At the beginning of the week I shared some web stats and plans for a Million Reader Giveaway.
I only wish I had realized the traffic milestones earlier for this blog, I could have reached out to my favorite travel providers and asked them to help me celebrate… with promises of riches beyond readers’ wildest dreams elite status and points.
Instead, I’ve had to get creative with the sorts of things I’m able to offer on my own.
So here’s part one of the Million Reader Giveaway!
Prizes will include:
- (5) Milepoint premium packages (1000 United miles, Hilton Gold status, National Car Rental Executive status, and more)
- $200 Gift Cards
- Amazon Gift Cards
- Miles in your choice of several programs
- Amazon Gift Cards
I might even throw in elite status and a club membership with an airline. There will be at least 15 prizes in this round, and probably more in round 2!
It’s a bit of a grab back of most high value prizes, half of which will be given away randomly and half will be give away based on quality or usefulness of entry.
Here’s all you need to do:
- leave a comment in this thread sharing either your best travel-related tip or advice, or the most useful thing you’ve learned from this blog.
- Since quality is key (as half the prizes will be given out based on quality), you may enter as many times as you like.
- All entries for this round must be submitted as a comment to this post by Sunday 5pm Eastern.
Thank you very much — in advance for your tips and for reading and sharing along with me, all these years!
Now enter away…!
Best,
Gary
- You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest deals. Don’t miss out!
Hotel points can save thousands of $$$ on a trip- use and burn them!
Marry rich !!! Wait, that may of come from Mom.
Be selective in your programs and not only read but understand the rules – blogs such as View from the wing, Milepoint, FT etc will all help you maximise your travel experiences
Dont save all your points for several years – use them, earn more – plenty of program devaluations around and this is likely to continue
US Airways Grand Slam pointers and tips !
The mint coin promo. Please come back.
Sign up in the various hotel promo’s, e.g. double points etc – even if you dont plan on staying, your plans may well change – as Gary says, no point leaving anything on the table….
Holiday Inn Pointbreaks are a super value!
When flying to Europe, reserve a dayroom (www.between9and5.com allows you to book and does not require a credit card guarantee). When you arrive at the airport call your main hotel to find out if you can get into your room immediately; if not head to the dayroom.
To all of you whose rule is to stay awake until evening … for me that is just a recipe for one miserable day. I can’t be the only one who feels that way!
“Hang Up and Call Again!” This simple advice helped me get an ATW trip when 1st agent said certain flights weren’t available when it was obvious he wasn’t checking.2nd agent thanked ME for providing flight numbers and airport codes and making her job easier.
The free app Web to PDF lets you convert any web page to a PDF document. With my iPad, I use this app to convert hotel reservation confirmations and similar travel arrangements to PDFs which I then open in iBooks, where I create folders for each trip. Since most etickets are PDF documents which I can also open in iBooks, this allows me to have all my travel documents in one electronic folder on my iPad.
Here’s something I have learned from traveling. We all are trying to have the perfect travel experiences. We spend hours planning and obsessing over trip details. And then, things go all wrong anyway. Weather delays, mechanical problems, getting stuck on the runway for hours. Take a deep breath and relax! The worst travel experiences make the best stories and the most memorable trips!
When travailing in Eastern Europe don’t discount the bus system. Sounds strange but the system is nice, modern, friendly, and efficient. We were semi stranded in Vienna, headed for Prague. The Concierge suggested the bus. It turned out to be 20% of the train fair and arrived two hours sooner. It was a great value and a memorable part of the trip. A good alternative to have in your back pocket.
Hilton points expire after one year of no activity. A good way to keep your account active is to set up and link a foursquare account and topguest account. Then “check in” at a Doubletree property near you. You earn 50 Hilton points. Not much but it keeps your account from expiring!
Don’t walk around the airplane naked, as they WILL restrain you and have the police waiting upon arrival.
Definitely earn ‘me and burn ’em – and if you see a great deal, grab it! You will likely have at least 24 hours to cancel!
Head to Chinatown or asian markets in a new county for cheap eats and foods. Good examples are Paris, Buenos Aires, London and etc…
Ask for an upgrade at check in for a hotel. As the saying goes, you can’t win the lottery without buying a ticket!!
Hang up, call back !!! I must say though my wife is becoming quite annoyed with you !
If you’re staying in a country where you can’t read/write the language, have your hotel give you a card with their name and address for the taxi-driver who will be bringing you home. (They usually have a supply of these.) Also, ask how to say the name of the hotel in the local language and take a couple of minutes to learn it. This can save you valuable time and effort with your cabbie later on. Don’t assume, for example, that the American pronunciation of Sheraton will be understood in China. And it never hurts to learn how to say thanks in any language.
Gary your blog is great. I learnt how to really get into the points game from your blog. I learnt the best process for my first churn and then also how to use those points towards the best things.
O and how to get National Emerald Club status, cause I <3 National.
