Queer and There

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My Best Advice: Form a Habit Loop

by Harlan 8 Comments

Also see: 

Cue-->Routine-->Reward

Cue–>Routine–>Reward

Without a doubt, one of the best ways to earn points is to take advantage of category bonuses. Another way is to shop online through a shopping portal. But at first, you have to train yourself to always be maximizing.

My habit loop

For Cue–>Routine–>Reward, I have:

Point of purchase–>Card selection–>Extra points at the end of the month.

It’s insanely simple to learn, easy to apply, and effortless to keep up after you practice it for a while. But the hardest part, like making any new thing a habit, is starting up.

It takes about 2 weeks of focused effort to make something a habit.

Another way to think of “point of purchase” is “any time I grab my wallet/purse/credit card”.

For card selection, I think:

Where am I?

What category is this?

OK, use ______ card.

For example:

  • Grocery store / Groceries / Chase Freedom (this quarter) or Amex EveryDay Preferred
  • Staples / Office supplies / Chase Ink Plus
  • A Hyatt hotel / Travel / Chase Hyatt Visa
  • A gas station / Tas / Chase Ink Plus or Amex EveryDay Preferred
  • Restaurant / Dining / Chase Sapphire Preferred (will be Chase Freedom though April-May)
  • Local boutique / General shopping / Right now, the US Bank Club Carlson Visa or the Barclays US Airways MasterCard because they’ve both given me spend bonuses
  • Anywhere, when I’m meeting minimum spend / Doesn’t matter / The card I’m meeting the spend on – this one overrides everything else, as meeting minimum spend is the exception to all rules

For any online shopping, I do the same thing, except I check a couple of portals for the highest payout. Before I pull my card out, my habit loop is to both find the portal with the highest payout and to use the best card for the purchase (the Shop Through Chase and Barclays RewardsBoost portals have always been very good to me).

<3

<3

It all adds up. 

I find myself thinking, often, “Oh, it’s only a couple hundred points.” But for all the times I think that, those few hundred points start to add up to thousands. And with 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points, for example, I can really start to use those in a significant way.

Other habit loops

You can apply the same simple formula to literally anything.

  • Working out more
  • Waking up earlier
  • Eating healthier
  • Establishing a routine/time management
  • And even to earning more points

It’s amazing how much humans are creatures of habit. Something like 90% of our typical day is all things we’ve learned as habits. That’s why habits are so ingrained. But old habits can be replaced, and it’s really not that hard.

Identify the cue, alter the routine, enjoy the reward. 

With regard to our hobby, the reward is more points. More points equal more trips. More trips mean more memories. More memories lead to rich lives.

Bottom line

It took me a solid month when I was first starting out and filling up my wallet to set the intention to focus on which card I used.

My go-to was the Chase Sapphire Preferred for a long time. Then it was the US Bank Club Carlson Visa. Then the Amex EveryDay Preferred. I had to make a system for myself to avoid confusion, and within that system, I realized I had the tools to work smarter instead of harder – and to increase my points balances at the same time.

I enjoy healthy points balances while I am earning, then I burn them. It’s part of having a goal in mind.

For the master of habit loops, check out Charles Duhigg’s website and also his book, “The Power of Habit“.

What other habit loops are useful for travel? I would also love to hear about other internal systems and mental tools regarding our hobby.

Analyzing Analytics (and really loving it)

by Harlan 3 Comments

Intro ramblings

I have a few really disjointed thoughts that I’ve been wanting to make cohesive for some time now. I am here today to tell you that they are still not cohesive, nor are they taking any particular form, but I want to write them out anyway.

My favorite blogs are the ones where I can feel the emotion behind the blogger’s post. Writing from the heart is always the purest, and I’ve never been one for banging out posts just for the heck of it (although I agree I could use some discipline with regard to my blogging). A blog I’ve been loving recently is Healthy Crush. Jenny’s tone always strikes something so completely… right… that I find myself nodding along, glued to every word. Reading her posts is fun for me, because I can tell she writes from the heart. And I want to do that, too – my own version of it, of course. (Shoutout to Jenny, another Brooklyn blogger! #BK4Life)

With regard to travel, I’ve always loved reading Rapid Travel Chai. The passion comes through. And the photos…! Stefan is a passionate traveler, and I love reading his takes on unique places in this big world.

More ramblings

With Out and Out, I want to talk more about the destinations I visit, how I get my points, and how I use them – instead of hypothetical uses (although sometimes it’s fun to dream about where you can go with points!).

