National Day of Service and Rememberance

I think we can all remember where we were and what we were doing 11 years ago September 11, at 8:46 AM (EST) when terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners to strike targets in the United States.  Nearly 3000 people died as a result of the attacks.  My mom was supposed to board a plane that morning bound for LAX from Portland airport.  When I called her to tell her the flight was cancelled she had not heard the news.  She ended up staying in Portland for several days before flights were resumed again.

On 9-11-12, by Presidential proclamation, Americans are called to participate in a moment of silence at 8:46 AM (EST).   After my September 6, 2012 blog I think everyone should know how I feel about volunteerism.  Many Americans will serve in their communities in honor of 9/11 as part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Service projects range from food drives to neighborhood cleanups to disaster preparation activities.  In many areas, volunteers will honor veterans, soldiers or first responders by collecting donations, assembling care packages and writing thank you letters.  Click here to see how you can participate in public service on the National Day of Service and remembrance.  I am thankful for the hard work of my friends who are first responders as well as veterans and soldiers.

Today take a moment out of your busy day and pray for the family and loved ones of those who died on this day eleven years ago.  Sometimes on the blog I may say something about how I am displeased with the service of a particular airline but on this day eleven years ago the crew of United flight 93, United flight 175, American flight 11 and American flight 77 gave their lives along with the passengers on those flights.

Sometimes we complain at the airport when we have to take off our shoes, can't carry liquids over 3.4 ounces through screening and are subjected to body scans.  But if these measures can prevent a day like 9-11 then I will gladly comply with the requests of the overworked TSA agents.  It only takes one look at the following link as a reminder of how how our lives were forever changed because of that tragic day.

Please take a minute of your time and click on this link and share a moment of silence with me at 8:46 AM (EST).

The Hollywood Bowl And What I Missed

I am lucky.  I live close enough to the Hollywood Bowl in California that I can buy my tickets at the ticket window.  Remember the August 30th blog about Spirit airlines and all the extra fees?  I feel there needs to be the same set of rules when purchasing any type of tickets.  Have you ever tried to purchase $25 tickets from Ticketmaster only to find out by the time all is said and done those $25 tickets with additional fees are now $35?  

Last week I went to the Hollywood Bowl with Maria and a friend from Oakland, Christine.   We met up with a co-worker, Russ, and his wife, Alma and had a wonderful picnic dinner.  Then this week I am reading the Los Angeles Times newspaper and realized the Hollywood Bowl was voted as having one of the top ten places to visit in the country for a particular reason.

People travel all over the United States for different reasons.  Some travel to visit National Parks, some travel to places with beautiful views or to visit historical locations and some like to do "food trips" such as the best BBQ sites in the United States.  So I wondered what was at the Hollywood Bowl that I had missed?  Are you ready?  The Hollywood Bowl has one of the ten best public restrooms in the country.  I didn't even know there was such a contest.  The below information was taken from the September 7, 2012 Los Angeles Times article:  

"Restroom cleaning supplier Cintas of Cincinnati has run this contest for more than a decade and inducts worthy loos into its Hall of Fame each year. The company invites anyone to review photographs and profiles of each site and then cast their vote for the top spot online.

In the profiles, the Hollywood Bowl's refurbished restrooms get props for 1920s-style curved lines and large round mirrors that echo the shape of the band shell and, in the largest restroom, a system that uses red and green lights to signal which stalls are free.

The $1.2-million bathrooms at Vanity nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip wins high marks for the lighted individual vanities with red-velvet seats and a $40,000 chandelier made from glass globes in the women's room (the men's room has "faux reptile-skin walls" and flat-screen TVs over the urinals).

Other contenders include Mie N Yu Restaurant in Washington, D.C., which features a unisex washroom with copper basins inside large wooden barrels, and Asian accents, and the loo in the lobby of Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago, which dazzles with sparkling glass mosaic tile wallpaper and sleek fixtures.

Top honors in 2011 went to the men's and women's rooms at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Voting for this year's contest will continue until Oct. 26 with a winner and runner-up to be announced later in fall. " Leave a comment in the comment section what location you voted #1 and why.  I guess I don't have to spend a lot of money to visit a top 10 location in the United States.

There are apps out there for everything.  There is even an app out there entitled Sit or Squat.  In its database there is information on over 105,000 toilets in the world.   Wednesday we will talk about apps that can help you while traveling.

38 Days

Thirty-eight is the number of days it took United Airlines to answer my complaint letter.  Remember the August 7th blog? In that blog I talked about what to do if you experience a travel problem.  In my particular situation the movie did not work on my United Airlines flight.  Here is there response I received from United Airlines:

"Dear XXXXXXX;

We are experiencing a high volume of email and I apologize for the delayed response to your message.

Thank you for taking the time to contact United Airlines Customer Care; we welcome this opportunity to address your concerns.

