You have just checked into a hotel in a strange city to which you have never been, far away from home.

You are hungry and seeking a restaurant in which to eat, but you currently do not feel adventurous in sampling the local cuisine. Somehow, stewed possum eyeballs sprinkled with braised roach legs topped with sauerkraut whipped cream does not whet your appetite tonight.

Despair starts to set in, until you recognize a familiar logo burning brightly off in the distance under the dark nighttime sky.

It is a chain restaurant!

But wait — is it any good?

Find out from your fellow FlyerTalk members using one of the following links to keep you from being chained to your decision:

Chain restaurants that are actually good

What is your favorite/least favorite chain restaurant?

Fast Food Chain You Absolutely Detest

Of course, McDonald’s is usually a good stand-by on which to fall back when all else fails. Oddly enough, it has been my personal experience that McDonald’s restaurants outside of the United States are typically far superior than their counterparts within the United States overall in terms of quality and service.

Find out more in the Mcdonalds around the world thread.

Bon appetit!

Do you have a question about what goes on behind the scenes during your hotel stay, such as how much to tip the housekeeper or whether or not comment cards are really read? What advice do you need for handling and resolving an adverse situation that you recently experienced at a hotel property?

There is room to check in to the Ask me a hotel question thread where your concierge, FlyerTalk member g_leyser, will be more than happy to address and respond to your questions and comments.

You may want to lobby some support for this FlyerTalk landmark from your fellow FlyerTalk members to check out this thread, as it may be key to unlocking some of the secrets pertaining to little-known hotel operations that may be revealed.

Although most FlyerTalk members have not yet personally experienced this for themselves as this “blog” entry is being posted, apparently if one rents a car from Avis from one of 25 major United States airports, one will receive a “smile pack” containing toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss on the front seat of the car to which one is assigned upon arrival.

The trouble is that the toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss are full-size packages, not travel size. So what does one do if one is only away for a day or two? Due to current increased security measures, one must either dispose of these items (well, except the dental floss, of course) or check them.

Will dentists start recommending that one rents a car from Avis for healthier teeth and fresh breath?

Will car rentals from Avis be officially approved by the American Dental Association?

Please check the Avis to provide us with toothpaste!! thread for further discussion.

Now what in the world would compel a potential passenger to commit such a foolish act as to falsely admit to a Transportation Security Administration agent that he was carrying a bomb instead of telling the truth and describing what he was really carrying?

In fact — what was he carrying? Additionally, what was the reason as to why he lied to the Transportation Security Administration agent?

You will not believe the details of this bizarre story — nor the response of fellow FlyerTalk members — when you read it in the Screen THIS thread…

Atlanta?!?

Yes, even though I reside in the Atlanta area, I will admit that unless one is into Civil Rights or Civil War, both in which Atlanta played a significant role, there really is not much to see and do in the Atlanta area.

However, FlyerTalk member flygirl555 already hosted one gathering of FlyerTalk members in the Atlanta area this past July and is getting ready to host another one: the ATL - “HOT”LANTA DO II - Sept 22-24 on the weekend of September 22 through 24, 2006.

While some potential sites to see on that weekend include the new Georgia Aquarium, which recently celebrated its 3,000,000th visitor despite being open for only approximately 9 months since its Grand Opening, the laser show on the side of Stone Mountain, which is followed by fireworks, and a tour of the historic Fox Theatre, the one I would recommend by far is the tour of the Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum — especially for FlyerTalk members who are interested in aviation history and aircraft. A quick outline of the Delta Museum is provided by me here.

Please read about my personal experience here, which includes a rare and unexpected tour of “Ship 41”, the first DC-3 to carry Delta passengers. This aircraft is not a replica — it is the real thing!!!

As a bonus, here are some pictures, courtesy of allen074 and flygirl555.

I took this picture, this picture and this picture of allen074 in the cockpit of a redesigned section of the hull of the first L-1011 ever built, housed in a part of what is now an 800-square-foot museum gift shop!

Come on down (or up) to Atlanta. “It ain’t just for changin’ planes no more!”

In this entry that I posted to this FlyerTalk “blog”, I wrote Now if FlyerTalk can also have a similar list for all other airlines outside of the United States…

A mere few hours later, FlyerTalk member Kiwi Flyer granted that request by posting the Definitive list of FFPs mileage expiry in the MilesBuzz! forum.

All I can say is thank you to Kiwi Flyer, who is an asset to FlyerTalk!

Now if only the rest of that request could be granted: a similar comprehensive list of expiration policies for the frequent guest programs of hotel chains worldwide and the frequent renter programs of car rental companies worldwide — if those do not already exist, that is…

Although FlyerTalk member Kiwi Flyer first mentioned this topic here in this FlyerTalk “blog”, please allow me to further elaborate on this topic, as well as specifically mention the new policy change pertaining to the expiration of Delta Air Lines SkyMiles.

