Tagging Miles

Networking is Key for Travel Hacking

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This past weekend, we held a small ResellingDO Special Edition event in Las Vegas. The event, which was a ton of fun, lasted only 5 hours, however the experience was the entire weekend. Why? Because Networking is Key for travel hacking and reselling. While we only had 5 hours for the main event, people coordinated dinners, lunches, happy hours, meet-ups and even took over part of a craps table at times.

Networking is Key for Travel Hacking

This leads me to my point – networking is so incredibly important. You see, those hours of dinners, drinks, lunches, provide so much more. We built upon friendships, made new friends, and learned a ton. Those personal relationships that you build at an event will help as you continue to learn and refine your travel hacking skills. 

I can’t count how many times I’ve reached out to a friend met at CharlotteDO or a ResellingDO or an FT4RL, because I just didn’t have that specific knowledge, but I knew someone who did. The same is true for receiving texts, Direct Messages, and e-mails from folks. 

So, where can you find these events? Well, Dia is holding a FT4RL in Orlando the weekend of May 6th. She’s got an excellent line-up of speakers as well.

If you’re into Reselling, I’ll be releasing tickets for the next ResellingDO soon; but save the date, August 12th, and we’ll be in Orlando as well–a great sourcing area!

Wrapping Up

I cannot highlight the importance of networking. I’ve met people at various gatherings that have flown across the country to attend. Why? Because they understand the value of meeting face to face with people, and breaking bread. It builds a bond that surpasses even that of twitter and facebook.

The Basics of Searching for Award Space

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It is very easy to get into intermediate and expert territory when it comes to finding award space and booking awards. That can sometimes be intimidating. This is my attempt at boiling down the very basics of searching for award space

I’ll start with a couple of assumptions:

  • You know where you want to go, at least roughly.
  • You have sufficient miles.
  • I’ll use Chicago, O’Hare to Bali, Indonesia (a nice aspirational destination) as the example.

Basics of Searching for Award Space: Step 1 – Know what airlines fly to your destination

Identify the airlines that fly to your desired destination. You’d be amazed at how many times I decide to go to a particular place, only to find out that while I wanted to fly on a particular airline (or miles), they prove to be difficult because either (a) the partner airline that flies charges fuel surcharges, or (b) no partner airlines release space, or (c) no partner airlines fly to that particular airport / city (like Star Alliance abandoning Cambodia)

To identify what airlines fly to your desired destination, I recommend using OpenFlights, which I’ve written about before, but be aware that it may not make the distinction between seasonal and regular flights (or what specific days an airline flies).

Below, you can see, for example, all of the routes that you can take to get to Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia:

Basics of Searching for Award Space

Routes to/from Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia, courtesy of OpenFlights.org

Basics of Searching for Award Space: Step 2 – Know what airlines fly from home (or close by)

You’re probably noticing the trend here. I always recommend that you break your award search into each leg. The key to any award travel search is to break a trip up into its component pieces, assuming you cannot fly non-stop. Then I usually search for the over water portion first. Now this logic may not necessarily work when booking on some airline sites, like United’s new routing rules and engine. But for the most part, you’ll notice that overwater flights are the hardest to find.

So for getting from Chicago to Indonesia, you will for the most part be looking for TransPacific (TPAC) flights. 

Basics of Searching for Award Space

Trans Pacific (TPAC) options via gcmap.com

 

The exception, of course is United, which might come up with an option via Europe.

Basics of searching for award travel

United via Europe Option

Your chosen airline or alliance will limit your options—unless you have plenty of miles in various transferrable currencies). 

Basics of Searching for Award Space: Step 3 – Connecting the Dots

So now you know how you can get from Chicago to Asia, and you know what options you can connect onward to Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia.

The most logical option, if you have the flexibility, would be to focus on those one-stop itineraries, which would be:

Basics of Searching for Award Space

Chicago to Denpasar with different alliances: Blue: OneWorld, Red: Star Alliance, Gold: SkyTeam

Now, logically that’s easiest to work with. If you have to work with connections, well, now you start to run up against the risk of agents telling you that what you want is a multiple award trip. That would be leaning more toward an intermediate level. So, we’ll go ahead and leave things here.

Please, share your questions – how can I improve this first level basics of searching for awards?

Is Traveling on United Airlines Better than Greyhound?

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Is riding a Greyhound Bus better than flying United Economy? The answer may surprise you.