We realize that any type of malfunction can impact your perception of our overall operation.  Please know that we place a great deal of emphasis on proper maintenance of all equipment in our cabins.  In fact, our maintenance division has recently completed an audit of each fleet type and taken inventory of problems.  Based on that, we have established a program to check the cabins of each aircraft every 400 to 1,000 flight hours.  We will be identifying and repairing seats, carpets, galley equipment, lights and audio and video equipment.  In addition, another maintenance team is concentrating on cleaning methods,audio and video functionality and improved cabin condition monitoring.  

Still, your disappointment with your flight is understandable, and I will give your constructive feedback to our maintenance and onboard management because we are committed to providing you a positive in-flight experience.

As a gesture of goodwill, I have added 5,000 goodwill miles to your Mileage Plus account and 2,000 miles to XXXXXX's account, which will be posted in the next 10 business days. 

Your business is appreciated and we hope that you will choose United Airlines again when your personal or business travel plans include air travel.  We would consider it a privilege to welcome you onboard your next flight.

Regards,

LeMarkus Jones

Customer Care Manager

5653505/5653530"

In the August 7th, 2012 post I mentioned that if you need to write a letter make it short and to the point.  Don't get mean or nasty as that won't get you anything.  Explain the problem and state what you are asking for, e.g. miles, points or financial compensation.  I have found it easier to ask for points and miles versus financial compensation.  

I found it interesting that United gave me 5,000 miles but only gave my travel companion 2,000 miles.  I can only surmise the difference is due to my gold status with United.

Bottom line.... don't be afraid to write if the service provided is not up to your satisfaction.  

Have a great weekend!

Help the Red Cross and Earn American Airline Miles

I love this quote by Ronald Reagan:

"No matter how big and powerful government gets, 

and the many services it provides,

 it can never take the place of volunteers." 

I truly believe that every person has an obligation to volunteer.  Volunteerism can take on many forms.  It might be the parent who is involved in the PTA or it might be something such as swinging a hammer for Habitat for Humanity. While I had a wonderful 30 year career it still never gave me the same satisfaction as when I have volunteered.  I have several organizations I volunteer for.  One is the American Red Cross.  In 2005 I used two weeks of my vacation time and took off work so I could go to Houston to help the American Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina.  I have also been to Haiti after the earthquake and Japan after the Tsunami.  

I am very blessed in my life.  I have wonderful family and friends.  I have food, clothing and shelter.  When disaster strikes I hope that my presence can help others who have lost what we all hold so dear.  The feeling of helping others is indescribable.

Cleaning the Streams of Debris; Rikuzentaka, Japan

When I was in Japan last year one of the fisherman told us about losing his entire family and oyster business to the Tsunami.  He told us that he had no will to live until the organization I worked for, Volunteers for Peace, started helping out.  We became his family. You never know what type of impact you might have on someone's life.

In Haiti I tossed 20 pound buckets of concrete, 8 hours a day.  I did this for almost two weeks.  That was a lot of lifting.  

Right now you have a chance to help others and all you have to lift is the credit card from your wallet.  You can earn American Airline miles by donating to the Red Cross.  Why not help out volunteer organizations financially? You can even earn airline miles at the same time.  See the below information I received from American Airlines.  

AMERICAN AIRLINES SUPPORTS

DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS

Hurricane Isaac has caused devastating flooding and wind damage in communities from Florida to Texas. The Red Cross continues an immense disaster response effort that could last for weeks across multiple states, as the now slow-moving Tropical Storm Isaac, continues its march inland, threatening communities farther to the north that have yet to experience the impact of the storm.

Please join us in supporting the disaster victims by making a cash donation, and American Airlines will reward your generosity with an AAdvantage® bonus mile offer. Through October 1, 2012, AAdvantage members can earn a one-time award of 250 bonus miles for a minimum $50 donation, or 500 bonus miles for a donation of $100 or more to the American Red Cross.

DONATE

To earn your bonus miles, access the American Airlines / American Red Cross donation site, and select the box next to the question stating, "I consent to the American Red Cross sharing my contact information and donation amount with American Airlines for the purposes of matching my donation", and complete the form.

Terms and Conditions

• Offer valid on contributions made online at http://american.redcross.org/americanairlines-pub*.
• Minimum donation of $50 required in order to earn bonus miles.
• Members will earn a one time bonus up to 500 miles.
• Promotion dates are 8/31/12 through 10/1/12.
• AAdvantage miles will post to the member's AAdvantage account approximately 21 days after the donation was made. Please check your AAdvantage account on aa.com to verify the AAdvantage miles have posted to your account.
• The name on the donation receipt must match the name on the AAdvantage account.
• You must be an AAdvantage member to receive the bonus miles.
• Bonus miles do not count toward elite-status qualification.
• American Airlines reserves the right to change the AAdvantage program at any time without notice.
• American Airlines is not responsible for products or services offered by other participating companies.
• For complete details about the AAdvantage program, visit www.aa.com/aadvantage
• The American Red Cross name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position.
• For more information about the Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org

Am I Frugal?

I think frugal is a term my friends might use to describe me.  Matter of fact yesterday I went to a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game for free just for requesting a car insurance quote from Mercury  Insurance.  I also got a free Matt Kemp shirt.