I have more than enough points for another RTW trip right now. More points than time to do it. So I’m limited to short jaunts. I’ve also been working like a maniac and have been gifting a lot of trips to my friends with my own points and miles. I still kinda feel like I’m always “proving” the value of points and miles within my circle, and what better way than to send someone you love on a free trip?

I will say that the manufactured spend landscape, the one that is growing more dismal by the day, has been discouraging – especially in New York City. I can’t load up REDbird, Serve is getting limited, PayPal cards are still possible but certain CVS locations give me a hard time, etc. But I focus on the positive, and do what I can. Something else will pop up soon enough.

Category bonuses have been a boon. Gift cards from office supply stores, dining on one card, phone bill on another, unbonused spend on yet another. Portal bonuses, order as much online as possible, along with some lucky targeted bonuses, have combined to keep my points balance relatively high. (All things I covered in “How to Keep It Going” in my “NEW?” series.)

And now, analytics

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My Best Advice: Stay Scrappy

by Harlan 8 Comments

Also see: 

Stay Scrappy

Stay Scrappy

scrap·py

ˈskrapē/
adjective
  1. consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts.
    “scrappy lecture notes piled up unread”
  2. NORTH AMERICAN informal
    determined, argumentative, or pugnacious.
    “he played the part of a scrappy detective”

I’ve always liked the idea of a signature sign-off phrase. Something like, “Stay class, San Diego!” from Anchorman, but, you know, mine.

I’ve read a few articles lately about grit, getting gritty, and what gritty means. I like all of the concepts – mental toughness, determination, stick-to-it-iveness, but the word “grit” just doesn’t resonate with me for some reason.

A word that does is scrappy.

Get scrappy

This doesn’t mean combative or mean, but it does mean to stop letting people push you around – something that took me a long time to really understand. It means to stand up for yourself, and it means to live life with a certain willingness to make it through any situation. But how do you get it?

Like anything, you can teach yourself. It’s nothing more complex or simple than a mindset. It’s giving meaning to a word and then resolving to embody the meaning of that word. It’s imbuing intention into your actions. And it’s putting new actions into places to replace old actions – forming a new habit loop.

In the travel industry, and with regard to our shared passion for travel, it means so much more than that, though. Our common thread here – why you’re here, why I’m here – is travel. Being scrappy with regard to travel is a step beyond “go go go.” You must go to a place when you can, but when you get there, you must remain open to change. If you’re not changing, you’re not progressing. Progress, learning… it’s all change. A little bit every day.

Scrappy in this regard – what I consider it – is having the gumption to look out for yourself, to put yourself into situations that require real critical thinking, and to come out fighting (in a good way) on the other end. It’s prioritizing your travel goals and doing what it takes to check off items off your list.

Stay scrappy

Buy those mistake fares, burn those (Sky)miles, and be willing to rearrange your schedule to suit your decisions. With us, it’s choosing to put travel first, to make career and lifestyle decisions because of it, even to design everything around the intention to travel as much as possible. Those are bold choices, and anything bold will have naysayers. But us scrappy folk know when to listen and when to press on. That is an inherent quality of scrappiness.

  • It’s staying playful and exploring with a sense of wonder.
  • It’s having your own style of approaching new opportunities.
  • It’s staying cool when plans change.
  • It’s also being a little feisty and being willing to test new waters (like manufactured spending).

I love Urban Dictionary’s definition:

“Someone or something that appears dwarfed by a challenge, but more than compensates for seeming inadequacies through will, persistence and heart.”

Bottom line

I’m trying to focus on the positive connotations of the word “scrappy” and meditate on it a little. I’ve often come here to work out my ideas about travel, and this is another one that I’d like to continue working on.

However, even in what feels like a semi-formed state, it’s something that I do consider to be “my best advice”. And dissecting semantics is always such a personal thing, anyway. But whatever the word means to you, do that and be that. Or, if you need to, like me, find a word that has meaning for you. And then embody that word. For me, “scrappy” meant more than “grit.” And when I’m in a situation (that I put myself in) that requires a hard decision, diamond-hard toughness, or calling on my inner strength in a really big way, it’s become my mantra to myself.

So I’ll sign off with that: stay scrappy. And as always, thank you so much for reading.

Do you have a word or phrase that keeps you focused? Do you feel like travel pushes your boundaries as a person (and isn’t it great)?

New Hyatt Promotion with American… Interesting

by Harlan Leave A Comment

There is a new Hyatt promotion whereby they are offering 100,000 AAdvantage miles and a 3-night stay at either Ziva or Zilara all-inclusive resort.

