If you’re not using Points and Miles, you really should be!

By Travelinggump

Ritz-Carlton, Marana Az. (Tucson)

Booked a room for 3 nights using 70,000 Marriott Points and a free night certificate. This place is a bargain at 35k points per night! The value of the Points and free night certificate is ~$945.

I checked the non-Points value to make sure that using points gives the better value…

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Looks Good. ~$945 in Points to get $1249.74 in value. If you have the Amex Spg Luxury Card, you’re automatically Gold with Marriott. If you travel or spend enough, you can become Platinum. Either way, when you check in, you’re eligible for an Upgrade. I checked in and was upgraded.

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~$945 in Points/free night certificate and now $3833.99 in value! Wow!

How did I earn the points? Spg Luxury card with 75,000 point sign up bonus. $450 year fee. WAIT! You get $300 of that back as a credit to pay a Marriott Hotel charge(s) and $250 of it back for airline incidentals (fly Delta and use it for gift cards to help pay for your flight). You also get a free night certificate and Marriott Gold status. Do the Math!

Apply for an American Express Card with this link. We can both get rewarded if you’re approved! http://refer.amex.us/MICHAmOzEI?xl=cp33

 

 

Behind the Scenes with American Airlines’ De-Icing Operations. From TPG and Mike Arnot

By Travelinggump

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https://thepointsguy.com/news/behind-the-scenes-with-american-airlines-de-icing-operations/

When you travel to a new and unfamiliar place, sometimes it’s nice to bring a friend.

By Travelinggump

The Point of the Highland Thistle

By Travelinggump

Travelinggump's avatarTheSunflowerMuse.com

“The Point of The Highland Thistle”

At the Vernal Equinox, the Scottish Highlands have always yielded before their Dark and Mercurial Sky, who once again is forced to endure Lady Spring’s conspicuous and gaudy arrival.

As She approached, the curmudgeonly Sky, turned and peered into the distance, greeting her only with silence.

Lady Spring, irritated by the tepid reception and the Sky’s obvious lack of deference, gazed disapprovingly upon the Highlands and its dull and dreary pallor.

“The only signs of life are these prickly Scottish thistles that rise from the snow,” she said, as she tugged at her robe, which had become entangled in thistle and was refusing to yield. Frustrated, she took off her robe and tugged as hard as she could, pulling the whole plant from the soil which then caused her to fall backward onto the ground; her robe now completely covered in thistles. “I’ll banish…

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Could you imagine? The most expensive nap ever taken🌻

By Travelinggump

I love this question: Should I wait to have children until I can afford them? Academically, sure; but most likely, nobody would ever have kids.

Waiting until you can “afford” to travel follows the same path. It’s the land of “I wish I had but now I can’t.”

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Somehow, if we’re careful, we manage to have children and thrive anyway. Following your travel dreams is no different, You just “make it work” or alternatively, you roll the dice and wait until you retire. Good luck with that…

  • No, this isn’t a crime scene, they’re asleep!🙄

 

Sedona Az. Bronze Sculpture by James N. Muir “Children”

By Travelinggump

“Fleeing before the storm clouds of war, a little refugee girl, herself still merely a child, gives comfort and reassurance to her own doll-child.”

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Devil’s Bridge, Sedona Arizona

By Travelinggump

People have said that the walk to Devils Bridge in Sedona is beautiful; they were right!

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It’s Important to Blend in While One is Traveling…

By Travelinggump

When one travels to New Mexico, it’s important to blend in with the the local’s. This works for me ‘cause hats are my “thing” and I’m a blender 👍

 

I Should Take My Own Advice!

By Travelinggump

In my book, Traveling Zen, I write about how to efficiently pack for an international trip. Clearly I “missed the boat” regarding domestic travel. Since there are no restrictions on weight or contents, I think I may have overdid it a bit…421f28de-a9c0-4301-a62f-58bab9b4df25.jpeg

And Three’s a Charm…

By Travelinggump

The third book is done and printed! The Diary of Francis Kelley. Amazon has been “struggling” with paperbacks lately, so the books are on my site: Travelinggump.Com under “menu” and the eBook versions are on Amazon. Just search “Travelinggump”

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Order here Thru Paypal and get Free Shipping!

An easier way to see what I’ve been up to…

By Travelinggump

Please Take Me To Amazon to See,,,books4

 

I finally finished the 2nd Book! A year of the Sunflowermuse. Check it out!

By Travelinggump

Where Have I Been? Finishing the 2nd Book! A Year of the Sunflowermuse! It’s available from Amazon in Paperback or eBook.

Traveling Zen:::The Paperback Version is now Available!

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Take me to AMAZON! 541E949B-10DF-4C91-810B-E2CFD159074D.jpeg

Finally Published my First Travel ebook on Amazon!

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I Think I’ll just have a Tantrum!

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It will take a true traveler to appreciate this. Everyone else will most likely be unsympathetic and follow the thought with the statement “stop whining”. So be it.

Traveling is not just going from A to B, it’s a passion. I love it from choosing the destination, the planning, the getting there, the “there” and even the coming home. I love the “trip” almost as much as the destination.

This time last year, we were packed and on the 28th of February, we left for Asia; Vietnam, Cambodia and China. This was a big deal and I was anxious to see the results of all the planning, from using Airline Miles, Hotel Points and well, everything. It was a Grand Adventure.

Here’s the whining part. I have been melancholy all day. I am missing the adventure and due to “life”, there are no adventures planned in the near future. Nothing is horribly wrong, fortunately, but our travel has been put on hold. My writing simply pales in conveying the passion that a true traveler feels at being “grounded”, unable to explore the world.

Tomorrow will be a long day. I am thankful that I’ve been able to travel as much as I have and I realize that many others can’t travel and…Ugh, this is Crap!, blah, blah, blah… So, I’m a selfish #!@&! and this is all about me! I want more and I’m gonna sit here with my arms crossed and my bottom lip hanging out until I get my way.  I may even hold my breath or stomp my feet, me, me, me whatever; It’s time to go!

 

Awesome Travel in Your Own Backyard.

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Sometimes we are so anxious to travel to new places, that we forget about the gems in our own backyard. I give you the Hotel Vandivort of Springfield, Missouri. An incredible boutique Hotel in the popular downtown area. Apparently, it’s a big deal to take your photograph in the lobby bathrooms, #vandivortbathroomselfie