Tech Tuesday :: Trading Miles

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Top-up your main airline mileage reward program with orphan miles. Let me explain:

We're all for consolidating airline mileage reward points with one alliance, but occasionally it's not possible. Case in point, as I look for flights to Thailand not one of the carriers I want to fly---due to flight schedule and price---is part of my preferred alliances: Star Alliance or One World.

{Trip Styler Tip: Most airlines are part of global airline alliances. For example, Air Canada is part of Star Alliance, so if I fly Air New Zealand, US Airways, United, Turkish, or Lufthansa to name only a few, I can apply the points to my Air Canada mileage account and accrue a free trip faster.}

Last year I lost 16,000 KLM points because 'dealing with them' seemed 'too complicated' before they expired. To put this in perspective, the airmiles I lost are equivalent to a one-way domestic trip on points, or to put it another way, the approximate amount of miles I flew from Vancouver to Australia {pictured above}. #Fail

This year I wasn't going to let that happen again. A few weeks ago my mileBlaster iPhone app notified me I had 15,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles expiring, so I  posted the trade details via Point.com: 15,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles for 13,000 American Airlines miles. Turns out, another points.com user was interested. After a transaction fee of $150, the transfer was complete. The fee isn't ideal, in fact it's downright annoying, but this top-up provides me the total amount of American Airlines points I need to fly from Vancouver to the Caribbean in the late fall. #Win

The Take-Away

• Sort through all the miles you have with each airline to determine if you can fly somewhere for free.
• If you've got miles you know you won't use, try and trade them into a mileage program you can use.
• Using the Points.com trading system takes about 10 minutes once you add your airline account info.
• For every 1000 miles you trade via points.com, you are charged $10, hence my fee of $150 for trading 15,000 miles. Note, you are not charged the trading fee if nobody wants to make the trade.

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More Tech Tuesday The Six-Week Rule {When to buy airline tix} Liftopia White Noise Dashboard To Wall Hotel Tonight

[photo by via points.com and @tripstyler]

7 Hotel Room Upgrade Strategies

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{Editor's Note: On the third Monday of every month we feature an updated and re-imagined version of a popular archive. This month's was published Nov. 10, 2010 and proved a hot topic with multiple shares and retweets.}

Ocean view or garden view? Base room or suite? Penthouse or poolside cabana? When we check into a hotel we imagine there'd be approximately five room categories, yet from a hotel or resort point of view, there can be 20+ categories with discrepancies as small as a tree partially blocking the view, the floor's height or the breadth of bathroom amenities provided.

Because we all like an upgrade, and most front desk staff have a little upgrade wiggle room, here are 7 tips to help you secure a higher room category without paying for it!

7 Upgrade Strategies Call Ahead - Calling ahead is a triple threat. A) it confirms your reservation, B) it introduces you to the hotel, and C) it gives you an opportunity to make any special requests in advance so the hotel isn’t scrambling to accommodate the day you check in.

Look Nice - Simply put, play the part. Hotel room assignments beyond your initially booked category are subjective---at the mercy of the staff member checking you in and occupancy rates. Hotels want the floors with nicer rooms filled with people who ‘look the part,’ so do the ‘math’ for them.

Arrive Early - Even though your room *may* not be ready until the standard 3pm check-in time, ‘get in there’ an hour or two before room roulette begins as the masses check in!

Ask Without Asking - Rather than straight-out asking for an upgrade, ask the front desk agent about their favourite room, or if the room they are putting you into is nice. Reason being, sometimes a room might not be a higher category, but it's has a neat feature, peek-a-boo view or the like!

Loyalty - If you are part of the hotel's loyalty program, provide your number {and remind them of your status} at check-in. Even with a loyalty program membership, sometimes check-in staff don’t see the full snapshot of your loyalty or recent activity at sister hotels, so gently remind them of your allegiance.

Room77 - Earlier this year we wrote about an app that provides tips on the best rooms to request at US hotels. Just before you check in, consult the Room77 app for last-minute insight.

If All Else Fails - There are lots of times I haven’t been upgraded. Usually it doesn’t bother me, but if you get to your room and die a little inside, say something! Put on your PR hat, take your bags to the font desk and ask for different room. Usually the hotel will oblige if they aren’t fully booked, especially if you provide a good reason.

