Review: Aloft Chapel Hill, NC

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

As part of a Starwood Platinum Challenge (by staying 18 nights at Starwood Hotels within 3 months, you can earn top tier Platinum Status – as opposed to the normal 50 night annual requirement to earn Platinum Status…click here to learn more), I recently stayed at the Aloft Chapel Hill for a night to check this relatively new kid on the block. It was built in 2010, and is right across the highway from the UNC Chapel Hill campus. Upon pulling up, I was greeted by the valet service, and headed inside to check in. I had never stayed at Continue reading Review: Aloft Chapel Hill, NC→

Flights to Charleston, SC from NYC – $118 roundtrip

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

Back in January, Delta ran a sale on flights to Charleston, SC from New York (or vice versa) for as low as $140 roundtrip. Today, Jetblue has dropped prices even lower…only $118 including all taxes. This is a fantastic fare, and I would definitely jump on this if I was in either Charleston or New York. Flights are available from now until May 31st, although the downside to this fare is that it’s only available for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Other days are only slightly higher, at $139-$150 roundtrip:

Starwood Hotel Status Challenges: What, Why, and How

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

A relatively under-advertised offer that some hotel chains provide is a “challenge” in order for guests to earn elite status in an accelerated timeframe. Some airlines will offer these challenges as well. The challenges are usually geared to earn loyalty from frequent travelers who might be looking to switch their preferred hotel/airline. For example, if your current job has you frequently flying on one airline, but a new job will have you flying frequently on a different airline, that second airline may offer a challenge as an accelerated track for you to reach elite status in order to improve their Continue reading Starwood Hotel Status Challenges: What, Why, and How→

San Francisco to Oslo, Norway: $571 roundtrip

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

More love for folks in San Francisco! After a killer $26 roundtrip deal to Portland on Virgin America, United is now offering flights to Oslo, Norway for as low as $571 roundtrip. Most of the cheapest fares are available in October and November, 2014:

San Francisco to Portland: $26 roundtrip

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

UPDATE: This fare is already gone – a good example of why you should have your trigger finger ready if you see a fare that you might want to book! Virgin America has slashed prices on their nonstop flights between San Francisco and Portland, OR – only $13 each way, including all taxes! If you’re in the Bay Area and want to get away to the pacific northwest (or vice versa), it doesn’t get any better than this.

Flights to Sweden and Norway from Newark and Ft. Lauderdale – $423 roundtrip

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

United is running a fantastic sale for flights to Sweden and Norway from Newark, NJ or Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Roundtrip fares are as low as $423 to Stockholm, Sweden or $439 to Oslo, Norway. These fares are available in November, 2014, so although it’s not necessary the prime travel season to Europe, prices don’t get much lower than this to Scandinavia.

Flights to Greece from Washington / Chicago – $623

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Guru — 2 Comments ↓

If you’ve been looking or thinking about booking flights to Greece, now is the time! United has lowered fares from both Washington, DC and Chicago to Thessaloniki, the 2nd largest city in Greece. From Thessaloniki, you can easily connect on to Athens or out to the rest of the Greek Isles like Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, etc. Roundtrip fares from DC are as low as $623, and Chicago is slightly higher at $717. The cheapest fares are available during the month of November. For some flights, you can even take a 20 hour stop in Istanbul to get a brief taste Continue reading Flights to Greece from Washington / Chicago – $623→

Raleigh to Phoenix Flights – $218 roundtrip

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

US Airways has launched a sale for flights between Raleigh/Durham, NC and Phoenix, AZ – roundtrip flights are as low as $218 roundtrip. The cheapest fares are available between now and June 7 (although you must purchase at least 14 days in advance). Travel is valid on every day except Friday and Monday. Sample Itinerary:

Lost Luggage Protection from Credit Cards

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

Howdy folks….I know you have all missed hearing from me tremendously since I posted last, so I’m back! I’ve been a bit busy, but will try to keep posting as often as I can! I wanted to bring to your attention a relatively little-known benefit of some credit cards. In general, whichever card you use to purchase your flights will be the one to extend the coverage. Typically, you become eligible for the coverage if your luggage is lost for at least 4 hours. In other words, if the airline loses your luggage but delivers it to you within a Continue reading Lost Luggage Protection from Credit Cards→

First Hand Account from the Ethiopian Airlines Hijacking

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Guru — No Comments ↓

Most of you have probably heard about the hijacking of the Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Rome on Sunday night. The full news story is here, but the general story is that the co-pilot of the flight locked the captain out of the cockpit when he got up to go to the bathroom. The 30 year old Ethiopian co-pilot apparently “wanted asylum in Switzerland,” and circled above Geneva, Switzerland before landing. A post was made on Reddit about 12 hours ago by a passenger who says he was on the flight and talks about the chilling details of Continue reading First Hand Account from the Ethiopian Airlines Hijacking→

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