The Blue Palace Resort and Spa on the island of Crete in Greece is a beautiful location. The resort is built in the hills above a small fishing village, facing a bay in the Sea of Crete. The Blue Palace is part of the Luxury Collection under the Starwood umbrella. We … [Read more...]
Greece Domestic Flights – No Star Alliance Benefits on Olympic Air
I just returned from vacation with my family in Europe. On part of our journey, we flew from Athens to Heraklion Crete (HER). There are frequent flights operated by Star Alliance member Aegean Airlines. For us, the Greece domestic flights were quite cheap, about $75 per … [Read more...]
Tiny Hotel Room and More Exploring Turin Italy
On a recent business trip to Italy, some local colleagues made hotel arrangements for me. While I appreciate the assistance, I usually prefer to book my own hotels, especially internationally to leverage my hotel status for an often better experience. After this trip, … [Read more...]
Fresh Air on Planes-These Airlines Have Individual Air Vents
There are many rumors about breathing recycled airplane air -- here's an interesting article I found on the topic -- but what I want to talk about today is the lack of air vents on planes.I recently had some short flights within Europe on Lufthansa. I noticed how … [Read more...]
Fly Business Class to Europe for $1,500 from the West Coast
British Airways has some great business class fare sales right now for travel this fall/winter to major European cities if you book today or tomorrow. For example, I found tickets from Seattle to Paris for just $2,065 per person without much effort. Additional dates and … [Read more...]
How to Travel by Train in Europe
I already wrote an article on the various train systems across Europe and when it’s feasible to take the train vs. fly to your next destinations. In today's post, I'll continue with the summer guide to Europe and discuss what to do if you take my advice to … [Read more...]
Traveling within Europe by Train, Road, and Air
Many people book their flights to Europe but leave it to the last minute to book travel within the continent, perhaps thinking they can just hop a train. But in the spirit of the articles I've been writing on summer travel to Europe, here's a primer on intermodal … [Read more...]
Visit Europe with One-Way Awards on Different Alliances
People often accrue miles in one frequent flyer account but then lament when there isn’t availability to their destination on the dates they want. This is why it makes far more sense to treat your miles like a portfolio. Some miles are more valuable to certain regions … [Read more...]
Status (Kind of) Matters: Consider a Status Match before Going to Europe
This is a continuation on my series about how to get the best prices and routings to Europe. Now I'll talk about how to make it more comfortable and one of the few cases where status matters: international flights in economy class. Previous Installments: Coach … [Read more...]
Fly Business Class from Seattle to Europe for under $1,500
There are business class fares to many European cities this summer for under $1,500 -- and unlike some past fare sales you can get these prices from the West Coast, too. The only catch is that major Star Alliance hubs like SFO and LAX don't seem to be eligible departure … [Read more...]
