights on the west coast.

  21. My wife and I are planning an around-the-world trip in 2015 and would like to garner as much insider information as we possibly can.

  22. Entry 1: use the metro well in DC and when in crystal city walk to the metro above ground

  25. one thing you would hope to learn at Frequent Traveler University: How to optimize earning and using miles from LatAm.

  27. Looking forward to hopefully learning how to maximize my american miles for a surprise ceremony/honeymoon in the maldives!

  30. If you love food or consider yourself a foodie, my travel tip is to plan all your restaurants in advance. Especially on a short trip, walking around finding the perfect restaurant is a hassle and time consuming. Also if you can make reservations, it saves the waiting time especially at popular restaurants.

  31. My Tip: Limit yourself to only carry-on luggage if at all possible to save the headache of checking bags and then wasting time waiting at the carousel. There is nothing more satisfying then arriving home from a long trip and heading straight to your vehicle or ride.

  32. I would like to learn about the different sweetspots on the various award charts and what miles to use for specific trips.

  33. Looking forward to learning how to more easily meet spending thresholds for bonus miles, sometimes I find it difficult to meet such large spending requirements ($5K on Ink!).

  34. My tip is to subscribe to The Flight Deal. Some of the deals on there can make travel as affordable as points and miles.

  36. APPLY for global entry or apply for a credit card that reimburses the $100 cost! It is so nice when coming home from abroad to slide your passport and finger print!

  39. I would like to learn the do’s and donts and advantages and disadvantages of transferring miles between different programs and how long in advance to transfer for the different programs.

  40. Do not pack toy gun or video game guns in your carry-on. US TSA might let it go but Europeans will insists on checking the bag or throwing it away. Learned it the hard way while traveling with my PS3 in Europe.

  41. I’d love to learn how to use ITA Matrix more effectively to put together mileage runs–posted from the hotel at my very first mileage run to Singapore!

  45. Read your travel insurance policy very carefully to understand what is covered both as primary and secondary coverage.

  47. I would like to learn how a recent college grad can take advantage of manufactured spend and other credit card based earning schemes to maximize frequent flyer mile earning potential.

  49. I learned about Manufacture spending and have more than half million points, but I would like to learn about making award booking with those points.
    I would really like to attend the event as it’s a great way to communicate with guys like you on boardingarea.com

  51. Tip: pairing CLEAR and PreCheck memberships at certain airports can drastically reduce secuirty clearance times.

  52. Travel Tip: When traveling abroad without using cell phone data, search for walking directions on WiFi and pre-load it on your phone. Keep your data off, and even without WiFi when walking around outside your phone’s GPS still works to take you where you need to go!

  54. My one travel tip(and its not points related) – Roll never fold your clothes when you pack. It is amazing how much extra you can put in your suitcase. Think carry on vs having to check a bag.

  56. One of my travel tips is pack light and carry a small bottle of woolite with you. Makes things handy to was a shirt or something quickly. Fri fit shirts are light and easy to care for on the road.

  57. Would love to learn more about using my frequent flyer miles better. Right now it’s several airlines and because I don’t fly much yet, I’m steered in all directions.

  58. I hope to learn how to build more complex international award tickets than the simple ones (like London or Paris), so that I can go to more interesting places than the average traveler.

  59. I book a lot of travel for my coworkers. I want to find the best way to maximize any points I can earn from booking travel for other people, using a company credit card.

  60. My travel tip is to remember not to get too bogged down in the analytics of your journey (logistics, points money) that you forget to enjoy and absorb the place you’re at!

  62. As a travel tip, please read your travel insurance policy so you understand the coverage, both primary and secondary.

  64. Bring an empty water bottle pass security and refill your water once you’re in the terminal. There are water refill stations in most airports so no need to pay for water.

    Isn’t FTU December 5-7, not December 3-5?

  68. Tip: If fuel surcharges are high for a round trip award ticket, check the rates as two separate one-ways. In some cases they are very low in one direction (e.g.) SE Asia to Indian subcontinent is high and the other way is low.

  74. my tip: sign for everything, even if you don’t think it’s helpful at the time. you never know!

  77. Chase Amtrak converts to 3x choice points. You need the Chase amtrak CC and must make $200 in amtrak purchases. Bu a refundable ticket far out inyo the future with free cancellation so you can transfer points then cancel.