Below is a definition of frugal:


frugal [ˈfruːg^əl]

adj

1. practising economy; living without waste; thrifty

2. not costly;

In terms of the second definition, I definitely want things that are "not costly".  Hence the name of the blog, "Start Traveling for Less" versus Start Traveling for More.  But in terms of the first part of the definition, practicing economy.  I am not sure that defines me.   I will fly economy but I sure prefer business or first class.

One of my readers has a website, Befrugal.com and sent me the following email so I figured I would share it with my readers.

"I saw your miles/cash earnings article and wanted to share a story idea with you:

.               Average American household spending on travel each year: $1,570+ 

.               Annual travel savings the average US family misses out on: $150+

That's an extra night of staying at the hotel!

Many are not taking advantage of available opportunities to save money. Online coupons and cash back are easy ways to stretch your travel dollars.

This can be combined with credit card rewards for more savings:

1.       Shop online & use a coupon code (savings example: 20% off a $100 purchase = $20 saved)

2.       Earn cash back  (5% on your $80 total [after the 20% coupon] = $4 cash back from online shopping)

3.       Pay with a rewards credit card with a great cash back rate (5% on your $80 total [after that 20% coupon] = another $4 cash back from your credit card) The total savings in this example is $28 on a $100 purchase. 

Why not write an article to educate your readers on how they can save on travel, as it is one of the largest household expenditure categories?

Couponing & money saving expert Jon Lal, founder of BeFrugal, can offer insight & advice.

Interested in hearing more on saving money on travel costs via online coupons & cash back plus credit card rewards?

Jen

Jen Dorman

BeFrugal.com Social Media & Online Marketing"

There are lots of websites out there as mentioned in my July 2, 2012 blog that can give you cash back for Internet shopping. So make sure you do your comparison shopping.  If you click this link here I get $5.00 for the referral to BeFrugal.  The best part is you can then start referring your friends and earning cash.

Thank You

Well you probably read the subject line and wondered what I was thanking you for.  I wasn't, not to say I am not thankful for all my readers.  The subject line actually refers to Citibank Thank You points.  Lots of travel blogs write about credit card bonuses as a way to earn points and miles.  And credit cards are one of the top ways to get lots of miles very quickly.  Citibank has some great credit cards but today I want to write about Citibank banking.

Citibank has their Thank You rewards program.  Based on the number of relationships with Citibank you earn Thank You points.  Currently if you open a Citibank Checking account you can earn $300 in gift cards. Click here to see qualifications. The reason I like Citibank is because I earn Thank You points for doing what I do every day...banking.  I earn Thank You points for having a checking account, savings account, direct deposit, and bill pay.  My mortgage was just transferred to Citibank so that gets me even more points.  The below chart shows how you can earn points.

I earn over 1000 points a month without making a single credit card purchase.  Thank You points can be used for travel, gift cards and I just found out this weekend I can use my points for a comedy show at the Universal Amphitheater.  I went to purchase two tickets and the choices were...gift card, voucher code, credit card or Thank You points.I had never seen Thank You points as an option at a major attraction.  The cost for two tickets to the comedy show were $115 or I could use 14,400 points.  

I know that generally 10,000 points can get me a $100 gift card so the 14,400 points was not a better deal than paying $115.  I have purchased two laptop computers with Thank You points and traveled to Africa.  It helps that my Citibank credit card earns points in addition to my savings and checking accounts.

Most people don't like the hassle of changing banks but I recommend Citibank for their Thank You rewards program.

Thank you for reading this.

Where is the Hidden City (Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday we discussed that hidden city ticketing is when you get off the plane before reaching your final ticket destination.  Part 2 of this blog, courtesy of View From the Wing, will discuss how to utilize this information to save money on airfare.

Begin your search by selecting one-way using ITA Software Matrix (Remember the July 5, 2012 blog). Then specify your real starting city, and then let the system find fares to a variety of cities that you know to be generally cheap, and might connect through the city you actually want to go to. Allow your search to include other airports within 300 miles of the one you specified too, why not? To make it easier, limit the search by specifying my connecting point as the city I want to go to.

The cities you’ll try depend on what’s in the same general region of the country as where you’re actually going .  So here’s a real world example. Flying DC to Phoenix almost three months from now non-stop on US Airways without a Saturday night stay is pricing at $1574!

But searching for DC through Phoenix to Long Beach, Orange County, Tucson, Oakland, San Jose, and Las Vegas I stumble upon the DC-Phoenix flight I want (combined with a Tucson flight I don’t) for $159.

And searching for Phoenix through DC to Charlotte, Raleigh, Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Providence, Boston, and New York LaGuardia I stumble upon the Phoenix – DC non-stop flight that I want (combined with a connecting flight to Providence or New York LaGuardia that I don’t) for $186.

We see that the $1574 itinerary can be purchased for $345.

Just remember if you plan to use this technique to follow all the guidelines in the August 31, 2012 blog.