Latest Posts

Part 1 focused on Buenos Aires. Part 2 will focus on three days in two other places: Iguazu Falls and Tigre. (Also check out a Trip Report on the Lake District of Patagonia.) Lots of photos after the…

My sister recently visited me in Buenos Aires. She was here for eight days, arriving on a Saturday morning and leaving the following Saturday night--meaning she took one full week off from work.

Update 3/6/14: This post is outdated. See Master Thread: Holds on United Awards You can get a free hold of up to three days on United Airlines awards.

I recently saved a MileValue Award Booking Service client 60,000 miles on a trip to Israel by taking advantage of the best use of American Airlines miles and British Airways Avios on the same trip. A…

Rookie Alli just flew her first international business class flight. I asked her to share the perspective of someone seeing the front of the plane for the first time. She flew United BusinessFirst,…

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…

Pre-departure services and the Global First Lounge United Global First Los Angeles to Sydney ---------------------------------------------------------------- I've included a brief report on Air New…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Disclaimer: I use the word "upgrade" a few times in the post. I am not referring to buying a cash ticket in economy and trying to use miles or cash to get it into business class. I am referring to…

Two months ago, thexfactor emailed me to tell me that he'd booked something online at aa.com that was against one of the rules I laid out in The Five Cardinal Rules of American Airlines Awards. His…

The Miles & More® Premier World MasterCard® comes with 20,000 bonus Lufthansa Miles & More miles after first purchase. The card comes with an annual companion ticket for paid economy class…

Or: A Letter to a Friend's Mom My friend's mom wants to go from Los Angeles to London in early April with her American Airlines miles. This post contains all the information she needs to understand…

Read Part 1 First. In Part 2: Ruta de Siete Lagos, beer tour, and more Day 3—Sunday Sunday began with a hike to the top of Cerro Campanario, a spot with absolutely stunning views of the surrounding…

The cards mentioned in this post have had their links removed because the offers listed have expired. Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses. The 50k mile bonus offer is back on…

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina is a mountain town in the Lake District of Patagoina, located about 50km from the Chilean border. It sits right on the edge of the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi,…

I recently had a reader ask me about the best miles to collect to get from Salt Lake City to Cozumel, Mexico. The answer illustrates the best ways to get to the Caribbean and Mexico, so I thought I'd…

Edit: Airfare deals come and go quickly. This is dead. But type in your email address on the top left of the page for one, free daily email to your inbox with tips and tricks to travel cheap or……

Next week I am going to Paraguay for eight days. A trip out of Argentina is necessary to renew my 90 day tourist visa, and I wanted to check the sixth South American country off my list, instead of…