To enter, you simply send a tweet with a link to the promo video, and the hashtags #HyattAllIn and #HZEntry.

The promotion has been open since February 17th and ends on March 10th, so you still have some time to enter – but not if you are a resident of either Florida or New York (hmph).

Here is a link to the complete rules of the promo. And here is my tweet that you are welcome to copy and/or modify if you’d like to enter (and feel free to follow me to Twitter, too!):

Why this is interesting

American is the only legacy airline left that doesn’t have a hotel partnership.

  • Delta is with Starwood (and sometimes Hilton) – all 3 are linked because of American Express
  • United is with Marriott (and deserve each other IMO) – and are linked because of Chase

And American doesn’t have a hotel partnership yet.

Hyatt + American would be a dream come true for me, as I love Hyatt hotels, and am partial – for now, pending further changes – to American.

After the merger completes, American will be the biggest airline in the United States. And Hyatt is far from the largest hotel chain. Their imprint is tiny compared to American’s network. American needs a hotel partner with a similarly large imprint. The obvious choice would be Hilton: they are both linked to Citibank (and to American Express, kinda) and both do not have existing partnerships.

But this Hyatt + American promo is interesting because:

  • 100,000 American miles is nothing to scoff at
  • The implication is that American will fly you to the Hyatt resort
  • This is their first promo together (that I can remember)
  • It signals that they are open to partnerships, which is exciting

In fact, in the linked YouTube video, Hyatt put a little note to American at the bottom of the video’s description: Special thanks to our friends at American Airlines. How cute!

Bottom line

Not only is this a great promotion to enter if you haven’t already (it requires just 1 tweet, and the limit is 1 per day), but it interests me highly because Hyatt and American are starting to work together.

Realistically, we won’t see any changes to American – period – until after the merger completes, but after that, I plan on bracing myself for a whole spate of rapid-fire announcements, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this partnership is in the mix.

Good luck to those who entered the promotion! Would a Hyatt + American partnership be of interest to you? Do you think it’s a good idea, or would Hilton be a better choice?

Lunch at Muriel’s Jackson Square in New Orleans

by Harlan 3 Comments

Muriel’s Jackson Square, 801 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA

(504) 568-1885

www.muriels.com

Every time I go to New Orleans, I make sure to stop in at Muriel’s Jackson Square for lunch.

The first time I went to Muriel’s was in 2011, when I was in New Orleans for a birthday trip. It’s near a few voodoo/magick shops (Voodoo Authentica, French Quarter Gem and Lapidary, Esoterica – I like all that stuff), and after exploring for a few hours, was ready to grab some lunch.

It’s on the “northeast” corner (NOLA is kinda tilted, like Manhattan, but even more so) of Chartres and St Ann. What got me in was the lunch special… and the $4 lunch special martinis. Seeing that was like catnip, especially after coming from New York, home of the $16 martini.

On my recent trip to New Orleans, I went to Muriel’s again to continue the lunch tradition. It was as good as ever, even at the height of Mardi Gras madness. I wanted to share it with you guys.

Menu

Table at Muriel's

Table at Muriel’s

They focus on Southern/Cajun classics. It’s one of those places where everything on the menu is good – seriously, order anything, you can’t go wrong. I was really in the mood for catfish during this trip (had a catfish po’ boy and a couple other catfish dishes), but this one was unsurprisingly the best I had.

Here’s their lunch menu:

Muriel's lunch menu (click to enlarge)

Muriel’s lunch menu (click to enlarge)

They use high-quality ingredients and the dishes have huge flavor – lots of spices and richness and unexpected combinations. I got the Blackened Mississippi Catfish and my partner got the Crawfish Etouffee. The prices for the entrees are reasonable, especially considering the level of service they offer.

Blackened Mississippi Catfish

Blackened Mississippi Catfish

I love the presentation. And of course I had to get a round of dirty vodka martinis. They are delicious.

Martini

Martini

The menu is extensive and the food is delicious, which is important, but it’s all the other stuff that I love about this place.

Service and decor

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Atlantic Terminal Target no longer accepts credit cards for REDbird reloads

by Harlan 16 Comments

Well that was fast.

Last night, 2/14 (V-Day), I went to load up my brand new REDbird at the Atlantic Terminal Target store.
All things REDcard... except credit card reloads

All things REDcard… except credit card reloads

The employees have definitely been trained to look out for these cards and reloads.

Here’s what happened

So I went in, went and got in line at the normal registers just like last time, and presented my REDbird (REDcard). The cashier glanced at it and instantly dismissed it. “You have to take those to Guest Services.” Ugh. Started to get a bad feeling then.

