Miles For Family
Largest Drop Waterslide at Sea Breaks Open; Passenger Plans to Sue for Injuries
Last week, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was injured when the Frightening Bolt waterslide broke. Frightening Bolt is the largest drop slide at sea and begins with an almost-vertical fall through a trap door. The Incident On August 7, an acrylic piece of the Frightening Bolt...
Points With a Crew
Can I book a hotel for someone else?
Reader Brooklyn wants to know: Can I book a hotel for someone else using hotel points? Does the person with the points have to be physically there at check-in?
Miles For Family
Success: Creating Flying Blue Family Account Will Extend Your Expiring Miles by Two Years
A few weeks ago, I wrote that  transferring flexible points will not extend the validity of Air France Flying Blue miles earned via co-branded Bank of America credit card That left us with only a few months to use up the stash or lose it. There was another solution: applying...
Miles For Family
Hershey, PA: A Chocolate-infused trip down memory lane
When I was a kid, my family visited Hershey, Pennsylvania on a family vacation. I still remember that trip, and I’ve been wanting to return to Hershey with my kids someday. Thanks to a great award flight price, I revisited Hershey with my daughter and sister last week. Hershey Lodge...
Miles For Family
New International Flights Announced, Aeroplan Award Discount and More
Alaska Airlines Adds New International Routes: Good news for people living on the West Coast with flights to the UK and Iceland. See the news release here. American Airlines Adds New Europe Flights for 2026: DFW is getting flights to Zurich and Athens. I would return to both cities in...
Your Mileage May Vary
TSA PreCheck Offering BOGO For Limited Time
Over the years, the TSA has been pushing PreCheck more and more. It’s admittedly a convenient way to save time at the TSA security checkpoint. But, of course, the more…
Miles For Family
Uncertainty with the School Calendar Has Put Our Japan Award Trip in Limbo
Those of you with kids in public school know that it adds an extra layer of complexity. Not only do you have to find multiple award seats, but you have to do it during peak season when other families are traveling too. It is what it is, and you have...
Travel Points Playbook
How to Change Your Southwest Companion Online in 2 Minutes
One of the perks of the Southwest Companion Pass is that you are allowed to change your designated…
Miles For Family
The Deer Really Do Bow! Day Trip to Nara, Japan
This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove...
Miles For Family
Using IHG Free Night Certificates at Hotel Indigo Downtown Denver – Union Station
I recently took a short trip to Denver and tried a new-to-me hotel: Hotel Indigo Downtown Denver – Union Station. Booking My husband and I each own the IHG One Rewards Premier credit card that comes with a free night certificate on the card’s anniversary. Originally, we booked rooms in...
Miles For Family
My Online Passport Renewal Timeline
My passport was set to expire early next year. Since some countries require you to have at least 6 months passport validity remaining to enter the country, I knew I had to figure out a good window to renew my passport. Initially, I had about 8 months between my recent...
Miles For Family
Bank of America Canceled My Husband’s New Credit Card Before We Had a Chance to Activate It
So, I used to think Citi is a bizarre bank. Well, Bank of America enters the chat… A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on applying for BoA Air France credit card in my husband’s name, in order to prevent the expiration of his 73k miles. The card was...
Miles For Family
Our Machiya Rental in Kyoto, Japan
This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove...
Miles For Family
August 2025 Transfer Bonuses
It’s a new month already! Let’s look at the transfer bonuses that can make your miles stretch farther. New: Capital One 15% Transfer Bonus to Avianca LifeMiles Through 10:59PM Eastern Time on 08/31/2025, get 15% transfer bonus when transferring from Capital One to Avianca LifeMiles program. I’ve used LifeMiles in...
Live and Let’s Fly
Is It Ok To Book Business For Parents But Economy For Kids?
There’s a debate raging in our home about whether or not it’s ok to book ourselves (parents) in business class, but children in coach with an adult family member.  Are Different Cabins Problematic? For the first time, we are having a debate in our house about whether it’s ok to...