Jul
09
2018
Loyalty fraud — and especially stealing miles from hacked accounts — has been a big issue for years.
Here’s the simple effective way to protect yourself.
How to Prevent Your Frequent Flyer Miles From Being Stolen
Travel Tips
Category Archives for Travel Tips.
Anthony Bourdain Included Frequent Flyer Miles in His Will. Here’s How You Can, Too.
Jul
06
2018
Anthony Bourdain was a fascinating and complicated man. He certainly inspired a portion of my travels. He left the bulk of his estate to his 11 year old daughter.
Reportedly his estate is worth just over $1 million, which raises a ton of questions about why it’s not much more. Additionally, if he had outlived his daughter, his will says her inheritance would go to her nanny.
Hawaii Will Ban Up to 78% of Sunscreens
Jul
02
2018
Doctors frequently tell their patients to wear sunscreen every day, and that’s even when they aren’t going to the beach. Vacationers in Hawaii, though, are going to find that over 70% of sunscreens are illegal to buy in Hawaii as the result of a new law the governor there is expected to sign.
Why an Aisle Seat is Always Better — And How to Make Sure You Get One
Jun
25
2018
I always prefer an aisle seat because I want to be in control of my own destiny. I can lean into the aisle for extra room (but watch the drink cart!) and I can get up for the lavatory whenever I wish. Crucially, I also have at least one armrest I don’t have to fight for.
This means giving up being able to gaze out the window (lost Instagram opportunity), and an obligation to get up when someone else wants to use the restroom, but those are easy tradeoffs.
Who Knew? You Can Buy an Empty Middle Seat For More Space on All the Big US Airlines
Jun
24
2018
The single most important factor in whether or not you have a good flight is having an empty seat next to you. The food or snacks seem better. Flight attendants seem friendlier. It’s less stressful overall.
So regardless of your size, if you feel more comfortable buying extra space, it’s something to consider especially when the price is right. Airlines don’t just sell extra legroom seats — who knew they sell extra width too?
Cut Your Airline Telephone Hold Time With This One Weird Trick
Jun
23
2018
Southwest, Delta and United telephone customer service has been compared to ringing up the IRS.
During irregular operations, bad weather events, calling an airline is much worse than usual – because everyone else is calling too. I’m used to hearing that “we’re experiencing unusually high call volumes” all the time as an excuse for not investing in customer service. It’s actually true during storms or other outages.
New OpenTable Scam to Cheat You Out of Your Points
Jun
17
2018
OpenTable made your points worth less and harder to use – while imposing new expiration rules – earlier this year. That’s after devaluing their awards program three years ago.
Now there’s another way OpenTable avoids rewarding you for your bookings through their website.
Travel is Better for the Environment When You’re Getting a Good Deal on Airfare
Jun
11
2018
Air travel emits carbon dioxide. More demand for air travel supports more flights, and thus more carbon dioxide emissions.
While the interaction of emissions and temperature change is complex, the particular mechanisms subject to debate amongst scientists, a simple model suggests that your air travel is bad for the environment. But it simply isn’t true that every airline passenger and every ticket has the same contribution to emissions.
And we do know whether you have a high – or an exceptionally low – probability of affecting the number of flights, size of aircraft, and thus emissions.
Why You Should Travel Solo and How to Make the Most of It
Jun
06
2018
Whether you’re looking for inspiration traveling alone, advice on how to make the most of it, or pondering whether it’s right for you this is a great book to pick up and read the next time you have a few minutes of alone time.
Should Coach Passengers Use the First Class Lavatory?
Jun
03
2018
American Airlines doesn’t have a policy against coach passengers using the first class lavatory on domestic flights or flights departing the U.S. But they should.
Here’s the right way to think about whether passengers should use the lavatory in their ticketed cabin.
