Marriott introduces special pricing for Rewards members

a red circle with white lines

I’ve always advocated for business  travelers to join travel rewards programs. Not only do you get points for every flight/rental/stay that you can then use for fun travel with your loved ones, but as you gain  status you get perks that make your travel experience better. Marriott Rewards was  one of the first programs I…

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A suitcase for every budget

a close-up of a suitcase

Every business traveler needs a great suitcase! At  the same time, not everyone can afford to spend upwards of $500 or more. Here are my favorite carry-ons across a range of budgets. $100-$150 Ogio Layover. My first business travel suitcase was on Ogio. It went all over  the world with me for over five years…

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Poll: Do you wait for people putting up their suitcase?

a red and black suitcase

During my flights last week I feel like I saw both the best and the worst behavior while people were trying to put up their suitcases. The first flight out was not full, but as is typical the bins up front filled up quickly. Passenger after passenger had to take their bag to the middle…

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Travel safety tip: Be aware of your surroundings!

a sign with black and white text

This week I was in LA for a conference. The first night after a lovely dinner I had a drink in the hotel bar with a few attendees. We called a relatively early night since we all  had to be in meetings in the morning, and headed off to our rooms. The elevator reached my…

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Please recycle, especially when it’s easy!!

two metal trash cans with a blue lid

Last week my trip to the airport went pretty badly. Actually, that’s not  true. Things  started going  badly once I got to the airport. I was running a  tiny bit late so I decided, since I was going on a quick overnight  trip, that I would use the airport valet parking instead of parking offsite…

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National Premier Selection: More fun than a minivan!

a silver car in a showroom

Did you know that a used minivan costs about the same as a used BMW? Like, a 2012 Honda Odyssey with 40,000 miles is almost exactly the same price as a 2012 BMW 328i with the same mileage. Why do I know that? We finally surrendered to the reality that we have three kids, two…

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Etiquette tip: Keep your feet to yourself!!

a row of socks with different colors

Last night I flew home from the east coast. I was lucky and got upgraded for the longer leg. After enjoying dinner and doing a little work I decided to recline my seat and close my eyes. I snuggled into my blanket and had just drifted off when I felt something on the back of my…

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Packing tip: Have a place for everything during travel!

a group of keys on a white surface

Several years ago I wrote about how important it is to  have a designated place for your keys during travel. On my trip this week I was reminded in a major way: it’s not only keys that need a spot . When I woke up Tuesday morning I called a local donut shop to order…

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3 tips for sharing overhead bin space

a blue suitcase with a zipper

Sometimes I look fondly back  at the days when  I first started  traveling for work (ten years ago, whoa). Upgrades were plentiful, you could easily hop on an earlier flight, and there was plenty of room for carry-ons. Alas, things have changed. These days flights are  so crowded that you  are lucky to have enough…

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Poll: Do you ever volunteer to be bumped to the next flight?

a blue and grey checkered seat

A few years ago I went to a conference with some fellow bloggers and got really, really excited about maximizing my points and miles. Soon after I started working on getting the Southwest Companion Pass, figured out how to pay my bills on my credit cards, and started hotel-hopping for status. I also got an…

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