The "I'm Traveling somewhere" Thread

[Chino]

I'm italian but I've never been to Naples and the Amalfi coast. You're gonna beat me to it 

Four days in Rome should be enough for the "greatest hits". If you want to enter the Coliseum, tickets can be bought only online, you won't find any there at the place. Don't miss highlights such as Piazza Navona, the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, and avoid tourist-traps restaurants  and if you have time, try and get lost wandering around the Trastevere neighbourhood, it's basically a small village within the city!

I just got back from Switzerland and Italy. I spent two nights in Rome and had this for a view. We were in the dead center of the space. It was pretty cool.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm italian but I've never been to Naples and the Amalfi coast. You're gonna beat me to it 

Four days in Rome should be enough for the "greatest hits". If you want to enter the Coliseum, tickets can be bought only online, you won't find any there at the place. Don't miss highlights such as Piazza Navona, the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, and avoid tourist-traps restaurants  and if you have time, try and get lost wandering around the Trastevere neighbourhood, it's basically a small village within the city!

I just got back from Switzerland and Italy. I spent two nights in Rome and had this for a view. We were in the dead center of the space. It was pretty cool.

That's awesome! Similar view to the place we stayed in Paris last year.

[Nekov]

In about a month I am going to be travelling to Perth for my cousin's Wedding, and since I am flying via Singapore I'm going to stop by for a few days on the way back. Anyone have any recommendations for either place?

In Singapore, there are a couple of gardens that are really nice. The botanical garden has a orchid section that is gorgeous, and then close to Jurong lake there is a Chinese garden that has a bonsai section which is stunning. The gardens by the bay are a must for me and I recommend going at night and watching the lights show. There are several Buddhist temples and mosques (the sultan mosque in particular) that are really beautiful and are worth visiting.
As for Perth, my only recommendation is that you try to not get killed my the many dangers in Australia.

[XJDenton]

In Singapore, there are a couple of gardens that are really nice. The botanical garden has a orchid section that is gorgeous, and then close to Jurong lake there is a Chinese garden that has a bonsai section which is stunning. The gardens by the bay are a must for me and I recommend going at night and watching the lights show. There are several Buddhist temples and mosques (the sultan mosque in particular) that are really beautiful and are worth visiting.
As for Perth, my only recommendation is that you try to not get killed my the many dangers in Australia.

It's okay, I'll be bringing my own beer to Australia.

Thanks for the recs!

[lucky7]

In about a month I am going to be travelling to Perth for my cousin's Wedding, and since I am flying via Singapore I'm going to stop by for a few days on the way back. Anyone have any recommendations for either place?

I am from Melbourne and off to Perth next month to see Steve Vai in concert (he is playing on November 11)

You may be interested in taking a ferry from Perth to Rottnest Island to see some Quokkas (Very cute animal)

Have a great trip!

[XJDenton]

*googles Quokkas*

...yes. Yes I may.

[cramx3]

Oh a cute version of an opossum  an australian creature that isn't going to kill you

[XJDenton]

Fun fact: Death due to wildlife in Australia is about 25 people a year. Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

[pg1067]

Fun fact: Death due to wildlife in Australia is about 25 people a year.

But how many WISH they were dead after an encounter?   

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Fun fact: Death due to wildlife in Australia is about 25 people a year. Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

But that's because Americans are dumb...........I can say that because I am a dumb American....

[TAC]

Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

That's kind of a blanket statement.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

That's kind of a blanket statement.

[XJDenton]

Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

That's kind of a blanket statement.

I'll allow it.

[Podaar]

Fun fact: Death due to wildlife in Australia is about 25 people a year. Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

The problem with these kind of comparisons, (other than setting up TAC with a slow pitch) is how many wildlife deaths would Australia have if there were nearly 400 million people living on the continent? Every statistic will go up with larger sample sizes.

[faizoff]

*googles Quokkas*

...yes. Yes I may.

Wow that thing is cute. I wouldn't mind being killed by it.

[El Barto]

Fun fact: Death due to wildlife in Australia is about 25 people a year. Conversely, about 1000 Americans a year die by suffocating in or being strangled by their bedsheets.

The problem with these kind of comparisons, (other than setting up TAC with a slow pitch) is how many wildlife deaths would Australia have if there were nearly 400 million people living on the continent? Every statistic will go up with larger sample sizes.

The bigger problem with it is that the bedsheet related fatalities (and it's 800 not 1000) are almost entirely infants, and they don't really count. A few really old invalids thrown in, to boot. Steve Irwin wasn't going to be killed by his sheets (unless it was some kind of sex thing).

[El Barto]

Back to travel, amongst the regular travelers here, what hotel loyalty programs are people using? I've been using Wyndham for a while, but I might be switching over to Marriott for a variety of reasons. People use branded CCs, or just get the points from stays?  Anbyody here get all The Points Guy and collect a variety of branded cards? The fact that BonVoy is a Chase travel partner certainly makes a difference for me.

[cramx3]

So are Aussie sheets safer than American sheets? 

