When you’ve left home, you’re at the mercy of the airlines to get you to your intended destination.  For the most part, I think they do a great job moving us and our things efficiently.  Not always comfortably, but efficiently.  On the occasion that something goes wrong and you’ve already left home, it’s helpful to have a plan on how to rectify the situation and ensure that your journey continues onward with the least amount of interruption. In the event of a flight cancellation or an abnormally long delay, I usually have a three-pronged plan that I immediately put into motion.   The idea is to get in the queue, physically and virtually, as quickly as possible because reaccommodations are often handled first come first serve, except for some elite priority. The [...]

I don’t know about you, but I visit my favorite travel blogs to score deals on laundry detergent.  Maybe sign up for a dozen credit cards.  That sort of thing. Target has Tide Free and Gentle High Efficiency detergent, 100 ounces of it in fact, for $10.00.  That price drops to $8 if you subscribe, similar to Amazon’s subscribe and save model. I’m posting this as a deal because Amazon no longer does S&S or free prime shipping for items like this – instead, Amazon Pantry is a flat shipping charge model where you fill a “pantry box” and have it sent for a flat rate as part of the Prime program.  I’m shocked that no one covered the devaluation of the Amazon Prime award chart, but here it is, [...]

Regardless of whether you’ve heard of Alaska Airlines or can practically fly them, I find it imperative to have an account with them these days.  I’m an east coaster, born and raised, so before I began traveling and really understanding what I was doing, Alaska was just that odd airline that sometimes showed up at Philly or DC for no apparent reason.  Today, I find it the most compelling domestic frequent flyer program for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Alaska is a non-alliance carrier with a number of partners whose mileage can be credited back to Alaska for elite qualification: Delta American Air France/KLM Aeromexico British Airways Cathay Pacific Emirates Fiji Korean LAN Qantas There are two important items from that list.  The first is that you have [...]

By now you’re probably sore from all that packing.  Odds are decent that you even acquired some new luggage now known as “The Baby’s Suitcase.”  Not Billy’s suitcase.  Not Jill’s suitcase.  Just The Baby’s Suitcase, bursting at the zippers with fear and resentment, and it probably weighs 49.9999 pounds – just under that $100 weight limit.  You look at it and immediately feel secure, though, as it contains every conceivable item in order to tackle a problem on the road. Tomorrow you head to the airport!  That’s right, I’m going to assume you’re better than me and not packing the morning of the trip.  Please, do yourself a huge favor and be better than me. Up to this point, you’ve done your best to plan the itinerary and grab the right [...]

This site is probably last to the party on this one, but in case you missed it and happen to be in the market, Target is offering up to a $100 gift card with the purchase of an iPad Air or Mini with retina display. These kinds of promotions usually mean a new product is on the horizon, so whether or not to purchase the current generation is of course a personal choice.  I am still rocking the original iPad in all of its slowness on iOS5. It’s still a very capable night stand “TV” since Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Video all have apps.  Still, I’ve been looking to upgrade, so getting $100 back that I (or rather my wife) would otherwise spend at Target anyway is a [...]

I am proud to live in one of America’s finest food cities.  My friends and family would suggest that I spent my post-college, pre-child years direct depositing my paycheck at various restaurants.  They’re wrong, and crazy for suggesting that, of course, because everyone knows the Chase Sapphire Preferred pays 2X on dining and First Friday is coming up insert credit card link here.  When our daughter was born, I was fairly adamant that she was going to grow up a good little eater and we would get to go back to all of my favorite spots.  With some practical modifications, that has actually turned out to be a mostly true statement. It bears mentioning that not all cities are the same when it comes to food culture.  Portland, on either [...]

For existing Bank of America Alaska Airlines cardholders, check your mailbox.  A targeted offer for 3X miles on qualifying back to school purchases is making the snail mail rounds.  Let this be your reminder to open the junk mail this week, maybe not for this offer, but for the other, better ones that could also show up. The bonus categories are fairly broad, but the offer itself is capped at 2500 bonus miles, so it is lukewarm.  Still, this card is not known for extravagant sign up offers and even less so for spend promotions.  For those unfamiliar with the card, you can, of course, read every link-pimping blog post extolling the virtues of this thing, or I can provide you with a run-on sentence and the highlights: $75 Annual Fee [...]

Packing You’ve chosen your test run.  The flights are booked, you even scored the bulkhead on a US Airways E-175 for a short 90 minute jaunt.  Now let’s pack. The most advanced of travelers and certain kinds of wizards can manage to pack for a baby into a carry on.  I am neither, and to this day, we check bags.  Plural.  The first trip, though, is a particular spectacle.  I won’t spend any time here telling you what not to bring, because as responsible, caring parents, you’re going to blow off that advice and pack according to your concerns.  You’re right to do that.  However, you will be packing up about half the house in order to feel prepared.  That’s ok!  By all means, do it.  You need to reduce [...]

One lesson that we learned the hard way when first setting out to travel as a family is that the more conveniently packed your infant formula is for you, the less convenient it is to bring it through airport security.  Officially, the TSA must let you carry through a “reasonable” quantity of formula, water or any other liquid that your child may need.  Unofficially, it has been my experience that it will be made inconvenient for you at the security checkpoint unless you do it a certain way. Pre-mixed formula is your friend When packing for a trip with a baby, I absolutely recommend being conservative with your  carry on.  That means packing enough food, water, diapers and other necessities to last the duration of the flight, airport waiting time, [...]