Recently a relative and I applied for co-branded credit cards from American Express- the Delta Platinum. What a disaster!!! Their communication has turned out to be harassment more than anything. We both got emails stating they needed more info (in the form of a copy of a utility/mortgage bill, credit card statement, etc.) and that … More What is going on with American Express ???
This time our fifth, this time the reverse, the Finisterrana, this time heading towards the sea, this time only four days instead of our typical 5-day 100-120 kilometer treks through Galicia. Once again choosing Madrid to get over jet lag, but a shorter stay this time, one enhanced by fresh air, sunshine, the visit of … More Hooray for us! Another Camino de Santiago on the horizon…and…we did it, number 5!
…which you get with the IHG premium credit card by Chase, and it comes with about 150,000 points too! If you want to avoid being exposed to too much bright sun while on your much-needed, COVID-postponed thus long-awaited vacation, and instead, prefer to relax in the shade while admiring the beautiful turquoise waters beckoning at … More Another good reason or three to keep elite status with IHG…
Free Covid 19 testing (even for travel) in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts The state of Massachusetts is working with Project Beacon, to offer free COVID testing at several different sites. This is a good thing! Why? Because they are giving free PCR tests by appointment, with results available within 2-3 business day! We … More Free COVID 19 testing (even for travel) in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts
Flight! Are we ready? It’s been so long. I took my first one since January of 2020, on May 11, 2021. I did it! Some anxiety beforehand, quickly dissipated after arriving to our destination LAX. Was relieved to see that all staff and passengers (on American Airlines direct non-stop BOS-LAX, and LAX-BOS on JetBlue direct … More ♫ ♫ Volare, oh, oh…
Reduced mileage for award flights on Delta?! How about this? Instead of using the typical minimum 60,000 miles for round-trip tickets in economy for direct non-stop flights from Boston Logan to Paris Charles de Gaulle, you can travel this winter and spring on tickets that will set you back a mere 34,000 miles or points. … More Reduced mileage for award flights on Delta? Oh yeah!… How about a romantic long weekend in Paris for cheap money and cheap miles? Valentine’s Day is around the corner…Time flies! So why don’t you?
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard Earn 60k bonus miles on American Airlines plus your first checked bag free. $99 annual fee- absolutely worth it, without a second thought in your first year, for sure. https://cards.barclaycardus.com/banking/cards/aadvantage-aviator-red-world-elite-mastercard/ There isn’t even a minimum spend! How crazy is that?! All you have to do to earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles is make … More Which card is the EASIEST and FASTEST way to get bonus miles on American Airlines? This card! Best travel credit card around December 2019…
To be (bumped) or not to be (bumped)? And if it were up to me, the answer would be YES, with glee, bump me, please! It’s so much fun and it hasn’t happened to me in quite a while… I came across this post https://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2019/12/19/my-tips-on-volunteering-to-receive-bumps recently and it explains nicely how bumping works, and there … More To be or not to be- bumped? That is the question…
The perfect Day of the Dead weekend in Mexico City. We had it! We did it! We LOVED Día de los Muertos. When to go to Mexico City? What to see for Day of the Dead? Places to visit in Mexico? I will try to answer all of your questions here. How to get to … More ¿Día de los Muertos en la Ciudad de México? ¡Sí! Day of the Dead November 2019 in Mexico City exceeded ALL of our expectations.
Some complimentary hotel toiletries are VERY nice but this is a better idea. Reduce plastic waste? Yes! I’m surprised we don’t read or hear more about this: a solid initiative to help reduce plastic waste by a big, international hotel chain. According to Marriott, the annual use of 500 million tiny plastic bottles will be … More Small toiletries can be a treat, but this is a better idea. Reduce plastic waste? Yes!
When taxes on a free ticket are just TOO expensive… what to do? Well, it’s very frustrating and even disheartening I would say, when you finally accumulate the miles you want on an airline you like, to fly to a destination you hope to visit, only to find out that the taxes and fees on … More When taxes on a free ticket are just TOO expensive; what to do?