  81. How to find the best value to redeem with star alliance carriers and easiest way to attain those miles.

  86. I just became a consultant and am learning this whole points and miles game. I think I could learn a lot and hopefully get better at earning (and using) these miles. Europe here I come?

  87. Travel Tip: Save your miles and points for larger things that you normally couldn’t or wouldn’t spend money on! Dream big and make it work!

  88. Looking to switch from DL to AA for my primary airline, so I’m hoping to learn more details on AAdvantage and oneworld.

  89. I’d like to learn how to maximize my award redemptions – I feel as if I’m not doing a good job of building in layovers and stopovers.

  90. Travel tip: don’t forget that Canada counts as international for SkyTeam Elite+ lounge access benefit, even when flying coach.

  91. Tip #1: Two Skyteam one-way award tickets in Europe priced through Delta (not all of the time, but often) price out as one round trip at 25,000 Skymiles for the lowest level. It may require calling the reservation desk and providing specific instructions including the partner airline you wish to fly and the specific flights. The more information you can provide them, the better luck you will have that they can “find” you award space.

  92. US Airways will upgrade AA Platinum customers on a AA award ticket, if you flirt with the gate agent.

  94. I’m looking to learn how to most easily find award space on and take advantage of attractive award ticket mile requirements on oneworld airlines such as Qatar, JAL, and Cathay Pacific.

  96. Travel Tip – Southwest can really be valuable. They are refundable, free checked bags and they can be much less expensive then the major airlines using miles. I use them many times to get to a gateway destination for my real flight in International First Class.

  97. I would like to know how to get more from airline elite status, how to really use those SWU on AA, and further more how to utilize revenue tickets spend after delta and United changed their miles earning system.

  100. I would love to get some tips about the best routes with business class availability for families.

  102. Travel tip: The account that you credit your points/miles to matters. The best choice may not be the most obvious one!

  103. With the aegean gold status method going away, I would like to know the cheapest/easiest ways to earn airline status.

  105. At FTU, I would like to learn how to make the best use of my “seemingly unusable” Delta Skypesos!

  108. TIP: In Europe book rental cars at non-airport branches for cheaper pricing and then you can return at the airport for often times a very small fee with added convenience.

  110. My tip: When booking United awards, call the Philipines call center. No wait times and friendly agents: 1-800-396-1751

  111. Looking to learn more about learning ins and outs of non-US programs since the United devaluation.

  120. TIP: have your kids decorate your luggage with sharpie markers…you can then find it easily amongst everyone else’s baggage and nobody else will walk away with you bag.

  122. I’d like to pick up solid tips in refining my manufacture spend techniques as the landscape and optimal ROI opportunities are constantly shifting.

  123. You are generous and my favorite blogger. Being from Fairfax, this FTU would be very convenient. I would like to learn about maximizing routing of trips to get more value out of award redemptions. And I will drive out to Merrifield and try Jumping Elephant.

  126. Tip: Be aware of what credit card you are bringing for international travel. Make sure it has no foreign currency transaction fees!

  127. Travel tip is always carry zip lock bags of multiple sizes. They’re great for storing and organizing stuff while traveling.

  130. Travel tip: If you can’t get the US Airways agent to book the trip you want, get help from someone and try calling “En Español”

  132. My best tip is simply practicing the adage that ‘flashing a (genuine) smile can go a long way’. Whether it’s inquiring into a seat assignment change/upgrade at the gate or a drink refill from an FA, making any positive impact during in-person interactions help humanize what are traditionally mundane and forgettable routines. Even if it’s simply a genuine smile back at you, our lives are made up of a string of moments so why not make the best of every single one?

  134. And a tip – if you’re expecting a tight connection and aren’t in first class, do your best to get a seat closest to the entry door(s). That’ll make the wait for others to deplane a bit less stressful.

  138. hope to learn: routes that avoid fuel surcharges on award tickets, especially ones that have lots of award availablity

  142. Travel tip: you can fly first class Etihad or Qatar Middle East-Europe for only 40,000 American AAdvantage miles.

  144. travel tip: you can get the cost of the Oyster card and the dollar amount left on it back at the Tube Station at Heathrow.

    and when you go back, you can just get a new card and repeat.

