It’s rare that a oneworld alliance First Class lounge can compete with the powerhouse Star Alliance First Class lounges from the likes of Lufthansa and Thai but this lounge puts up a good fight. Introduction and Trip Planning LAX Oneworld First Class Lounge Qantas A380 LAX to SYD Economy Park Hyatt Sydney Part I Sydney…
About alex
Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook |
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
Three debit card options for international travelers
ATM and foreign transaction fees are the worst. These fees are especially prevalent and can be very high when traveling abroad. Even with a no international transaction fee credit card, I find inherit risk in using my credit card abroad in certain situations. As a result, I will often forgo the points and use cash…
Southwest schedule open now through the holidays
Southwest quietly opened up their schedule through January 5, 2014 which includes the often challenging end of year holiday travel! Most airlines allow new bookings around 330 days out whereas Southwest generally opens up their schedule around 90-180 days. The importance of this particular schedule opening is that it covers 3 of the busiest travel…
Upcoming free drink days when flying Southwest
A seldom discussed benefit while flying Southwest is free premium drinks days on Southwest designated holidays. All guests onboard a Southwest flight on the designated dates are offered one complimentary premium beverage, including alcohol. This benefit is rarely announced over the loud speaker and often requires a reminder to the flight attendants. There are four…
Martinis Down Under–Exploring Sydney
I had high expectations visiting Sydney, one of the world’s true globally connected cities. After six days in and around the city, I left with a wonderful impression and a strong desire to return. Introduction and Trip Planning LAX Oneworld First Class Lounge Qantas A380 LAX to SYD Economy Park Hyatt Sydney Part I Sydney…
Fun fact: Legacy change fees exceed average 2012 Southwest fare
There you go again…. “The Legacies” all followed suit this week raising the change fee on tickets to a whopping 200 USD. I can only imagine the Southwest marketing team is already hard at work making sure this change doesn’t go unnoticed by the flying public. As a reminder, the nation’s largest carrier of domestic…
Cathay Pacific First Class award availability is scary good in close…
Using miles for First Class is certainly a challenge for certain airlines ranging from “impossible” to “you still need some luck”. For example, I spent a good amount of time studying how Lufthansa opens up its First Class seats so that I could land two seats on their A380 from Frankfurt to Japan. Given the…
A truly bizarre diversion story
I was born into a traveling family and as such, family conversations quickly turn into travel tales. This one came up recently which I found truly bizarre. My father was on Delta flight 2022 on April 15th from Atlanta to Roanoke operated by an Airbus 319. They left a few minutes late as is common…
Weak hotel promotions are pushing me to Marriott
I am not a huge fan of the Marriott Rewards program. From my experiences, Marriott properties are the most consistent of any major chain…..and that bothers me a little. 80% of my goal in collecting hotel points is for aspirational stays and the remaining 20% is to save money. I use Marriott almost exclusively in…
Free status match to Southwest A-List for Colorado Residents
Through April 30, 2013, United MileagePlus Premier® and Frontier EarlyReturns Ascent or Summit members can get complimentary Rapid Rewards A-List Membership through a status match. The rules state members must have a Colorado primary mailing address in both their Southwest and matching program profiles. To take advantage of this elite status match, submit the following…
My favorite town featured on 60 Minutes…but don’t tell anyone!
I have been extremely fortunate to visit hundreds of different places across the globe over the last few years but no place had me hooked in a way quite like Marfa, Texas. I have never been able to properly articulate why I enjoy Marfa so much but I just do. I was mindlessly perusing television…
Easy way to find domestic widebody aircraft on AA
Most domestic travel within the US is served by single-aisle narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 737/757, MD-80/83, A319/320 which get you where you need to go but are otherwise boring. On rare cases, there exists widebody aircraft serving domestic routes for the purposes of repositioning international flights or for large cross country loads. Getting on…
Martinis Down Under – Park Hyatt Sydney Part II
After 5 days at the reef, we returned to the Park Hyatt Sydney for three more nights after having spent 2 previous nights which resulted in me claiming this may be the best Hyatt period. Part I covered most of the hotel itself so head there if you are interested. Part II will focus on…
Park Hyatt Chicago Hotel Review
As a Chicago resident the past few years, I have had the chance to visit several Chicago hotels. However I never had the opportunity to try to the Park Hyatt Chicago until now. I landed a good advance rate and used an expiring Confirmed Suite Upgrade to confirm into a Park Suite. The Park Hyatt…
Vanilla Reloads available for purchase online!
Purchasing Vanilla Reloads with a credit card can be a real pain since it requires you to find a store that has Vanilla Reloads in stock AND one that will let you purchase the reloads with a credit card. Some may recall Office Depot used to be an excellent source for Vanilla Reloads because not…
Chipotle launches at another DC Airport!
The Washington Metro Area’s busiest and most habitable airport, BWI, has added a Chipotle to the food court in the AB terminal serving Southwest and Airtran. This is the second airport Chipotle after the initial location launched at Washington Dulles. Locating the Chipotle The BWI Chipotle is very easy to find within the airport. Simply…
Martinis Down Under – Cairns Qantas Club Lounge
I wish US domestic lounges were like this. Introduction and Trip Planning LAX Oneworld First Class Lounge Qantas A380 LAX to SYD Economy Park Hyatt Sydney Part I Sydney Qantas Business Lounge Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Exploring the Great Barrier Reef Cairns Qantas Club Lounge Park Hyatt Sydney Part II Exploring Sydney Sydney Qantas International…
Martinis Down Under – Exploring the Great Barrier Reef
Beach, forest, and mountains meet in a beautiful, relatively unspoiled region. Introduction and Trip Planning LAX Oneworld First Class Lounge Qantas A380 LAX to SYD Economy Park Hyatt Sydney Part I Sydney Qantas Business Lounge Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Exploring the Great Barrier Reef Cairns Qantas Club Lounge Park Hyatt Sydney Part II Exploring Sydney…
Starbucks expanding loyalty program + Simple Starbucks Promotion
Starbucks, the company that seems to have us all addicted, is expanding its My Starbucks Rewards loyalty rewards program. Starting in May, stars can be accumulated for purchases in two new ways. The first is packaged coffee from grocery stores. The second is for purchases at Teavana stores. You can read more about the plans…
Martinis Down Under–Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas
After a brief 6 month hiatus (sorry!), the Martinis Down Under trip report picks back up at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas. Introduction and Trip Planning LAX Oneworld First Class Lounge Qantas A380 LAX to SYD Economy Park Hyatt Sydney Part I Sydney Qantas Business Lounge Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Exploring the Great Barrier Reef…