Photo by: N-Lange.de/CC-BY-SA-3.0-DE

My last United flight to Las Vegas and back was nothing special to write about. Despite getting one upgrade to Economy Plus from Cleveland to Chicago, I ended up in regular Economy on the leg from Chicago to Las Vegas. The way back wasn’t any more pleasant. After flying from Las Vegas to Houston overnight (admittedly, by choice), my final leg was traveled over two hours back in a Embraer 145 Regional Jet. Along the way, I ended up getting accosted by a gate agent because I pointed out they were making the final boarding call three minutes after boarding was scheduled to begin on my boarding pass. For some reason, I’m not sure these are the friendly skies that Untied keeps talking about.

It got me thinking beyond my Star Alliance Identity Crisis, and why I was flying United to begin with. More importantly, it got me thinking about alternate travel arrangements. I love flying, don’t get me wrong – but what if I could get a better experience on Amtrak (which only runs in the northern part of Ohio), or another provider? This lead me to try to answer the ultimate question: is flying United Airlines better than riding on a Greyhound bus?

Granted, my only experience in riding a Greyhound bus was traveling to see some of my college chums while a student myself many years ago. But from what I remembered, the entire experience wasn’t so bad. The ride was acceptable, and most passengers on the bus kept to themselves. And since those days (nearly ten years ago now, to think), Greyhound has improved their passenger experience.

Therefore, my intention for post is to attempt to answer the ultimate question: is flying United economy better than riding a Greyhound bus? My goal is to compare the two travel providers in four categories: facilities (airports vs. Greyhound stations), seating, on-board amenities, and overall convenience.

Facilities: United 1 – Greyhound 0

Anyone who knows me knows I love an airport. I even have a particular love for Chicago O’Hare: the bane of many travelers’ existence. I think my affection has to do with the amount of time I spent there in college, but I could be wrong. None the less, there’s nothing better than spending time in an airport. I will even book extra-long layovers, in order to take advantage of all the amenities that the flying experience has to offer (like lounge access).

Although airports are not known for their neighborhood curb appeal, there is a level of separation between the traveling public and the hoi polloi via the TSA (believe it or not, it might be the only time you truly appreciate the checkpoint). At a Greyhound station, you don’t usually get that level of separation. In fact, I would venture that, because of their open nature and location in particularly urban settings, Greyhound stations may offer better people watching opportunities than even airports. Which is not necessarily a good thing.

When it comes to facilities, airports win over bus stations, hands down. While not necessarily a victory for United, it’s a default win by simple comparison.

Seating: United 1 – Greyhound 1

Anyone who has flown economy over the last ten years feels the crunch of reducing seat pitch. Flying United in economy is no exception, as the seat space seems to get smaller each time I fly. With seat pitch ranging from 31 to 34 inches, flying isn’t what it used to be. Of course, I could always spring for Economy Plus seating, and pay an exorbitant amount for five more inches of legroom – but shouldn’t that already be a right?

It’s difficult giving a direct comparison between United and Greyhound, considering airlines use seat pitch as an industry-standard measurement. John Walton has a good article in Australian Business Times explaining why seat pitch is a different measurement than actual legroom. That being said, Greyhound boasts their retrofitted buses now have 14 inches of legroom and seat only 50 passengers per bus. At approximately 12 rows of seats (give or take), Greyhound buses are sure to have more legroom – and seat pitch – than United economy. This round goes to Greyhound.

Amenities: United 1 – Greyhound 2

Onboard your next United economy flight, take a close look at everything you’re being charged for. Want extra legroom? That will cost you. Want a power outlet between seats? No guarantees it’s available on your flight. How about Wi-Fi service? Because of international schedules, the pricing will vary and must be prepaid by the hour. This is assuming your flight is equipped with Wi-Fi in the first place.

Meanwhile, over at Greyhound, nearly every bus has both power outlets at every seat and free Wi-Fi access onboard. This isn’t an upgrade – it’s included in the price of a ticket. That being said, Greyhound doesn’t offer complimentary beverage service between destinations. But personally speaking, I’d opt for Wi-Fi and power outlets over When it comes to onboard amenities, Greyhound wins.

Convenience: United 2 – Greyhound 2

Finally, there is the matter of convenience to consider. In the case of the Ohio-Las Vegas trip I took, it only took me about a half-day of flying arrive at the desert oasis of Las Vegas from the frozen tundras of the Buckeye state. If I had taken that same trek on a Greyhound bus, it would take nearly two days to get there and two days to come home. I don’t know about you, but seeing the United States by bus over two days of driving does not sound incredibly appealing.

Once again, simply by the nature of the transportation mode, United wins by default. Despite being around $200 cheaper, four additional days of vacation time to traverse the United States on the road negates any savings that the bus may offer.

