Category: Travel

outside view of Moxy Springfield Downtown Hotel
Travel Tuesday: Moxy Springfield Downtown Hotel Review
This summer, a new, hip hotel opened in Springfield: Moxy. Confusingly, this new property isn't too far from our local art house theatre, Moxie Cinema — but I digress. With Moxy still being new in town and with my wife and I celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary last week, we decided to spend the night at...
Hyatt House Anaheim interior room view
Travel Tuesday: Hyatt House Anaheim Hotel Review
After my stay in Indianapolis for this year's GenCon (and spending approximately 15 hours at home), I was off to Anaheim, California for D23. Since I'd be working the event and representing Laughing Place, my room was booked and paid for by my boss — which also meant that I didn't know where my hotel was...
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...
king bed in guest room at Le Meridien Indianapolis
Travel Tuesday: Le Meridien Indianapolis Hotel Review
When I attended GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana last year, I was taken aback by how many hotels there were in the area — and how many of them were sold out when I went to book. That's how I ended up at the Conrad Indianapolis. This time around, it was the Conrad that was booked...
Allegiant Extra seats
Travel Tuesday: Allegiant Extra Review - Worth the Upgrade?
Right before the pandemic, I was booking an Allegiant flight to Las Vegas and saw an option for Allegiant Extra. This upgrade included extra legroom, priority boarding, and other perks. Naturally, as something of an Allegiant connoisseur, I had to try it. Of course, as you can imagine, that trip was canceled — and, on subsequent...
Travel Tuesday: I Hate Southwest's Boarding Process - But Now I'm Going to Miss It
As you've probably heard, Southwest Airlines is getting ready to make some big changes. This includes moving to a reserved seating model sometime in the near-ish future. In other words, the carrier will start to look a bit more like the vast majority of its competitors — and I have some thoughts on that. Look,...
sitting in Delta SkyClub
Travel Tuesday: Could Unbundled Business Class Come to Delta?
There's no question that flying in business class is a completely different experience than in economy. Between having your own pod and a lie-flat seat, suddenly the prospect of sleeping on a long-haul international flight doesn't seem so untenable. Of course, there are also service perks, such as a dedicated flight attendant for the cabin,...
looking down a long stretch of road
The Ultimate Road Trip: A Helpful Guide to Saving Money on the Open Road
Is there anything that says “summer” more than a good old-fashioned road trip? Whether you’re looking to experience our vast and beautiful country first-hand or just want to save a few bucks versus flying, there are many advantages to hopping in your car and hitting the open road for your next vacation. However, while road-tripping...
"Brave-ish" by Lisa Niver book cover
Travel Tuesday: "Brave-ish" by Lisa Niver Book Review
Last year, seasoned traveler turned travel writer and expert Lisa Niver released her new book Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty. As a follower of Niver on Twitter, I'd seen mention of her book several times in recent months, with the orange/red hues and pink heart airplane artwork often popping up...
Tiger sign at Voco hotel
Travel Tuesday: Voco The Tiger Hotel Review (Columbia, Missouri)
This past weekend, my wife and I found ourselves in Columbia, Missouri. Located about three hours away from our home in Springfield, COMO is home to the University of Missouri (better known as Mizzou), which rivals our own Missouri State University. As our Saturday drew to a close, we realized we needed to book a...
items ready to be packed for a trip
Halfday Garment Duffle Review: Travel Hero or Dud?
Have you ever been served ads for a product on Instagram so often that you eventually break down and buy it? As a personal finance blogger, this is not a practice I can endorse. However, as someone who reviews products, I have much more tolerance for allowing myself to give in (#content). That's what happened...
airplane tickets and globe with an airplane
My Initial Experience in the Overwhelming World of Travel Hacking
Over the past few years, my wife and I have had the good fortune of getting to enjoy an increasing amount of travel. This includes heading to domestic locations such as Los Angeles for the D23 Expo and Orlando to visiting Walt Disney World, as well as international travels to Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Heck, we...
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Hey You Kids, Get Off My Lawn!
With last Friday being July 4th, I decided to take a week off from posting. However, I wanted to share a story from that night (or, really, early the next morning). Backing up, last year, we learned that our neighbors loved fireworks. So we were prepared for a few hours of noise and helping our...
Travel Tuesday: The Venetian Surveying Guests on Possible Rewards Credit Card
Late last year, I had a chance to cross another Las Vegas Strip property off my list with a stay at The Palazzo at The Venetian. Whether because of that or because I opened a players club card with them as well, this week The Venetian sent me a survey regarding a potential rewards credit...
Allbirds is Celebrating Independence Day with a 50% Off Sale
One funny thing about summer is how a sunny day can quickly turn into a heavy downpour. This is even more prominent in certain parts of the country where you may be headed on a summer vacation (I'm looking at you, Florida!). So, given that weather reality, it makes perfect sense that Allbirds would be...
An Amex Platinum Card Revamp is Coming — And I'm Worried
Earlier this week, Chase confirmed pretty much every rumor that had been swirling for the past couple of months by announcing details on a major refresh for its uber popular Sapphire Reserve card. When this refresh launches next week (or in October for current cardholders), it will bring new credits, a reimagined rewards-earning system, and...