Category: Travel Tips

Personal tips for saving money and enjoying your travels more.

interior of an airplane
When is the Best Time to Book a Flight?
In just the past few years, the travel industry has changed tremendously. Yet, there’s one aspect that’s remained the same: people are looking to save money. Yes, while we all wish money were no object so that we could plan the trip of our dreams without restrictions, the fact is that booking a flight can...
Travel Tuesday: An Overview of Airline Baggage Fees
Following an industry-wide upheaval in recent years, airlines are continuing to evolve their policies (for better or worse). Most obviously, Southwest Airlines recently gave up its long-held and immensely popular Bags Fly Free program and is now charging for checked luggage. Elsewhere, many major airlines have not only hiked their baggage fees but one has...
Delta Main Extra features
Travel Tuesday: Delta's New "Extra" Fares Join "Classic" Options
In marketing, there's the "good, better, best" concept. For example, think of how Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic are all different brand tiers of one company or how Apple has a budget iPhone 16e, the standard iPhone 16, and then the top-end iPhone 16 Pro. Well, it now seems as though Delta is taking...
beds inside a hotel room
Travel Tuesday: Planning a Vacation Using Credit Card Benefits
A few weeks ago, I decided it was high time that my wife and I take at least a short vacation. So, doing things I bit backward, I selected some dates and then wrote down some possible destinations. Where did we choose to go? Northwest Arkansas. That choice came down to a few factors. For...
airplane flying above the clouds
Travel Tuesday: This Report Says the Best Airline is... Spirit?
Those who travel often probably have a favorite airline. This loyalty could be due to what available flights a carrier offers from their home airport, lounge locations, frequent flyer program perks, or other amenities offered. But, what domestic carrier is objectively the best... and how would one go about measuring that? Well, the folks at...
entrance to Deta SkyClub ATL
Travel Tuesday: Delta's Newest Sky Club in Atlanta Has Arrived
Delta has debuted its latest Sky Club location at its hometown hub — which also happens to be the busiest airport in the world: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta. This week, the airline shared a first look at its new Concourse D lounge. While this is now the eighth Sky Club at ATL, there were previously nine, with...
MGM Rewards Cards
Travel Tuesday: MGM Rewards is Adding New Perks for Members
For the past several years, the Las Vegas Strip has been dominated by two major players: Caesars and MGM. Sure, new properties not owned by either behemoth — such as Resorts World and Fontainebleau — have come to town and other properties including TI, Wynn, and more still exist... but, it's pretty much a duopoly....
beautiful beach sunset with WeatherPromise Vacation app
Travel Tuesday: JetBlue Vacations Now Lets You Hedge Against a Rainy Trip
In past articles, I've talked about how I tend to purchase and pack items that will assist me in the event that rain occurs during my trip. For example, I'm always sure to bring my water-resistant Allbirds Mizzles hightops to ensure I have dry feet and have eyed the Quikflip Dryflip for similar comfort reasons....
entry to airport lounge in Las Vegas Airport
Travel Tuesday: Airport Lounge Wars are Heating Up in Las Vegas
In recent years, airport lounges have seemingly exploded in popularity. Of course, that boom corresponds to an increase in attainability. That is to say that, these days, there are plenty of premium credit cards that include some level of lounge access as a perk. Moreover, a few of these card issuers are building lounge locations...
Alaska Airlines Bag Tag device
Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines' Interesting and Gimmicky Piece of Travel Tech
For those tired of waiting in line to print off bag tags at the airport, Alaska Airlines has introduced a new solution. Recently, the airline started selling its electronic permanent bag tags to the general public. So what are these things all about — and will I be picking one up for myself? I first...
Shake Shack burger on a Delta plane
Travel Tuesday: Delta is Bringing Shake Shack Burgers to the Sky
Once upon a time, when you flew anywhere of reasonable distance, you'd be served a meal onboard. And while this wasn't always the best food (see: stand-up comedy bits from the 80s and 90s), it was included with your ticket. Of course, those days are long gone — unless, of course, you're flying in first class....
MGM Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy logos
Travel Tuesday: Transferring Points Between MGM Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy
Last year, MGM Resorts announced that it was breaking off its long-standing partnership with Hyatt... but then nearly immediately revealed a new deal with Marriott Bonvoy. At the time, I was hopeful that pact would mean enticing status matching as it did with Hyatt, but that sadly turned out not to be the case (MGM...
Featured Articles
Travel Tuesday: The Club ATL Grab & Go Pantry Lounge Review
Last week, I set off for San Francisco from my home in Springfield, Missouri. But, since I was flying Delta, I of course needed to make a stop in Atlanta before my flight back in the correct direction. Over the years, I've spent plenty of time at ATL, so when something new pops up, I...
4 Daily Games I Play That Somehow Make Me Feel Smart
Remember a few years ago when Wordle took the world by storm? Well, after that, it seemed that several other daily games popped up as well. Over time, the lineup of games I actually bother to play daily has evolved — but there are a few that I keep returning to. That's probably because, even...
Hotel Vandivort Review: Springfield, Missouri's Four Diamond Boutique Hotel
When it comes to my Travel Tuesday hotel review series, I often wonder what travels might be featured in my latest installment. That's when it hit me that: instead of looking to other cities for adventure, I could feature a property found right here in Springfield, Missouri.  Hotel Vandivort is a unique boutique hotel we’d...
I'm 40 and Finally Figured Out How to Properly Shave My Face
For a good portion of my mid to late 20s, I made my living pretending to be in high school for television. As it turns out, part of the reason why I could pass for younger is that I can't grow a beard to save my life. Unfortunately, this lack of growth also means that,...