Getting Around in the Bahamas: Taxi Scam

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Quick Weekend in the Bahamas Part 1: Intro and Comfort Suites Charlotte Airport Part 2: US Airways Flights Charlotte, NC to/from Freeport and Grand Lucayan Resort Part 3: Bahamas Taxi Scam I’ve mentioned this a few times already in discussing our trip to the Bahamas just a few weeks ago, but wanted to give some more details.  I try to be as savvy of a traveler as possible, especially when it comes to avoiding tourist traps.  Usually, with a little research ahead of time, it’s possible to avoid most of the traps out there…there’s even a TV show in Canada Continue reading Getting Around in the Bahamas: Taxi Scam→

Huge Sale – Flights to Spain for $715 in August!

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As I’ve written about in the past, fares to Europe are almost always the most expensive over the summer.  Everyone wants to travel over the summer when the kids are out of school, so naturally prices are the highest.  Occasionally, however, deals do pop up for the summer, and I’m now seeing prices in the $700s for flights to Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and a handful of other cities in Spain in August.  Compared to most summer fares ($1100-$1200+), this can be a savings of $500+ per person! It may be a little last minute for some, but this Continue reading Huge Sale – Flights to Spain for $715 in August!→

Quick Weekend in the Bahamas: Flights and Grand Lucayan Resort

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Quick Weekend in the Bahamas Part 1: Intro and Comfort Suites Charlotte Airport Part 2: US Airways Flights Charlotte, NC to/from Freeport and Grand Lucayan Resort Part 3: Bahamas Taxi Scam After a pleasant – and free! – stay at the Comfort Suites Charlotte Airport, we hopped on their complimentary shuttle to the airport.  Door-to-door, the shuttle took less than 10 minutes until we were dropped off at the US Airways departure area.  Check-in was relatively quick, and made our way to the US Airways Club lounge, located between the C and D concourses. The lounge is relatively large, although Continue reading Quick Weekend in the Bahamas: Flights and Grand Lucayan Resort→

Flights to Australia from Raleigh and Charlotte – $1077 Roundtrip

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Hope everyone here in the US had a Happy 4th of July yesterday! Delta has launched a great sale on flights to Australia from several cities, including Raleigh and Charlotte for as low as $1077 roundtrip.  This is the lowest fare I’ve seen to Australia from the east coast in a long time!  Plus, these fares are valid through much of the fall and winter here, which is summertime in Australia (since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, their seasons are opposite to ours here in the northern hemisphere). The lowest fares can be found between now and December 8, Continue reading Flights to Australia from Raleigh and Charlotte – $1077 Roundtrip→

Find the Cheapest Gas Prices Along Your Drive

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This post will be a little different than most of the deals that I post about, but hopefully it’ll still be useful given the upcoming 4th of July Holiday.  Millions of people will be heading out on the roads this week, and no one is complaining that gas prices are too low.  So I’ve put together a couple tips for finding the cheapest gas prices along your drive, wherever you’re headed. There are 2 main tools that I typically use to find the cheapest gas prices – the GasBuddy App and the GasBuddy Heat Map. GasBuddy App The GasBuddy App Continue reading Find the Cheapest Gas Prices Along Your Drive→

Uber in Greensboro and Winston Salem: $30 + 5 Rides FREE

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As of November 23, 2014, the $30 Uber Sign Up Bonus has been lowered to $20.  The $30 bonus was a fantastic offer while it lasted, but $20 in free credit towards your first ride is still a great deal.  The steps below are still correct, except that you will earn $20 towards your first ride instead of $30. I know I just posted about Uber on Monday with details about their limited time best-ever sign up bonus of $30 (note that this sign up bonus is valid for new members anywhere, not just in North Carolina).  As of today, Continue reading Uber in Greensboro and Winston Salem: $30 + 5 Rides FREE→

Mike Rowe’s Entertaining Commentary on Flying on Small Planes

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The other day, Mike Rowe was traveling on a United flight from San Francisco to Kansas City.  The flight was on one of the small regional jets that most of us have experienced at one point or another, but at over 3 hours, this is one of the longest flights operated by a regional jet today: There’s only one bathroom on board, and it’s all the way in the back. One bathroom for 74 people. On a three-hour flight that was delayed on the tarmac for 35 minutes.

Best Uber Promo Code: Limited Time Triple ($30) Offer

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UPDATE: As of November 23, 2014, the $30 Uber Sign Up Bonus has been lowered to $20.  The $30 bonus was a fantastic offer while it lasted, but $20 in free credit towards your first ride is still a great deal.  The steps below are still correct, except that you will earn $20 towards your first ride instead of $30. Most of you by now have likely heard of Uber, the innovative new on-demand car service.  Similar to private car service, but with prices often equal to or less than taxis, Uber is rapidly expanding and revolutionizing the transportation market. Continue reading Best Uber Promo Code: Limited Time Triple ($30) Offer→

Starwood Hotels Status Challenge Update

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Some of you may remember that a few months ago, I started a “Status Challenge” with Starwood Hotels.  You can read more details about hotel status challenges (and specifics on the Starwood Platinum Challenge) in my previous post here…but in short, a hotel status challenge is a set of requirements required to reach elite status with the hotel chain in an expedited timeframe. For Starwood’s Platinum Challenge, the requirement was to stay 18 nights within a 3 month period.  The 3 month period is based on calendar months, and with my travels, I stayed exactly 18 nights at Starwood hotels Continue reading Starwood Hotels Status Challenge Update→

Booking an Amazing Trip to South America

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Not long ago, I finished booking a trip to South America for the Mrs. Guru and I.  Neither of us have been to South America before, so we’re very excited about the trip.  I wanted to share my booking process with you all so that you can see how you might be able to put together a trip like this. Trip Overview We’ll first be spending several days in Buenos Aires, Argentina (with a day trip over to Montevideo, Uruguay), and several days in Lima, Peru, including a visit to Machu Picchu (near the city of Cusco).  The routing for Continue reading Booking an Amazing Trip to South America→