General Travel
- Give me ALL the points!
- Will the 3rd Time be the Charm for Our Global Entry Interview?
- What to Expect in Northern Michigan as it Quickly Reopens for Memorial Day Weekend
- Portugal could get Postponed Now Too
- 9 Travel Themed Activities You Can Do While We Must Remain at Home
- Manic Monday Update
- Maximizing Your Travel Time & Money
- Help Wanted: Travel Mentor
- A Fun Side of the TSA
- A Quick Overview of US Customs Guidelines
- Finding the Best Place to Eat When you are Traveling
- 6 Things I Didn’t Really Plan But I am Glad Happened Last Year
- Thank You Notes – 2019
- 2019 Travel Year in Review
- Happy Holidays!
- 30 Gift Ideas for Travelers
- We Couldn’t Have Done it Without a Little Help
- New USPS Mail Hold Requirements
- Maker’s Trail Flight Crew Passport – 2019
- Real ID – Facts and Tips
- What is the #1 Hurdle That Keeps You From Traveling More?
- Hotel Update: Holiday Inn West Bay – Traverse City, MI
- Today we Remember Anthony Bourdain by Celebrating #BourdainDay
- Thank You Notes
- Maggie Takes Over
- Review of our Trafalgar Tour Part 2 of 2
- Review of our Trafalgar Tours Part 1 of 2
- Postcards from Europe part 1
Adventure
- Cultural Heritage Festivals in Michigan
- Traveling as Two
- Let’s Play Travel Show and Tell … and it’s Your Turn!
- Exploring Waimea Valley
- Foodies Finds – Oahu Hawaii
- It’s the Perfect Time for a Weekend in Traverse City
- FoodVentures: Portland Oregon
- What’s the Best Luau on Oahu?
- Road Trip 101
- Summer Harvest Season Adventures
- Exploring the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway – Oregon
- DO Go Chasing Waterfalls – Mount Hood & The Columbia River in Oregon
- Family Road Trip Flashback
- Beale Street – Memphis Tennessee
- 3 Cool Places in Traverse City We Just Tried for the First Time
- Doing the Research Before a Trip
- My Travel Bucket List
- Planning Another Trip to Italy
- Magical Mystery Trip
- This Guy Makes Travel Fun
- How we spent 27 hours in Traverse City
- My Pure Michigan
- Girls Getaway: Texas
- Markies Big Adventure
- Keeping My Friends Close
- Road map to Adventure
- Spontaneous Adventure
Airlines
- Why I am Happy with Travel Vouchers Instead of a Refund for my Airfare Cancellation
- How I Cut the Airfare Costs For a Budget Trip Without Using Valuable Points or Miles
- Booking Cheap Flights on Southwest
- 5 Easy Ways to Get Free Drink Coupons From Southwest Airlines
- Flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii
- Planning For a Long Layover
- Parking at the Airport
- 10 Things You Can do When Your Flight Doesn’t Have Seatback Entertainment
- This Airfare is Straight Up Nuts!
- Flying with Southwest Airlines
- Say Aloha to Hawaii on Southwest!
- Sorting out the Star Alliance
- Would you fly Wow Air?
- Not so WOW Experience
Airports & Lounges
- How Getting Groceries Has Changed Since Covid19
- The Escape Lounge at OAK
- Planning For a Long Layover
- The Lufthansa Lounge at DTW
Budget Friendly Travel
- Is Purchasing Points Ever a Good Value?
- How I Cut the Airfare Costs For a Budget Trip Without Using Valuable Points or Miles
- Booking Cheap Flights on Southwest
- The Best Travel Deals
- My Idea of Budget Travel
- Flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii
- Parking at the Airport
- How I Changed My Ways in Order to Earn More Travel Rewards
- Do You Have a Magic Number When Making Travel Reservations?
- 10 Things You Can do When Your Flight Doesn’t Have Seatback Entertainment
- I Forgot to Make Labor Day Reservations
- Budget Trip Plan Update: 6 Days in Oahu
- Oregon on a Budget
- Fees, Fees, Fees!
- AAA Membership is a Great Value!
Car Rental
- Autoslash – They Are The Real Deal!
- Deciding if we Need to Rent a Car in Oahu Hawaii
- Why Alamo is My Number One for Car Rentals
- Car Rental Dilemma
Credit Cards and Loyalty Programs
- New Amex Offer to Support Shopping at Small Businesses
- Temporary Bonus Points
- How We CAN Stay Prepared While We CAN’T Travel
- My Recent Experiences With American Express Bonuses
- American Express Has a Lot of Good Travel Offers Right Now
- 10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Started With Points & Miles
- IHG Promotions
- Taking a New Look at an Old Credit Card
- Oh No, I have a Fraudulent Charge on my Credit Card…What Next?
- Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses
- The Length of Time it Takes for Points and Rewards to be Applied to Your Account
- Why You Should Complete a Simple Annual Credit Card Points Review
- Maximizing Returns on Spending With Cash Back Credit Cards
- How Have My Credit Cards Stacked up in 2019 – A Travel and Savings Review
- Be Sure You Know What Type of Starbucks You are at When Using Deals!
- Looking Ahead at 2020 Points & Miles Strategies
- How BP Ruined a Perfectly Good Loyalty Program
- Why Isn’t American Express Accepted Everywhere?
- How I Changed My Ways in Order to Earn More Travel Rewards
- I Had a Plan
- My Reservations About the Resy Dining Reservation Program
- Choosing a New Credit Card to Maximize Points for Travel
- American Express Adds Another Boxed Offer
- How Do the Southwest Credit Cards Stack Up
- The New Boxed Credit on the American Express Gold Card
- The American Express $100 Airline Fee Credit
- Open Table – My First Experience
- Membership Rewards: A New Way to Earn Points
- Southwest Card: New Sign up Bonus
- Are You Ready for Bonvoy
- IHG Rewards Program
- Managing your Credit Cards
- Is your Credit Card a Dinosaur?
Home Town Pride
Hotels
- Is Hyatt Centric Waikiki Playing Games With Reward Night Availability?
- Is Purchasing Points Ever a Good Value?
- IHG Promotions
- Hotel Review: Hilton Oakland Airport
- Hotel Review – Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu
- Hotel Review – Hyatt Centric Waikiki
- Hotel Review: Embassy Suites Dallas Market Center
- Renegotiating my Hotel Rate
- Holiday Inn – Breakfast Failure
- Really, IHG?
- I Forgot to Make Labor Day Reservations
- Another Way to Avoid Hotel Fees
- How Hyatt Adding SLH Properties Expands my Hotel Options in Europe
- Hotel Resort Fees: Looking for Some Kind of Value in These Unavoidable Fees
- Hotel Review: Hyatt House Downtown Portland, Oregon
- Hotel Review: Holiday Inn – Hillsboro OR
- Always Reconcile your Hotel Bill!
- Best Western Hotels
- Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Resort West Bay Beach – Traverse City, MI
- Fees, Fees, Fees!
- Hotel Review – Holiday Inn Purdue/Fort Wayne
- Issues at Hotels that Really Irk Me
- Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Express -Marshall MI
- Hotel Review – Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Acme Michigan
- My Top 5 Favorite Hotels in Europe
Money Saving Tips
- A New Feature on Check Out 51
- American Express Has a Lot of Good Travel Offers Right Now
- How to Prepare for Holiday Spending
- 10 Easy Ways to Save Money for Travel
- Easy Ways to Save Money on Travel
- Open Table – My First Experience
- Membership Rewards: A New Way to Earn Points
- What a Trip to the Grocery Store Means to ME….
- Reviewing my Recent Savings for Travel
- Two Different Ways to Save for Travel on Ibotta
- Putting Money in my Travel Fund
- Travel Tip Tuesday
- How to Use Ebates and Getting the Best Deals
- I am NOT a Points Genius
- More Ways To Save for your Travels
- Survey Sites & Rebate Apps – Review
Packing
- Selecting A Wardrobe for Travel
- Luggage Review: Sam 22″ Hardside Carry-On Case
- Why I Travel With a Bag of Quarters
- Wheeling and Dealing on a New Piece of Luggage
- Packing Shoes
- Packing for a Trip
- Packing Fun
- Preparing & Packing
Places We Have Been
- Exploring Waimea Valley
- Touring Pearl Harbor
- Mark’s List of Travel Favorites
- Manneken Pis
- Lucerne, Switzerland
- Exploring Pompeii
- Castello di Trebbio
- Experiencing The Vatican
- Visiting The Albertina Museum: A Happy Accident
- My First Love: Italy
- Last Postcard from Europe – Paris
- Postcards from Europe – Varese, Italy & Lucerne, Switzerland
- Postcards from Europe – Venice!
- Postcards from Europe – Germany & Austria
Travel Gear
- Storing my Travel Gear
- Luggage Review: Sam 22″ Hardside Carry-On Case
- Wheeling and Dealing on a New Piece of Luggage
- My New Luggage Has Arrived!
- These are a few of my Favorite Things: Travel Gear
- Travelon Crossbody Bag
Travel Ideas
- 5 Travel Inspired Boxes
- Turning Your Favorite Movie or Show into a Vacation
- Virgin Voyages
- Tell me about your Best Vacation Ever
- 5 Movies that Inspired me to Travel
- Ever thought of Retiring in Europe?
Travel Planning
- Is Hyatt Centric Waikiki Playing Games With Reward Night Availability?
