Driving Best toll passes for driving across the United States (2024) Upgraded to Economy, July 25, 2024July 25, 2024 The United States has a wide variety of disjoint tolling programs. This can make driving around on toll roads difficult when you travel to different states. I often rent a car in the East Coast and find myself driving on toll roads. While I could use the rental car company’s… Continue Reading
Flying to Vermont and driving up to Montréal Upgraded to Economy, July 13, 2024July 25, 2024 For my third trip to Montréal, I decided to try something more niche. Instead of flying directly to Montréal, why not fly to a city close to the border but still in the United States and drive up instead, crossing the border by land and not by air? Why? There… Continue Reading
Reconciling different travel styles in group trips Upgraded to Economy, July 13, 2024 So you’ve found a group of travelers who want to embark on the same journey as you and you’ve all booked a trip together. Congratulations! But once you set out, you realize you’re going to be with these people either all or most of the time until the end of… Continue Reading
Flights How I’m spending only $300 for my midsummer vacation’s flights Upgraded to Economy, June 3, 2024June 4, 2024 This summer, I’m making the same voyage I made last summer, except I’ve added one new stop. My goal with this trip was to be as efficient with money as possible. My focus is to minimize my hotel and airfare expenses while maximizing the amount of time I spend outside… Continue Reading
Flights My first amazing Alaska Airlines redemption Upgraded to Economy, June 2, 2024June 2, 2024 A few days ago, I had over 125,000 Alaska miles. This was a lot of miles that I had essentially no use for. I don’t want to redeem these miles on domestic routes because they almost always are a worse deal than simply paying cash. In addition, I want to… Continue Reading
Driving My crazy idea for how I’m going to Montréal this summer Upgraded to Economy, May 31, 2024July 25, 2024 If you can’t tell, I am absolutely infatuated with Montréal. However, the annoyance of clearing customs and immigration at the airport, combined with Canada’s high aviation taxes, make another alternative idea a lot more enticing. Just like I did in my 2022 trip to Toronto, I can simply fly to… Continue Reading
Historical context you should know before visiting Quebec Upgraded to Economy, March 29, 2024March 30, 2024 Québec is one of my favorite places to visit in the world. It’s close to the United States and has a rich vibrant culture that’s unlike the rest of North America. I love how it’s such a proximate place to enjoy a culture different from the predominantly English- and Spanish-speaking… Continue Reading
Tired of planning trips for your friends? Upgraded to Economy, March 28, 2024March 28, 2024 Are you tired of being the one who plans each friend trip? I’ve been in those shoes too and it’s pretty exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Some trips don’t need much planning. For trips fitting the following criteria, it’s actually quite feasible to be less strict… Continue Reading
How I’ve grown as a traveler Upgraded to Economy, February 21, 2024March 2, 2024 In October 2021, I finally had some time on my hands to travel. After several grueling months of work, I decided to take a well-deserved vacation. At the time, many foreign destinations were closed to visitors. Furthermore, almost all of the destinations open to foreigners required proof of vaccination against… Continue Reading
My ranking of Centurion Lounges in the U.S. Upgraded to Economy, February 8, 2024February 10, 2024 I’ve visited over half of the Centurion Lounges currently operating in the United States as of early 2024. While they tend to be some of the best lounges you can find in the airport, not all Centurion Lounges are created equal. Read on to see which ones I’ve visited and… Continue Reading
Some unintuitive items I bring with me on my trips Upgraded to Economy, January 29, 2024July 25, 2024 Traveling frequently has allowed me to develop a routine for packing. For a short trip, I’m now able to carry all of my necessities in just one carry-on bag and one personal item backpack. Here’s a few things I like to carry with me that might not be too intuitive,… Continue Reading
Travel Preparing for your first trip to Japan Upgraded to Economy, December 25, 2023June 29, 2024 If you are going to Japan for the first time soon, you’re either very excited or nonchalant but will soon be excited. (I was in the latter category, but after my first trip, I booked next year’s tickets to Japan just a few days after leaving Japan.) There are a… Continue Reading