Last year I wrote about my very mundane travel routine. It was really about sharing what most of my travel is like, as well as providing a window into the minutiae of how I think about my travel day. Very ritualized, very much ingrained habit. I don’t write about most of my trips because quite frankly they’re boring. I don’t have the wry sense of humor about travel that Ben has. There aren’t that many lessons to be gleaned from a trip out to Phoenix, Chicago, or Denver. I fly more boring domestic segments than first class international ones, but I write about the first class international trips. Some readers get the impression that’s how I travel most of the time, nothing could be farther from the truth. “My So-Called Travel Life” is a good…
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Best Solutions for International Phone Calls While Traveling Abroad
International phone calls: I’ve been searching for a new international calling solution. My old throwaway cell phone died. My old favorite SIM card that was useful in several countries seems to be giving me fits. While I’m perfectly happy making calls via Skype (and that’s still the cheapest way to call out, less than 3 cents a minute to the US), my wife is less than happy with the call quality. Plus it’s not a great solution when you’re out and about without internet, or for people who want to call you who aren’t themselves going to be online when doing so. So it’s not enough. Backing up a little bit here, I Skype all the time — for work or to make calls when abroad. I don’t mind it at all, and I always…
Studying at 36,000 Feet for the Mile High Club
Long-haul flights can be tedious, but they’re also a great opportunity for uninterrupted education, at least if the multimedia offerings can hold your interest. On Qantas, apparently, the video on demand system allows you to learn improved sex techniques (HT: Sam S.) A documentary about the female orgasm is now available for viewing on all of the carrier’s international flights, reports news.com.au. The French film, “The Female Orgasm Explained,” seeks to show the intricacies of the female orgasm and features old pornos, graphics and sound effects. According to a Qantas spokesperson, the documentary is the most popular selection on in-flight channel The Edge… Apparently flight attendants can block this from the inflight entertainment systems of unaccompanied minors. I understand that Cathay Pacific offers similar instruction, albeit not through their CX World entertainment system.
Delta 100% Bonus on Purchased, Gifted, and Transferred Miles
Through September 30, Delta is offering a 100% bonus on purchased, gifted, and transferred miles. Only accounts that have been open for at least 10 days and have earned at least a mile are eligible to receive miles this way. They want to avoid folks opening accounts just to take advantage of the offer, for instance as a conduit to ‘buying’ discounted business class award seats such as on Air France when folks aren’t otherwise ‘real’ members of the Skymiles program. With the buy miles option, you’re purchasing miles at 1.75 cents apiece plus 7.5% tax (so about 1.9 cents apiece). That’s more expensive than miles purchased from US Airways under their similar 100% purchase offer. The mileage transfer option is better, it’s 1 cent per mile transferred and that means at a 100% bonus…
Where the First Class Award Seats Are
When I redeem my own awards, my strong interest is in international first class travel on better airlines. Sure, I’m on the East Coast and so Western Europe is fine in business class. That’s transportation. But the beauty of miles is that they can deliver aspirational rewards, the kinds of experiences I would never be in a position to pay for out of pocket. But thanks to miles and points, getting there can be part of the trip experience too, not just something to ‘get through’. Now, I should say that I (1) pay attention and accumulate a lot of miles, and (2) am redeeming for only two people, myself and my wife, this would be harder if we were traveling with kids (both because they aren’t usually ‘doing their fair share’ to earn the…
Delta Releases Animated Rendering of New JFK Terminal 4
Delta has released a new Youtube video, an animated rendering of their new JFK Terminal 4 project. The main terminal itself looks great, clean lines, high ceilings, plenty of light. Roughly speaking it reminds me of an Asian airport. We’ll see what it looks like in practice, how the materials hold up to use, and how well it’s treated by my fellow New Yorkers (I no longer live there, but I’m still a New Yorker). The concourses themselves though don’t look nearly as nice, much lower ceilings, although anything new in New York is bound to be an improvement. Some of the marketing copy in the video, though, just seems to set expectations a little bit too… high “We’re investing $1.2 billion of renovations and innovations that will turn JFK into a state of the…
Hyatt Picking Up 24 New U.S. Hotels, Including 4 That Actually Look Pretty Good
Via Alan, Hyatt is acquiring 24 hotels. Now, 16 of the properties will become Summerfield Suites, and that interests me not at all. Sure, I suppose more properties that earn Hyatt points is a good thing, and especially at the inexpensive end of the spectrum when one needs a mattress run to maintain elite status or during a faster free nights promotion when two (cheap) stays earns a free night (at an impossibly expensive high-end property). But Summerfield Suites doesn’t excite me. What does interest me is that they’re picking up 4 Avia Hotels, the Napa property looks like where I’d probably stay when I’m in the area and it’s great that I’ll get status recognition when I do. I don’t know that I’ll get out to their Savannah, Long Beach, or Texas properties but…
How to Convince People that Frequent Flyer Programs Are Worth It
This piece does a ‘He Said, She Said’ on the value of frequent flyer programs. The proponent of the programs says they’re like free money on the sidewalk, pick it up for things you’re doing anyway. The argument against is that you may not get what you want, and it takes effort to pay attention. Shockingly, coming from where I’m coming from, I think the proponent has the better end of the debate, in each case he lays out a reasonable answer — you may not fly a lot but can get miles from all sorts of things besides flying, the miles aren’t hard to track when you use a free online tool like Award Wallet, the seats you want may not be available on the airline attached to your mileage program but the seats…
Celebrating Tom Stuker’s 10 Million Flown Miles on United
Lots of stories the last several days like this one leading up to a true milestone for frequent flyers, Tom Stuker’s flight yesterday from Los Angeles to Chicago where he flew his 10 millionth mile on United. The comparisons to George Clooney in Up in the Air are everywhere, but Clooney was earning his miles from all sources (and in the book, which I read on a transcon flight in 2001 and which bore no relationship whatsoever to the movie, he was only after 1 million miles). I’ve earned that many myself. But Stuker’s 10 million are actual flight miles, logged with a single airline over the past 30 years. His first 5 million miles took 20 years, his second 5 million took only 10 years (so he was averaging 500,000 flight miles a year…
Should I Bother Collecting Miles on this Flight?
I’ve long advocated, nay, begged people to sign up for frequent flyer programs even when they don’t fly very much or when they’re flying a carrier that they don’t normally travel with. I tell them that they might eventually get something from the simple act of joining and submitting their account number, if not right away then it’ll eventually accumulate. Goodness knows I don’t stay with Marriott often but surprisingly enough registering for their current stay twice get a free night promo meant that I received a free night, which I’ve already redeemed for an upcoming stay… … on a trip where I find myself questioning the very lesson of “always claim the miles.” I need to buy a flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui. Sure, I could fly Thai Airways and earn miles on…