My husband carries a ‘fake wallet’ when we travel, filled with Canadian Tire store money, expired loyalty cards, used gift cards etc, while his real credit cards and cash are in a money belt. He figures any thieves would keep looking if they found nothing in his pockets, so the fake one serves as a decoy.
Bargaining can be part of the fun in making purchases in some Asian countries, but don’t get too carried away. I’ve seen people who are spending thousands on a holiday haggling over pennies with locals, oblivious to the fact that some of those peddlers on the beach may have to sell their wares for less than cost just to have money to buy food that night. Those pennies are more important to them than to you.
Best thing I’ve learned from your blog – and definitely made good use of – hang up and call again
stay in Hyatt Place hotels for 5000 points/night. It’s like having Pointsbreak properties year-round.
Take a photo of your luggage with your phone before you check it in. It probably won’t go astray, but if it does, you’ll have a picture of it.
sign up for Pre-Check online and then if you have spare time at a participating airport, walk in for the interview without an appointment. My buddy here in Nashville works for the company in charge of rolling out Pre-check and says there is time built in for walk in appointments.
On long flights on Southwest, call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA and try to find the route with the most empty seats. I scored a full row to myself on a flight BNA-LAS last week just by picking a low occupancy flight
Make sure to get a doctor’s note in advance if you have medication that you need to bring along. Certain types of medication are restricted, and you don’t want to be without, for example, your epi-pen if you need it.
Read Gary’s blog 🙂
If you have a severe allergy and are traveling somewhere that you don’t speak the language, get a translator to type up a description of what you cannot eat before you go. Then print out multiple copies of this, cut into strips, and keep it in your wallet or purse (or have it printed on cards for a long stay). It can say something like, “I am severely allergic to peanuts and nuts of all kinds. Please indicate if any item I order contains nuts by pointing to this card. Thank you.” Also keep in mind that not everyone can read, so if you can learn in advance a simple phrase that explains your allergy (again, with the help of a translator, hopefully).
Our suitcases are always emptier when we head off on big trips, so when we travel to less developed countries, we take our surplus clothing to donate there, tracking down a local charity to take it to. (For example, we easily found a needy AIDS hospice in South Africa.) We’ll also often take school supplies, which are always needed. If you don’t want to ask the hotel or a local church/mosque to help you find a charity, the website http://www.stuffyourrucksack.com identifies charities all over the developing world that would be grateful for your help.
Your website is usually one of the better ones out there so I’ve learned a lot. One of the most informative was the series you did on hidden-city ticketing – lays out the facts clearly!
Double check your seats before checking in. A few times I have found that my seats have been switched and I ended up in a window or a middle seat,or even out of the exit row. Especially if you have a long flight ahead of you, and you are not in business or first, it is worth double checking your seat assignment.
Liked your series on Hyatt stay certificates – was such a bummer now that rates have increased dramatically!
I learned about the Hyatt Diamond challenge through this blog. Since then, it’s been nothing but Hyatt love…
Make photocopies of any credit cards, passport or other ID, front and back. Leave one set at home or encrypted on line. I carry one copy zipped into the lining of my carry on. I’ve never had to use them, but having copies and phone numbers could save the day if lost or stolen.
Beat jet lag for good. Get the book “Overcoming Jet Lag” by Ehret & Scanlon if you can find it, otherwise this will do: http://www.netlib.org/misc/jet-lag-diet. It works perfectly. I’m tired the first day and up and running by day two. No drugs, no side effects, no downtime!
You taught me how to get real value from my miles and points. Only one question. Where were you for the first 90% of my life. Oh! I know, you were not born. How to make up for lost time. Read your blog daily. Thank you!
Some of the best things for us so far:
When an incoming passenger on an international flight, make a list of things you have with you that would interest customs if they check you out. We travel as a family and have had lots of snacks and things declared on the Incoming passenger card along with a list. They usually take a look at the list briefly and wave you on through.
Pack casual clothing in rolls. Especially the kids. Roll underwear, socks, shirts and pants/shorts together in a tight bundle. In the mornings, grab a bundle and they’re good to go.
United has the most generous stopover rules for int’l flights.
Komol is better than Lotus of Siam in Vegas.
an Elephant Jumps is better than a Dolphin Walking.
If your cruise stops at Nassau and you want to explore Atlantis at a reasonable family cost, book a night at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island, where four grounds passes for Atlantis are included.
VR’s can sometimes be found hidden behind other GC’s.
Southwest Companion Pass may be the best airline perk that is reasonably achievable by non-business flyers.
What I have learned is the patience while working with the airline agents in the awards program. If it does not work in my favor, just hang up and call again instead of arguing with them!!
Credit cards have become the new milage runs.
I would say the best lessons I have learned is if you get a chance to use your award, use them. I have wasted several free hotel awards because I want to wait until the best value to use them.
I ahbe learned many useful stratigies with your blog. one of my facorites is Hetting 2 free lounge passes with my ink bold card. Thanks Gary.!