The other day I was reading “Islands”, my favorite magazine. I mentioned before that it has substance and not just the pretty photos and ads. Anyway, they had an interview with a guy who moved from US to Taiwan and became a tea monk (yes, it’s a real thing), or tea-cher, as he calls himself.
Here is what he said, and I quote: ” Tea is the way I communicate my wisdom and understanding of the world. I write books about tea, paint tea inspired art, do tea-ching meditation. Or I watch other people do it.”
I thought to myself, what a nut ! But then I had a revelation. It’s not that different from what I do. Let’s replace the word “tea” with “points”: “Points and miles is what I discuss with people. I write posts about points, constantly think about points. Or I watch other bloggers do it.” Not all that different, eh? I think to normal people on the outside, it looks just as crazy.
That’s partially why I decided to cut back on the number of sites I read. At some point, I will probably write a post duplicating another blogger unintentionally. But that’s OK. I am not competing with anyone and have nothing to prove. Plus, I don’t want to end up becoming a “points nun”.
Trip report.
2004, San Francisco
My all time favorite city in US, edging out even New York. Hi, Kendra from Points and Pixie Dust blog, who just happens to live there! I am so jealous, other than the constant threat of earthquakes and ridiculous real estate prices. We were only there for 1 night, and I wish we could have stayed longer.
I have always wanted to go to Japan and it just never worked out. But I feel like I got pretty darn close to that culture by visiting San Francisco. It’s full of Asian influences, with people doing tai-chi in the morning and restaurants, where, for many their first language is Japanese, including the customers.
Of course, we did the obligatory stuff : riding the trolley(fun!) and visiting Fisherman’s Warf ( a bit touristy). I was surprised by the number of homeless people. They are everywhere! It’s very sad, of course. In a typical San Francisco fashion though, even the homeless are creative. One had a sign saying “Please, give me money for hookers and booze”. My husband said, he felt kind of bad for not giving it to the guy who was just asking for food. I don’t mean to make light of the whole thing, just telling you our story.
The hotels are a bit expensive, but you can usually hunt down a deal through major travel sites or stay on points. Our hotel only cost 65 dollars per night, though was located across the street from “massage” parlor. Overall, our visit was quite memorable and I can’t wait to go back.
Miles and points
1) Good post on FTG (the blog) on Marriott and different stackable promotions HERE
2) Check out this post from Milenomics on Priceline tips and tricks HERE I don’t generally focus on Priceline in this blog because it doesn’t work well for a family of 4 or 5, but there are times it might make sense.
3) I highly recommend this post on The Deal Mommy about Skyauction and ways to score condos for only 35 dollars per night in popular family destinations, like Orlando. A great deal for families. Read it HERE
4)Via PFDigest, if you live in CA, OR, WA, or NV, you may want to consider the Marukai JCB card, which gives 3% on almost all spending. I thought, this card was discontinued, but apparently not.
5) An updated list of IHG stackable bonus codes from View from the wing HERE Absolutely register for them all if you have an IHG stay coming up. I have a post next week on how we earned 19000 bonus points from just a one night stay.
6) Another hotel-related bonus from Club Carlson. Stay 3 nights, get 38000 points. I would do it only if you have plans already, or one night short of qualifying for the promotion. Not worth a mattress run IMO. Register HERE
7) You can now use AAdvantage miles for US Airways flights and vice versa. Read a post HERE on Frugal Travel Lawyer.
8) Chase Southwest Visa bonus is officially increased to 50000 points. I mentioned this card a few days ago before it started paying me, but now I can actually vouch for the bonus being honored. Currently, the only version that pays me commission is the one with a 99 dollars annual fee. I imagine, eventually they will add the other versions but if you need to apply for one of them right now, I recommend you go to Million mile secrets blog and use his link.
9) Not family related, but if you are familiar with this industry, check out this hilarious post on Big Habitat HERE , specifically the second part, where yours truly is mentioned. Something tells me, this anagram was conceived by Big Habitat author’s diabolical mind and not online generator. 🙂
P.S. A special encrypted message for Big Habitat only. Team Nick! Shake… and Bake!
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Kendra, I can’t wait to go back to San Francisco! I’ll contact you for sure!
Let me know when you are in town next time! We could have some crazy adventures for sure.
Bighabitat, thanks for stopping by! Your blog puts a smile on my face and not the crazy kind. I like the MFF acronym. Catchy! Like MMS, but without the bow tie and way less affiliate money. As far as being on Team Nick, my allegiance is very fickle and can be easily bought (wink wink). And “Shake and bake” reference, I have no clue what that means. I just saw you mention it and figured it was some special code language, you guys use.
MFF, thanks for the mention, even if you sided with Team Nick! And Shake & Bake? Is that a catch phrase or epilepsy?.