  145. I carry a canvas grocery bag in my backpack to put the small items (Book, earphones, iPhone, water, etc.) I want at my seat before boarding the airplane. this saves time and congestion in the aisle as I settle into my seat (hopefully upfront)

  146. Tip: Apply for Global Entry ($100) so you can zip through U.S. Customs when you return to the U.S. Once you have your Global Entry “known traveler number,” you can use it for TSA Pre-Check privileges to zip through U.S. airport security gates without having to take off your shoes or laptop or go through a revolving body scanner (you do have to go through a walk-through scanner). Certain AmEx credit cards reimburse the Global Entry expense. If you don’t care about zipping through U.S. Customs, then just apply for TSA Pre-Check ($80). I smile every time Global Entry has made my travels easier at the airport.

  147. Put all electronics in the carryon before going through the scanner.

    I’d hope to learn more about fare codes used across alliances and non-alliance partners 😉

  148. Ah, read that wrong and posted a tip and “hope to learn” in the same post.

    Ok, use seatguru to pick the best seats on each aircraft type. (This is my tip entry)

  149. Would Like to Learn: How to manufacture spend with confidence and with as few hassles as possible. Of course I’m happy to put in the work for the benefit, but if there are better ways to skin the cat, I’m all in!

  150. Tip: If you lose your phone charger ask at any hotel desk for a lost and found charger. They usually have a drawer full of these things and will give them away if you ask nicely.

  152. I have attended two FTU conferences and can say wihtout a doubt that anyone, a novice or a pro, you learn something you didn’t know. Plus I can now put a face with the blog writers.

  154. one travel tip: if there is no availabilty for British Airways think about doing 2 segments. For exaample, DFW-CLT is 7500 Avios. I could also do DFW-MSY, MSY-CLT for only 9k Avios. This helps when flying as a family of four.

  157. Tip: when flying economy, ask the gate agent to show you the seat map, so if there are empty rows, you can switch to those seats as soon as the seatbelt light goes off.

  161. My tip – buy an entertainment book either for your city or a city you plan to visit. The reusable car rental coupons have always made this a worthwhile purchase for me.

  169. @DonR. Travel light I agree. I am still working at that. Sometimes due to weather you take more than you need though

  170. @Bri I am very knowledgeable about SPG and Hyatt. In my opinion across the board redemption wise and how the program operates overall -SPG hands down. Hyatt also very good but many less properties and more difficulty redeeming at a good rate. SPG has many hotel brands etc.

  171. @Betty In some cities for leisure travel groupon or similar programs might be worth it for some people. They never figure any tourists to use those things

  172. @Betty what awards are you finding tough on AA? Also for me I want to avoid BA at all costs (due to fuel surcharges)

  173. @Carberrie I have a ton of Delta miles also. Gary outlines the best uses internationally for those. I went to South Africa recently from Atlanta on the Non Stop for 160K in business class.

  175. One of my travel tips is to type up a full itinerary with addresses, phone numbers, directions, and landmarks to keep with you. Also, keep a PDF copy on your phone. Thanks!

  183. My tip… If you’re picking someone up at Orlando (MCO) and you have an active EPass or SunPass-Plus, look into the Express Pick-up option. Essentially, you get to park inside the terminal. You do have to submit to a full car inspection.

  184. Best way to go to Hawaii from California is to use British Airways avios, 25,000 avios for round trip, no fuel charges.

  186. travel tip: Do your research before booking a flight. if you didn’t write this blog you probably have something to learn.

  188. Gary,
    Count me in!!
    Am joining to get the advanced course. Its sold out but I’ll have to buy it off somebody else. Do you know a guy named Xin from Purdue University?
    Just checking.
    Best regards.
    Michael

  190. My travel tip: If you think you’re going to be close to a threshold in hotel status, hop from hotel to hotel in a city when you’re on a multi-day trip to maximize the number of stays. I wish I had done that more in 2014 as it doesn’t look like I’ll make Hyatt Diamond this year after 5 years of diamond status.

  193. My travel tip: Always double check the date and time of the flight the day before departure. I almost missed a flight because of this!

  194. I’d like to hear Daraius’ take on the value of IHG points redemption. Thanks for the contest!

  196. I would like to learn how to use ExpertFlyer to up my award booking game and snag those last minute first class seat avails!

  198. My travel tip is to secure chargers individually with a hair clip in order to prevent them from getting tangled in your bag.

  199. I would like to learn about the best options to redeem and earn miles. This would be the first time going to an event like this.

  204. Tip: Sign up for all free loyalty programs, even if you doubt it will be useful. I recently stayed at an independent hotel for a convention and when making my reservation online,I signed up for their loyalty program. It got me vouchers for a free breakfast each day of my stay.

