Category: Travel Tips

Personal tips for saving money and enjoying your travels more.

luxury hotel pool
Travel Tuesday: What to Know About Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts Program
Just a couple of weeks before the pandemic shut down much of the United States to travel, I wrote about my experience booking a room in Chicago using American Express's Hotel Collection. At the time, I assumed that this offering was pretty similar to the fancier-sounding Fine Hotels + Resorts program, with the latter merely...
foreign currency origami
Travel Tuesday: 4 Ways to Obtain and Use Foreign Currency
At the time that I write this, international travel is still a no-go for us Americans. Despite this, I haven't stopped thinking about my (hopeful) upcoming travels nor halted my reflections back on my past adventures. Among the aspects I've been considering lately is how my M.O. while traveling has evolved over the years —...
Ceasars statue
Travel Tuesday: Visiting Las Vegas in a Pandemic
Over the past few months, I’ve been pondering when I would be able to travel again. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I started discussing some possibilities for trips we could take while still feeling comfortable and safe. That’s when we decided upon a destination: Las Vegas, Nevada. Cut to this...
Tokyo train tracks
Travel Tuesday: 3 Silly Little Things I Love About Tokyo
As the current crisis continues, I keep reflecting and relying on my old travel memories to get me by. Lately, this has led me to reflect on my time spent in Tokyo, Japan — a favorite of mine for a long time. Not only was it the destination for my first-ever solo international trip but...
woman traveler in front of a stop sign
Travel Tuesday: Don't Let a Good Deal Pressure You Into Traveling Again
As we enter month five of quarantine, the number of canceled trips continues to grow. What's more, while some of us may have been optimistic about the possibility of autumn trips back in March (like when I moved my plane tickets to Paris from April to September), those hopes have since been dashed. Nevertheless, even...
Paris skyline
Travel Tuesday: My Favorite Things About Paris
Welp. With the coronavirus pandemic outlook in America not looking much better, it looks as though we'll be canceling our trip to Paris for the second time (we were booked for March and pushed it to September when things seemed like they'd be better). Le sigh. While I don't mean to complain about my lack...
holding a US passport
Travel Tuesday: Will Other Countries Welcome Americans Back?
A few weeks ago, I pondered when we might be able to travel again. While that post explored some of the latest news on that front including continued travel restrictions, one thing I didn't quite consider is that being allowed in a country and being welcome in a country are two different things. So, with...
view of hotel
Travel Tuesday: When Will We Travel Again?
They say that, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. That's proving especially true in 2020 as a global pandemic has all but shut down economies around the globe. Needless to say, it's also hit the travel industry especially hard. But are we getting closer to exploring the world outside of...
travel illustration
Travel Tuesday: AmEx Adds Practical Perks to Appease Travel Cardholders
Just a few months ago, I decided to apply for the American Express Platinum Card after determining that its travel benefits were worth the hefty $550 annual fee. That opinion was further justified as I got to sample a number of perks on a few trips late last year and early this year. Well, the...
airport lounge
Travel Tuesday: Silly But Genius Travel Gift Ideas from Airportag
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about some intriguing travel products I've found thanks to ads on Instagram. Well, after I published that, I realized I had left out a few other items that have caught my eye as well. As it turns out, many of these actually came from the same site:...
view of clouds from a plane
Travel Tuesday: Is Your Airline or Hotel Status Being Extended?
I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess that, if you're reading this post around the time it was initially published, you haven't been traveling much lately. For frequent travelers, not only is this a change of pace that may make cabin fever even more impactful but may also lead some to...
collage of travel products found on Instragram
Travel Tuesday: 5 Interesting Travel Products I've Seen Advertised on Instagram
Well, there's no getting around it: now is not a great time for travel. I suppose that means I choose the wrong time to start a bi-weekly travel series... but I'm committed to keeping up that schedule. So, instead of focusing on travel itself this week, I thought it'd be fun to take a look...
Featured Articles
How Utilization Impacts Your Credit Scores: My Real-Life Example
You may already know that Credit Utilization is the second-largest factor FICO considers when determining your credit score. Specifically, it makes up 30% of your score, topped only by Payment History at 35%. But what does that look like in practice? Well, I recently got the "opportunity" to see firsthand. In April, I elected to...
Travel Tuesday: Allbirds Weatherproof Hightops - How They Compare to Mizzles
As I've mentioned more than a few times before, after purchasing a pair of water-resistant Allbirds Runner-Up Mizzles a few years back, they quickly became my go-to travel shoe. That's because they're not only comfortable but also help protect my feet from wet weather while on the road (there are few things I hate more...
This New Hardshell Carry-On Luggage Option Has My Attention
Welcome back to another Quick Tip — and the latest edition of our occasional, unofficial series Things Kyle Wants to Buy. When I returned from my most recent trip, for some reason, I had hardshell luggage on my mind. That's strange because my current soft-sided luggage has served me well and, moreover, I've traditionally not...
Would it Be Wrong to Try This Potential Free Checked Bag Trick?
I don't remember the last time I paid for a checked bag on a plane. Granted. I've paid for carry-ons while flying Allegiant — but, in the cases where I have elected to check a bag in recent years, it's been a free gate check since I occasionally volunteer to part with my bag early...