I fell in love with Costa Rica last year when my husband and I visited the country for the first time. I can honestly see why so many Americans choose to retire there. Beautiful landscapes, varied wildlife and most importantly, super friendly people. I’ve never felt so welcome as a visitor and no, it wasn’t […]

Forget everything you’ve heard about the Caribbean. Saba island is different. This isn’t good or bad, it’s just the way it is. There are no true beaches to speak of, and it looks more like Kauai than a nearby island of St. Maarten. Reportedly, Saba was the inspiration behind Skull island from 1933 “King Kong” […]

I always thought that Comic Cons are for weird people. Like, really weird. Before we had kids, my husband mentioned that he was always curious about Star Trek conventions, but was too embarrassed to actually attend. The only thing even remotely close to a comic con in Belarus was some sort of “Lord of the […]

Most of us in the miles and points community are in a privileged position where taking an extra flight (or two) is quite doable. Even if our family budget doesn’t allow it, I usually have some spare miles that I can burn without regret. That being said, due to various restrictions, my ability to generate […]

Last week I wrote a post about my “adventures” booking award tickets to Europe while using Avianca Lifemiles program. It appears that they finally fixed the browser issue, and search is now working for everyone, not just those who were crafty enough to download Firefox on their desktop. Well, at least until another weird problem […]

Back from Japan: a life-changing experience JAL business class vs. Delta premium select (review of our flights to/from Japan) Japan sightseeing and transportation logistics for the lazy and/or mobility-challenged  Why you should consider renting a machiya during your family vacation in Japan  If you can only stay in one city in Japan, make it Kyoto […]