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!
I always make sure to bring photocopies of my important travel docs + credit cards, and also leave a copy with someone not traveling with me so that they can assist if there’s an issue that comes up and I can’t access what I have with me.
Always carry a power strip
Best travel tip: Don’t fear the math. Starting with very simple tools like an google docs spreadsheet and your basic travel information and goals will help you double check loyalty programs and also will prevent you from spending more to fuel your travel habit (bad) but spending more wisely to fuel your travel habit (good)
I find there’s always time while taxiing to throw the relevant trip data into my google spreadsheet but that might just be due to O’Hare’s long taxi
I really enjoy the occasional financial analysis and strategic insights, in addition to the ton of travel advice.
Applying for the 50,000 point personal Alaska Airlines BofA Visa and the 25,000 point business version in one churn will get you enough points for a one-way Cathay Pacific first ticket to South Africa with a long stopover in Hong Kong.
Using British Airways avois to book short-haul AA domestic flights are cheap. Really need to have some flexible points to transfer. It’s a shame to lack a little bit more points but too expensive to buy at that time.
Following your blog is most important, then being patient with booking the flights you want so as to upgrade to business or higher. With AA, you can take a downgrade at first and wait it out so when the seats you want open up, you get the better seats.
I carry a decoy wallet when traveling abroad, filled with irrelevant or expired cards. Not only is it a lifesaver in preventing someone stealing your money/important documents, but mentally it just makes me feel less paranoid when out and about (and thus actually enjoying where I’ve gone!).
When there are disruptions on my award tickets and I need to be reaccomodated, if there are good options with other carriers I always try to get rebooked on them instead. It almost always results in full mileage earning on the new booking.
Going on a ski trip? You can leave your skis at home and rent when you get to your destination. But, ALWAYS bring your own boots.
Your advice for which credit cards to use for different purchases has helped me tremendously to maximize my points earnings. It snowballs from there to give me great trips to locations around the world where your advice still contributes to satisfying trips!
Take plastic cable ties AND fingernail clippers with you to the airport. The ties can quickly be added to bags that have to be checked at the counter or, if overheads are full, at the gate. They don’t stop someone determined from getting into your bag – but you will know it has been opened.
And the clippers are to be able to open the bag at your destination.
Always pack liquids in plastic bags to prevent spillage.
By far, the best tip I’ve gotten from this blog is the Southwest 50K point signup bonus plus the companion pass. Between my girlfriend and I, we are on our way to 200K points min, plus 2 companion passes. We’ll now be able to travel with my two daughters free (with all our points or cheaply (essentially half price) for the next year and a half or so. Since I recently booked a lot of super-cheap international trips for the coming months, I’m looking forward exploring the U.S. for the remainder of 2014 and 2015. As if that were not amazing enough, we’ll both have enough points to make WN A-List Preferred which gives us Priority Check-in/Security, Priority Boarding, Standby Priority, Free WiFi, and a 100% on all future points earning. Thanks Gary!!!
I have learned how to search for redemption seats by using the United and ANA websites for Star Alliance business class tickets! Thanks Gary!!!
The best advice I ever got from this blog was how to apply for credit cards and earn air miles, without hurting my credit score. I’ve traveled so many amazing places for free that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise afford.
the most useful thing I’ve learned from this blog: Saving Money on Foreign Currency Transactions!
Always carry a power strip. 🙂
Always call your credit card companies to alert them that you will be using the card abroad!
This tip you publicized here (http://viewfromthewing.com/2012/06/01/oneworld-treats-passengers-better-during-irregular-operations-when-connecting-on-separate-tickets/) about irregular operations on separate tickets involving AA and/or oneworld carriers was a LIFESAVER!
I booked two separate legs (AA & KA) with separate FFPs (due to insufficient balance): one with AA miles, the other with CX miles. I am so glad I read your post and saved it for reference because as (bad) luck would have it, my KA flight was delayed, causing a misconnection at PEK. The AA ground staff (third-party) were telling me that I would have to make a new booking until I showed them this rule and they checked with “headquarters” – who confirmed this and offered me a hotel and a seat on the next flight. Otherwise, I probably would have had to make an expensive, last-minute full-fare money booking.
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!
When flying overseas and checking a bag, always assume that there will be a 1 day delay between the time of your arrival at your destination and the arrival of your checked bag. Pack your carry-on accordingly.
For years I collected miles on airline programs, most often AA. I used my AA credit cards to collect several million miles over a decade. And I got some nice trips out of those miles.
However, you taught me the error of my mileage earning ways! Flexible points cards are SO MUCH MORE USEFUL than merely putting miles on my Citi AA cards. I’ve gotten tremendous benefit from my 2 Chase UR rewards cards. Tons of points and tremendous flexibility. The Park Hyatt Vendome is calling my name! Also thanks to you, I’ve used a new Amex Starwood to great benefit for collecting points and transferring to programs of my choice.
Regardless of whether I “win” something in this contest, I really do want to thank you for showing me how to not only get more miles but much more useful and thus valuable miles from my Frequent Flyer efforts. 🙂
Travel advice. When I travel,I got the extra large zip lock baggies (these are much larger than the ones for food).I pack all my clothes in them and it makes it a snap to unpack at the hotel.I keep my clothes in the bags in the drawers and it also safeguards against bedbugs and other bugs,as well.
