Travel

Category Archives for Travel.

Booking Martinique: My Experience With Citi Prestige Concierge and 4th Night Free Benefit

by Harlan 6 Comments

palm trees on a beach

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I’ve been getting to know the ins and outs of my new Citi Prestige card, including the perk I was most excited about: the 4th night free benefit.

asd

Yeah, I could deal with that

Here’s how it all worked with getting the 4th night free in Martinique, where I plan to visit in February thanks to Norwegian’s new non-stop service from JFK (and Boston and BWI!).

Finding the hotel

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Just Booked: Martinique $317 Round-Trip and Non-Stop on Norwegian

by Harlan 5 Comments

a beach with a mountain in the background

Hot off the heels of my trip to Barcy in January, I’ll be heading to the French Caribbean island of Martinique in February 2016!

So excited!

So excited!

There’s quite a good sale going on right now, and as I looked through the fares a few weeks ago, I thought wow, these will sell out quick!

But, they didn’t. And when I saw the fares start to increase, I pulled the trigger on this one.

The flights are wide open

The flights are wide open

I usually wouldn’t book 2 trips so close together, but this sale, combined with the $250 airline credit on my new Citi Prestige card, formed a perfect storm of BOOK THE TRIP.

Why I did it

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Citi Smart Savings Are Here!

by Harlan 20 Comments

a screenshot of a website

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I wrote before about seeing hints that Citi might compete with AMEX Offers “soon.”

Looks like it’s here!

This is the first I’ve seen of this, so I’m excited to see what Citi will continue to do with Citi Smart Savings offers.

Here’s what I got on my accounts.

What’s Citi Smart Savings?

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Must-Haves of Travel: Calcium Bentonite Clay

by Harlan 4 Comments

a white plastic container with red text and black text

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This stuff is intense!

WHAT AN ADVERT

WHAT AN ADVERT

Labeled, “World’s Most Powerful Facial” with a tagline of “FEEL YOUR FACE PULSATE!”

But seriously, this stuff gets down into your pores in a way that’s really incredible, and perfect for clearing out any build-up caused by travel.

What’s calcium bentonite clay?

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That AARP Membership You Just Bought? Save Money With AARP Discounts and Rewards

by Harlan 10 Comments

a man and woman holding hands

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So, how many of us are newly minted AARP members after that insane deal for British Airways Business Class?

AARP heats things up starting with the homepage

AARP heats things up starting with the homepage

I took a poke around the website and found some worthwhile member benefits that can more than make up the $16 spent to join – and this membership might be a good thing to keep!

AARP Rewards and Discounts

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Austin/Arboretum

by Harlan 5 Comments

a lobby with a reception desk and chairs

File this under “Writing about it before I forget it happened.”

First impression: Wow – there are a LOT of chain hotels in Austin. I… had no idea there were so many.

In fact, there are three Hyatt Place locations in Austin:

But I’ll focus on the last one.

We passed many, many other hotels on the way to it.

I flew down to Austin for a work meeting, and that’s what I did most of the time. So I didn’t get to enjoy the amenities of the hotel, like the pool or gym.

I kinda flew down, checked in, and slept there in the evenings. Which was fine. Here’s my take on it.

Arrival and check-in

Great! I was harried. I’d left my ID in the rental car, and was a mess of bags and random crap after traveling all day. But the desk agent could not have been more thorough or professional or welcoming.

My Hyatt Platinum elite status was acknowledged, and she asked which room I’d prefer. I opted for the bigger room on a higher floor near the elevator: PERFECT.

Hyatt Place Austin lobby

Hyatt Place Austin/Arboretum lobby

I got room 516 on the 5th floor, was given a wifi code, and was told about the free breakfast in the morning.

The room

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Booking Barcelona: A Hilton Points Dilemma

by Harlan 26 Comments

a room with a large ceiling and chairs

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It’s been a minute, but remember when I was tempted by the 75,000 Hilton points signup bonus on the Citi Hilton Visa? And then I went ahead and got it anyway?

OK, flash forward to now. I have the 75,000 Hilton points, and just booked a trip to Barcelona in January.

Those are all great things, so what’s the dilemma?

To Points & Money, or just money?

This is how life has been lately: I think one thing sounds good, then turn it over in my mind and convince myself of its opposite. Then repeat, like an annoying little hamster wheel of indecision.

Why stop now?

Here are my conflicting ideas.

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The setup

Within the image above are the raw materials for a room at the Hilton Barcelona in January. The options are:

  • The room rate at $150 a night, prepaid (AKA $935 for 6 nights after taxes)
  • 30,000 Hilton points a night (AKA 150,000 Hilton points for 6 nights with 5th night free)
  • 12,000 Hilton points + $50 a night (AKA 72,000 Hilton points + $310 for 6 nights)

Pros and cons

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Booking Barcelona: $747 Round-trip in AA Business Class

by Harlan 24 Comments

a colorful tiled rooftops of Park Güell

Like many peeps, I got in on the fantastic British Airways business class fares to Europe.

There were so many ways to stack that it was hard not to.

And, without a trip planned, I was starting to feel weird.

October is the time of year you have to be on alert for a really good deal. And you have to be ready to jump. I knew this one would be fast-moving, and man, it was.

Here’s how my flight plans came together.

1. Messed around with fares

These fares were not kidding around. I casually typed in JFK to BCN not expecting to find much. But wow. The prices were incredible.

Exhibit A

Exhibit A

JFK-BCN was pricing out at $436 round-trip in business class!

Exhibit B

Exhibit B

Literally every date I tried was turning out fares for ~$450, after the AARP and Avios discounts. Just insane.

Your pick of routes, airlines, and connections, too.

2. Gathered Avios/AMEX EFFED ME

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Tips to Get Started With Aspiration Summit Bank Accounts

by Harlan 39 Comments

a person holding a credit card

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My new favorite banking product has, over the last month, become the Aspiration Summit account.

aspiration summit account

Even the debit card is cool looking

But, getting started wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. So here are a few tips that’ll help you, should you decide to open this account for yourself.

What’s an Aspiration Summit Account?

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Awesome Things, Value From Hilton and Hyatt Points, Win SPG Points, and a New Finance Blog

by Harlan Leave A Comment

1. 1000 Awesome Things

This is such a fun blog.

A guy named Neil is working on a list of 1000 things that are… awesome. And no corner of life is left unexplored.

He’s got 161 left to go, so there’s plenty to read and lot more to look forward to. Instantly added it to my feedly. I think anyone can find something they appreciate there.

2. Virgos are having a great month

If you’re a Virgo, this is a pretty good time to be alive. For the first time in 12 years, Virgos are experiencing a solar return.

Susan Miller explains this much better than I do

Susan Miller explains this much better than I do

What’s that mean? I’ll let Susan Miller explain it. But it basically means this year is dipped in gold for the Virgo-folk out there.

I’ve experienced a turning point this month already, and things are always on the up and up.

I check in with Susan each month on Astrology Zone, as her horoscopes, whether you’re “into” astrology or not, are simply a delight to read. Her voice is so kind and knowledgeable. Love it.

3. TPG digs into Hilton

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Citi Offers to Compete With AMEX Offers “Soon”

by Harlan 6 Comments

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I wish I got a better screenshot of this.

But it comes up right after you pull up the Citi mobile app after the September 7th update:

adad

The mobile app calls the new feature “Citi Offers”

The other screen was much more effusive, and promised new “Citi Offers” on eligible cards at certain merchants – just like AMEX Offers. The only timeline Citi offered was “soon,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if the new feature hit in the midst of the holiday shopping season.

Benefits for consumers

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