Comments

1. Getting the Sapphire Preferred Card. Go to card for most everything. As a signature Visa, great benefits.

2. As well as keeping your important documents in the cloud and on your smartphone, make sure you also print the most important ones as well – you never know when tech will fail or you are in the rush.

3. BRGs and LNFs can be your best friend when finding low hotel rates … read the T&Cs and have a go …

4. Pack a few healthy snacks in your carry-on .. it will make you less grumpy when your flight runs out of your first choice or you are pressed for time in the airport.

5. Those little contact lens cases are very handy to store small amounts of moisturiser, hair gel, etc. for short trips.

6. Hotel Tips:

   When you enter a hotel room, place your luggage in the bathroom (on the tiled floor). First do a bed bug check of the bed (check for little red dots along the baseboard).

   Then take out your antiseptic wipes and clean the TV remote control, the phones and the doorknobs.

   Also remember to wash the room glasses before you use them (the hotel shampoo works just fine).

7. Your basic common sense and common courtesy approach to travel is what I appreciate most about your blog. You urge keeping the big picture in mind, while still keeping site of the details that are pertinent and helpful. Traveling is a much better experience when fellow travelers have a positive attitude…..like yours. Thank-you!

8. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — considering all the bonuses to up your points totals as well as the flexibility of Ultimate Rewards transfers, clearly the best single travel reward card one can have.

9. Travel Tip: I like to travel with a few small (and colorful) envelopes and note cards, roughly the size of business cards. That way, if someone goes above and beyond the call of duty (particularly at a hotel), I can give them a tip in a more presentable way than just sleight of hand. And then there’s the option to add a personal note, as well, if I feel so inclined.

10. Don’t forget to call your bank or credit card provider before you travel and give them the dates you will be out of the country.

11. Besides the usual reason to not check luggage (eliminating risk of loss, not having to wait at the carousel), I’ve received a few battlefield upgrades at the gate because I was a solo traveler and had no checked bags. Both times, the agent was trying to reseat people so that couples could sit together in coach — so I got the opportunity to be upgraded because I was traveling alone but my not having checked bags is what “sealed the deal”.

12. Do lots of research and invest in a good piece of lightweight luggage.

13. When overseas, try to avoid restaurants that post photos of what their food looks like (normally on boards outside their establishment).

14. I learned about hotel status in general. I thought there was some kind of hotel paradox where all rooms overlooked the mechanical equipment.

15. I always travel with the Spibelt – it is meant for runners but works for anyone. It is a belt with a stretch pocket (made from Spandex & lycra). It is perfect for wearing with all of your pocket contents (keys, change, cash, wallet, phone, bluetooth, etc) so you can drop the whole thing in the TSA bin and then just pick it up when through. Wear it and take it to the gate to get organized again. Big time saver!

16. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – both the inside & out.

17. I learned that this is the go to place to get solid advice on credit card deals and review of mileage programs.

18. Wow, so many that I don’t even know where to begin…
    “How to Keep Your Miles from Expiring” is a guide I used to maintain my accounts and accounts for my families. “Booking Europe With Low Fuel Surcharges or Domestic US Flights With British Airways Points” came in handy when I needed to use my Avios to book my trip to Europe. “You Can Fly Singapore Airlines First Class on Points — Here’s How!” guide was helpful when I planned my trip, even though I didn’t get first class. And many more….

19. Too many valuable things to pick just one, so I;m gonna have to go with a top three here:
    1. HUCB!
    2. Carry the right tools, both the right cards for a given trip (no foreign exchange fees, lounge access, etc) as well as the right gadgets (Monster Outlets to Go is still a favorite)
    3. Check all tickets with the carrier directly, and for trips that are some time away, check back from time to time.

20. Kindness to others is important even (or maybe especially?) thousands of miles from home.

21. Double, triple, quadruple dip!

22. Double check before you leave!

23. My best tips would be: Always show kindness to your phone/ticket/gate agents and most of the time it will be repaid to you.
    Also, don’t cut connections too tightly. If you have a huge trip planned, build some space in just in case a flight goes mechanical you can still make it to your destination without loosing valuable time.

    Finally, always contact GM’s of hotels ahead of time and let them know you are coming. If things go wrong during the stay, you already have a rapport with them and/or more likely to be treated better if changes need to be made.

24. Best travel tip of all: Enjoy it! Enjoy the travel. Most People think the trip starts when you get to the destination. Wrong! It starts the moment you leave the house! Focus on enjoying the entire travel experience. A bad day flying beats a good day working!

25. I believe the best thing I’ve learned and the one I tend to always be careful of is how to value the points or miles against their cash value or real cost. Doing this always helps me to keep this ‘hobby’ under control, not going over obsessed, or not spending more of what I should, or just simply no wasting points-money-time.

26. The thing that I learned from this blog that has helped me (and, in turn, helped others) was your recommendation to include a compact power strip in my carry on bag. I cannot tell you how often this has helped in airports (at those “power trees” that still cannot really accommodate everyone’s electronics), hotel rooms and even in my office. I have probably helped the company sell a few, too, as whenever people see them, they want to know where they can get one.

27. Followed your advice and used my BA avios to book BOS-DUB on Aer Lingus for the Memorial Day weekend next year! Thank you!

28. I definitely spend too much time checking around for the best use of points, how I can use them most effectively and efficiently. But I’d say the one most important thing I’ve learned from your blog is the best use of points is WHAT MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST! Even if it’s paying 50K for a one-way last minute ticket home for Delta domestic first, if it means you get to be with the people you love, then it’s a job well done!

