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Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Next Friday I will be flying to Tokyo for the first time. I’ll have three days to spend there and I’d appreciate your help figuring out where to go and what to eat. I’m going solo and I don’t speak a lick of Japanese, so I’m in need of your best recommendations!...

Update 08/30/2017: The FAA has shared that George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Hobby (HOU) airport have reopened for commercial flights Wednesday as of 4:00pm CT. United reportedly plans on operating three flights to its hub at IAH Wednesday, with flight 1290 from Chicago (ORD) scheduled to touch down at 6:41pm. The airline says that it will run a light “hub to hub” schedule on Thursday and will add more regional flights on Friday....

Mom lied. There’s no danger in strangers. In fact, while you’re traveling, talking to strangers can transform a by-the-numbers trip into one full of unexpected delights. You don’t need to suddenly become an extroverted party animal telling your life story in whiskey-soaked bars every night, but even a five-minute chat can reap big rewards while you’re in a strange city. Here’s why — and how — you should pop the question (any question, really) on your journeys....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.One of the most rewarding perks of earning United’s top-tier Premier 1K (or Global Services) status is the ability to purchase an economy seat and confirm an upgrade in business class right when you book. The airline issues two types of upgrades — Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs), which can be used on flights within North America and select international routes, and Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs), which can be applied to any United or Lufthansa-operated flight around the world....

With online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Priceline taking commissions as high as 30%, it’s no surprise that hotels are on a mission to push them out of the booking process and get more customers to book direct. However, hotels have been playing unfairly and removing basic amenities from travelers in the process.On Monday, we learned that the Hyatt Place brand will remove free breakfast as a standard amenity and instead only offer it to World of Hyatt members who book directly with Hyatt....

The head of civil aviation in Malaysia resigned Tuesday after a report excoriated the country’s air-traffic controllers for failing to keep track of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 after it entered the country’s airspace.The Boeing 777, with 239 people aboard, disappeared in March 2014. The Malaysian government’s final report on the incident, released Monday, couldn’t come up with an answer to what happened, leaving one of aviation’s biggest mysteries unsolved.The report did, however, conclude that air-traffic controllers in Malaysia and Vietnam failed in their duties, neglecting to keep to a series of protocols that led to no one being alerted for 20 minutes after they lost track of the plane....

The Mandarin Oriental hotel in the Knightsbridge district of London is closed indefinitely, the hotel said in a statement Thursday, after a fire ripped through the newly renovated building.The London Fire Brigade said that 36 hotel guests and 250 hotel staff were evacuated from the building after the blaze started around 4:00pm Wednesday. Everyone was accounted for, and there were no injuries reported.It took 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters a total of six hours to control the blaze....

Back in mid-April I attended a friend’s wedding in Texas and stayed two nights at the Driskill hotel and one night at the Hyatt Place Austin Downtown. While the Driskill is nice in an Old West Victorian kind of way, my less-than-satisfactory experience with their billing department after my stay is what completely ruined my perception of this beloved hotel, which is now part of the Hyatt brand.The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas....

Nepali investigators released a report Monday that found the March crash of US-Bangala Flight 211 at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) was caused by the pilot’s “severe mental stress” and erratic behavior.According to the Nepali government’s official investigation, the flight’s pilot, Captain Abid Sultan, was harboring extreme mental stress and anxiety that led him to make mistakes on the flight and ultimately led to the fiery crash that killed 51 people on board, the Katmandu Post reports....

The next time you’re complaining about traveling in “cattle class,” think again. As we’ve previously reported, Qatar is in the middle of a blockade imposed by its Gulf neighbors, resulting in large areas of airspace being closed to Qatar-registered aircraft. I was recently on board a flight that was affected and got to see what it’s like to be in Qatar these days.One of the biggest concerns of the blockade was the risk of a food shortage since all imports from the country’s neighbors — including Saudi Arabia, which supplies most of its fresh dairy products — were stopped immediately....

Right before we departed from the Andaz Maui at Wailea to round out our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we connected with the manager on-duty and took a short tour of the property. She pointed out to us one of the coolest, and massively under-hyped, amenities for families visiting the property. This amenity alone I think shoots this property up a couple of notches for some families. In addition to sharing details about this almost secret kid’s amenity, we will also share info about some of the on-site beach activities....

If memories of Spring Breaks past — all-night hedonistic romps fueled by cramped bunk beds and caramel-colored tequila shots — leave you shuddering, fret not. Beachfront tangles with intoxicated strangers may no longer be the end game of this annual travel ritual, but indulging in a transporting vacation before the summer crowds descend is always a good idea. This time around forego the hostels and debauchery and try one of these 14 posh upgrades instead....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Have you ever been on a flight and looked forward to your meal just to be fully let down when you were told your first choice wasn’t available anymore? Or, have you been left unimpressed with the lackluster options offered on board?...

With our summer interns sadly preparing to bid TPG farewell, we’re looking to hire a new group of interns for the fall, to work out of our Lower Manhattan office in New York City. Don’t expect to be fetching coffee and running errands around the city — our interns walk away with real experience, including dozens of editorial clips and real-world marketing chops. We’ve also been know to offer some pretty fantastic travel perks....

Southwest is celebrating their 1 millionth Facebook fan, but running a triple credit promo for flights booked today. Register here.If you don’t have a Rapid Rewards account, sign up here for 3 bonus points.http://www.southwest.com/1millionfacebookfansrr/“To take advantage of this promotion, simply follow these steps:Step 1: Register for this promotion TODAY, December 1, 2010.Step 2: Book a flight for yourself TODAY, December 1, 2010.Step 3: Complete your travel between December 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010....

The future of credit cards won’t just be entirely cardless — it will involve microchips implanted in our bodies, according to a tech journalist and self-described futurist.“How many times have you had your credit card or a keycard on you in the last seven days? Probably a dozen times a day, I have to use Bluetooth to open my house door, a keyless entry to open my door,” Andy Walker, co-author of “Super You: How Technology is Revolutionizing What It Means to Be Human,” said in a phone interview....

Whether you call them essential strands of the urban fabric or magic mountains, it’s hard to imagine some cities without their signature summits. And while many owe their raison d’être to a natural feature of the landscape, be it a river or proximity to a natural harbor, there’s something to be said for the power of a peak. Think of Rio de Janeiro’s epic outcropping, Sugarloaf Mountain, or how gazing down from Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak makes skyscrapers look like gleaming thickets of toys....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Update: The 100K offer for the British Airways Visa Signature Card is available again as of 4/26/18. See more details here.Chase just announced they are offering 100,000 miles for new British Airways Visa Signature Card cardholders. I’m working on a detailed post that should answer any questions, so hang tight!...

Travel can be stressful — especially when you’re flying with a significant other, or even just a buddy. But some airline seats out there make flying the friendly skies even friendlier for folks traveling in pairs. Today, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen rounds up the best business-class seats for couples.When it comes to business-class seats, we often cover what’s new, notable and bookable with miles. As a frequent solo traveler, I usually opt for the business-class cabins that feature seats with the most privacy (reverse-herringbone side seats for me, please!...

As you might have guessed from all our posts, Managing Editor Eric Rosen and I had a fantastic time on our trip to Australia last month, so we were excited when we found out about a huge promo that Virgin Australia, Delta and Tourism Australia are teaming up on called “52 Somedays” where flyers can win one of 52 week-long trips to Australia.In order to participate, you must visit the 52 Somedays site where you can click through any of the 52 experiences - including photos and videos that are clues as to where each particular experience is taking place....