Travel Tips

3 Essential Things to Pack for Traveling

May 30, 2019 By Jason Kinney 2 Comments

I have just completed my 36th trip to Las Vegas and have two more planned over the summer months. With all those takeoffs and landings, I have found there are three essential things to pack for traveling. I believe in them so much, I refuse to leave home without them.

Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds

The first of my essential things to pack for traveling is my Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds. There are many FREE sights to take in when traveling and especially in Vegas, but having options when you want to cancel out the hustle and bustle around you is needed. I use my earbuds on almost every flight I take and sometimes when sitting at the pool or on bus rides between destinations too.

I have two other pair of Bose noise canceling earphones but stick with the earbuds. The one downfall I have with the full earphone version is that I wear glasses, but my wife who wears contacts likes these better than the earbuds. The glasses cause just enough of a gap that the noise canceling does not work as well. With using the earbud version that issue is resolved. I find that they feel lighter on my head and can block out a significant amount of the noise around me.

Hardshell Suitcase

Hardshell suitcase is essential for all year round travel. Several years ago both Joni and I each bought a set of beautiful hardshell luggage. We have had these six suitcases for over five years. Traveled with them on 30 separate trips and only one has been cracked. We have even carted these luggage pieces around us when going to eat and needing to check out of our hotels.

A lot of people still say that their cloth suitcase can do the same thing. But one of the benefits of the hardshell case is helping against the weather. I have seen my bags sitting, waiting to be loaded in the plane during snow storms, thunderstorms, and other incitement weather. Where my old cloth suitcases had my clothes damp if there was bad weather. These keep my clothes dry except on the zipper seam.

My carry on is also hardshell, and I often place my computer inside. This helps protect it against the other fliers. I have found that they like to cram anything and everything in the storage bins. That extra protection keeps damage to a minimum. Plus it allows you some extra leg room instead of having to protect your computer at your feet.

Power Bricks

The final thing I find to be on my list of essential things to pack for traveling is the cheapest. The last thing I won’t leave home without is several of the power bricks for my phone and iPad. I never buy the expensive ones as I would prefer to have two or three. They are easy to charge and throw in your pocket in case the plane you have does not have a charging outlet or if it is not working. Also if you end up losing it or forgetting it in your hotel room when you check out, you are only out $5 for one of them compared to the nicer chargers that are $40-50 each.

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Things to do in Las Vegas for FREE!

May 16, 2019 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

Las Vegas can be an expensive vacation but can be cheap depending on what activities you do. As casinos have started to nickel and dime the visitors with the addition of parking and resort fees. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Las Vegas for FREE!

Bellagio

Everyone starts with the Bellagio fountains and there is a reason for this as it is the most popular thing to do in Las Vegas for Free. Beginning in the afternoon, they go off every half hour but around 8 pm they start going off every 15 minutes. The best time to see them is at nights with the backdrop of the lights. They rotate through songs so during a trip you may hear the same song a couple times, but each time it is an experience that is unique. Both Cheyenne and Joni like to find an area up front and watch them for an hour or so as they go off at night.

Bellagio Conservatory is a great place to have pictures taken. They rotate scenes throughout the year. Almost everything the display is made out of flowers and is always very busy as people walk through. With it being “alive” there will be times throughout the year that it is closed as they update the display.

Bellagio Chocolate Waterfall is in the walkway between the Bellagio, Vdara and the tram. There is a small dessert place that has the largest chocolate waterfall in the world and it is pretty spectacular to see. This is one of those not as well known things that I like to make sure to show newcomers on their first trip. Especially if they have a sweet tooth!

Mirage

I still have a soft spot for the Volcano at the Mirage. It has changed over the years. Watching fire dance on the water is always awesome to see over and over. They use gas tubing that then lights the gas as it goes off with an island drum going off in the background. You can feel the heat as you sit and watch it. This does not go off as often as the fountains and is a farther walking distance from the fountains so you will need to plan accordingly to catch these.

Cosmopolitan

The chandelier at the Cosmopolitan is always a quick fun stop for pictures. If you are on the high road walkway bridge between City Center and Planet Hollywood, at the intersecting corner, you can enter into the Cosmopolitan. Just a couple steps in you can look over the Chandelier Bar which has a multi-store Chandelier in place. You can get some stunning pictures with that chadelier as the backdrop, which is why it makes our list of things to do in Las Vegas for free.

The funny thing is, the original company that was building the Cosmopolitan before they ran out of funding originally was planning on putting a giant robot in that spot. I think it is safe to say the chandelier was the better choice.

Las Vegas Sign

Last but not least one of the things to do in Las Vegas for free is to visit the Las Vegas Sign. Depending on the route you take from the airport to get to the strip, you could drive right past it. It is on the south side of the strip past Mandalay Bay. I would recommend not walking due to the traffic and the on/off ramps for I-15, and 515 is a dangerous area to walk. Also, try planning to stop by earlier in the morning to minimize waiting in line.