So I went over to Guest Services, as instructed, and again presented my REDbird card.

 

“Are you trying to pay with a credit card?”

“Yes.”

“Cash or debit only.”

“Oh, but I loaded it here just last week with a credit card.”

“It’s a new rule. Cash or debit only,” the cashier repeated.

“But I can still load it with a credit card at other Targets.”

She rapidly shook her head. “All stores are cash or debit now.”

I knew that wasn’t correct, but who knows what sort of information she’d been fed. I didn’t press her any more, and left.

The upshot was that:
  • The cashiers at this location are trained to look for these cards now
  • It is indeed cash or debit only
  • I wouldn’t waste my time trying here again
  • This is a huge missed opportunity for us New Yorkers as it’s already a barren wasteland for manufactured spending
  • It’s really disappointing to lose this opportunity so early on
  • Unless you travel often to other places that have a Target store, you are better off using Serve instead of trying to play with REDbird

But why?

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*Gay gasp!* IHG says I can stay local for Set Your Sights promo

by Harlan 4 Comments

Pardon me if this post sounds incredibly naïve.

But I was under the impression that for the IHG Set Your Sights promo that I would have to go to a different state to complete it.

Now it seems I have a choice. 

This morning, I got an email:

They know

They know

What the hee-haw?

I’d assumed that my recent acquisition of the IHG Rewards Select credit card would not count toward this promo because I used a targeted email from IHG and not the link that was on the promo page – which I assumed was coded with a tracker that would link back to the promo. Well, you know what they say about assumptions…

Resigned to completing the other 3 out of 4 requirements, I quickly saw that I’d have to trek to Connecticut to play this round.

But now I have the choice.

CT vs NY

Ha, I will in no way debate the pros and cons of those two places, don’t worry.

But now I could simply check into the Holiday Inn Express here in Brooklyn – with a daily rate of ~$85 a night – and save myself a whole heap of cash… but lose out on 12,000 IHG points.

Screenshot 2015-02-14 11.21.20

Tempting

~$405 total

~$405 total

The only hitch right now is that my upgrade to Platinum hasn’t been applied yet, and I don’t even have the card in hand. If those two things were in place, I think I’d just go ahead and pull the trigger on this… and the rates when those two things coincide with each other might be very different than $85/night.

The other thing is that I will miss out on 12,000 IHG points by staying local. But then again, I just got 2,000 points for opening the card (that I wasn’t expecting) and my bonus was 10,000 points higher than the offer in the promo… so there’s my extra 12,000 points right there.

Now it’s just a matter of how crazy for points I want/can afford (with money and time) to get, how the rates change, and when my upgrade will be applied.

I was also kinda sorta curious about experiencing the EVEN brand but I think I can wait until they launch their NYC flagship location. If I had to. 😉

Bottom line

IHG is watching! And now I can choose whether to go to Connecticut and get 12,000 extra points or stay in NYC, get less points, and save money.

I’ll wait until 1). I have the card in hand so I can meet minimum spend and earn 5 points per dollar and 2). my Platinum status upgrade is applied. I want that 50% bonus!

I’m having fun with this promo and getting more familiar with a new (to me) program. And, in a bigger picture kind of way, it seems like mattress running is becoming the new mileage running (going after segments as opposed to miles flown if that makes any sense). Until hotels go revenue based too, of course.

Has anyone else been mattress running with the new IHG Set Your Sights promo? Worth it or nah? 

Should I go to a different state for my IHG Set Your Sights Promo?

by Harlan 4 Comments

A new (to me) program

A new (to me) program

AKA how crazy should I be to get some points? 

IHG is rather new to me, so I’m really open to pretty much anything with regard to the Rewards Club program.

I know the Set Your Sights promo is personalized, and, given that I have no paid stays for the past couple of years, or status, or anything, mine is pretty dismal:

My IHG Set Your Sights promo offer

My IHG Set Your Sights promo offer

But I gotta start somewhere. I am hoping that the next one will be a little more… favorable, but when I break this down, I can complete 3 out of 4 in one fell swoop… it just involves going to Connecticut.

Running the numbers on the promo

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To Selfie or Not to Selfie?

by Harlan 4 Comments

Pre-departure champagne for your thoughts?

Pre-departure champagne for your thoughts?

Philosophical-type post ahead – about selfies in blog posts. Run now if this ain’t your thing.

Way back when, about a lifetime or two ago, I worked in corporate America.

I built relationships with people, primarily via phone and email. Sometimes the relationships grew to a point where I was talking to people several times a day on the phone. We helped each other; I knew the tone of their emails and could decipher their mood by the sound of their voice. In short, I felt like I got to know them.

