When American Express refreshed the personal Platinum Card, they added several new statement credits to help justify the $895 annual fee. One nice perk for existing cardholders was that these benefits kicked in right away—before the new annual fee went into effect at the account renewal. Most of the new credits didn’t excite me much. But one of them caught my attention: the…

Full disclosure - I live in the United States which is considered a developed country (at least from an economic POV). And until maybe 10 years ago, the only countries I had visited for more than a few hours were also developed ones. Canada. England. Australia. Japan. France. You get the picture. It wasn't until we went to Cuba in 2016 that I had my first taste of a developing country (previously known as a ‘third world country.’ They don’t use that term anymore — it’s considered offensive.).

Bilt’s roster of transfer partners has grown fast—some are even exclusive to Bilt. So I pulled the whole list and sorted them by usefulness, not just headline “sweet spots.” If a program lands in Mid or even Low, that’s not a dunk on the program; it’s a signal that most travelers won’t use it often. Could a niche program still be your MVP?

When you're on a plane and waiting to take off, the reasoning the flight crew gives for any delay is typically pretty vague. Weather. Something mechanical. Something happening at the airport. "Lots of planes wanting to take off at the same time." But they never go into very much detail. And I get this. I mean, the more passengers know, the less of the nitty gritty they may understand.

Ladies, this is mainly for you, but guys, this actually could potentially help you, too, if you have a manspreader next to you while on a plane. Manspreading. It's been happening for eons, but only in the past couple of years did it get a name and even its own Wikipedia page. By definition, "manspreading" is, 'the practice whereby a man adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat.' Although manspreading can happen anywhere, it's a behavior that's commonly spotted on public transportation.

While searching for flights to New York, I noticed something that reminded me why I hardly ever book round-trip award tickets these days. JetBlue reminded me of something I already knew: booking one-way flights is usually better than booking round-trip tickets. If you use an award search service like Point.me, you can only search for one-way award flights. Here's why they do it.

Hotel guests steal stuff from their rooms ALLLLL the time. So much so that Wellness Heaven, a Germany-based luxury and spa hotel guide, once surveyed 1,157 hoteliers to find out what their guests stole, who (in terms of nationality) stole what, the most bizarre stolen goods, and the theft preferences of those in 4 star vs. 5 star hotels. …

When my wife Sharon and I travel to a big city, we try to depend on mass transit whenever possible. It saves us from paying hotel parking fees—often astronomically high (here’s why they charge so much)—and it’s better for the environment. One city where we almost never rent a car is New York City. We can easily get from the airport to our hotel using a mix of train, subway, and rideshare if needed.

Most people are aware, at least somewhat, that different cruise brands fulfill different niches. Disney Cruise Line, of course, is well known for catering to families and Disney fans. Virgin Voyages is adult-only. Carnival tends to be known as the "party ship." Holland America tends to cater to senior citizens. Royal Caribbean has adventurous activities on board, such as iFly, go-karts, and Flowriders.

In the thirty-plus years my wife Sharon and I have known each other (Note from Sharon: holy crap, it HAS been that long!), we’ve traveled together a lot. Over time, we’ve learned countless tips and tricks—many of which we’ve shared here—that make our trips smoother and more enjoyable. But of all the things I’ve learned, there’s one simple question that’s helped us more than anything else.

Every points collector has that one unforgettable redemption — the booking that reminds you why you play the game. Over the years, I’ve scored some incredible ones, from luxury flights halfway around the world to hotels during major events that would’ve cost a fortune in cash. Sure, people say the days of “amazing” redemptions are gone. Award charts have disappeared, availability is tougher, and dynamic pricing has made things unpredictable.

Note: This post contains useful information about large-scale upcoming events that are based in politics. It’s meant as a way for our readers to plan their travels this Saturday and is not political commentary. We don’t care which side of the political fence you lean on, who you voted for, or what you think of any government entity. Politically charged comments to this (and any other) post, regardless of whether it’s left or right leaning, will not be approved…

Most hotels and resorts are intended for any age group. Others are made for family fun. The Nickelodeon Hotel & Resorts (which has a one-of-a-kind Spongebob Squarepants villa that is, yes, shaped like a pineapple) is a good example of the latter. But some hotels and resorts are purposely made with only adults in mind. Ones where they can explore activities such as nudity, erotic photoshoots, free porn channels, and swinging.

