The Ann Arbor Art Fair DO is a long-running event where a lot old-timers gather to talk about points and miles, see a bit of the city, and have fun. This year, the Ann Arbor Do takes place on July 22 – 23. I’ve been invited by the event’s organizer, Dave (aka Bikeguy) to speak … Read more
It’s been an interesting couple of days since the “Muslim Ban” went into effect. As someone who has gotten used to racism and islamophobia over the last 15 years, I was completely shocked at the reaction around the country. The travel community in particular really stepped up to the plate. Airbnb offered free housing to stranded immigrants, … Read more
Shortly after the executive order regarding the “Muslim Ban” was issued on Friday, thousands of people began flooding to airports across the country to protest. In response to the order, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance announced a 1-hour work stoppage at JFK. When Uber continued to offer rides out of JFK, protesters became incensed and … Read more
In December, a ton of Etihad business class seats became available from San Francisco to Jeddah, just in time for my Umrah trip. Etihad has a great business class product, but I was really just relieved to be able to get our entire group on the same flight. The fact that it turned out to … Read more
Nearly everyone uses rideshare apps like Uber an Lyft these days while traveling. It’s cheap, convenient, better than taxis and…you can earn points and miles with your credit card. Back in the day, LA cab drivers always gave me a hard time for paying with a credit card. Luckily, that’s not an issue with rideshare … Read more
Back in December, I booked a trip to Mecca and Medina to perform Umrah with my family. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, Umrah is the “lesser” pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca. It’s much less rigorous and there are fewer restrictions around when it can be performed. This information isn’t going to be relevant … Read more
A couple of weeks ago my Barclay Arrival Plus account was shut down, which was really unfortunate because that was my primary credit card for manufactured spending. People often cite the $89 annual fee as a reason to get rid of the Arrival Plus card. After all, it takes over $100,000 worth of spending (and … Read more
There was a time when most of us thought top-tier hotel elite status was out of reach. After all, who stays 25-50 nights at hotels every year? Mostly business travelers. Thanks to rewards credit cards, that’s no longer the case. Most hotel credit cards offer low or mid-tier status with the option to earn top-tier … Read more
While I enjoyed working at the Help Refugees warehouse, my goal was to get on the distribution team. Hettie had deemed my language skills “invaluable,” yet she couldn’t find room for me on the distribution team. It may have had something to do with the fact that I was only there for a week. My … Read more
I recently got back from the Middle East, where I flew Etihad’s awesome business class product. Throughout my two week trip, I stayed at some really awesome hotels and had a great time overall. So it was only fair that I got stuck in economy class during the 16-hour flight back home. It wasn’t planned that way. … Read more