Lufthansa First Class Experience in 10 Pictures
October 4, 2016
I wanted to put something out quickly about my recent experience flying Lufthansa First Class for 40,000 points. A full trip report will follow.
My experience started Thursday at 6 AM at the Munich Airport, where I only had about 15 minutes in the First Class Lounge before my 7 AM flight to Frankfurt.
Trip Report: Sala VIP [Priority Pass] at Barcelona Airport
September 11, 2016
In May, I visited the Sala VIP Pau Casals at Barcelona Airport. In August, I visited the very similar Sala VIP Miro. Here's what you can expect from these Priority Pass lounges that you can enter for free with a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Citi Prestige, or American Express Platinum Card.
The Sala VIP Pau Casals is available to passengers flying within the Schengen Area, and the Sala VIP Miro is after passport control for passengers leaving the Schengen Area.
Both offer a comfortable place to sit, free wifi, enough food for a meal, and free alcohol.
Trip Report: Kotor, Montenegro; Mostar & Sarajevo, Bosnia; Dubrovnik, Croatia
September 10, 2016
In July, I jumped around the Balkans, seeing:
Kotor, Montenegro
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Mostar & Sarajevo, Bosnia
The Route
I've spent all summer in ex-Yugoslavia other than a quick trip to Spain. The plan has been to learn the Serbo-Croatian language. I wanted to switch bases from Belgrade to Zagreb via an efficient route that would let me see more of ex-Yugoslavia.
Eventually I settled on flying from Belgrade to Tivat, Montenegro and bussing the rest of the way to Zagreb with stops every few hours along the route.
Top Ten Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: Honorable Mentions & #10 through 8
August 29, 2016
I originally wrote this series in 2012. As it has turned out to be quite popular, I am in the process of updating it to reflect current information for 2016.
“Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru” Series Index
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: Prologue
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #1, Machu Picchu
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #2 & 3, Sacred Valley and Amazon Rainforest
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #4 &
Review of Free T-Mobile 4G European Data
July 20, 2016
T-Mobile's basic, contract-free, $50 plan offers free data and text messages in 140+ countries. I have had it for a few years, and I have been happy with it.
Unfortunately the free data abroad is at Edge speeds.
How I Got $400 from Avianca for a Broken Golf Club
June 19, 2016
In September 2015, I flew from Honolulu to Los Angeles to Bogota, Colombia in United First Class and Avianca Business Class. Here is a Trip Report of Avianca Business Class, and the post explaing how I booked the award for 27,500 miles.
The trip was very pleasant until I opened my golf bag in Bogota and saw that my driver's shaft had snapped.
This was my first experience with damaged baggage.
Should You Live in PointBreaks Hotels Full Time + Trip Report Holiday Inn Express Belgrade Serbia
June 1, 2016
This week I stayed one night in the Holiday Inn Express Belgrade - City in Serbia.
This hotel was on the current PointBreaks, though it has sold out for PointBreaks.
Trip Report: Spelunking and Snorkeling in Bonito, Brazil
May 18, 2016
I recently spent three days in Bonito, Brazil, a small city in Southwestern Brazil famous for its caves and rivers.
There are two ways to get to Bonito:
Fly twice weekly from Viracopos-Campinas (Sao Paulo area)
Fly to Campo Grande and take a four hour bus
I flew into Bonito on Azul Airlines on a Sunday from Rio de Janeiro (via Viracopos-Campinas) and flew out the next Wednesday to Sao Paulo (Azul/Viracopos-Campinas/Free Azul Bus Trip Report Here).
Trip Report: Azul Brazilian Airlines
May 12, 2016
"It is possible that because of the weather, your aircraft will not be able to land.