This post is part of our series on One Way Neverending - a journey that starts with selling all of our worldly possessions, becoming voluntarily homeless, and traveling the world. Posts in this series: Couple Leaves Comfort of Corporate to Pursue Dreams of World Travel, How One Simple Realization Lead us to Spend a Month on Hawaii and Grow Our Savings For those of you … [Read more...] about How to Spend a Month on Maui for the Cost of a Week at the Andaz?
Delta
Delta’s Newest Changes are a Net-Gain for Me
Delta has made yet another announcement about the changes to the airline in 2015. Most of the articles I have read on the topic are fairly negative, claiming that these “improvements” to the Delta program are hardly anything to write home about. While they are likely correct that these changes do not represent a major improvement over the programs that Delta already has … [Read more...] about Delta’s Newest Changes are a Net-Gain for Me
How I am Re-qualifying for Delta Platinum Status in 2015 the Cheapest Way Possible
2014 has been a year of transition for me. From my threats to leave the state of Minnesota to avoid an airline to actually moving to San Francisco, life has been one great adventure in 2014. I successfully challenged to United Platinum status, only to realize that I don’t really love flying United. While I thought that United Platinum status would come at the expense of … [Read more...] about How I am Re-qualifying for Delta Platinum Status in 2015 the Cheapest Way Possible
Well Played, Delta
Unless you rely on Jeffsetter as your only miles and points news source, you have probably heard the news that Delta is increasing the dollar amounts needed to achieve elite medallion status in 2016. In the past I have expressed rage about Delta and their decisions, threatened to move across the country to avoid them and then actually moved across the country and status … [Read more...] about Well Played, Delta
One of my Favorite Uses of Miles: Speculative Award Bookings
When your house is listed for sale and you have already moved your possessions, you can expect a high level of uncertainty with every day that passes. What if the house sells before I’m scheduled to come back next? Who will mow the lawn? Who will take care of X and Y? I have found the whole process to be quite annoying. You can take the “out of sight, out of mind” approach … [Read more...] about One of my Favorite Uses of Miles: Speculative Award Bookings
When is it Appropriate to Use Miles for a Domestic Award?
When it comes to redeeming your hard earned miles for flights, conventional wisdom is that you will get the most value for your points by booking flights in premium international class. This is true in most cases when redeeming miles for saver award tickets, because you can get anywhere from 2 to 10+ cents in value for each mile you redeem. … [Read more...] about When is it Appropriate to Use Miles for a Domestic Award?
Delta / SPG Crossover Rewards – A Nice Little Bonus for Doing Next to Nothing
If you are enrolled in the Delta and SPG crossover rewards program, you are probably aware of the benefits that are offered as part of the program. I wrote about the benefits of crossover rewards last year, so for now I will just mention that one of the big benefits of the program is that you have the opportunity to receive incremental miles from Delta and points from SPG based … [Read more...] about Delta / SPG Crossover Rewards – A Nice Little Bonus for Doing Next to Nothing
Things I’ll Never Use: Delta’s New “Upgrade with Miles” Option
While I have been living under a rock the past few weeks preparing to put my house of 10 years on the market, Delta came out with a new feature announcement last week that may be of interest to frequent Delta flyers. The announcement is that you can now upgrade your flights at the time of booking using your frequent flyer miles. Previously you were only able to do this using … [Read more...] about Things I’ll Never Use: Delta’s New “Upgrade with Miles” Option
A Not So Luxurious Travel Day… or Why Can’t Airlines Just Be Honest?
Today was supposed to be a leisurely travel day. A midday flight from one polis to another (Minneapolis to Indianapolis), 90 minutes in a plane, a time zone shift and a wonderful dinner at St. Elmo steakhouse before heading to the Kentucky Derby tomorrow. Then I got to the airport and realized that I was missing something: Tickets to the Kentucky Derby. Sure, I had … [Read more...] about A Not So Luxurious Travel Day… or Why Can’t Airlines Just Be Honest?
South Africa for a Week – An Introduction
In early April of 2014, I took a trip to South Africa with my father. While the trip was only for a week (far too short of a time to spend in such a beautiful country), it took a fair amount of planning over the course of 6 months to get things right. Here is an introduction to how I planned for the trip, how much things cost in cash or points/miles, and other observations on … [Read more...] about South Africa for a Week – An Introduction