I'll keep this short and let the pictures do most of the talking, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed Kings Canyon National Park on my first Sierra Nevada visit in late July. Kings Canyon and Sequoia are managed as one national park, but visitors to Sequoia (SE) far outnumber that of Kings Canyon (KI), making KI one of the least visited national parks. I enjoyed SE as well … [Read more...]
2020 is the Year to Visit Yosemite – Without Crowds
On June 12, I saw a post in one of my hiking groups that Yosemite National Park is basically empty. This was just one day after Yosemite reopened its "doors" to the public. I knew how special this was. The next day, I was the bearer of an entry ticket for late July. The mere mention of Yosemite (or Yose-might or Yose-mi-night) conjures up images of towering … [Read more...]
My First Trip Since Covid: Understanding and Managing Risks
Greetings from San Diego. I took a driving trip the week of July 4, my first trip since Feb 2020. I drove up to Carmel / Big Sur for a change of scenery. I wanted to share my experience and thoughts on traveling during the current pandemic, which has changed everything and is expected to stick around for a while. I will cover 3 key topics: How did I … [Read more...]
IHG Award Sale Extended to California and More
Recently, IHG's dynamic award pricing went live. Up to then, "dynamic pricing" has registered in my brain as synonymous with evil devaluation. In this case though, it introduced many discounts across the US the beyond - in usually popular destinations such as NYC and Florida. I was seeing Times Square hotels for 20-25k IHG points per night, and people have … [Read more...]
My Experience Getting Award Ticket Refunds from AA and Delta
What a time we live in. 3 months ago, I had just returned from a long and fantastic Asia trip and was busy planning what was supposed to be another exciting year of travel. Covid-19 has completely altered not only the travel landscape, but all aspects of life everywhere in the world. I hope everyone is staying safe during this unprecedented time. Like most … [Read more...]
Cool – Instant retro mileage credit at United
Hello and happy Thanksgiving to those in/from the US. It's the day to reflect on how lucky many of us are to have what we have - be it loved ones, stockpiled mileage balances, or travel opportunities. Today is the day to forget that websites suck, phone agents are clueless, and good deals die every day ;) One thing I'm thankful for is that I've just experienced … [Read more...]
Don’t get too excited if you see the Chase Black Star
It's known that you may be able to bypass 5/24 if you see a "black star" for business card offers in the "just for you" section of your Chase account. If you read DoC's data points, it's mixed as to whether it really bypasses 5/24. The rough consensus seems like this: if you get a variable APR offer, you definitely won't bypass 5/24. If you get a fixed APR for … [Read more...]
How to view Pending Transactions on CNB Crystal card
The City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite card is one of only two cards with annual fee that I keep (the other being Amex Hilton Aspire), the authorized users airline credit being the sweet spot. It has a reputation of requiring high net worth to get, but my friend was able to get it with below $100k income and very limited assets. Unfortunately, the CNB website to … [Read more...]