  211. I use Groupon, Living social, Travel zoo site to find a restaurant deal when I am traveling. I also check each restaurant’s rate on Yelp. This way, I found great restaurants in many places and saved a lot of money(usually 40%+ off) especially when we went to New York!

  213. I use Groupon, Living social and Travel zoo to find restaurant deals(40%+Off) when I am traveling. I also use Yelp to check each restaurant’s rating. I have been to many great restaurants this way and saved a lot of money especially when we went to New York. These sites have deals for everything from the coffee shop to high class restaurants:)

  214. Travel Tip- Even a rookie can learn to use the KVS Tool without a large time investment-I did!

  216. A run through on the American Express Bluebird card and the CVS or Walmart Vanilla Reload cards. How they work.

  217. My tip is read travel blogs and become active on Flyertalk. Just about anything you need to know travel-wise has been asked and answered by someone!!

  218. I’d like to learn strategies for how to best price complex paid tickets (multi-destination, mixed class, etc).

  219. I’d like to learn about “stacking” award miles through the use of various high multiple portals.

  220. My tip – even if you aren’t signed up as a member of a car rental program, you may still be able to check in online and skip the counter (and the lines). Even at your hated Alamo (at least at IAD).

  221. I have learned from this site that I can move miles from my Chase Ultimate Awards account to British Exec. Club where I can book flights with Avios on Alaska Airline. But there will still be a baggage fee which I find particularly distasteful on flights that are booked to be free.
    I would like to learn a strategy to get the baggage fees waived; like, will my Citi AAdvantage Visa card work since American is affiliated with Alaska?

  222. I would like to learn about optimized timing of credit card churns and constructing a 1-2 year plan.

  223. I’m not sure that I can give a new travel tip to this group but I’ll try. Make a hotel booking with Rocketmiles.com before Oct 31st to get at least 4000 AAdvantage miles.

  224. I’d like to find the best airlines in terms of availability for business class to Europe and the best window in which to buy them.

  225. TIP: Download Feedly Reader app for smartphone and load in favorite bloggers so you can easily browse new entries. I have learned so much over the past year taking just 10 minutes a day to browse through the days blog posts.

  226. FTU: Looking forward to meeting everyone and placing the voices to the faces/blogs. I am hoping to learn some advanced routing techniques and tactics to maximize the miles I have.

  228. Tip – If you plan to travel outside the country you have to have “Global Entry”. Don’t leave home without it!

  231. my travel hint is to put your favorite liquor in cough syrup bottles (3oz) from your local pharmacist. 4 of these will fit in your quart carry on ziploc along with many other things. great for when you are stuck in coach or have a long layover with no club access …

  233. what I wish to learn at FTU is how to status match to AA with the minimum amount of trips.

  235. When you park your car at the airport,….with your cel phone take a pic, of the sign marking your spot. Before leaving, scan your passport and email to yourself. If you lose your passport, you don’t have to worry about the details. Access your email and print your copy.

  238. Tip to save points at Radisson- get their credit card and become gold level member. Book a 2 night stay on points and pay points only for first night

  239. My best travel tip is to pack small quantities of creams in one of those vitamin columns where each day is a jar that screws into the bottom of another jar. You can take up to 7 different creams in basically one container.

  240. I’d like for my husband to join me at my new hobby and come to FTU, so we can be an even better team completing great advanced flight bookings and unforgettable vacations in years to come with good savings…

  242. When I travel I like to put my camera and other materials I might need for walking around a new city in a grocery bag that I get from a local supermarket when I get some snacks for the day’s hike around town. It makes you look more local and draws attention away from camera and other bags that shout dollar signs to people looking to take advantage of a tourist.

  245. Travel tip is to always check different portals to see who gives the best mileage payout. Even the different chase cards sometimes have different ultimate rewards payouts among them.

  248. If I have the opportunity to go to FTU Washington, I am looking forward to learning more about routings to Africa. I have always wanted to safari but have never been able to afford to even get to Africa! Since following this blog I have racked up some miles and I want to put them to use for a memorable trip to Africa.

  249. How to book award tickets with more obscure miles, like Lufthansa miles and Virgin Atlantic miles on partner airlines!

  251. The cheapest way to manufacture spend.

    Never let your miles expire and always call to try for a retention bonus. … hang up try again a few times

  252. Travel Tip:
    Sign up for a Chase credit card to avoid paying the surcharge for currency conversion when leaving the country

  256. What I’d want to learn at FTU:

    Alternative strategies for gaining/transferring points without dependence on credit cards.