How do you travel for free, and to such awesome places I’m often asked….well, here’s one recent example. I just came back from a fantastic and cheap, inexpensive if you prefer, one week visit to pretty Portugal this summer. We only “paid” 44,0000 miles each for our round-trip ticket from Boston to Lisbon, on … More What to do with one week in Portugal? What to see during a week in Portugal? How to visit Portugal on a budget?
Easter Island, wow, what a place! Stark, beautiful, slow-paced, not a single traffic light. Moai to admire every where you turn (even under water). Just lovely, and simple, no bells and whistles needed. Probably because it’s so remote. How remote is Easter Island? 2300 miles or a five and a half hour flight from the … More Easter Island! All this and scuba diving, too. And how is the scuba diving in Easter Island? Amazing!
Walk in Cartagena…Take an excellent guided free walking tour in the historic center, in English, with Edgar, the founder of the company (freetourcartagena.com.co)(and remember to tip him appropriately- he’s fantastic…). Discover, admire and appreciate this lovely city, country and people. Eat and drink street food in Cartagena… Sample as many of … More What to do in Cartagena, Colombia
Considered the largest waterfall system in the world, one thing is for sure, Iguazu Falls are gorgeous. Accessible from both Argentina and Brazil (and each side has its advantages) travelers often complain that is too expensive to visit them. But it doesn’t have to be that way, especially if you can plan ahead. Let’s say … More How to visit Iguazu Falls on a budget
Like Travel Hacking but finding it hard to make your minimum spend? Pay any bill with Plastiq again and again. If you are a fan of collecting bonus miles and points for free flights and free hotels to help you see the world on a budget, or you want to start collecting those points and … More Like Travel Hacking but find it hard to make your minimum spend? Pay any bill with Plastiq again and again.
INTENTIONAL ACTIONS MATTER You don’t have to spend extra money to receive bonuses that allow you to travel on a limited budget. You simply become more mindful about how you pay for everything you spend money on. This allows you to save money on travel, and create good karma in the universe. Best of all- … More How about a new hobby that pays you with opportunities to see the world? Mindful spending leads to proactive collection of bonus miles and points yielding free trips and meaningful travel, a green new hobby.
Just got back from Paris two days ago. Beautiful bright sunshine, blue skies, no clouds and no crowds. 50 degrees in December and a strong dollar against the euro: how could I not go? I had to do some business on Thursday (which paid for my expenses), so how could I not enjoy a long … More Paris
Who stays in a $1,000 a night Park Hyatt Hotel in New York City for FREE? I do. And with Travel Cutie’s help, dear reader, you can, too… What a perfect New York weekend! A Michelin-starred meal in a fancy French restaurant (http://www.danielboulud.com), a walk in Central Park on a sunny, summer day, FREE visits … More New York
Scuba diving in the Yucatan is always a thrill, even in fresh water! Our intention had been to dive a couple of days last week, in the azure sea, on the colorful reefs off the ivory-hued sandy shores of the still beautiful although ever-increasingly over-developed beaches of an oft-chaotic Cancun, but a sudden cold front swooped … More Mexico
A paean to Paris, unfettered and alive… For years I owned a place in Paris, a sixth floor walk-up (really 7th if we count them the American way): no elevator, alas, but that’s what made it affordable and justifiable- excellent cardiovascular exercise to counter the problematic effects of the deliciously rich food. Two sun-splashed rooms, in … More Free visitors guide to Paris
Renting a car abroad, and “on the road again”? Rent a car with Auto Europe. Sometimes driving in another country takes a little getting used to, but the beauty and the fun we experience and the wisdom and understanding we acquire by doing so are worth the efforts we make. In my travels, France has … More Rent a Car with Auto Europe
Delta and AirAsia. AirAsia is a Delta partner, which is excellent news! We can use our Delta SkyMiles to book free tickets in Thailand on Thai AirAsia… That means we can fly around inside Thailand on domestic AirAsia flights, and we can also fly roundtrip for international flights free from Bangkok, Thailand to Cambodia, China, … More Delta and AirAsia are partners!