- What to Expect in Northern Michigan as it Quickly Reopens for Memorial Day Weekend
- When Will I Travel Internationally Again?
- Hotels, Car Rentals & 2 Airlines: My Experience Cancelling our April Trip
- My Big Trip vs the Coronavirus
- 5 Things I like to do Before Visiting a Different Country for the First Time
- Group Tours: Insights & Survival Tips
- Aligning Your Travel Schedule For the Year is Like Putting Pieces of a Puzzle Together
- We Couldn’t Have Done it Without a Little Help
- I almost Blew it!
- 5 Things You Need to do When Planning for a Trip
- Are you a Tortoise or a Hare when making Travel Plans?
- What are the Odds!
- Planning a Big Trip Can be an Emotional Roller Coaster
- Prepare for Take Off: Our Portugal Airfare Strategy
- Doing the Research Before a Trip
- The Waiting Place
- Sorting out the Star Alliance
- Uber Confession
- Portugal or Bust
- Dream, Plan, Save…Adventure!
- The Best Travel Sites I Follow
- Planning Our Next BIG Trip
- Choosing the Right Type of Travel
- The next Year of Long Weekends and Mini Vacations
Travel Series
- Final Preparations
- Building Your Travel Toolbox
- Preparing & Packing
- Let’s Make a Deal
- Show Me the Money!
- Ready, Set, Save!
- If you plan it, you can go!
- You Say tom-A-to, I say tom-ah-to!
- Explore your Options!
- Seize the Day!
Travel Tips
- What to Pack in a Travel First Aid Kit
- Let’s Talk About Sunscreen
- Vacation Photography
- Two Different Ways to Save for Travel on Ibotta
- Avoiding Bed Bugs when Traveling
- Vacation Photos & DIY Project
Travel Tools
- A Funny Thing Happened Yesterday…
- Applying for Global Entry
- Hotel Booking Sites
- Parking Apps
- Cool Video Guides for Travel Planning
- TSA Pre Check vs Global Entry
- Let me Tell you about My Travel Agent
- Travel Identification Documents & Programs
Responsible Travel & Sustainability
- 6 Small Things We Can Do to Reduce Single Use Plastic Waste & Keep it Out of our Oceans!
- Be a Responsible Traveler
- The Cost of Travel on the World
Lifestyle & Miscellaneous
- Rediscovering Our Back Porch
- How Can We Safely Celebrate Easter in the Midst of Covid19
- Welcome to April
- New Normal
- Applying for Global Entry
- My Five Favorite F’s of Fall
- Travel Memories & Lifestyle Inspirations
Blog News
Food
- Foodies Finds – Oahu Hawaii
- The Omelette Shoppe – A Sense of Humor and a Delicious Breakfast
- Trying All the Local Food and Drinks
Holidays
- Savoring Some Slow Time Off
- Baking My Way Through The Holidays
- 5 Travel Inspired Boxes
- How to Prepare for Holiday Spending
- Tis the Season for Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Traditions
- Thanksgiving Parade
- Here Come the Holidays
Covid19
- Our Global Entry Saga Continues
- My New Normal 2.0
- What to Expect in Northern Michigan as it Quickly Reopens for Memorial Day Weekend
- Becoming a Master of “Something” While Staying at Home
- Happy Mother’s Day 2020!
- When Will I Travel Internationally Again?
- How We CAN Stay Prepared While We CAN’T Travel
- Plan a Stay At Home Happy Hour
- How Getting Groceries Has Changed Since Covid19
- Portugal could get Postponed Now Too
- Hyatt and Headspace
- Staying Safe From Covid19 When One Partner is Still Going to Work Outside the Home
Thirsty Travels
Brewery Series
- Maui Brewing – Waikiki
- Kona Brewing – Hawaii Kai, Oahu
- Northern Indiana Beer Trail
- Ogma Brewing Update
- Meet Ogma Brewing
- Michigan Brewery Series – Overview
- Michigan Brewery Series – Shorts Brewing Company
- Michigan Brewery Series: Round Barn
- Michigan Brewery Series -Traverse City
- Michigan Brewery Series – Grand River Brewing
- Michigan Brewery Series – Grand Rapids
- Michigan Brewery Series: Dark Horse Brewing
Cocktails and Spirits
- Low Bar – A Speakeasy
- The 100th anniversary of the Negroni
- When Life gives you Lemons…Make Limoncello
- Italian Cocktails
Winery Series
- Wrapping up the Winery Series
- Michigan Wine Series: Sandhill Crane Vineyard
- Michigan Wine Series: Pioneer Wine Trail
- Michigan Wine Series: Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail
- Michigan Wine Series: Leelenau Peninsula Wine Trail
- Michigan Wine Series: Mari Vineyards
- Michigan Wineries Series: Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail
