Category Archives for Queer and There.
I just checked the Google Analytics on this lil’ site and my head just about fell off:
This is awesome
That’s the US traffic for Out and Out! ZOMG!
It’s so weird/cool to see this site, which I’ve been sorely neglecting get a good amount of traffic from all over the country. I guess I just want to say thanks for reading… and I’d love to get to know more of you! Besos!
Since meeting the first spending requirement on my new British Airways Visa Signature, I have become Avios-rich to the point where I don’t know what to do with them all. It’s introducing all sorts of new issues, including problems I love to have (see: Dilemma of the Day: Which Caribbean Island?).
Almost 64,000 Avios!
What could I do with 64,000 Avios?
After I meet the next set of spending requirements, I’ll have well over 100,000 Avios and can do even more. I’ve also just discovered the BA eStore, which includes a few merchants I shop regularly at great payouts. I’m really getting into Avios for their practical purpose of short-haul flights (and for getting to Ireland on the cheaps!).
Yup. A full-time, big boy job at a PR firm in Manhattan. The hours? Monday to Friday, nine-to-five. Basic. I started the new position on April 1st. It’s all button-ups and staff meetings, conference calls, and a whole lot of Outlook calendaring.
While I’m grateful to have it, it IS going to cut into my travel plans, big time. I sorta wondered about the direction this blog would take now that my travel is going to decrease. But you know what? I’m still earning miles and points, still researching trips, and still deeply curious about the world and about travel. So the conclusion I’ve come to is that nothing really has to change. And if anything, it’ll give me a chance to talk about life, art, and New York a bit more. But the focus will remain squarely on travel.
I also realized I have a ton of trips coming up. I’m headed to Easter Island May 18-24, Anchorage August 22-27, and I’m sure I’ll squeeze in a quick trip to Toronto or Montreal using all my new Avios points. 🙂
While I’d love to be getting out more, it’ll be good for me to save up some cash, pay down my student loans, and carefully plan the next phase of my life. So if anyone’s wondered why I’ve been quiet lately, that’s why. But I’m back and feeling more focused than ever.
Other new developments:
YOGA
BREAKFAST
BOOK/ART
So life is changing for the better. It’s slow and steady, and chugging right along. And I can’t freaking WAIT to go to Easter Island in two weeks (!). C’est la vie.
Can’t wait to see them heads!
See original posts here and here.
So I did get those darn Staples checks after all. Yup, two checks for $250 each. Buying that software helped me to meet the minimum spend on my Citi AAdvantage Amex, and I’ve received my 50,000 bonus miles + $150 statement credit for my upcoming trip to Alaska. All good things. But, I clicked through the AAdvantage shopping portal before buying the software, and to date, have not received the additional 1,000 miles. Grrr.
I wrote to them a week ago, and immediately received an auto-reply that said to give it an additional 4-8 weeks for research and processing. So, I’m still holding out hope that I make good on my original post and get 1,500 free AAdvantage miles.
Now that my balance is reaching 70,000 miles, I’m torn between an awesome redemption or saving up for an around-the-world Explorer Award. TO BE CONTINUED.
I just got my first Birchbox in the mail this week. The March box included a great styling paste for hair, shaving cream, a beer koozie, awesome bottle opener, and set of two leather coasters.
First BirchBox
The idea behind Birchbox is that they send you deluxe samples of nice grooming products once a month for $20. What’s in the box is worth more than $20, but then if you like a particular product, you can buy a full size of it at a discounted rate. Great idea, and awesomely progressive way of marketing. The boxes are packaged really well, and they give you the chance to tell them what you like so you’ll get targeted items in your box.
I loved my first one, and will definitely keep it for a few months to see the progression of the products through a couple of seasons. Sign up using this link and I’ll get a small referral credit, which is much appreciated. They have a version for both ladies and gentlemen. A cool little box of treats loaded with samples every month? Yes, plz. Gotta rep the NYC love too, cuz they’re based here. 🙂
I put the subscription charge onto my British Airways Visa to help meet the ginormous minimum spend requirement to unlock the full bonus and to pick up a few more Avios every month. It all adds up!
So on my United flight from EWR-DEN the other day, I ordered a beer in-flight. Here’s what it said in my Citi account when the charge cleared:
Who?
It made me chuckle a little. Mergers take a loooong time, y’all. 😉
It occurred to me today as I stepped on Delta metal after being on United and Aeromexico flights the past day or so. It felt right.
There are so many options when it comes to carriers. I think people who travel often should sample a wide variety of them before committing. I’m sort semi-dating American right now though I do like Delta a lot. The feelings I like when I’m on Delta are of being assured, feeling safe, and stepping into an old habit or groove. I feel like I can relax as the MQMs are flowing in. I understand the (arguably shitty) SkyMiles program, and know what I want to use it for (hint: trip to Australia later this year). I know the hubs, the routes, how to wring blood out of a stone AKA book an award flight with them. I dunno, it just felt natural somehow.
That’s the feeling I seek when I travel. That sense of rightness, and of exploration, and of comfort. I know my upgrade chances are always slim with Delta, and I wish that would improve, but I always look forward to the SkyClubs. Delta giveth and Delta taketh away.
On the contrary, being on United metal felt kinda icky to me. It’s a shame because I love Chase Bank so much. Their credit card signup bonuses are the best in the industry. If Chase partnered with Delta, that would be the best-case scenario. But they don’t. They have United. Bleh. I avoid giving them revenue whenever possible. I would really only use them if I were flying free or booking an award on another, better airline. Why don’t I like United?
Just in that same way that Delta jives with me, United just doesn’t. I find the FAs and CSRs to be almost kind of spiteful and vindictive. It’s like there’s this mean streak running through the core of the company and I can’t quite place, but that shows up from time to time. And each time, like yesterday, I’m reminded why I avoid United. Some people love United, and that’s great. Maybe they live in Houston or Chicago, or just really like the service or clubs or destinations.
There are many reasons why people like the things that like. But some of them just can’t be placed.
Am I off here? I love being up in the air. Love it. But more and more lately, I’m becoming very aware of the company I’m sharing the experience with.
Don’t give a!
I fully admit I’m a rookie at best with miles and points collecting, but I’ve never understood the allure of Starpoints.
In theory, they are like a rare, valuable currency that can get one access to a variety of different airlines and hotel locations. But in practice, are they worth it?
The best signup bonus I’ve ever seen for the SPG Card is 30,000 Starpoints, which translates to 35,000 miles of a whole lot of different airlines. The signup bonus is great, and so is the flexibility. But there are a couple of things about the card that have also irked me. Read More
Argh, the lovely and esteemed MTA has once again raised fares on the subways of NYC. I usually by a weekly because I don’t get enough value out of a monthly. When I went to refill my weekly card before hopping on the F Train today, I noticed a whole slew of new info screens at the machines. My $29 MetroCard was now $30. Overnight. Thank god I get 2 points/dollar with my Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
New fares! Don’t like ’em? Go kill yourself.
It’s also an extra $1 if you want a brand new card (or you can swap in an old one for free). I sometimes get a new card because the magnetism on the card wears off after a while, meaning you have to go talk to one of the agents in the little booth. This is always a debilitating experience, because they:
1. Glare at you like you’re the most annoying person in the world
2. Move as slow as possible, even, and especially if, a train is pulling into the station
3. Hate to be useful, preferring to look bored and annoyed
4. Berate you if you make any indication that you are in a hurry (which everyone always is)
Poor tourists
I can’t say I’m surprised by the newest round of hikes, but the MTA is killing NYC. It’s little things like this that are slowly chipping away at my willingness to continue living in this corrupt, overcrowded, but insanely fun and cultural city. My love/hate relationship with New York is already pretty extreme. This just exacerbates it way more.
The newest round of hikes is especially rough for Long Islanders, and for any of the B&T (Bridge & Tunnel) commuters because LIRR and bridge tolls are more expensive, too. So in the future, when you want to visit New York, it’s going to cost you more to get around. After a while, they’re going to price all the tourists, and eventually the residents, out – one little annoying overpriced fee at a time. The “green” fee – $1 for a new card – is, for me, the worst. What a crock of shit.
Happy travels? Yeah, right. Have you been on a piss-smelling, packed-like-sardines, frequently rerouted MTA train lately? Wait till 2015! More hikes on the way. I hope to be long gone by then. Thanks, MTA, for slowly killing NYC.
Hello and welcome to Out and Out! My name is Harlan – I’m a points and miles enthusiast who loves to travel. I am interested in personal finance, the power of positive thinking, and the extraordinary journeys that make life worth living.