Every once in a while, I’d try to find these people on LinkedIn or Twitter and was always kinda disappointed when I couldn’t find a picture of them. I wanted a face to put to the voice on the telephone, and to the person behind the emails.

Why I selfie

I like selfies in blog posts and think that, in general, it is a good thing:

  • Readers get to match a face to a voice
  • I feel like it promotes accountability
  • It more readily encourages interaction (which I love)
  • It makes the blog a more personal space and more of a forum

Last week, at the New York Times Travel Show, I was recognized by a reader, which was SO COOL. We had a chat and got into some random travel-related stuff. It was really cool to meet someone who’d read something I put out into the world. I don’t think that would’ve happened had I not put up the occasional photo.

There are some drawbacks, too. I’m giving away some of my privacy, perhaps. Not a huge amount as I’m still just a tiny blog floating out in Internet-land, but maybe a little. That might bring up concerns of safety, or things in that vein. I’ve always sort of been naively trusting that the world is, on the whole, a good place, and I’d like to think having a picture on a blog doesn’t really matter in the long run, one way or the other.

For me, the good things far outweigh the bad. The reader interaction so far has been just incredible. I’m blown away by how many people want to talk about this sort of stuff. Even if it’s negative, at least it’s striking a chord. And I feel it’s in part due to the selfies. I don’t want to limit that in any way, and if anything, want to encourage more of it. I like to come here to post things I find interesting that are travel-related, and really like talking to other people about it.

So that is my intention.

Other views

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Tonight: NYC Miles and Points Meetup! 6pm in East Village!

by Harlan 1 Comment

Better than a self-serve beer fridge at an airport lounge!

Better than a self-serve beer fridge at an airport lounge!

I usually say “points and miles” so typing “miles and points” was a bit of a strain for me lol.

In any regard, come grab a drinky poo with your fellow frequent flyers and points addicts hobbyists tonight in the East Village if you’re available. 6-9pm.

Here’s the link to the RSVP.

The 411:

Professor Thom’s, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY (between 13 & 14 St)

Thursday, January 29th, 6-9pm

And the upshot:

I was a Nervous Nelly at my first Meetup but over the past few months, I’ve gotten to know a few people here. It’s easy conversation, and you’re bound to hear someone mention something that’ll perk your ears up. Down a liquid courage and hop in.

Plus, there is nothing quite like geeking out about airlines/aircraft/weird routes/award bookings than with people who know exactly what you’re talking about.

Bottom line

Come one, come all. If I don’t post tonight, now you know why. 😉

Anyone been to one of these before, in NYC or another city? If you come tonight, say hello!

Is British Airways planning to eliminate fuel surcharges?

by Harlan 8 Comments

My, my, my. British Airways. Now you’ve gone and done it – changed your award chart again.

I don’t care about the changes they’ve made to mileage earned for the various fare buckets – I mean, it truly sucks if you’re loyal to them as a frequent flyer. My relationship with British Airways is as an earner of Avios and redeemer of short haul flights on partner airlines.

I’ll admit, though, I was enamored of the idea of the Travel Together ticket until I woke up today and tried to get through their mess of an explanation email.

Screenshot 2015-01-28 23.10.11

Wait. What happened?

In the end, I feel relatively unscathed. The only thing I want, as an US-based flyer is those partner short-haul awards. Ooooh, yasss.

But, this does change things

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Thoughts on Visiting the UAE as a Gay Man

by Harlan 71 Comments

a close up of a passport

Thanks for using my links to open a new credit card (US residents only)!

Just wanted to share my impressions.

While writing the previous post, a straightforward review of the Park Inn Yas Island, I wanted to get into the back story of the hotel booking and the overall impression that it left, but then decided it would be better to separate the thoughts into a different post.

When me and boyfriend decided to book the Park Inn for an 18-hour layover, I selected the double bed option without even thinking about it. Force of habit.

Then, he said out of nowhere, “Did you book two beds?” “No, why would I?”

gay in uae

Visiting the UAE

We read the reviews and saw that another gay couple recommended getting two separate beds, because in the UAE being homosexual is illegal. Not “participating in homosexual acts”, but simply being homosexual. For residents, the highest penalty is death. For visitors, it’s deportation, fines, or prison time.

It’s also illegal for unwed couples to share a double bed, for what’s it worth.

So after reading that, I completely canceled the first booking and re-booked for two twin beds instead.

gay in uae

Reserve, oops, rebook

Respecting culture

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