No trip is complete with a stop at the Las Vegas sign. Depending on your route you take from the airport to get to the strip, you could drive right past it. It is on the south side of the strip past Mandalay Bay. I would recommend not walking due to the traffic and the on/off ramps for I-15, and 515 is a dangerous area to walk. Also, try planning to stop by earlier in the morning to minimize waiting in line.

Route 91 Festival

May 9, 2019 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

It seems like it was forever ago but also like it was just yesterday. If it weren’t for the UFC fights the week after, I would have been there for the Route 91 festival when the shooting took place. I would have been in the crowd as Jason Aldean would have been one of the main acts I would have wanted to see.

Route 91 Shooting

Part of me changed the day of the with all the what ifs. Now Cheyenne will be going with me on the next trip at the end of the month. She knows of everything out there, she knows how close I was to being there at that time. Cheyenne has asked a lot of questions over the last several months, but even more recently about Las Vegas. A lot has changed in the 7 and a half years since she was there last.

Las Vegas Changes

The strange thing is the little things that have even changed in the last several months. I have been there eight times since the shooting, and you pick up on small things that you didn’t see before.

I have noticed more secondary security throughout the casinos along with upgraded elevator security.
Some of the higher end casinos always had a guard at the elevators.
Now even some of the lower to mid-end casinos have either guards placed or at least working badge scans that lock the elevators down from going up without an active room key.
You do see an increase in the cameras watching above if you look closely as you walk around The Strip.
There seems to be more police presence on the street, and they are now more grouped together; it seems but never makes it feel like the area is unsafe.

They have been able to maintain that ‘free spirit’ attitude on the strip but also seems more secure as you look around and notice the small things.

At the age of six, Cheyenne wanted Bellagio Fountains and Mirage Volcano…Now at the age of 13, it is still those attractions, but now it also is the Las Vegas Sign and Mandalay Bay and the fence across the Route 91 festival grounds to pay her respects.

Renowned Advice for Solo Traveling to Help you Get Away and Recharge

April 26, 2019 By Joni Kinney Leave a Comment

People don’t always understand my husband and I because we vacation frequently without each other. One of my favorite quotes by Jason is about us and our relationship is “We live together and work together, so we vacation separately.” Now that isn’t always true, we do take some vacations together like our trip this past fall to Hawaii. However, we do a fair deal of solo traveling.

Things to Consider: Solo Traveling

There are many things you need to consider when you are solo traveling. Many of the items are the same as if you are traveling with your family, but there are some unique differences. After all, if you want to change your mind while solo traveling there’s no one to argue with you.

Solo Traveling Destination

Chose a destination for solo traveling with lots of activities to choose from. One of my favorite places to go is the state of Florida, and there is an endless supply of fun down there. Jason; he prefers to solo travel to Las Vegas. You should consider what is drawing you to the vacation spot you are picking out so you can truly take advantage and see all the things that will enhance the experience.

There are many travel destinations that seem to be made just for the solo traveler. Check out this Bucketlist.

Renowned Advice for Solo Traveling to Help you Get Away and Recharge #travel #solotravel #destinations #vacation #solovacation

Safety

Now I like to post pictures on social media of where we are and what we are doing. But I don’t post photos of where we stay or are staying until after we’ve been there. Safety is a real concern, and keeping your haven safe is a priority. Don’t tell people where you are staying, if asked about it keep your answers vague.

Technology

To really relax and recharge limit your technology usage. I’m not saying throw it all away when you are solo traveling, but truly take time to appreciate where you are. One of my favorite memories of a recent trip to Florida was driving across the state and seeing cows in pastures with Palm Trees. I’m from Wisconsin and this sight cracked me up.

Don’t get so caught up in capturing the moments, that you forget to live in them. ENJOY your vacation. This is how you relax and rejuvenate your soul.

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Benefits of Flexible Points

March 20, 2019 By Joni Kinney Leave a Comment

Towards the end of every year, I always start to look at the balances of my point accounts and start also looking at what I plan to do for traveling over the next year or two. Yes, I really do mean year or two. (Check out our post on our plan for our next Hawaii vacation.) I have found that using flexible points gives us the most travel options.

When I had started to look at the first trip to Hawaii for our family, I planned it out over 2-3 years to make sure I could do as much with points as possible. There are always risks planning that far out such as points needed for the flights or hotels go up or airline carriers changing flight options. We were fortunate that the choices we did gave us some flexibility in case of those changes.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Over the last two years, I have moved to keep points in a program such as Chase Ultimate Rewards. This way my points aren’t locked up with Southwest, Delta, or Marriott. Using this program let us keep our flexible points in one place until we need them.

Using Flexible Points

For the trip to Hawaii we recently went on, I was short the miles needed for all the flights using United. They had nonstop flights that were worth us spending a little more on. By not having my points locked in, I was able to transfer from Chase to United to complete that booking.

Additionally, I was then low on points to finish the hotel booking through Marriott for the travel package for the boutique hotel. I was able to top off the account with Marriott with the points from Chase.

Benefits of Flexible Points – When things Change

During those two years, a lot of changes happened in regards to the points hobby.

