Travel Historical context you should know before visiting Quebec Upgraded to Economy, March 29, 2024August 10, 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
Lounges My ranking of Centurion Lounges in the U.S. Upgraded to Economy, February 8, 2024August 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, 2023October 8, 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
Travel Enrolling for EasyPASS-RTP at Frankfurt Airport Upgraded to Economy, December 10, 2023December 10, 2023 When entering the Schengen Area, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to go through manual border control upon arrival… except if they arrive in Germany and are enrolled in the EasyPASS-RTP program. What is EasyPASS-RTP? EasyPASS is the German government’s name for their eGates used for automated border control. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens qualify… Continue Reading
Travel How easy is it for foreign visitors to navigate Chinese society as of 2023? Upgraded to Economy, December 1, 2023August 11, 2024 In recent years, China’s rapid growth meant that many services were made available to users with a Chinese Resident Identity Card (shenfenzheng), but not to foreigners. This is because of Chinese regulations. The Chinese government is strict about preventing crime and binds all social services to one’s identity. Consequently, in… Continue Reading
Lounges Lounge review: Capital One Lounge at Denver (DEN) Upgraded to Economy, November 24, 2023November 24, 2023 Capital One opened their third lounge at Denver International Airport in November 2023. I just so happened to be in town for a show and took the chance to check it out. This time, instead of taking pictures, I took a video. Take a look below. Comparison to the Dallas… Continue Reading
Travel APEC Business Travel Card: an underrated hack Upgraded to Economy, November 17, 2023November 24, 2023 Global Entry members tend to be spoiled for clearing immigration when heading home to the United States. Visiting other countries, however, might not be such a great experience when they lose access to the fast-track immigration clearance they enjoy in the U.S. and have to wait in hours-long lines at… Continue Reading
Lounges Lounge review: China Eastern Airlines International VIP Lounge at Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) Upgraded to Economy, November 13, 2023November 22, 2023 Hello from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, the original airport of Shanghai (and the one that’s closer to the center of Shanghai). It’s primarily used for domestic flights these days, but it also hosts a limited number of short-haul international flights, such as ones to Tokyo–Haneda. I flew JAL out of… Continue Reading
Flights Trip review: Japan Airlines (JAL) Premium Economy seats (Tokyo–Haneda to Shanghai–Pudong) [HND to PVG] Upgraded to Economy, November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 On my recent flight from Tokyo–Haneda to Shanghai–Pudong, I rode on a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787-9. This is a three-class cabin with business class, premium economy, and economy seats. However, the flight was sold as a two-cabin flight; the premium economy seats were treated as regular economy class, but… Continue Reading