If you’re late to the airport and the check-in agent says that you’ve missed the 30-minute cut-off, don’t bother yelling. Instead, ask for a gate pass (the agents will usually give that to you) and if you can get to the gate within 15 minutes of take-off, the gate person will often get you on the flight. This has saved me more times than I’d like to recall. Of course, check in before you get to the airport, so that you already have your boarding pass.
I have learned so much from being a daily reader of your blog so it is hard to pick the single best piece of advice I have learned. My tip is to “do your research” – the time spent doing it is half the fun of the trip itself. Going forward I hope to fully enjoy the blessing of this “hobby” by remembering that it is indeed a “blessing” and not a “right”.
Best advice/thing I’ve learned: It never hurts to ask! Upgrades and free drinks abound…
Best travel tip–spraying saline solution in your nose during a flight. The bottles are OTC and under the 3 oz rule and the simple act does wonders in keeping you feeling fresh on a low humidity airliner.
Use credit cards without foreign transaction fees. When I was first traveling abroad I didn’t realize they existed but now save money by using cards that have no fees.
Best travel/credit card advice: if it’s not posted on this website it doesn’t exist!!!!
The single best piece of advice from you Gary is to diversify my points balance. The possibilities offered by Avianca, British Airways, Alaska in addition to those provided by transferable points, really do open up the world of hard to get to places! And as a bonus, in this year of multifarious devaluations, provide a good hedging strategy.
The best thing I’ve learned form this blog is if you have an Amex Platinum, always route through Dallas and hit up the Centurion Lounge!
Best thing I’ve learned from the blog is how important it is to Diversify your holdings and to burn what you earn relatively quickly. This is especially important with all the recent devaluations (Hilton, United, etc.)
Best thing I’ve learned here, could also count as advice: always be willing to look at other mileage/point programs besides your default status frequent flyer and guest programs. Otherwise one would miss out on offers through USDM, Lifemiles, even ANA MileageClub for short distances.
Another great thing I’ve learned from the blog….You can be greatly rewarded for being creative. Portal Bonuses and promo bonuses can greatly increase you points without too much work and a little creativity!
The travel power strip that you have mentioned several times is a great tip!
A great piece of advice i found was when traveling to a foreign country, have the steward/stewardess write the name of the hotel in the native language. This way you can show the driver and make sure you get to the right place.
When calling to book award travel, research all the flights ahead of time via the best alliance site (e.g. ANA for Star Alliance), and then lead the call with the agent to get exactly the flights and times you want.
Best travel related tip: always carry wet wipes! You never know where that seat and tray table has been before.
When you get a phone representative who is not helpful, hang up and call again.
Advice- always keep a travel umbrella in your luggage. I can’t count the number of times I had to buy an umbrella when I got to a city without a rain jacket and it started raining.
Fortunately, that means I have umbrellas for each of my bags now
Even though the value of a mile is arbitrary, Look at your spend patterns to see what you get vs Cashback. With international Business class going on sale so frequently you might get better value with Cashback vs Miles.
Travel light; there are many things you don’t need to bring and can buy on the ground.
There’s one tip that, if implemented, can INSTANTLY improve anyone’s travels (and life).
It’s simple, yet incredibly difficult at the same time. But those who master it reap the rewards for the rest of their lives.
Here it is: Do not waste your mental and emotional energy on the things you cannot control.
Flight delayed? Bags lost? Terrible service? Missed connection?
In 100% of these cases, life goes on. The sooner you internalize that and learn to approach these situations with calm rather than panic, the better your travels will be.
Gary, you were a great example of this on your recent DFW weather debacle. Keep calm and carry on, etc…
It’s amazing how many flyers — even seasoned travelers — throw tantrums that help nobody when things don’t go their way.
This blog, unlike many others, promotes a balanced approach to earning and burning miles that is sustainable over the long term. This rational, pragmatic approach is truly what sets VFTW apart–more than any single credit card bonus or award loophole.
Dont put all your eggs in one or few baskets. Diversify!
For the coffee lovers… Remember to drink coffee at your usual times, taking into account the time zones shifts. A few hours after missing your scheduled dose the caffeine withdrawal symptoms start to set in.
“best travel-related advice”
Read “VIEW FROM THE WING” of course!
Sit on the left side of the airplane. Many (admittedly older) configurations have an extra airbag on the right side for lap children but not on the left. Thus, you avoid having to sit next to infants. I suppose I could check out the configuration ahead of time to be sure, but I just have internalized a “sit on the left” rule.
I will leave a specific travel tip from a trip I took to Puerto Rico last year. First, PR is an AWESOME trip for Americans because it is close, fairly cheap, and you get an experience that can feel foreign but without all the hassles.
My tip is to rent a car and explore ALL areas of the island. Do not limit yourself to San Juan and a day trip to the rain forest. A short drive west will lead you to the Arecibo Observatory – an awesome experience that takes you through twisting mountain roads and off the beaten track areas. Continue on to the lighthouses of the west and southwest portions of the island and stop for a quick hike in the dry forest before visiting ponce on the south side. I highly suggest you plan and drive to the highest natural point in Puerto Rico, a somewhat scary 1/4 mile drive up is required, or you can choose to hike it, and the views are spectacular. San Juan and the area has a lot to offer, but in case you didn’t realize it, PR has a ton to offer once you check out all the other options.
Hang up and call again! The stories of success after making multiple attempts to ticket a complex ticket really are a powerful lesson. I managed, on the fifth attempt, to add a segment to a UA award involving VS that was ticketed prior to the merger when VS was a CO partner. There was no good reason is couldn’t be done, and I finally found a good agent who could make the change!