Alaska Airlines lost the ability to book Delta fights.
Alaska gave the flexibility to book American, Alaska or Delta flights.

Starwoods/SPG was a considerable hotel favorite in the points hobby. Starwoods/SPG was purchased by Marriott and changed redemption rates. Additionally, they cut the ability to earn points by 1/3rd the price per dollar than previously. Rumors of other airlines being purchased, hotel groups consolidating, would force many to try to stay ahead of the game. Where having the flexible miles in something like Chase Ultimate Rewards allows transfer partners for hotels as needed with IHG (Holiday Inn), Marriott, or Hyatt (my personal favorite).

For airlines, you have many options including Southwest and United. You can always cash in Points through the travel portal at 1.25 cents per point or penny per point in statement credit. Another example of how flexibility is beneficial. Southwest recently began booking flight options to Hawaii. This gives more options besides United and Delta, and will likely continue to make travel there competitive.

The more flexibility you have, the better.

Planning a Trip to Hawaii on a budget

March 10, 2019 By Joni Kinney 2 Comments

Our last trip to Hawaii was a three-year process in the making. We could have done it quicker, but I still wanted to maintain our other trips. So how do you go about planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget?

Figure out your flights. The majority of your cost is going to be getting to Hawaii. You can find decent deals on hotels and food can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you make it in most places. But flights are always the wild card when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget. Here are our considerations for keeping costs down.

General Flight Considerations

To give you an idea of the airline costs; for the three of us to fly round trip from Chicago to Honolulu, it was 135,000 miles total. Joni and I can fly to Cancun from Chicago round trip for 20-25,000 combined usually. It is possible to get the points pretty quickly if you want to do the credit card sign up bonus game.

Southwest Airlines recently got approved for long haul flights from the West Coast to Hawaii. Their first test flight was completed with government review and they have just recently opened up flights to Hawaii. When the news initially broke about Southwest getting closer to having another carrier flying from the Continental United States, some of the other carriers started to run specials with some of the lowest costs seen in a long time.

It is believed that the increase in competition will drop the dollar amount and airline miles required for that once…or twice… in a lifetime trip. With this news, I am having to keep four different airlines as potential options.

Keep in mind what airline and what airport you want to travel out of when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget. Are you ok with a layover? Want a straight through flight? Are you willing to travel super early or want to be flying all day? With a flight this long you may want to travel during waking hours or you may want to fly mostly overnight. These are important questions you need to ask before you book your trip.

Consideration # 1 – Inter-Island Flights with Hawaiian Airlines

Joni had mentioned she wants to go to Maui along with Oahu this next trip. So when we are planning our trip to Hawaii on a budget we have to consider this additional cost. Hawaiian Airlines runs cheap flights between the islands. I have seen prices ranging from about $150 round trip or 15,000 miles between the islands per person. Hawaiian Airlines has a secure online shopping portal where I already picked up around 4,000 miles in the last 4-6 months doing shopping at a couple online stores I like. This will definitely help our budget.

The other quick options for miles if I need for these on shorter notice is through Barclays. They have a Hawaiian Airlines card where just the general offer is 50,000 miles for $1,000 in purchases over 3 months. I also over the past year have seen an offer as good as 60,000 miles after one purchase. That would be 3-4 round trips between the islands for an annual fee of $99.

Flights to Hawaii

Option #1 – United Airlines again (Chicago to Hawaii)

This is what we used last time. Right now we are mostly getting our miles using their phone mobile app making purchases at Buffalo Wild Wings and Starbucks. I already have enough in the account for one round trip ticket. I don’t think Joni would approve on me going on a solo trip for this one. I do not want to lock miles hard into United Airlines as they do not have the best options for Las Vegas.

Option #2 – Southwest

This is more likely the direction we will end up going. I do prefer Southwest over United just as a personal preference. Most of my Southwest miles that I use for my Vegas trips come from the Ultimate Rewards program now with Milwaukee having non-stop flights there.

The superior flexibility that Chase has with their Ultimate Rewards points program is that I can transfer those points to either Southwest or United. This offers us great options when we are planning trips and will certainly come in handing when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget.

Option #3 – Delta through Minneapolis

Delta is my second favorite airline. If I am not flying Southwest to Las Vegas, then most likely I am flying Delta. They have many non-stop flights all over; including some to Hawaii. Delta also has options for flights out from many of the regional airports to get to Minneapolis, Detroit or even Salt Lake City as places to connect from.

One of the new cards I have been looking at over the last 4-6 months is from American Express. Delta Miles take a long time to accrue using their branded credit card at 1 point per dollar for regular purchases. I do carry it and pay the annual fee as I am ahead just on bag fees every year and it also gets me earlier boarding.

But the American Express Gold Card gives 4 Membership Reward Points per dollar spent on Groceries and Restaurants. These points can be converted into Delta Miles. Groceries and restaurants are more substantial expenses in our household, so I am still working the math to see if the cost of the annual fee makes up for the difference.

So what is the next thing we will have to consider when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget? Hotels… stay tuned we have tips for that too!