I've always been a terrible photographer, which you might have noticed from my reviews of First Class flights, but I've enjoyed others' photography more than any other visual art.

I finally decided to learn a bit about photography and bought myself a used full-frame DSLR and a good 50mm prime lens.

Dear Senators and Congressmen,

According to a report Friday on thehill.com, after years of failing to pass seat-size regulations because of Republic opposition, seat-size language has now been added to House and Senate bills that are very likely to pass:
The Republican-led Congress is warming up to the idea of creating new consumer protections for travelers, an idea considered controversial just over a year ago.
GOP lawmakers rejected past efforts to establish minimum seat sizes and rein in airline fees, but provisions to do just that were easily added to must-pass aviation legislation this year...
[Rep.

Recently I flew from Buenos Aires to Houston to Honolulu in United economy. (I booked the award for 25,000 Singapore miles plus taxes.) Door to door, it was over 26 hours of travel, which is a long time to not be able to lie down and sleep.

The first flight was basically full, but the second flight was operated by a 777 with a 2-5-2 configuration in economy and several completely empty rows of five seats at the time of check in. Farther back in the plane, the configuration was 2-4-2 with several open rows of four.

I've been traveling full time for over two years, never staying in one city for more than a few months.

Here are the main questions I get from people who can't wrap their heads around that unusual concept:

“OK, but where do you live?” It’s equally true that I live wherever I am at that moment and that I live nowhere.
“Where’s your home base?” Nowhere.

In 2016 I mixed in two long stays in Buenos Aires--where I am very comfortable and feel like I've found my niche in terms of neighborhood, gym, restaurants, friends, and nightlife--with several

Last week, I flew from Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos, Argentina with no intention of going to Rio Gallegos, Argentina. Instead, my plan was to walk out of the airport, stick my thumb out, and try to get a ride to Puerto Natales, Chile, where I met my friend to hike Torres del Paine National Park.

Why hitchhike last week?

It was a goal of mine to try hitchhiking once in my life.
Rio Gallegos airport is 3:22 driving from Puerto Natales, Chile.

Greetings from Patagonia!

With 2016 in the books, and my rundown of last year’s travel here, I thought I’d share my upcoming travel plans.

I pretty much know exactly where I’ll be in January and half of February, see a few options for the rest of February and March, and then have no idea what I’ll do from April on.

2016 was a great year of travel for me, and hopefully for you too.

The year started on the tarmac in Nagoya, Japan, about to take off in Thai Business Class on a Dreamliner to Bangkok.

The year will end, for me, in a few hours in sleepy Puerto Natales, Chile where I arrived by hitchhiking yesterday, and where I'm prepping for my Torres del Paine eight day hike that kicks off in a few days.
COUNTRIES VISITED (16)

In chronological order (new countries in bold):

Japan (45 minutes)
Thailand (10 days)
Singapore (2 days)
Vietnam (10 days)
India (2

The MileValue Award Booking Service is seeking talented award bookers to have fun, get paid, and help people book their dream trips.

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MileValue was nominated by USA Today as the Best Miles-and-Points Blog. Through November 7, 2016, you can vote for MileValue here.

You can vote once per day, just by clicking vote without having to give any personal information.

Winning this beauty contest would be nice, but I already feel like a winner. I've written a miles-and-points blog for almost five years. My job is to help people achieve lifelong travel dreams.

Please welcome Sarah Page Maxwell as the newest member of the MileValue team. She will write several articles a week of the type you already enjoy on MileValue. She'll also bring her own voice and travel experiences to MileValue to complement mine.

Sarah Page has been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for four years, and we met through the expat community there a few years ago.