  258. Travel tip: make sure whatever hotel loyalty plan fits in with your budget/stay pattern as well as aims for the points (aspirational properties/free nights/general benefits on stays) you have.

  264. I’d love to talk about awards. Everyone asks how I get so many free international flights in biz class, but their eyes gkaze iver when I start ti explain it.

  265. To Learn: I’d love to learn more about maximizing reward travel in economy class (ie traveling as much as possible).

  266. Travel tip: capsule wardrobe + laundry + small(er) carry-on bag beats massive cumbersome suitcase + new clothes for each day. Makes for a much more nimble traveler and manageable trip.

  267. It would be great if I could learn ways to make sure I am not overpaying in miles for a trip. So for me, tips on booking award travel are always good to know. You hear so much all the time that a refresher is great.

  268. I hope to learn some new tricks on how to maximize my award tickets and of course make new friends that are as passionate about traveling as I am!

  272. My best travel tip is to help avoid jet lag, and it’s kind of 2 tips: don’t drink too much on the plane, and get out and walk around when it’s sunny even though your body is screaming for sleep!

  273. One thing I’d like to learn at Frequent Traveler University is how to better plan multi-segment (e.g. round the world) awards in premium cabins. I’ve done it a couple of times and it takes me *days* of research… I must be doing it wrong.

  274. Travel Tip – use space bags for packing so the inspectors in South America will not be touching every piece of clothing.

  275. What I hope to learn – how to get to Australia in first class using all those American airline miles I have accumulated.

  277. My travel tip is to take a medium or larger binder clip (the kind we use at the office) to wrap your ear buds around. Then clip to your collar or cross-body bag strap at the gate. Your ear buds will be right in front of you, easy to wrap/unwrap, won’t get tangled and you don’t have to dig for them on the plane.

  278. Travel tip: Charge all your electronics before flying back to the US from abroad, as security may ask you to turn them on and may prevent you from taking them if they don’t! Yikes!

  279. What I want to learn at FTU: manufactured spending that doesn’t kill off my brain cells (or tire treds on my car!).

  280. I’d like to learn more about locating and booking premium cabin awards, especially timing, which airlines don’t show on US online award booking sites but have good availability, etc.

  281. Travel tip: Keep track of your credit card anniversaries and make sure you evaluate the worthiness of the annual fee as it comes up each year.

  282. here’s one I discovered the hard way …

    Make sure your backup ATM card is valid before your trip starts.

    -David

  283. I hope to learn how exactly Lucky manages to fly all over the place in F all the time. 🙂

    -David

  288. I hope to learn from FTU:

    How to alternate stragries on manufacturing spending and maximum miles for international flights.

  289. Travel Tip:

    Pack all electronic device in one bag and apply for TSA “fast pass” for quicker inspection. Arrive to the airport early to enjoy lounge service and duty free shops. Flight economy class to better utilize points for multiple family members.

  290. Travel Tip: Always bring a card with your name and contact information like phone number and email address. While travelling, you’ll meet a lot of new people and in case you wish to keep in touch with them, handing them this card is very useful!

  294. I’d like to know how the BA bloggers have time to blog, respond, and work a full time job that requires traveling WITHOUT the use of drugs

  296. I would like to learn more about how to leverage the partner networks of the various airlines for which I collect miles.

  299. Given the devaluation of UA MileagePlus, especially for partner international awards, and the worthlessness of Sky Pesos (I DO have to hand it to Delta for surprising us all by how imaginative it is in finding new ways to make them worth EVEN LESS!), I would like to learn at FTU how those of us who fly primarily within the U.S. should structure our airline choices and mileage accumulations to provide the best opportunities for international premium class award travel.

  300. Tip: Before leaving on an international trip, print out a page for each country you’ll visit that lists the U.S. embassy and/or consulate addresses and emergency phone numbers, and the names and addresses of English-speaking and well-regarded doctors and hospitals (from a source such as the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers – IAMAT), in the cities where you’ll stay. Put these pages in a folder with a color copy of your passport info page and an information page about how your health insurance works when you’re outside the U.S.

  301. I would love attend FTU to learn how to utilize some of the sites to search award space on partner airlines.

  302. My travel tip is to review all the boarding area bloggers sites to maximize opportunities for mile earning opportunities.

