The winner of 50,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points from my SPG Amex sponsored giveaway in conjunction with my stay at the St. Regis Princeville, Kauai last week is Betsy Wuebker. She and Pete also happen to be part of the blogger community with their website Passing Thru. 

Betsy and Pete Wuebker write about making a living with location independence by working through the internet. I asked Betsy to share a little more about her site in the hope some Loyalty Traveler readers might benefit from a bit more online business knowledge and strategies.

Betsy and Pete Wuebker

Wow! Words can barely express how exciting it is to win the Loyalty Traveler 50,000 SPG giveaway! When Ric’s email came, I responded with so many goofy exclamations that he must’ve thought I was nuts! But it IS exciting! SPG has about the coolest of everything! Now I can start scheming about just what to do with all these points! Thank you ever so much!

Ric was also kind enough to offer space here at Loyalty Traveler to introduce ourselves. We are Betsy and Pete Wuebker, and we started our blog, PassingThru, in 2008.

“Travel, Simplicity and Independence in Work and Life.” Over the past five years, we’ve created a combination of online business activities. We’ve said “sayonara” to traditional employment by integrating work with life. Now we can work from anywhere there is a web connection.

People think “work-life balance” deals with modern-day stress: commute, corporate environment, and economic insecurity. And most people keep themselves on the employment treadmill to feed a lifestyle: house, mortgage, stuff, schools, car, etc. We did, and we were exhausted.

The dirty little secret: it’s impossible to achieve work-life balance!

We were always taking from one to give to the other, teeter tottering back and forth, getting nowhere. Instead, we decided on a better approach (Work Life Balance – Forget It: Focus on Work Life Integration). “Work-life integration” means the ability to work when we want, where we want, and how we want.

We also focused long-term (Make Money Online: Be the Tortoise, Not the Hare): no get-rich-quick schemes, no cheesy scams, just day-in, day-out strategic, disciplined creation. Anyone can do this! In fact, Pete has written a couple of e-books about how to get going (they’re in our blog’s sidebar).

Now we have online businesses that provide diversified income. We’ve got far less economic vulnerability and maximum personal freedom. This has paved the way for lots more travel! We’re posting about all this over at PassingThru. Come visit and follow us along as we anticipate our upcoming move to Kauai!

Much appreciation to Ric and SPG for this awesome giveaway! – Betsy and Pete Wuebker

Betsy and Pete are relocating to Kauai in 2013. I am sure they will find good use for 50,000 SPG points.

St. Regis Princeville, Kauai

Stay tuned next week for my 25,000 SPG points giveaway in conjunction with a stay Kelley and I had this week at St. Regis San Francisco sponsored by SPG American Express as part of the SPG Amex Stars program for 2012.

Winter days and nights may be colder and bring periodic showers in coastal California, but the days between rain offer the clearest skies of the year. Summer is frequently fog city and not so great for photography. I have some fantastic photos of San Francisco scenery taken on perfectly crystal clear sky days in the city to share with readers from my staycation Starwood Hotel stay in San Francisco.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

Radisson Hotels is running a Facebook promotion through 50 travel bloggers for a giveaway of one free night. Each day a new travel blog is featured on Radisson’s Facebook page. Each travel blog is running its own giveaway with different timelines.

Loyalty Traveler is not participating in this Radisson free night giveaway, but I have compiled a list of a few blogs who are giving away one free night at a Radisson Hotel.

SelectivePotential.com – enter by 9pm EST Tuesday, November 13.

TheProfessionalHobo.com – enter by Wednesday, Nov 14. [Note: there is no entry deadline mentioned. Winner selected Thursday, Nov 15.]

CamelsandChocolate.com - enter by 11:59pm EST, Thursday, November 15.

Momtog.com – enter by 12midnight, Thursday, November 15.

TravelFreak.com – enter by midnight Thursday Nov 15.

KaleidoscopicWandering.com – enter by 5pm PST Nov 23.

Loyalty Traveler readers have a chance to win a seat next to frequent flyer legend Randy Petersen (and founder of FlyerTalk, InsideFlyer, MilePoint and BoardingArea) on the StarMegaDO4 flights November 14-15, 2012 from San Francisco to Houston to Chicago.

You also have a chance to win the seat through 28 other blogs hosted on the BoardingArea.com site participating in this giveaway.

Comment on these Blogs for a chance to win (See this MommyPoints post for direct links to the comments page for each blog). The links below go to each blog, but not the “Win a Seat” post for that blog.