Final Verdict in United vs. Greyhound: No Contest

While I want to say there’s a clear-cut winner in this situation, both options offer their pros and cons. Greyhound may offer a better on-board product, but flying United is simply more convenient – and arguably safer. While I would personally love to try busing across the United States for sheer curiosity, I don’t know that I can afford the time. What I do know is that when comparing the two, I’m forced to choose between convenience and safety over on-board product and passenger experience.

Would you rather take a bus over flying? What would it take for you to consider the roads over the skies? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

A Note about Travel Insurance

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TM-TravelInsurance

Not too long ago, Trevor and I were asked our opinions on purchasing travel insurance before going abroad. Considering how travelers are asked about purchasing a policy several times before booking travel through airlines and online travel agencies, it’s a very relevant question. Does it make sense to purchase travel insurance before flying?

As with many things in life, a unilateral answer is rather difficult to provide. While travel insurance can assist in the most unfortunate situations, a policy may not always the best purchase. Before you add that extra charge to the travel bill, here are some points about what travel insurance covers, when you should purchase a policy, and how award tickets are affected by travel insurance.

What is Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance is defined as a special short-term insurance policy specifically written to cover extraordinary situations while away from home. More specifically, travel insurance covers a number of inconveniences travelers may face either while in transit or while at a destination.

What are these “out-of-the-ordinary” situations? If a trip delay goes beyond eight to twelve hours (depending on the policy), a travel insurance policy can pay for incidental expenses incurred. This can include hotel rooms and meals required from the trip delay. And if an outside force (like a car accident) requires a traveler to cancel their trip, a travel insurance policy can reimburse any money lost from canceling that trip.

But more importantly, many travel insurance policies include medical benefits for the international traveler. When going abroad, many countries will not accept health insurance policies from the United States. Moreover, some health insurance policies will not cover insureds outside the United States. A travel insurance policy can not only cover travelers’ medical expenses while in another country, but also guarantee payment to the hospital or care provider. This ensures access to care in the event of an emergency illness or injury.

When should I purchase Travel Insurance?

Depending on how you purchased your travel, you may already have travel insurance attached to your itinerary! Many major credit cards already have a number of benefits built in, so long as you make the entire purchase on your credit card in one purchase. Benefits provided by credit card travel insurance include trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage loss.

However, you may not be completely covered with the travel insurance attached to your credit card – especially if you booked some or all of your adventure on points and miles (but we’ll talk more about that later). If you are looking for an additional layer of protection, then you may want to consider purchasing a third-party travel insurance policy.

As a general rule, travelers are best served purchasing travel insurance at the same time as their first booking or deposit. By purchasing travel insurance early, travelers can receive all the benefits of a policy, including a pre-existing condition waiver, and coverage for “known events” like hurricanes or volcano eruptions. However, if a trip interruption from a storm or recurrence of a pre-existing condition are a lesser concern, then purchasing travel insurance can be a last minute decision. Many policies can be purchased up to 24 hours before a trip – or even later, depending on the policy and level of coverage.

Where should I purchase my Travel Insurance?

Repeat after me: under no circumstances should you purchase travel insurance from your carrier. Why do I say that? Because those travel insurance policies are often written to benefit the carrier or provider instead of the traveler. If you decide to purchase a travel insurance policy, go to a third party travel insurance provider that specializes in these policies.

In order to find the right policy for your needs, I recommend going through a group that offers multiple policies at different levels of coverage. I’ve had a great experience working with Squaremouth.com (on both sides of the business) and they offer travel insurance policies from multiple companies, including TravelGuard, APRIL, and Allianz.

A note about Travel Insurance and Award Bookings

Something very important to note is how travel insurance is affected by award bookings. Although arguments have been made over the value of points and miles, insurance companies do not hold a direct value between travel and miles. Therefore, your travel made on award bookings may not be completely covered by a travel insurance policy.

So what does that mean for your travels? If you’re forced to cancel your trip, don’t expect your travel insurance provider to pay for the retail value of your award ticket. However, other expenses involved in trip cancellation, like mile redeposit fees, can be covered by travel insurance. In addition, all other travel insurance benefits, like trip delay and baggage loss, all remain in effect – regardless of how you paid for your trip.

In regards to credit card travel insurance: even though you may have earned the miles or points from your card, the travel insurance from your credit card may not apply on an award booking. Many credit cards require travelers to purchase their entire itinerary on the credit card. If a trip is paid for partially by points and partially on a credit card, the credit card travel insurance policy may not apply to the itinerary.

Travel insurance can be a great asset for international trips – but only when you understand how it affects your travel. By knowing what travel insurance is and how it can protect travel, every modern-day adventurer can make an educated decision about whether or not a policy adds up for their travelers.

What questions do you have about travel insurance? How can we help you learn more about policies? Let us know in the comments below!

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