The “Six Item Challenge” has been around for a while now and I’m trying to figure out if I can travel under those limitations.  What is it? You pick six items of clothes (not including underwear, socks/tights/hose, workout clothes, or accessories) and wear only those items for a set period of time (a month, six… Continue reading Another packing list, this time for Argentina

One day. Literally one day after I posted my thoughts on whether status was worth actively pursuing, I decided to go on a mileage run. Which I’m currently doing, three days after posting my thoughts on whether status is worth pursuing. What, you may ask, is a mileage run? For the sane people who read… Continue reading So, it turns out that I think status is worth the effort…

In 2017, I’ve enjoyed status on the following airlines: United (Gold) American (Platinum) Alaska (MVP Gold) Each of these are “second tier” levels, but since Alaska only has three tiers, I’m “higher up” on Alaska than on American or United. I don’t fly enough to maintain status on all three airlines.  I earned my American… Continue reading Airline status: 2017 and 2018

Actually, I’ve never watched an entire episode of the A-Team! But seriously, I do like it when I put time and effort (and geekery) into prospective travel arrangements and then everything works out as planned. Since November 2015, I’ve been to Asia four times, for work and for leisure: November 2015: ORD-HKG-ICN-HKG-ORD Chris and I blogged about this… Continue reading I love it when a plan comes together…

I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately: after a quiet January and February, I was on six long-haul or overnight trips in March.  Most of those flights involved red-eyes from California to home, but Chris and I squeezed in a mini-break to Vienna to celebrate our anniversary. Packing for overnight flights has gotten pretty elaborate for me.… Continue reading Packing light, pretty, comfortable: overnight flights (and getting some sleep!)

Warning: this is one of my longest posts ever! Introduction Every winter, I need a break from the dreary Chicago weather.  So over the winter holidays, we head south.  We’ve had a lot of fun over the past few winters!   For winter 2017-2018, we’ve decided to return to Argentina: Mendoza (for six days/five nights) and… Continue reading Returning to Argentina (on points!)

I’m obsessed with packing lists.  I can be scatterbrained and I hate the feeling that I’ve forgotten something.  So I often review bloggers packing lists to compare against my own, looking for tips and ideas on packing even better than I already am. But my packing lists change depending on circumstances: Purpose.  Work travel requires that I… Continue reading Packing light, pretty, comfortable: Having it all!

I spent a lot of time — over two years — planning our trip to Burgundy, France last summer.  I did not spend nearly as much time planning on how to travel with kittens.  This is because we were not supposed to have kittens when we left. Before our beloved tabby passed in November 2015, we… Continue reading Traveling with Kittens (or, First World Problems)

The travel points/miles game is confusing, ever-changing, frustrating, and exhilarating. Airline Points & Miles This year, we’ve been fortunate to fly all over the world on points/miles: In March, Chris and his mother flew to Paris in business class, round trip, on American Airlines for her birthday.  We paid 200K AA miles for these two round-trip tickets. In… Continue reading Using Points & Miles in 2016