• View From The Wing

• One Mile at a Time
• Loyalty Traveler
• Flying With Fish
• Marshall Jackson on Travel
• Road Warriorette
• The Wandering Aramean
• Delta Points
• Points, Miles and Martinis
• Unroadwarrior
• FrequentlyFlying
• DealsWeLike
• Tmtravelworld
• Mommy Points
• Frequent Miler
• Pearls of Travel Wisdom
• Live from a Lounge
• AAdvantageGeek
• The Cynical Traveler
• Plane ‘n Simple
• Miles from Blighty
• GhettoIFE
• Getting Status
• Rapid Travel Chai
• MilesQuest
• Hack My Trip
• Just Another Points Traveler
• New Girl in the Air
• Point Me to the Plane

Honestly, I have never paid much attention to these chartered MegaDO flights where you fly around the country and have the opportunity to hang out with frequent flyer geeks and airline and hotel executives.

I did stay up until 2:30am one night in Girona, Spain talking to Platinum Traveller on the steps of the city cathedral. So, I also have the ability to geek out talking miles and points for hours and days.

To each their own.

I would certainly be happy to win the seat next to Randy Petersen and experience the StarMegaDo4 event, but as a Boarding Area blogger I am ineligible for the giveaway.

Here are links to all the pertinent information for this giveaway:

The Prize:

A reserved aisle or window seat next to Randy Petersen on the upcoming StarMegaDo 2012, hotel accommodations, and $250 for personal expenses!

Start reading these blogsand find out why BoardingArea is considered the home of all the best frequent/business travel bloggers.

For information on the MegaDo visit the official homepage or the MegaDo Milepoint subforum.

Important Note:You must be able to get yourself to San Francisco on your own to start this trip and it looks like the trip ends in Chicago, so I guess you have to be able to get home again from Chicago.

Here are the official BoardingArea rulesfor this “Win A Seat with Randy Petersen” giveaway.

Here is the StarMegaDo4 schedule.

Loyalty Traveler Star MegaDO4 Giveaway Entry Question

Your opportunity to win the Loyalty Traveler portion of this giveaway is based on replying to the question below.

Share your opinion with a comment about the best hotel worldwide where either you have stayed or desire to stay.

The reason I ask this question is that I am frequently asked, “What is your favorite hotel in the world.”

I honestly do not have a favorite hotel.

When I was asked this question last week at a dinner in Blanes, Spain at a fine restaurant on the beach of Costa Brava, my reply was that I have had incredible experiences while staying at some hotels and those are the memories I cherish more than the actual memory of the hotel.

Winning the Star MegaDo seat

Loyalty Traveler will select a random winner and the Loyalty Traveler winner will be entered into a drawing among 29 BoardingArea.com blogger winners for two seats in this Randy Petersen giveaway.

I think that means there is only something like a 1 in 15 chance to win this trip, even if you do win the Loyalty Traveler portion of the giveaway.

One thing is for sure though. You have to enter on one or even all the BoardingArea participating blogs to have a chance to sit next to Randy Petersen on the StarMegaDo 2012.

• You must be 18.
• You can only enter one time for each Boarding Area blog participating in the giveaway.
• You must use an email when submitting your comment where you can be reached if you win.
• Contest comments entry period ends 11:59:59 pm MT October 7, 2012.
• Winner Selection: Two (2) winners will be chosen in a random drawing on Monday, October 8, 2012 from all eligible entries received during the Giveaway Period, as posted in the comments section of participating BoardingArea.com partnering blogs. The random drawing will be conducted by Randy Petersen, whose decision is final and binding in all respects. The winner will be notified via email within two (2) days after the selection is made. Each winner will have five (5) business days to reply confirming his/her acceptance of the giveaway seat. Failure to reply in the indicated time frame will declare that the seat has been refused and forfeited for all time and the first alternative entry will be chosen in random drawings as outlined above and provided the opportunity to claim the seat giveaway.
• Disclosure: And if I understand the rules correctly, Loyalty Traveler wins an iPad if one of the two seat winners is my commenter.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

Westin Maui, Walt Disney World Dolphin, Westin St. John Resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Westin Diplomat Hollywood Florida are a sample of Starwood Family Adventure Resorts in the U.S. in round 3 choices for the Starwood Resorts “Pack Your Bags” sweepstakes. The winner also receives 150,000 bonus Starpoints.

SPG members can have three entries total for this round with one entry each day Tuesday March 22, Wednesday March 23 and Thursday March 24 before 11:59pm Eastern time (New York City). International resorts available in this round include exotic, city and beach locations in Fiji, Portugal, Dubai, Tokyo, Cancun, Canary Islands and Thailand.

Stay tuned for Friday March 25 through Monday March 28 when Best Beach Resorts Round 4 opens with the $17,500 overvalued Bali, Maldives and Bora Bora Resorts.

Basic Rules (Pack Your Bags sweepstakes FAQ link)

There are 9 resort categories for the sweepstakes and one final prize on April 15 for a total of ten grand prize giveaways over the next month.  Every Tuesday and Friday during the promotion period there will be a different set of hotels offering a grand prize package.

• You can enter once every 24 hours. Each entry is unique and you may choose a different resort within the choices of the Starwood Resort category with each entry.
• You can only win one prize during the promotion period.
• Prize is not transferrable.
• Winners are chosen from member entries within the posted time frame for each category.

Starwood Resort Categories for Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes:

Sweepstakes Period Rounds: 

ROUND 1 – Best Exotic Escapes

* Photos posted: 3/15/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/17/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 2 – Best Winter Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/18/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/21/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 3 – Best Family Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/22/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/24/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 4 – Best Beach Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/25/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/28/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 5 – Best Spa Indulgences

* Photos posted: 3/29/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/31/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 6 – Best Golf Getaways

* Photos posted: 4/1/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/4/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 7 – Best Romantic Paradise

* Photos posted: 4/5/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/7/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 8 – Best Small Wonder

* Photos posted: 4/8/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/11/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 9 – Best Island Retreat

* Photos posted: 4/12/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/14/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

10^th grand prize winner will be picked April 15 from the entrants for each of the previous rounds. The Grand Prize winner has the choice of any Starwood Resort in the SPG members’ favorites list.

Resort stays must be completed by December 31, 2011.

Who can enter: Anyone age 18 or over from

• fifty (50) United States (including D.C.),
• Canada (excluding Quebec residents),
• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Austria,
• Brazil,
• China,
• Indonesia,
• Ireland,
• Finland,
• France,
• Germany,
• New Zealand,
• Portugal,
• Singapore,
• South Korea,
• Switzerland,
• Taiwan
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom.

Important Promotion Term to Note:  Winner member may substitute a different resort from the one originally chosen. For this reason you should pick the most expensive resort stays since you can always trade down, but you can’t trade up.

What if I win, but then decide I don’t want to go to the resort I had originally chosen?

Members may substitute a resort of equal or less value from the resort options originally provided to the member during the Giveaway. 

Check the Pack Your Bags Terms and Conditions link to see the tables of hotels and prize value for each of the nine Starwood Resort categories during the Pack Your Bags sweepstakes.

150,000 Starpoints Component of Grand Prize

The points are yours for whatever purpose you choose. Air travel to the Starwood Resort prize is totally left up to the prize winner.

150,000 Starpoints are available for conversion into airline miles if you choose to use points for air travel.

150,000 points = 185,000 miles for most airlines with 1:1 point-to-mile exchange.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

Remember to enter every day through April 14.

Choose the most expensive resort for each entry. If you win, then you can always change to any other resort in the list for each resort category prize. You can always trade laterally to an equally expensive resort or trade down later, but you can’t trade up to a more expensive resort.

Air travel to the resort is left up to the member. In general, 150,000 Starpoints will have more value used for hotel nights rather than air miles.

Good luck.

Every Tuesday the new picture and clue goes up on the Priority Club Anywhere Challenge. This is Week 5 and I have 3,000 points from the first two challenges. I am hoping for another few thousand from the past two weeks. Perhaps even another 2,000 Priority Club points today if I chose the correct volcano name.

I basically have earned a free night’s worth of points with this game considering the new Priority Club PointBreaks list is out with over 120 hotels available for 5,000 points per night.

The challenge photos and clues are difficult and it is only through social media sites that I even find the answers. There are groups on a variety of forums suggesting answers and tracking down similar photo images and clues across the internet.

I simply submit the best answer I see each day. And the next day I check the boards again to see if there is a new prevailing consensus on the location. 

Here is my previous post Loyalty Traveler  September 10 on the Anywhere Challenge game.

Here is the FlyerTalk link for the pooled knowledge of travel wonks.

This Week 2 answer won 2,000 Priority Club points for my account

Submit your answer before midnight eastern time Tuesday to win 2,000 points. Then take a different guess Wednesday for 1,500 points in case you guess wrong today.

Hip Mama’s Place is another Marriott mommy with a 25,000 points giveaway to promote Marriott Instant Redemptions. The sweepstakes requires a comment on the blog. There are a variety of ways listed on Jocelyn Duncan’s blog to get additional entries in the giveaway. (I get five entries for this post).

To enter the Marriott points giveaway, leave a comment on this Hip Mama’s Place post and tell your favorite vacation spot within the U.S. and why.

Entries are accepted until 12 midnight EST Monday July 19. Giveaway is limited to USA entries.