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Dining at Ze Maria in Fernando De Noronha, Brazil

On April 18, 2014 · 1 comment

in Brazil, Trip Reports

Just one small part of the buffet table at Ze Maria's Festival Gastronomico

I recently returned from a short trip to Fernando De Noronha, an archipelago of 21 islands about 220 miles off the coast of mainland Brazil, with my Brazilian-born friend Sergio. He and I found this remote natural paradise a perfect spot for scuba diving and quiet relaxation. I’ve so far shared… Read More

50% Off IHG Awards in Mexico, Caribbean, Central America – Book By May 3

On April 18, 2014 · 0 comments

in IHG Rewards

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This Sunday, IHG Rewards – the loyalty program of Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, etc. – is launching a 50% off award night sale at participating properties in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.

You must book between Sunday, April 20 – May 3, 2014 for stays May 1… Read More

My Starwood Ambassador Experience Has Ended and I Don’t Really Care

On April 18, 2014 · 14 comments

in Starwood

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At the beginning of 2012, Starwood updated their Starwood Preferred Guest program to include multiple perks for those frequent guests who stay for 50, 75 or 100 nights at their properties. Some of the perks which I have written about in the past were pretty cool, including updated amenity… Read More

10 Strategies For Organizing A Budget Trip To Rome

On April 18, 2014 · 16 comments

in Destination Edition

La bella Roma.

You might notice a change in the title of our destination series. While for the past two years we’ve been featuring a Destination of the Week with information on using miles to get there and points to stay at various hotels, we’re branching out and trying something new we’re calling Destination… Read More

The Ins and Outs of Reinstating Forfeited American Express Points

April 18, 2014

One of the greatest features of American Express Membership Rewards is obviously the point transfer feature. Of the 17 airline partners, nearly all (save the exception of Virgin America and Jet Blue) have a 1:1 transfer ratio, and on top of those there are dozens of other travel other partners in addition to hundreds of […]

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Fare Sale: Airfares to the Caribbean for ~$300 on US Airways and American

April 17, 2014

Thanks to a post on The Flight Deal, we’ve found some good economy airfare deals on US Airways and American from a few US cities to several Caribbean destinations with prices hovering around the $300 mark – some of the lowest fares we’ve ever seen lately! Most itineraries include a stop each way, either at US Airways’ hub […]

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Thursday Giveaway: 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles and Admirals Club Passes from Citi

April 17, 2014

When American Express Platinum cardholders lost access to the American Airlines Admirals Clubs and US Airways Clubs in March, the only cards that would get you into the Admirals Club were the Citi Executive AAdvantage World Mastercard (which comes with full Admirals Club membership) and more recently, the Citi Prestige, which just added Admirals Club access (not membership though) […]

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Earn 2x or 3x Starwood Points With SPG’s Earn Away Get Away Summer Promotion

April 17, 2014

Starwood’s launched its global summer promo today called “Earn Away Get Away,” and you can register to earn double Starpoints on stays at participating hotels and resorts through July 31, 2014 and triple points on stays that include a Sunday night (Saturday night for hotels in the Middle East). To be eligible for the promotion follow […]

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Airline and Hotel Invitation-Only Elite Status

April 17, 2014

We’ve covered elite status at various airlines and hotels, including series on American, Delta, United and US Airways, as well as hotel-program comparisons, and the ways in which airlines try to one-up each other’s elite strategies, but have you ever wondered if there’s something more elite than elite? Like the black card of hotels and […]

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Hotel Review: W Verbier, Switzerland

April 17, 2014

One of our picks for the top hotels to check out in 2014 was W hotel brand’s first foray into the ski resort world opened in Verbier, Switzerland, in December. TPG Contributor Casey Hatfield-Chiotti recently visited the town in the Swiss Alps known for some of the best off-piste (backcountry) skiing in the world and […]

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Amex Virgin America 30% Transfer Bonus Through April 30, 2014

April 16, 2014

It’s been a little while since we’ve seen an Amex transfer bonus, but  through April 30, American Express is offering a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin America Elevate points. Normally points transfer at the lackluster ratio of 2 Amex points to 1 Elevate point, but with this promo, you can transfer 200 Amex points […]

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Hanging at the Best Beach In the World on Fernando De Noronha and Touring the Rest of the Island

April 16, 2014

I recently returned from a short trip to Fernando De Noronha, an archipelago of 21 islands about 220 miles off the coast of mainland Brazil, and found this far-flung natural paradise (and UNESCO World Heritage site) a perfect spot for scuba diving and quiet relaxation. I’ve so far shared the adventures of my American Airlines flight to the the […]

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25% Starwood Points Discount and 30% United Miles Discount – Should You Buy Points and Miles?