Favela- a unique take on Brazil Watch one of my favorite short animated films (a minute and a half long). I wish I could have gotten it uploaded before the Brazil Olympics, but, better late than never. Can you recognize some of the world’s most famous architecture at the end? Travel Cutie … More Favela, Brazil
“My most memorable moment of a travel experience would probably be an impromptu scuba dive with wild dolphins in Belize” My second most memorable experience was being invited to and attending (on the spot!) a wedding in Solo, Indonesia, on the island of Java, which you can access from my menu, in the post on … More Most memorable
See me, feel me, touch me, heal me. (Remember ♫ The Who?) Do you love a spa experience, too? One of the things I like to do while travelling is give myself a little gift every now and then. I’ve saved plenty of money from getting free tickets and free hotels, so, why not spoil … More Spa Experience
A big “gracias” to American, Four Points, LAN and Crowne Plaza, too, for a magnificent FREE trip to Machu Picchu and more, in pretty Peru. I highly recommend you visit. Does Andean culture interest you? Well, was I surprised to find out that for a free ticket from the US to Lima, Peru, I only … More Peru
Scuba diving in the Dominican Republic? Bayahibe has undersea beauty. FREE American, FREE Starwood- thanks for making travel my rewarding duty. Are beachfront resorts that serve unlimited amounts of food and alcoholic beverages your idea of vacation paradise? I unknowingly had thought that this was all there was to the D.R., and therefore had avoided it, but … More Dominican Republic
Arrivederci, Roma. May I return to the Eternal City. Free Sheraton on the outskirts of Rome had a setting and pool that were pretty. As Descartes used to say, plus ça change…. But evidently he wasn’t always right, things don’t always stay the same, at least not in Italy. When I stayed at the Sheraton … More Rome
Kodachrome isn’t the only thing that gives us the nice bright colors.. Pixabay does, too. A huge shout out of a thank you to them for being such a great place to upload and download pictures and vectors from generous professional and amateur photographers and artists. Many of the visuals you see here on travelcutie.com … More Pixabay
An Oakland wedding wow, San Francisco Bay Area treats, FREE flights on United, FREE hotel at Double Tree Suites! Two utterly magical west coast back-to-back long-weekend weddings can take a toll on your energy and on your wallet, too. But we didn’t want to let that happen; there was too much joyful reason to celebrate! … More San Francisco
Gift a FREE trip to London for someone-you-love’s graduation? Well, then, Delta is the one. For 60,000 miles I got a free transatlantic ticket to that city’s good food, good fashion, and good fun. Another niece finishing high school, another nice two weeks abroad to celebrate. One free ticket for a flight on Delta thanks … More London
Rhodes is a beautiful island, with many wonderful things going on. Odes have been written to its beaches, ruins, cobblestone streets, ancient villages, and my 5 FREE nights in its tony Sheraton. Not only all that, but we even took a beautiful day trip sail on the Aegean Sea to the lazy-days-in-the-sun jewel of a … More Rhodes
Morocco is simply magical, and Marrakesh? A traveler’s treat! FREE nights at the beautiful Le Meridien N’Fils Hotel there? Well, that’s lodging that’s hard to beat. With gardens so lush, and a pool so cool, why stay anywhere else? Although the updated rooms have lost all charm, the fact that this hotel is a Category … More Marrakesh
Limestone and Karst Topography: What an amazing planet we occupy. Wouldn’t you like to see as much of it as you can, for FREE? Even if the sight of so much beauty makes us sigh, and wonder and ponder the how and the why. With bonus miles and points from the best credit card promotions … More Limestone and Karst Topography!
