Happy Independence Day! I hope you all are able to relax and enjoy the holiday. Amex Membership Rewards Devalues Emirates Skywards Transfer Ratio: Both Citi and Amex have decreased the transfer ratio to Emirates. Will Chase and Capital One follow suit? See this post on One Mile at a Time.  Chase Pay Yourself Back’s Solid […]

On my recent trip to Asia, my daughter and I flew to China after spending 10 days in Japan. Shortly after arrival, we were in culture shock because there were so many things that were different between the two countries. One of the biggest differences that I didn’t pay attention to before the trip was […]

This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove It (Literally): Shanghai Disneyland Hits […]

This is the fourth installment  in my series of posts on our recent trip to South America. See my previous  posts Back from our family trip to Peru and Easter island: Bumpy start, awesome memories  , Flying in LATAM economy to South America and Easter Island and Layovers in airport-adjacent hotels: luxury attainable via points If […]

I’ve always been a big fan of Disney theme parks. As a kid, my family visited Disney World several times, and it was my favorite vacation. In my 20s, I had the opportunity to work at a Disney corporate office in California, and that experience only increased my love for the company. When I worked […]

Brutal: Virgin Atlantic Doubles Fees on Biz Class Awards, Raises Others: Per this post on Thrifty Traveler, taxes and fees on Virgin Atlantic awards are now higher, but not as high as they used to be. Ugh. Bilt Rent Day July 2025: This month, the big offer is 25%-100% gift card redemption bonus. I’m going […]