The Traveler - Travel News You Might Use

Appreciate bamboo in the #Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch....

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:56:49 -0600

Appreciate bamboo in the #Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. Nice touch in dead of winter. @hyattstl @gmhyattstl @HyattPR @HyattConcierge

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:58:58 -0500

Source: dailymail.co.uk

CREDIT CARD PREFERENCES ACROSS THE U.S. These maps compiled by...

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:55:00 -0500

CREDIT CARD PREFERENCES ACROSS THE U.S.

These maps compiled by Litle & Co. show which credit cards are used in various regions of the U.S. It appears that Discover is not commonly used in Hawaii.

SpringHill Suites Louisville Airport Photos

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:17:16 -0500

I was very impressed with this hotel. The accommodations and service were top-notch. The lady at the front desk called my room later in the day to see if everything were okay with the room — a pleasant surprise and something I had not experienced before in a SpringHill Suites.

If you’re going to Churchill Downs for the day, this hotel is very close. Though it’s also near the airport, I didn’t notice the sound of aircraft.

Some photos below taken with an iPhone 4:

As talk of a merger between American and U.S. Airways continues...

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:46:08 -0500

As talk of a merger between American and U.S. Airways continues in the media, American Airlines released this video, “I Believe in American.” It certainly elicits nostalgia and a hope that American Airlines will pull through.
I like the silver planes too!

Can't decide which Hawaiian island to visit?

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:55:31 -0500

Head over to Go Visit Hawaii for an excellent infographic, “How to Pick the Perfect Island for Your Hawaii Visit.”

World's Top 10 Airlines for 2012

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:32:52 -0500

Skytrax’s World Airline Awards™ are voted on by travelers from over 160 countries in the world’s largest airline passenger satisfaction survey. The top 10 are below:

Qatar Airways
Asiana Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific Airways
ANA All Nippon Airways
Etihad Airways
Turkish Airlines
Emirates
Thai Airways
Malaysia Airlines

To see rankings for other carriers, click here to visit the Skytrax site.

Historic Hotels Worldwide, a new website devoted to historic...

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:08:02 -0500

Historic Hotels Worldwide, a new website devoted to historic hotels in Europe, Asia and Africa, is now live.

If you enjoy historic properties as I do, you’ll appreciate this collection of hotels, castles, chateaus, palaces, villas and other historical lodging properties.

When I visit a location within the U.S., I first check the Historic Hotels of America website to see if there are any historic hotels at my destination. I have found that these historic properties provide a much more memorable experience than staying at one of the major chain hotels. Each one is truly unique. I have fond memories of returning to the Jazz Age-era The Brown Hotel in the middle of a cold winter and finding hot apple cider in the English Renaissance lobby.

Historic Hotels Worldwide™, a program of Preferred Hotel Group™, is dedicated to promoting heritage and cultural travel to prestigious historic treasures. Historic Hotels of America, a Preferred Hotel Group brand, is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Can one insect prevent you from a good night's sleep?

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:53:00 -0500

On my way to Churchill Downs recently for a day of racing, I stopped for the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Bloomington, Illinois. I was pleased with the room and check-in staff, and was glad to find a ceiling fan in the bathroom (anything to drown out sounds from the corridor when I am trying to sleep).

Unfortunately I encountered an insect on the wall next to the bed, and my first thought was, “What other creatures might be in here?”

I then closely checked the mattress for bed bugs since insects were now on my mind. There were none of course. Granted, Bloomington is surrounded by farmland and its indigenous insects, but this was the first time I encountered an insect of this kind in a Marriott hotel room.

I am hesitant to blame one insect, but I proceeded to have a sleepless night. In fact, I hadn’t slept that poorly in a hotel room since staying at a Days Inn years ago in a room that reeked of cleaning chemicals and had some school group making noise throughout the night. That was the last time I stayed at a Days Inn.

I have stayed at other Fairfield Inn properties before and slept well, so I can only speculate that this insect entered my subconscious and prevented me from entering REM sleep. I feel extremely lucky to have driven five hours the next day without falling asleep at the wheel.

Have you had a sleepless night in a hotel room? What caused it?

THE WALLABY CARD On a recent trip when I suddenly decided to...

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:36:00 -0500

THE WALLABY CARD

On a recent trip when I suddenly decided to stay at some Marriott properties to take advantage of their summer promotion (5,000 points per weekend stay), I sadly realized I did not have my Marriott-branded credit card with me. As a result, I ended up missing out on some extra points for my stay. Had I carried the Wallaby Card, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

The Wallaby Card allows you to combine all your points- and miles-earning credit cards into one, perfect for those who like to travel lightly. Let’s say, for example, that you have the Hyatt credit card, which offers three Gold Passport points per dollar for stays at Hyatt properties. You can set up your Wallaby Card to automatically select your Hyatt credit card when you make a transaction with Hyatt. You can easily imagine the same scenario with your airline credit cards.

Applying for the card does not require a credit check because you are not opening a new account. It is simply an “advanced cloud-based digital wallet that stores the information about each of your existing credit cards and automatically picks the best card to charge in each transaction, based on your preferences.”

The Wallaby Card seems to be a great way to maximize your points and miles. I look forward to trying it out and will provide a review after spending some time with one.

Take a look at the short video above for more information or click here to visit Wallaby Financial.

NOTE: The first 1,000 people to sign up will receive lifetime free memberships and the next 5,000 will receive 12 months free.

You’ll see that Marriott has various promotions because they are targeted to specific...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:05:00 -0500

You’ll see that Marriott has various promotions because they are targeted to specific members.