From Bangkok to Borneo, Java, Bali and Lombok in between: a Southeast Asian FREE fest. And for the senses, so many good things heard, tasted, felt, smelled and seen! With gratitude and appreciation for Delta, Sheraton, and Le Meridien, one day for sure with miles and points, I’ll visit them all for FREE again. And now, … More Southeast Asia
Culebra’s a paradise, so warm and so cool. FREE flight to San Juan, taxi, ferry, thank you, JetBlue! I love Jetblue flights, even more when available and free, and you can love them too, learning from me, Travel Cutie. Yes, Culebra was a dream! No skyscrapers, no hotel chains, no big old buses, no tired … More Culebra
A big bean, some serious food, the grand art, a great lake. Cool buildings, friendly people, Second City humor, it’s a lot to take. Don’t you just love Chicago? Don’t you just love a FREE Fairmont? We came to Chicago in early summer, and it was already very hot! I wondered what it’s like there … More Chicago
Sicily, oh Sicily! A FREE Sheraton in Catania, was an excellent homebase for exploring la bella isola siciliana. Sicily is such a beautiful island, with so many interesting and fascinating places to visit- from breathtaking, well-preserved ruins from the myriad of cultures that occupied this vibrant land during its complex history, to gorgeous beaches, a … More Sicily
If you choose to peruse them, reviews are like news. Some sing the praises, some sing the blues. Some of the following you may find of note, of some I’m embarrassed, of others I gloat. So remember that the truth here is somewhat subjective, (not like in math!) and what you read now’s but my … More Tripadvisor reviews
A FREE Sheraton hotel in fabulosa Barcelona? ¿Cómo se dice “free” en la lengua española? ¡Gratis! Like so many other visitors to this fabulous city, we couldn’t help but fall in love with Barcelona. It’s a beauty! The architecture, the people, the food, the energy, the coast, the edginess of the place. It’s all very … More Barcelona
In marvellous Montreal, a très grand merci, to Fairmont Hotels for our regal Queen Elizabeth for FREE. I believe what they say in français is “gratuit”. Who knew that Montreal had it’s own garment district? The area is called Chabanel, as is the street that most of the buildings with the best shops are on. … More Montreal
FREE foliage weekend in the autumn of New England? I’ll have mine again in a handy Homewood Suites by Hilton. Apple picking, autumn leaves, pumpkin pie, yard sales, fresh cider, dirt roads, covered bridges…ah, New England in the fall! Bed and breakfast inns are excellent, and that’s where I usually stay, but last year I … More New England
Chichen Itza is still an impressive pyramid site, even after the tremendous amount of development that’s gone on there. Tulum is even better, that wonderful complex of ruins in a majestic location at the edge of the Caribbean Sea. And the cenotes! Those pretty turquoise swimming holes are idyllic, and we also enjoyed Valladolid, a … More A FREE Westin on Mexico’s ocean for seven days and seven nights, brought us to markets and ruins and cenotes, then colonial city sights. Sure the beaches there are beautiful but alone just not enough for me. Luckily the Yucatan Peninsula has many other interesting places to see.
3x the FREE for 3x the fun. With United, Le Méridien, and then a Wyndham. This picture is of Amsterdam, which was the last stop on our two-week itinerary. We loved the canal mansions and gardens, the boathouses, and the Van Gogh and other brilliant art museums, and we were deeply moved by our visit … More Amsterdam, Dublin, Marrakesh
With a niece I visited Germany: three days we spent in Berlin. Two FREE nights, two FREE breakfasts- two lucky people at the Hyatt, alles gut! Sehr dankbar, ja, ich bin. Berlin’s a wonderful city for walking, cycling, and river cruising; there’s beautiful new modern architecture everywhere, one of the rare advantages of the city’s … More Berlin
They say that heaven is 10 zillion light years away… This website is dedicated to the memory of my mother, still a constant source of love, generosity and inspiration. She loved a bargain, she encouraged her children and grandchildren to broaden our horizons, and even though she, herself, never had a passport, she used to … More Dedication