All FlyerTalk member SealBeach did was ask a simple question:

“Is there a definitive and/or comprehensive list somewhere of the US carriers’ mileage expiration policies?”

Only two hours and one minute elapsed until a comprehensive but incomplete list of the mileage policies of many airlines based in the United States was graciously posted by FlyerTalk member choster.

Fourteen minutes after that, FlyerTalk member soitgoes amended the list with additional information.

How is that for service?

This thread not only epitomizes the MilesBuzz! forum where it resides, but also exemplifies the intended purpose of what FlyerTalk is all about, at its very core.

Read all about it in the Definitive List of US Carriers’ Mileage Expiration Policies? thread!

Now if FlyerTalk can also have a similar list for all other airlines outside of the United States, as well as a comprehensive list of expiration policies for the frequent guest programs of hotel chains worldwide and the frequent renter programs of car rental companies worldwide, that would be great — that is, if those threads do not already exist…
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As a business traveler, I know that a delay can occur when I least expect it, whether it is due to weather or mechanical issues. It does irk me somewhat that I could be delayed due to a distant source of a problem. It is certainly difficult that a flight is delayed due to weather when the weather where I am located is sunny with clear skies.

I was privileged with touring the operations center at Delta Air Lines, which is a rare opportunity that I was thankfully granted. A Delta Air Lines pilot even admitted that they do not get to regularly visit that sensitive area of Delta Air Lines. However, seeing the facility and how it is operated, as well as talking to some employees there first-hand, gave me an unrealized appreciation for what Delta Air Lines attempts to do in a delay situation.

Still, depending on the delay, that does not always mitigate my frustration sometimes despite my increased understanding of how a delay is handled.
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This is simply a reminder that before posting on FlyerTalk requesting or providing information, one may want to do a Search for the topic first to ensure that an identical topic has not already been posted.

Sometimes, the Search function as well as searching for FlyerTalk threads using www.google.com is not always precise or could expend a lot of time.

When entering a FlyerTalk forum, look towards the top. You may find threads called “sticky” threads. These are threads which were deemed important enough to remain “stuck” at the top of the forum for easy access.

Often times, these “sticky” threads contain links to threads with frequently asked questions or threads with valuable information.

Here are a few examples of some of the many valuable “sticky” threads found throughout FlyerTalk:

• SQ FAQ: A Compilation of FTers Advice and Experiences in the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer forum
• A Collection of the Most Useful and Interesting MilesBuzz Threads in the MilesBuzz! forum
• PLEASE READ FIRST: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Anything To Do With Delta in the Delta SkyMiles forum
• The all new and updated Ultimate BRITISH AIRWAYS Guide in the British Airways Executive Club forum

The next time you wander into a FlyerTalk forum seeking advice or looking to post valuable information, please stick to this advice: look at the top of the forum and see what “sticky” threads — if any — are available.

Well, I would not actually say never.

However, I generally agree that using one’s miles for an international trip is usually a more efficient way to use one’s miles for travel.

As a Delta Air Lines SkyMiles member, I usually do not use my SkyMiles unless I travel internationally. Even though airfares have generally been slowly but steadily increasing overall, I would rather spend the $300.00 on a round-trip airfare between Atlanta and Los Angeles, for example, than use my miles.

On the other hand, I would rather spend 50,000 miles on an international SkySaver itinerary to Europe.

This is generally because I know I have a chance of upgrading on a domestic flight within the United States due to my Gold Medallion SkyMiles status, whereas I have no chance of upgrading on the lowest-fare itinerary to Europe.

Also, because a stopover or “open-jaw” is allowed, I had an itinerary from Atlanta to Newark to Prague to Larnaca to Prague to Venice to Paris to Atlanta, for example. My destination was to Larnaca in Cyprus; my stopover was in Venice to meet fellow FlyerTalk members.

However, due to the airlines’ schedules, I received the extra bonus of a 10-hour layover in Prague at no extra charge!

To summarize, I was able to spend a couple of days in Larnaca and Nicosia in Cyprus, a few days in Venice, and a full ten hours in Prague, which is plenty of time to see much of the city — all for 50,000 Delta Air Lines SkyMiles!

Imagine how much money it would have cost me had I purposely booked a similar itinerary!

Based on this and other personal experiences, as well as the reasons I have stated, I find I get much more additional value per mile spent on an international itinerary than on a domestic one.

Do you agree, or do you have a different opinion? What have you personally experienced?

Go to the NEVER! Use miles on a domestic coach award! thread to read more about the experiences and opinions of other FlyerTalk members, or post your own experience or opinion.