Musings

|

Planning My Next Round of Credit Card Applications (January 2014 Edition)

I’ve written in the past about my credit card strategy, and I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want to apply for during each round of applications, which I do every three months. But I’m really coming up empty this time around. I’m coming up on my annual fee for my Amex…

|

2013 Year in Review

Warning: This post is entirely self-indulgent. 2013 was a great year for many reasons, and January 1, 2013 was the inception of this blog. In 2012, I flew around 75k miles (all but 192 for leisure), and in 2013, I just about doubled that to 145k miles (all for leisure). My travel was definitely heavier…

|

Random Thoughts on Tokyo

1. Heated toilet seats are amazing. Why don’t we have them in the US? 2. Same with soft-boiled eggs. Or the not-quite-hard-boiled-but-not-runny eggs that are prevalent in ramen shops here. 3. Before coming here, everyone told me that Japan is a nation of cash and very few places accept credit cards. But pretty much every…

|

On the Merits of Traveling Alone #2: Learning What You Want to Do

My last post about traveling alone focused on the self-indulgent aspect of doing exactly what you want to do and nothing more. But an additional benefit of traveling by yourself is that it forces you to figure out what you actually like to do, since there’s no one else to appease. This can be surprisingly…

|

On the Merits of Traveling Alone #1: Doing What You Want to Do

When people ask me about my travels, a frequent follow-up question is if I’m going with anyone or if I’m visiting someone. And people often seem surprised when I tell them that I’m going by myself or not meeting anyone. I travel alone relatively frequently, and I highly recommend that everyone try it at least…

| | |

Should You (Or I) Take Advantage of the US Airways Share Miles Promo?

US Airways is selling miles for 1.135 cents each again. This has been one of the best/craziest miles deals around for the past couple of years. At only 90k for a business class ticket to North Asia (which generously includes Hong Kong and Taipei), you’re looking at paying around $1100 for a business class ticket…