I’m taking advantage of Marriott’s 5,000 points for Friday and/or Saturday stays in order to acquire enough points for five free nights in Hawaii.

You can often find a Marriott property for less than $99 a night. Spend a little money now in a lackluster location and eventually you’ll have enough points to go somewhere interesting.

Are you taking advantage of any of these promotions this summer?

Hilton and JetBlue at top of customer satisfaction survey

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:15:00 -0500

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index™ ranks Hilton and JetBlue at the top on a scale of 1 to 100. Readers, do you agree/disagree with these findings?

Click here for the complete results of the survey, including restaurants and consumer shipping.

2012 North America Airline Satisfaction Study

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:15:00 -0500

The results of the J.D. Power and Associates® study are here.

Do you agree with these findings? What has your experience been when flying?

TRADITIONAL

Among the best
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air (Award Recipient)
Air Canada

Better than most
Delta Air Lines

About average
American Airlines/American Eagle

The rest
US Airways
United Airlines

LOW COST

Among the best
JetBlue Airways (Award Recipient)
Southwest Airlines

The rest
Airtran Airways
Frontier Airlines/Midwest Airlines
WestJet

For a breakdown of the criteria used to generate these rankings, click here to visit the J.D. Power and Associates site.

Simplify travel starting this fall with Passbook for iOS6

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:33:00 -0500

Apple announced yesterday a new feature coming to its mobile software this fall. Called Passbook, it will allow you to store your boarding passes and loyalty cards in one place and see your reservations.

Because Passbook is time and location enabled, when you arrive at an airport, your boarding pass will automatically appear with a scannable code as shown in the example below.

There have been times when I was sitting at the wrong gate waiting for departure due to an inaudible announcement of a gate change. Passbook will alert you to these gate changes. Unfortunately the airlines’ own texts don’t always arrive on time so I hope Passbook provides more timely notifications.

This will be a great way to stop carrying plastic fobs on your key ring or full-sized plastic cards.

To cut down on the credit cards you carry while traveling, check out my post on the Geode™.

Hotel Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:53:00 -0500

Passing through St. Louis on a recent weekend, I decided to try out the DoubleTree hotel in the Westport area. The hotel sits just off I-270 and provides ample free parking as well as a complimentary airport shuttle.

Check-in was a snap with a front desk associate who was friendly and efficient. She offered me a warm cookie which I thoroughly enjoyed in my room.

(I imagine some guests start gobbling their cookie right there in front of the check-in desk because it is quite good, but I find that inappropriate.) A great cookie may not seem like much when choosing a hotel, but this small gesture leaves an impression after traveling all day.

I have my Hilton HHonors® profile set to automatically request a room on a high floor away from the elevators and was pleased to find this request was fulfilled. I checked in to this clean room.

Room temperature is controlled via a wall-mounted thermostat. The walls also held some interesting artwork.

Now let’s take a look at the bathroom. The hotel’s toiletries are by Crabtree & Evelyn.

The star of my stay was this simple chair (well, the cookie was a star too). I’ve had a bad back ever since trying to move a sofa when I was a student. I had about five hours of work to do and this was the most comfortable chair I have used yet in a hotel room. If I know I’m going to be working, the chair alone is enough to bring me back here.

I booked a breakfast package and found the morning buffet to be full of variety and quite tasty. Scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, french toast, various meats, cereals, etc., are all available. The tables are nicely spaced so you can enjoy some privacy while dining.

I checked out without incident and was on my way with a well-rested back and memories of a good cookie.

Dine out often? Feed your need with these credit cards that earn double points or more on dining

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:43:00 -0500

All the credit cards below offer double points when dining out with the exception of the Citi Forward card, which offers five points, and the Sony Card, which offers three points. Click an image for more details on a card.

Annual fee: $0

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Annual fee: $0

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Annual fee: $95/$0 for the first year

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Annual fee: $0

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Annual fee: $50 after adding the Restaurant Pack to this ZYNC card

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Annual fee: $75

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Annual fee: $95

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Annual fee: $85/$0 for the first year

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Annual fee: $395

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Annual fee: $49/$0 for the first year

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Annual fee: $0

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Annual fee: $0
This card provides double miles on your first $3,000 in restaurant spending each year.

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Annual fee: $60

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Annual fee: $59/$0 for the first year

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The MTV® Visa® Credit Card

Annual fee: $0

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:45:00 -0500

Check out this collapsible luggage from Road Warrior. This...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:18:29 -0500

Check out this collapsible luggage from Road Warrior. This would be extremely useful when staying in small quarters.

Leave your credit cards at home when you travel with the Geode™ digital wallet

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 13:15:00 -0500

Imagine losing your credit card or cards while traveling, or having your account information stolen electronically by someone 10 feet away.

With iCache’s Geode™ digital wallet for the iPhone, you can securely store credit, debit, loyalty and membership cards all on one device. Your information is protected with a genuine fingerprint scanner.

The best way to understand how this works is by watching this video.

The Geode sells for $199 and you can purchase it here from the company’s website.

This is an exciting product for travelers who like to carry as little as possible.

I expect consumer interest in the Geode to increase significantly once the dimensions of this fall’s next iPhone are known.

Smart Chip Credit Cards for International Travel

Thu, 31 May 2012 16:31:00 -0500

Below we present a list of credit cards with embedded smart chips. These chips make your international travels easier when trying to purchase from a location that does not accept credit cards with magnetic strips.

You can continue using the magnetic strip while in the U.S., and if necessary, make chip-based purchases in Europe and Asia.

Have you run into a situation when you needed to make a chip-based purchase? Please share your experience below.

The United Nations Federal Credit Union also offers the Visa Elite credit card to UN staff and family members.