In July of 2006, I went to Iguazu Falls, Argentina as an 18-year-old rookie traveler, traveling on my own for the first time.

In May of 2013, I returned to Iguazu as a veteran of over thirty countries, bringing two rookie travelers to one of the New7Wonders of Nature according to 100 million votes cast in the last few years.

See my attempt to recreate my favorite photo from the trip.

Much has changed in the seven years, but I wanted to recreate a spontaneous photo taken on my first trip that captured my first extended sabbatical from shaving and

Pre-departure services and the Global First Lounge

United Global First Los Angeles to Sydney

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I've included a brief report on Air New Zealand business class because the plane I flew operates some key routes you might want to fly like Honolulu to Auckland and Shanghai to Auckland. Because getting to New Zealand in business class with United miles is tough, you might find yourself on one of those flights.

After taking off on New Year's Eve, I landed well rested in Sydney on January 2nd.

Rookie Alli had her phone stolen yesterday by some pickpockets near the Botanical Gardens in Buenos Aires.

It was the common scam in which a gang works together to have

one member surreptitiously throw something onto you. In this case, bird poop or something similar. I've also heard of mustard and ketchup before. It can be anything.
one or more members "helpfully" notice it and "conveniently" have napkins or tissues to help you get it off.

It's May 21, and you just realized you want to go to Europe this summer. You're not alone--that's probably the most common request my Award Booking Service is getting right now.

The good news is that finding award space to Europe this summer is still possible, especially if you are flexible.

Which routes have space? Which airlines will open up more award space?

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. ~Chinese Proverb

The best time to book an award to Europe for the summer was last fall.

The best value destination for people who want to use their miles to travel in flying beds is Peru.

My favorite South American country is the perfect sweet spot of being far enough away for two airlines--LAN and United--to

The four legacy carriers--United, Delta, US Airways, and American--all allow stopovers on award tickets (though stopover rules vary greatly.) Adding a stopover en route is a great way to add another city to your trip and get extra value from your award.

Usually adding a stopover increases the complexity of an award, but sometimes it makes your life easier. Sometimes adding a stopover is the best way to increase your award booking options.

I'll give an example of how taking a stopover can save 27,500 US Airways miles when booking an off peak award to Europe.

Update 2/24/14: Offer is dead!

Last week, American Express (possibly accidentally) offered its Business Gold Rewards Card with a 75k Membership Rewards sign up bonus after only $5k in spending in the first three months.

That's pretty incredible because:

Usually the card has no sign up bonus.
It had been offering only 50k Membership Rewards after $5k in spending.
Normally when it offers 75k Membership Rewards, it does so for only one or two days and requires $10k in spending to unlock the bonus.

That deal died, but two Business Gold offers have risen in its stead.

Yesterday's post about the Coolest Thing to Do with 130k and 280k American Airlines Miles got me to look at the American Airlines' chart again for value. I found what I think are the Five Best Values in premium cabins.

These values combine low miles, low taxes and fees, and the very best products from among American's partners.

A few weeks ago, I shared my thoughts on The Coolest Thing You Can Do with 57.5k United Miles and 10k Avios, which arose from daydreaming about booking myself more award trips.

The last few days I've worked myself into a frenzy planning an incredible-value American Airlines Explorer Award around the world in business class for 130k American Airlines miles and the most opulent Explorer Award possible for 280k miles.

American Airlines Explorer Awards have a distance-based award chart that uses American Airlines miles to fly two or more of American's oneworld partners.

I am giving away a pair of United Club passes that I received by opening a United MileagePlus Explorer Card.

United has lounges all over the world. The clubs are a pleasant place to relax in a comfortable chair, use free wifi, and enjoy free snack and drinks. Here are the amenities.

Comment below for a chance to win the passes. Include your real email address while commenting, so I can contact the winner.