  303. tip: if you’re traveling primarily on your own dime, don’t spend money chasing hotel loyalty programs – instead use opaque booking sites like Priceline and Hotwire to save serious coin.

  304. wanted: more ways to stretch an award booking. e.g. adding extra domestic segments to the end of a UA int’l award (is there an equivalent on AA? how can I best exploit it? are there similar values in some of the non-US programs like Korean Skypass or Signapore KrisFlyer?)

  306. I’d love to learn more about the best ways to maximize points earning despite not having a lot of monthly expenses/credit card spend

  308. Be nice to everyone – especially those who control or can impact part of your travel experience.

    Besides being the right thing to do, it certainly helps with IRROPS, seating, upgrades “sometimes,” voucher amounts, volunteering for bumps, club level access, airport club access, and a host of other benefits.

  309. Wanted: A guide to getting started on acquiring frequent travel information. For a beginner, it’s overwhelming.

  310. I’d love to learn how to more effectively leverage my frequent business travel to garner bigger rewards.

  311. Tip: When paying for a meal with friends, frequently one uses a credit card and others give her or him cash. Arrange in advance that the one working on a credit card bonus would get to use the card. Then rotate.

  312. Tip – when traveling internationally, make sure you take a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.

  313. At FTU, I’d like to get updates on rules for booking award travel. It seems there have been lots of changes lately in many of the frequent flyer programs. I need a refresher!

  314. My travel tip is sign up for hotel and airline promotions right when they come out even if you’re not sure about your travel plans. Otherwise your plans may change & you may miss sign-up deadlines, forget about the promotion completely, or not remember whether you signed up. Just make signing up part of your routine!

  317. one thing I would hope to learn at Frequent Traveler University is strategies on those foreign FFPs given how much worse the North American programs have changed over the past couple years.

  319. I would love to learn more about taking advantage of stopovers (on the airlines that still let you take advantage of stopovers)!

  320. I have been blessed to be able travel within the US using points. Next year is my 25th wedding anniversary and I would like to learn how to utilize the points I have to take my husband to Paris. I am simply lost when it come to the major airlines because I utilized my Southwest points for domestic travel. I do a great job with those points but again am quite a novice when it comes to planning this aspirational trip. Thank you for the opportunity.

  323. TIP: Never buy lounge membership or other high dollar amenities directly. Instead, look for other products – credit cards being the most common – that offer the amenity as part of their cost. You can almost always get the amenity for the same price (plus other benefits), and often for considerably less.

  324. My first grand child is due any day and her parents are moving to Austria in the spring. I hope to learn how to maximize my miles to visit them as often as possible, please!
    Thanks!

  325. Travel Tip: When traveling to a beach vacation, use a soft sided cooler as your carry on. That way you can easily pack a romantic lunch and beverages with you any day you go to the beach! Include a couple of large freezer baggies to put ice in and make sure there’s no knife on the corkscrew (because of TSA rules) or put that in your checked bag!

  326. Travel Tip: always sign up for every loyalty program you can utilize! Never know when those points will come in handy!

  328. When I get to a new city and I have touristy things to check off my list I try and do them the first few days that I’m there, preferably during the week when crowds are low. The last thing I want to do is get into a time crunch for big sightseeing spots at the end of my trip and waste hours of time shuffling through lines and crowds. Sometimes features spots have ‘free’ days that require no payment to sightsee, but those days can often be the most crowded. So get in early if you want to see for free!

  329. When I get to a new city and I have touristy things to check off my list I try and do them the first few days that I’m there, preferably during the week when crowds are low. The last thing I want to do is get into a time crunch for big sightseeing spots at the end of my trip (or on a weekend) and waste hours of time shuffling through lines and crowds. Sometimes features spots have ‘free’ days that require no payment to sightsee, but those days can often be the most crowded. So get in early if you want to see for free!

  330. Tip: You can buy almost anything you need almost anywhere in the world, so pack lighter than you think you should.

  331. Want to learn: How to split up single award bookings so my wife can fly up front and I can slum it with the kids in back.

  333. My travel tip is to bring along a travel power plug with USB ports. It never fails to happen that you’re hotel room is the only one with only one convenient outlet on the desk. The travel plug solves this problem. I like the Belkin (BST300) because it has the swivel plug-in.

  334. As for one thing I would hope to learn at Frequent Traveler University, that would be more details on cross-alliance airline mile redemption sweet spots.

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