Category: Travel

myVegas apps
Travel Tuesday: Living Vicariously Through myVegas
As is well documented on this site, I have a major soft spot for Las Vegas. Despite not drinking and rarely gambling (save a trip last year when my friend bankrolled me to play blackjack with him), I've always enjoyed walking The Strip and exploring the numerous hotels and casinos along the way. Incidentally, since...
Southwest airplane
Travel Tuesday: Southwest Cards Are Including Companion Pass in Their Sign-Up Bonuses (For a Limited Time)
Sometimes the universe loves me. As I was brainstorming on what to write about this week, some very interesting news came across my desk: Southwest is now allowing customers to earn a Companion Pass as part of the sign-up bonus on their co-branded credit card line-up. In other words, for a limited time, you can...
Hotel Vandivort V
Travel Tuesday: V2 (Hotel Vandivort) Hotel Review
It's hard to believe, but it's already been a couple of months since I enjoyed my first stay at Springfield, Missouri's very own Hotel Vandivort. Since reviewing my experience last year, I've been waiting to make a return to this unique property and hopefully check out some of their other offerings. Well, the opportunity to...
sitting in an airplane seat
Travel Tuesday: Follow Airline Mask Mandates or Get Banned
This might come as a surprise to you, but the travel industry has changed a tremendous amount over the past year — shocking, I know. In a bid to comply with local regulations and CDC recommendations as well as, you know, keep their flyers safe, several airlines have adjusted their operations to not only ask...
looking out of an airplane
Travel Tuesday: What I Hope for in 2021 Travelwise
This past week, with each Zoom call we had with friends and family, it seemed everyone had one question for my wife and me: what's your next big trip? Well, as of this moment, I still don't have that answer. Sure, the recent vaccine news makes it seem as though we could soon see a...
The Highland Dallas
Travel Tuesday: The Highland Dallas Hotel Review
In my previous Travel Tuesday installment, I shared my first real hotel review following my stay at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. Well, just last week, my wife and I ended up on a business road trip to Dallas, Texas. And, while I didn't go into my stay thinking I would write about my experience,...
waldorf-astoria-entrance
Travel Tuesday: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas Hotel Review
With international travel still off the table, a few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to pay a return visit to Las Vegas, Nevada. This time around, we decided to try something a bit different and stay at a hotel that's not connected to a casino: The Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. Booking through the...
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...
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...