April 16, 2014

There are two buy miles/points promos out there at the moment – one from Starwood and one from United – so I thought I’d cover in case you are thinking of using them to top up your accounts at a discount. Starwood 25% Discount Now through May 31, 2014, you can buy Starpoints at up […]

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Newark Airport AirTrain to Close May-July: Schedule Even More Time When Taking Public Transit

April 16, 2014

Over the past couple of decades, Newark has become one of the main hubs on the east coast, for better and for much, much worse. It does have a few things going for it – it’s easy to get there from New York City in a taxi for about the same price as heading to […]

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What Is A Bitcoin and Might They Be Useful For Travelers?

April 16, 2014

TPG Assistant Editor Melanie Wynne takes us through a quick history of the bitcoin and analyzes the future of this digital currency and whether travelers could take advantage of it in the future.  In the four-year history of the digital currency known as bitcoin, I’ve referred to it as the “LaserDisc of money” more than once, […]

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Buying Amex Membership Rewards Points from American Express – Worth It?

April 16, 2014

Today I was reading through the updated Membership Rewards terms and conditions that came with my Premier Rewards Gold card to see if anything new caught my eye and thought it would be good to do a refresher post on how you can actually buy Membership Rewards points and if it’s really worth it at […]

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Deal Alert: New York to Oslo from $407 Roundtrip and Other Scandinavia Cheap Flight Deals From Los Angeles

April 15, 2014

I’m a fan of travel disrupters (like Uber) and now Norwegian Air. The scrappy carrier is driving down fares with new cheap flights to locations throughout Europe to the US. It is shaking up the airline industry and has even prompted lawsuits from jealous competitors. Just this morning I saw a sidebar ad showcasing Ft. Lauderdale […]

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Will Alaska Airlines Adopt A Revenue-Based Mileage Plan Frequent Flyer Program?

April 15, 2014

The past year has brought some major changes to the frequent flyer program landscape, and most notably on how elite status will be earned from now on. Both Delta and United instituted new revenue requirements to qualify for elite status starting in 2014. While American and US Airways haven’t followed suit yet, probably thanks to […]

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Hotel Review: Ecohotel Teju Açu in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

April 15, 2014

During my recent trip to Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha with my friend Sergio, I stayed at the eco-friendly Ecopousada Teju Açu, which was recommended to me by some of our Brazilian friends. This independently owned boutique hotel is surrounded by vegetationBlueMile with a killer view of the island’s highest peak, the 1,142-foot Morro do Pico. It feels remote, […]

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BarclayCard Makes Changes To How Participation Miles Are Earned In The Travel Community

April 15, 2014

About a month ago I reminded readers to check out the BarclayCard Arrival Travel Community where Arrival cardholders and non-cardholders can earn bonus miles for sharing their travel stories, photos and advice with other users. While the miles that non-cardholders earn are not as valuable as those earned by cardholders since they cannot be redeemed for […]

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Paying Taxes With Credit Cards: 10 Scenarios That Might Make Sense

April 15, 2014

It’s Tax Day, and one of the questions I’m asked the most at this time of year is whether paying taxes with a credit card is a good way to rack up points and miles and if so, what credit card to use to maximize your taxes. It would seem like paying your taxes using […]

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Italian Court Cancels Emirates New York-Milan Route – Are Freedom of the Air Routes in Danger?

April 15, 2014

The airline industry is pretty competitive and there are a lot of routes that have seen increased competition in the past few years, including New York and Milan Malpensa. Last year, Emirates muscled in on it with a flight of its own and entered into direct competition with incumbents Delta and Alitalia (both of whom I […]

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Good Business Class Fares to Europe on SkyTeam ~ $2,000

April 14, 2014

Thanks to a thread on Flyertalk, we’ve found some good transatlantic business class deals on Skyteam partners with prices between $1700 and $2100, which are more common prices for coach seats (and in some cases lower than coach fares on the same routes!). These deals are pricing out on the ITA Matrix for itineraries of 7-10 days […]

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When Airline Social Media Account Goes Awfully Awry: US Airways Tweets Porn

April 14, 2014

Some airlines are better than others when it comes to social media, but American and Delta have really proven themselves to be leaders in helpfulness and customer response. Some airlines, however, are not so good. I recently needed help on a US Airways award to Australia, and when trying to get in contact with them, their phone lines were […]

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