As correctly (and quickly) guessed by readers yesterday, I am pulling out the winter coat and heading north again for summer. Each trip I take inspires the next. Last year I made it up to a respectable 71 degrees North to chill with a Polar Bear in Barrow which inspired me to go further north.…
Trip Reports
Category Archives for Trip Reports.
Can you guess this last minute award booking?
The 4th of July holiday falls on a Wednesday this year which creates an interesting situation for weekly business travelers. In my line of work, a 3 day minimum at the client site is the general rule to justify the expenses of travel. After some deliberation this week, my boss let me know he would…
Journey to Easter Island – Trip Motivation and Planning
I often use metrics like ‘Cents Per Mile’ to try to evaluate my decisions for using points and miles. While there is utility in doing such, the truth is that points and miles are really just a silly game to me. My goal in collecting and redeeming points is not to save money I would…
Don’t Make This Mistake – Air France Codeshare TGV Train
Last week we booked the TGV train to catch the Air France A380 flight from Paris to Washington DC. The train ride was top notch. We fly Delta often and thought that since the TGV train was a codeshare with Air France, that we’d earn Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles, bonus miles, segments, and base miles.…
Air France Paris Lounge – Part 2 Journey To SMD4 Launch Event
We only had a two hour layover in Paris before catching the A380 to Washington DC. So we headed straight for the Air France lounge after we got off the TGV train. Thanks to being able to print all of our boarding passes at the Air France ticket counter in the train station, we didn’t…
Konnichiwa Japan – Final Thoughts
In this Final Thoughts post I’d like to recap five simple awards tactics used to make this trip special. Trip Report Introduction and Trip Planning Japan Airlines Economy From ORD to NRT Westin Miyako Kyoto Exploring Kyoto Day trips from Kyoto Park Hyatt Tokyo – Part I Park Hyatt Tokyo – Part II Exploring Tokyo…
AF Codeshare TGV Train To Paris – Part 1 Journey To SMD4 Launch Event
During a prolonged gaze out the window of a high speed train, we caught a very small glimpse of the region between Brussels and Paris. The short look at the countryside was just enough to reinforce our travel approach. We always try to make the journey part of the experience. Our recent trip on the…
New Delta 767 Lie Flat Business Class Seat
Delta is currently in the process of rolling out their new business class lie flat seat. We’ve been lucky enough to try these seats out for ourselves and are happy to share a few quick pictures and initial thoughts on the product. Don’t worry, a full report will come soon, even down to whether the…
Konnichiwa Japan – Exploring Tokyo
I have to admit it was tough leaving the incredible retreat that is the Park Hyatt Tokyo but we did manage to get out and spend some time exploring the massive metropolis of Tokyo. Trip Report Introduction and Trip Planning Japan Airlines Economy From ORD to NRT Westin Miyako Kyoto Exploring Kyoto Day trips from…
More free Gogo Wifi from Points, Miles & Martinis, Delta, Gogo and Amazon
This is dangerous, and please don’t tell Mrs Weekly Flyer, but you can shop for free online at Amazon while flying Delta. Delta Airlines has partnered with Gogo and Amazon to bring you free wifi onboard when you shop at Amazon.com. Get Online And Shop For Free All you have to do is select the…
You Know You Have A Travel Problem When…
I boarded the first flight of the day contemplating my current and upcoming travel schedule. It dawned on me that the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. Some of the reasons one might have a travel problem appeared on the itinerary for the next few days. You Know You Have…
Rain Or Shine Let Us Swirl And Savor The Wine
The weather in Atlanta has been fantastic the last few days. A slight breeze, fresh air and sunny skies for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. The weather has accentuated what a great location Atlanta is to celebrate Southern food, wine and hospitality. The weather has taken a slight turn today. But a little drizzle…
Breakfast + Cocchi Spritz Happy Hour – Atlanta F&W Festival Style
Good morning from the Second annual Atlanta Food & Wine festival. If you like Food or Drinks, you should be here for the weekend festivities, food, cocktails and fun. We shared a little of what to expect at the event. But this morning has already exceeded our expectations with a strong start in the Connoisseur lounge at the…
Turks And Caicos + Luxury Traveler’s Choice Hotel Trip Report
With wedding season coming up and having just attended a wedding in Clearwater Beach, we thought we’d share the last destination wedding we attended. Since Alex likes lists so much, we looked up the hotel we stayed at on Turks & Caicos and found it was on the 2012 traveler’s choice luxury list for the…
Atlanta Food And Wine Festival – Delta Offers Elite Access To Tasting Tents
Southern food, beverage and culture will be on display this weekend in Midtown Atlanta. The annual Atlanta Food & Wine festival is coming to town and bringing out a collection of great Chefs and Mixologists. There are cooking classes, dinners, events, tasting tents, and my favorite of all, cocktail lessons. Soak up some southern food,…
View From Clearwater Beach And A New Way To Travel
Check out the views from Clearwater Beach, Florida. If you’ve never been to Clearwater Beach, it is a sleepy beach town on the west coast of Florida, not far from Tampa and St Pete. We shared a sunset photo and a reader was real close with a St Pete beach guess. While Alex is living the…
Sunset – Good Night World
Sometimes the perfect sunset can be enhanced by the bright rays of the sun. Other times, like this one, a friendly cloud comes along to provide cover. Any guesses where the sunset photo was taken? Sign up to have blog posts sent directly via email, join us on Twitter and Facebook or check back with…
Coming Up On Points, Miles & Martinis
We thought it would be helpful to provide an update on what’s coming up here at Points, Miles & Martinis since you’ve probably noticed a slight slow down in our posting lately. As I briefly mentioned in my last post, we’ve been preoccupied but will get back to a normal posting schedule very soon. Below are some…
Konnichiwa Japan – Day trips from Kyoto
One could spend 30 days exploring Kyoto and never get bored. However, being this was our first trip to Japan, there were a few day trips from Kyoto we simply couldn’t pass up. The two that we decided would be most meaningful were Nara and Hiroshima. Both were incredible experiences and definitely worth the trip.…
Konnichiwa Japan – Exploring Kyoto
I can confidently say Kyoto is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I would certainly include it in my top 5. For over 1000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan. As an American, that concept is extremely tough to grasp. Walking through today’s Kyoto you can’t help but appreciate the incredible…