Related Content  It Never Hurts to Ask :: Speaking up in your travels

[photo by @tripstyler taken in an upgraded room in Aruba]

Tips For Frequent & Infrequent Travelers

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If there's one thing---ok, a few---I've learned packing and unpacking my bags for every trip style under the sun---and rain, and clouds and snow---it's there's a few best practices that accompany every trip. Here's a few chapters {bullet points, really} from my unwritten travel book: {Also, don't miss our suggestions for staying healthy and what to bring in Travel Essentials For Every Trip Style.}

Tavel Guide For Any Trip Style

• Three night rule. If you've taken a plane, train or automobile away to play, try to stay in each location at least three nights so you can get to know the area and culture. Plus who wants to pack and unpack every night, even with a carry-on this takes time.
• If your hotel room has no mirror, check your look by snapping a full-length picture of yourself with your smartphone or digi cam.
• Always bring washable, rubber-soled slippers on vacay: good for use on long flights {with sox}, as well as for hotels who don’t provide them {carpets = yucky}.
• As much as I love digital travel itinerary managers {like TripIt}, always travel with a paper copy of your itinerary and photocopy of your travel documents. As a third back-up for the uber prepared, take pics of important docs, passport and driver's license with your smartphone...just DON'T lose your smartphone.
• Have a map in case there’s no wifi, or your phone dies. Fold it so you only need to look at a small square every time you take it out of your pocket.
• Go informed, even if that means reading a five minute "intro to Columbia" before you leave, know at least a little about the culture and practices before you enter a country. Basic info like accepted currency, plugs, typical cab fares, important national holidays that might coincide with your dates or safety precautions are invaluable bits of info when you hit the ground.
• Unless you're surrounded by the protected walls of a secluded all-inclusive, dive into local culture by trying to live like locals do in Italy...in Paris....in New York. One of travel's greatest joys is observing and experiencing how others live.
• Find cool. Whether it's a restaurant server, shop owner or bartender, meet locals and get their suggestions for what to do and where to eat!
• Be yourself, but blend in so you're not a total tourist target. This goes both ways. For example: dress down when locals do, dress up when locals do...}
• Bring a little cash, always in small bills for tipping.
• The shower cap or plastic hotel laundry bag in your hotel room works wonders for a wet bathing suit or dirty clothes {see New Uses For Common Travel Items}.

[photo by @tripstyler taken of Bonaire's main airport]

Tech Tuesday :: Hipmunk Gets Organized

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Earlier this year we wrote about a new flight search tool called Hipmunk that organizes results in a visual timeline format by agony---a measure of price, duration and number of stops. Why is this significant? Most traditional travel meta search engines show flights in a list format, meaning you have to scroll through hundreds of options. This takes time; Hipmunk's version is a little more user-friendly for the right-brained among us.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the travel search engine {with a chipmunk wearing flight goggles as the mascot}, take notice because you'll appreciate some recently added, time-saving features: - First, they now offer a hotel search in addition to their popular flight search. - Second, they are the FIRST to integrate your Google Calendar into their search.

For both hotels and flights, Hipmunk now automatically shows information from your Google Calendar that’ll help you pick the right trip, based on your availability. This new technology is perfect for the person who has more coloured blocks in their calendar than a lego castle. Integrating your calendar requires you create a Hipmunk account, then follow a few easy steps.

Busy bees, take note. Organizing your flight time just got a little easier.

PS - Cool factoid: If you Google Hip Munk Trip Styler comes up as the second search result!

More Tech Tuesday Urban Dig City Guide Travelstormer {Group Travel Planning} Virtual Shopping Get A Callback Google Flight Search Hotel Tonight Getting There Direct

[image via Hipmunk website]

A Jetset Halloween

Halloween weekend is upon us. In celebration of last year's big news about the Chilean miner rescue, one of 2010's most popular, DIY halloween costumes was none other than the Chilean miner---Oakley sunglasses and all. This fall, with primetime's Pan Am taking off {in more ways than one}, I suspect there'll be a lot of 6os-inspired captains and stewardesses strutting down the concourse and into a party near you.

Last year we started the tradition of posting travel-inspired halloween costumes. It went over so well, here are this year's picks for kids of all ages:

Pan Am Glam

An Amazing Race Team {fave teams!}

Venetian Taxi{boat} Driver {Venetian taxi drivers seem to have a classically cool uniform: aviators, dark fitted jeans, brown loafers or sport shoes, white polo shirt, blue crewneck sweater, St. Tropez tan....}

Crocodile Dundee

[collages by @tripstyler of photos sourced online]