29. After hearing about credit card signups to get miles quickly, learning about stopovers, <24 hour layovers, and other lessons of United miles allowed me to take my wife on a honeymoon to the Maldives (with stops in Istanbul, Vienna, & Toronto) all in business class. Just one year ago I never would have dreamed all this was possible at such a low cost, but by using tips and tricks learned here we were able to take the honeymoon of our dreams!

30. I learned that SkyPesos is an insult to the Mexican currency

31. Hang Up..Call Back works like a charm..everytime

32. The collective contribution you have made to my miles and point strategy is to, over time, to develop a flow chart in my brain that enables me on the spot to decide which credit card is most useful for which purchase. This includes (1) avoiding foreign transaction fees on oversees purchases; (2) starting every online purchase with Evrewards.com and then getting the best bonus from online shopping portals; (3) meeting sign-up and annual credit card bonus spend requirements; and (4) choosing the appropriate card for (a) air travel (first comparing the airline itself offers with the triple points offered by certain cards for all airline travel), (b) gas, (c) office supplies, (d) internet and cable, (e) groceries, (f) hotels, (g) other travel and transit expenses, (h) electronics, and (i) department stores. In addition, I always keep an eye on temporary promotions that I learn about on VFTW, registering when necessary on the promotion’s website; purchase gift cards from office supply stores for regular purchases that do not yield multiple points or miles; and, when a purchase does not fit precisely in one of the above categories AND I have met my sign up or annual spend requirements, charging that purchase to my Starwood Amex card because the points offered are more valuable than those from ther cards. VFTW’s updates and repetition about these programs help reinforce the habit of always using the most advantageous card. They also keep me up-to-date on developments that might alter my strategy, and, after enough practice, have burnt this flow chart into my brain so that every purchase is now done on auto-pilot. Thank you for helping me develop and refine this system, and Happy Holidays!

33. If you’re going to make a hobby of earning and spending points and miles with credit cards, make sure you’re organized: (1) Develop a spreadsheet that includes the dates credit cards expire (especially if you intend to cancel cards after fee waiver windows); the annual fee, if any; the dates miles or points expire so as to renew them, if necessary, with a timely small shopping portal purchase; on which air alliances the points can be redeemed or transferred; the benefits offered, especially those that must be used within a given window; card numbers, payment due dates, user names, passwords and security codes; the amount of credit extended; and whether the card is churnable. For extra coverage and weekly updates on point and mileage totals, join Award Wallet. Always pay your bills in full before they are do,, and do not carry over balances. Finally, order your credit report and score at regular 3 or 4-month intervals to monitor possible fraud and errors.

34. The most useful things I have learned is that my wife could apply for a small business credit card for her home run business. I never thought of that until Gary pointed it out. Thanks Gary

35. This is one of very few blogs I follow every day. I can always expect useful, practical travel tips from you. For example, the post that advised on how to deal with holiday air traveling is very helpful. Thank you!

36. If you don’t ask, you probably won’t get.

37. The amount I’ve learned from this blog is immeasurable. Among the highlights:
    1. Hang up, call back (reaffirmed this for me).
    2. Value of the Chase Sapphire card.
    3. Price mistakes, which gave me awareness of FareAlert and the Tokyo Hilton pricing.
    4. Credit card churning advice.
    5. Use of credit card reconsideration line.
    6. Avios points: how to get and how to use.

    Related to #1, I’ve learned about the value of perseverance. Always keep trying…and trying different ways. And always check this website. It’s one of the first sites I hit each morning.

    And even bigger lesson–one that’s ongoing–is learning to deal with difference. Occasionally (not often!) I disagree with a tactic that Gary or another person might post. At first I’d feel furious. But in reading this blog, I’ve learned to try to understand the advocate’s position, as well as the position of people who disagree. What I’ve gained through this is bigger than an upgrade or frequent flyer miles or anything like that. Instead, it’s learning to live with difference, and learning to live in a democracy. We all benefit as a result!

38. Learned how to earn and learned that after earning, I should burn.

39. Learned to use the sandwich trick!!

40. Learned to check and make sure that my award ticket has really been issued.

41. I Use that power strip you recommended!! It’s pretty darned awesome.

    Oh and Thanks for the credit card offers. 😉

42. Learned how to use Avios for short-haul redemptions

43. Learned something that I now use not just for miles etc but everywhere else!

    HUCA.

    Hang Up. Call Again. 😀

44. Learned how to use stop overs to my advantage.

45. Learned to always have a credit card with zero forex on me.

46. Learned to get in touch with hotels before hand and ask for upgrades if it’s a special occassion.

47. Learned how to pack my bag. 😉

48. Woke up one morning and decided to check what you’d published…and learned that United had devalued their miles, and got busy burning my miles before everything got taken.
    _________________________
    And learned that if I divide my answers into multiple comments, I get multiple entries. LOL. 😉

49. If booking an award with travel on airlines other than the one being booked with make sure you get the confirmation codes for the other airlines to reserve seats or special meals.

50. Because of your blog, I’m able to not only take advantage of the points game (and I’m still quite new!) I’m also able to share the easy ones with my friends who are learning through me. BUT! The best one is that when I finally get enough points to do a big fancy trip, I know I can hire you to work your magic to get us there in first class while saving us time, money and points!