I primarily focus on economy flights, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself to fly in business class for not that much more in miles outlay. Today is such a day. My in-laws are thinking about going to Ireland next summer, so as a designated travel agent in the family, I did some investigating. The reason…

My  main tool in the “travel almost free” arsenal is credit card bonuses. But I am not opposed to other ways of getting miles and points, and even buy them on occasion.  Therefore the reason for this post. There are rumors that US Airways and American Airlines will merge on November 1st. This is not…

I am referring to my Chase Marriott visa. I have a real dilemma on my hands and have to make a decision soon. Last year I got Chase Marriott credit card mostly for the bonus. We got tremendous value out of it, booking award hotel nights for my parents in Moscow before and after their…

That really goes for all travel but especially with family. I usually say if 90 percent of things on the trip go right, I consider it a success. With little kids one really needs to lower it to more like 70 percent. You have a bigger chance of someone getting sick, more things being forgotten…

For those unfamiliar, reference to something Homer said on the show “The Simpsons.” I am not a big fan, but my husband enjoys it on occasion. Anyway, we recently  went as a family, in-laws and all, to visit Alberta and its national parks. We used frequent flyer miles for all 7 of us to get…

If you asked me, what is the worst thing about flying with a toddler, I would hands down say it’s the car seat. I can even put up with tantrums and diaper changes, but absolutely hate lugging “the beast” around the airport. When you travel with kids, you already are bringing more junk , than…

I wish I could say that all you need to do to travel well is sign up for a few credit cards. And voila, your whole family is  flying to Tahiti on award tickets in business class (BTW, almost impossible to pull off).While collecting bonuses is easier  than people realize and very lucrative, more is…