[Podaar]

Back to travel, amongst the regular travelers here, what hotel loyalty programs are people using? I've been using Wyndham for a while, but I might be switching over to Marriott for a variety of reasons. People use branded CCs, or just get the points from stays?  Anbyody here get all The Points Guy and collect a variety of branded cards? The fact that BonVoy is a Chase travel partner certainly makes a difference for me.

We've been Marriott owners for 20 years. We have an automatic 2 weeks every year at the Marriott Mountainside in Park City Utah. That being said, we've only ever stayed at that property a handful of times. Most years we bank the weeks for points that we've used all over the world either through Marriott directly for for a transfer fee of about $75.00 through Interval International. The merger with Bon Voy has opened up even more opportunities for good accomodations.

Marriott properties aren't for everyone, but we've always enjoyed the large rooms and kitchens since we prefer to cook for ourselves.

[El Barto]

Back to travel, amongst the regular travelers here, what hotel loyalty programs are people using? I've been using Wyndham for a while, but I might be switching over to Marriott for a variety of reasons. People use branded CCs, or just get the points from stays?  Anbyody here get all The Points Guy and collect a variety of branded cards? The fact that BonVoy is a Chase travel partner certainly makes a difference for me.

We've been Marriott owners for 20 years. We have an automatic 2 weeks every year at the Marriott Mountainside in Park City Utah. That being said, we've only ever stayed at that property a handful of times. Most years we bank the weeks for points that we've used all over the world either through Marriott directly for for a transfer fee of about $75.00 through Interval International. The merger with Bon Voy has opened up even more opportunities for good accomodations.

Marriott properties aren't for everyone, but we've always enjoyed the large rooms and kitchens since we prefer to cook for ourselves.

You have their card, or do you just stay enough to earn mucho points?

As for their properties, it seems they actually apply standards to all of them. There's a consistency there that you don't get with Wyndham. My guess is that they do inspections and will yank somebody's branding if their hotel doesn't cut it, which keeps people in line. They do cost a bit more, but not by a lot, and the rewards program is pretty typical. 

[XJDenton]

The bigger problem with it is that the bedsheet related fatalities (and it's 800 not 1000) are almost entirely infants, and they don't really count. A few really old invalids thrown in, to boot. Steve Irwin wasn't going to be killed by his sheets (unless it was some kind of sex thing).

Well he did end up dying from being penetrated.

In any case, the point was that as far as cause of deaths go, Australian wildlife still a pretty minor one compared to a lot of other more mundane causes.

[cramx3]

I'm the highest tier of status (Diamond) with IHG.  Mostly due to work trips staying at holiday inns / holiday inn expresses.  I've had this status for almost 9 years in a row now  I have no experience with the other brands to compare.  I think IHG generally are viewed as lower tier, but they have grown a lot by purchasing high end hotel brands over the 9 years.  So there's a lot of really nice hotels if you want that experience with the brand now.  I've always enjoyed IHG though.  You can find their hotels almost anywhere and the rewards have mostly been pretty good.  I'm sitting at 660k points with them, but I'd have a whole lot more if I hadn't started burning my points the last two years and work travel has slowed down.  They keep devauling the points (I don't think that's IHG specific) so I'm less inclined to hold onto these points long term.  I used to be able to stay at the Venetian in Vegas for example for a fraction of the points needed today. 

I did end up getting a low level IHG credit card for one reason.  I get a free night every year with the card and the yearly cost is only $50 so I see that as a highly discounted night each year basically.  I also do get points and whatnot for that card, but other than using it to book IHG hotels, there's no special value to it over my chase credit cards.  I do enjoy the chase rewards system quite a lot with their %20 off travel using them.  I've gone on many "free" trips by using my chase points for a flight (and still get United miles by doing that) and burning IHG points on a room. But then again, now I'm sitting on 500k United miles so I need to start burning those as they've also been devauled so much.

[El Barto]

Points from everybody are constantly being devalued. I rarely use them but need to start making a concerted effort to do so for that reason. And if our government does intervene to "protect" us by "unburdening" Home Depot and Best Buy from their transaction fees, they'll be devalued to pretty much nil. 

That Chase thing is partly why I'm knocking around Marriott. In truth I've never found their 20% off marketplace to be much of a value, mostly due to AA being king in Dallas. United and Delta are afterthoughts here. And, I can do better going straight through Avis Preferred. Being able to kick those points to SWA or Marriott would be helpful, though.

Also, the Marriott card is $90/yr, but comes with an anniversary bonus that's good for two nights at respectable hotels. And of course the multiplier for booking with it.

[King Postwhore]

Going here for our 29th anniversary tomorrow.

https://images.app.goo.gl/LgbcARyToBsQXpcq9

[faizoff]

Going here for our 29th anniversary tomorrow.

https://images.app.goo.gl/LgbcARyToBsQXpcq9

Wow that's awesome,

[cramx3]

Points from everybody are constantly being devalued. I rarely use them but need to start making a concerted effort to do so for that reason. And if our government does intervene to "protect" us by "unburdening" Home Depot and Best Buy from their transaction fees, they'll be devalued to pretty much nil. 

