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Greetings from somewhere in between Frankfurt airport and Baku, Azerbaijan. (This post is going up in advance, since I’m not sure I want to rely on in-flight internet.) Approximately one billion people—perhaps slightly less—have recently asked me about what kind of travel gear I use to roam the world and work.
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After an extended time at home with no international trips, I'm headed back out on the road this week. My journey will take me to the Caucasus region, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. Here's how I arranged the trip and what I plan to do.
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Friends and readers, my final business project of 2009 is now available for your consideration. It’s called Frequent Flyer Master, and the goal is to democratize free travel. I want to help thousands of people travel for free, and this guide will guarantee at least one free domestic plane ticket for everyone who picks it up ...
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Updates: See more recent posts on the Frequent Flyer Challenge or visit our companion site for the latest card offers. *** On November 5th I’ll release my final Unconventional Guide of 2009. The goal of the project is to democratize free travel. As part of the preparations, I wanted to take you behind the scenes ...
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In 2008 I earned Executive Platinum status with American Airlines the hard way– through lots of flight hours logged all over the world. In 2009 I also earned the same, highest-level status with Northwest, Delta, and Continental, but I flew less than 10,000 miles with each of them.
On a recent Atlanta-Miami flight operated by Delta, my upgrade cleared three days ahead of the flight. I watched as more loyal Delta passengers waited at the gate thirty minutes before departure in hopes of getting a seat up front. Is it fair? Depends on how you look at it, I suppose– but travel hacking is all about gaining some kind of advantage over the system.
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Earlier this week I published an article for Business Week on How to Negate the Competition by Owning Your Space. I always appreciate the chance to write for traditional magazines and newspapers, and I wish them well in their transition to the world of the social web.
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Greetings from my corner of the world, also known as 97214 in the great city of Portland, Oregon.
The other day at my neighborhood Starbucks, I saw a guy in a torn Slayer t-shirt helping someone with their taxes. The fact that this sight wasn’t that unusual to anyone else in the coffee shop offered another good reason for why I like living in this city.
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This site update comes to you live from Bali, Indonesia. I came here at the end of my trip to Bhutan and Nepal. When this goes live, I’ll actually be on my way home, courtesy of a Korean Air Lines “glitch fare” that I picked up a few months ago. Keep reading to learn more…
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Greetings once again from the South Asian kingdom of Bhutan. It’s been a great trip to a fairly remote place.
There aren’t really any “undiscovered” places in the world anymore, but when you look at lesser-known destinations, Bhutan definitely tops the list. Today I’m getting on a plane and headed back to Kathmandu, but I’m glad I stayed as long as I did. If you have $200 a day to invest in a unique travel experience that is sustainable and adventuresome, you can’t go wrong with Bhutan.
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Early this morning I sent out an envelope containing an official Freedom of Information Act Request to the U.S. government.
Am I a conspiracy theorist? Have I started stockpiling canned food and building a bomb shelter behind my apartment?
Sorry to disappoint anyone holed up in a cabin somewhere, but not really. I refuse to visit any bomb shelter that doesn't provide wifi and a french press. In this case, I'm mostly just curious ... what do the feds know about me?
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This is a story that involves a) a frustrating series of calls to Expedia, b) a way to repay Expedia's unhelpfulness by giving many of you $200, c) my attempts to order a total of $16,500 coins from the U.S. Mint, d) a Lasik eye exam in pursuit of Delta SkyMiles, and much more.
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I’ve been a dedicated runner for about five years now, and a casual one for several years before that. I find that running is the best overall exercise I can do, and the minimalist in me enjoys the fact that running is very low-tech. All you need are some decent running shoes – no fancy equipment or nice clothes are necessary. I like to listen to music when I run, but other than an iPod shuffle, I don’t take anything with me.
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Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I've arrived on the final leg of my Monster Trip of 2009. I've wanted to share some of the details behind my visit to Saudi Arabia for a while, but as you read this article, you'll probably see why I had to wait before writing about it publicly. Also, fair warning that this will not be a short story.
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Greetings from the Persian Gulf. The most obvious observation to make about this place is probably, “Wow! It's hot here!”
I hope you'll forgive me for being banal. I've been in the Emirates, Oman, and Qatar before, but not usually in July. I'd say I'm hardcore and have been going for 10-mile runs in the heat, but that would be exaggerating by at least 6 miles.
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I previously wrote about how a long trip begins from Seattle. I didn’t have a car there either, but public transport required a high threshold of patience and pain. In Seattle it took up to two hours to begin a trip, which was especially interesting when the first flight was at 6:00 a.m.
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