When you're on a road trip, the last thing you want is for something to happen to your car. Unfortunately, that very thing happened to my husband Joe and me (click here for all the gory details) while we were on our way home from a cabin in Georgia, where we stayed for a few days. From my Facebook post during that time:

I booked a room at The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport for my wife, Sharon, as an overnight stay during her 25 for 25 JetBlue trips. She was arriving late—around 9:00 p.m.—and had a 6:00 a.m. flight the next morning, so she spent less than eight hours at the hotel. Even so, she still managed to take some photos for this review, so I thank her for her sacrifice.

I was looking for a flight between Miami (MIA) and Austin (AUS) and found a nonstop option on American Airlines that fit perfectly with my schedule. The cash price was $106, which is pretty cheap — but flights like that can also be a great place to find discounted award tickets. American AAdvantage American priced the same nonstop flight at…

We've all been there...you board your plane, and are going somewhere nice and warm, so you're dressed for where you're landing. Probably shorts and a T-shirt. As you get all settled for your 3-hour flight, you notice it's a little chilly inside the plane. But you figure it's because the passenger door is still open, it's cold outside, and the air from outside is blowing in.

We’ve had Sirius and/or XM subscriptions in our cars for over a decade. Needless to say, when we’re renting a car for a road trip, we want to bring our radio stations with us. That used to mean searching the rental lot for a car with a working satellite radio—or paying the rental company for the add-on. (For example, Alamo still sells SiriusXM at $5.99/day, $24.99/week, or $49.98 max for 30 days.) Why This Is Basically a Non-Issue Now SiriusXM lets subscribers stream through the SiriusXM app on iPhone/Android and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in most newer rental cars.

While I'm still in the midst of my 25 For 25 flights, I've wound up having to stay at hotels here and there. My husband, Joe (he's the other half of our Your Mileage May Vary travel blog), is the one in charge of hotel reservations in our house. I could do it - I did it myself for years, before we were married - but he's the travel geek and I'm lazy.

The cruise industry is definitely having a moment, as it grows by leaps and bounds. I mean, take these statistics into consideration: By the end of 2025, an estimated 37.7 million people will have cruised, up from 34.6 million in 2024. In the past 2 years, 31% of passengers were first-time cruisers 82% of cruisers plan to take another cruise…

When I casually mentioned the Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts World in our post about staying at the Residence Inn near JFK, I thought it was a throwaway line. Then two Hyatt Globalists chimed in—with conflicting answers—about whether the Hyatt has an airport shuttle. Suddenly, a simple detail turned into a mini-research project. And honestly? The fact that experienced travelers and reviewers don’t agree says it all about how unnecessarily confusing this is.

Through the years, many places – and I mean MANY places – have taken to charging for parking. Here's why. And there's probably no place more indicative of that than Las Vegas. Funny thing is, just a couple of years ago, that wasn't the case. In fact, as recently as 2023, free self-parking was relatively plentiful. But those good old days are long over.

While planning my wife, Sharon’s, “JetBlue 25 for 25" trips, I fell down a fun rabbit hole. I was searching flights for her and noticed that Buffalo–JFK clocks in at about 90 minutes. My first thought: the whole flight stays in New York State. That’s not technically true—planes usually overfly bits of New Jersey and Pennsylvania on that route—but it’s still a New York-to-New York flight.

For years, my go-to card for international travel was the Chase Sapphire Reserve. But after canceling it earlier this year—well before the annual-fee increase and upcoming category changes—I had to decide which card to bring on our latest trip: a visit to the UK, followed by a cruise to Amsterdam, Belgium, and France. I needed a card that didn’t charge…

The London Underground, also known as the Underground or simply the Tube, is the rapid transit system serving Greater London and some of its more outer, adjacent areas. Why Accessibility Matters on the London Underground The various stations of the Underground have been built (and subsequently rebuilt and/or expanded) throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Some are significantly more accessible than others, with escalators and elevators for those who aren't able to walk multiple stairs up and/or down.