That Chase thing is partly why I'm knocking around Marriott. In truth I've never found their 20% off marketplace to be much of a value, mostly due to AA being king in Dallas. United and Delta are afterthoughts here. And, I can do better going straight through Avis Preferred. Being able to kick those points to SWA or Marriott would be helpful, though.

Also, the Marriott card is $90/yr, but comes with an anniversary bonus that's good for two nights at respectable hotels. And of course the multiplier for booking with it.

Oh that's pretty good (considering I thought one night at 50 was good).  As for the 20% off via chase, it's great for United flights because it allows me not to pay my own money, get a cheaper rate, AND (most importantly) still earn United miles as they treat it the same as a cash purchase unlike if I were to use miles on a trip.  Using some booking sites for hotels and other airlines may find better deals than the 20% otherwise.

Having said all this, my work travel is slowing down.  I don't expect to keep my status after next year so it will allow me to try different options going forward.  In many ways, I'm very cool with that.  Keeping myself tied down to one family of brands has it's draw backs too.

[cramx3]

Going here for our 29th anniversary tomorrow.

https://images.app.goo.gl/LgbcARyToBsQXpcq9

Really cool! Congrats on the anniversary and have fun

[Podaar]

Sorry, Barto, I must have misunderstood the question. We have a Marriott timeshare.

As for cards with points, we only have Delta Amex, which we use for travel expenses. The points for our regular travels usually add up to free 1.5 - 2 hour round trip flights per year. Nothing special, but better than nothing.

[El Barto]

Points from everybody are constantly being devalued. I rarely use them but need to start making a concerted effort to do so for that reason. And if our government does intervene to "protect" us by "unburdening" Home Depot and Best Buy from their transaction fees, they'll be devalued to pretty much nil. 

That Chase thing is partly why I'm knocking around Marriott. In truth I've never found their 20% off marketplace to be much of a value, mostly due to AA being king in Dallas. United and Delta are afterthoughts here. And, I can do better going straight through Avis Preferred. Being able to kick those points to SWA or Marriott would be helpful, though.

Also, the Marriott card is $90/yr, but comes with an anniversary bonus that's good for two nights at respectable hotels. And of course the multiplier for booking with it.

Oh that's pretty good (considering I thought one night at 50 was good).  As for the 20% off via chase, it's great for United flights because it allows me not to pay my own money, get a cheaper rate, AND (most importantly) still earn United miles as they treat it the same as a cash purchase unlike if I were to use miles on a trip.  Using some booking sites for hotels and other airlines may find better deals than the 20% otherwise.

Having said all this, my work travel is slowing down.  I don't expect to keep my status after next year so it will allow me to try different options going forward.  In many ways, I'm very cool with that.  Keeping myself tied down to one family of brands has it's draw backs too.

Oof, looks like I misunderstood. It's actually one free night up to 35k points, rather than 35k points. Also, the signup bonus is 3 nights up to 50k rather than 150k. No point making things simple for people. Bastards.

[ReaperKK]

Back to travel, amongst the regular travelers here, what hotel loyalty programs are people using? I've been using Wyndham for a while, but I might be switching over to Marriott for a variety of reasons. People use branded CCs, or just get the points from stays?  Anbyody here get all The Points Guy and collect a variety of branded cards? The fact that BonVoy is a Chase travel partner certainly makes a difference for me.

My wife travels 40 weeks a year and is the highest status for both mariott and hilton and her opinion is that Hilton points are easier to earn and you get more nights for your points but on the whole marriott is nicer.

She is also executive platnium with American Airlaines and when I fly with her I feel like flying with a celebrity . I'm often left in the back while she is bumped to first class.

[Lonk]

So, I'm toying with the idea of spending my birthday in Iceland (late February) to try my luck to see the Northern Lights. I don't really know if I want to be in a remote area or just stick to Reykjavik.

Just hoping someone can give some suggestions on where to stay. Is it worth renting a car or should I just stick to the city?

[cramx3]

My gf and I were talking about doing Iceland in 2024, but with the volcano apparently about to erupt, we both said this week that Iceland doesn't seem likely for us in 2024.

[MirrorMask]

Volcanos erupting in Iceland are like earthquakes in Japan. They call it Tuesday over there.

[ReaperKK]

My gf and I were talking about doing Iceland in 2024, but with the volcano apparently about to erupt, we both said this week that Iceland doesn't seem likely for us in 2024.

My wife and I had the exact same conversation .

We had already started planning our trip.

[Azyiu]

Volcanos erupting in Iceland are like earthquakes in Japan. They call it Tuesday over there.

...and speaking of Japan, I am spending a week there between Tokyo and Kyoto in the first week of December. This is my first trip there since early 2020, or literally right before the COVID outbreak. Everything was locked down the week after I left Japan last time.