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Altitude sickness, or AMS (acute mountain sickness), occurs when you go from a low elevation to a higher one — typically over 8,000 feet — and the lack of oxygen at these higher altitudes causes the body to react adversely. Symptoms are similar to what you’d experience during a hangover, and include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, trouble sleeping, nausea and even vomiting in more severe cases. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to understand why AMS affects some more than others, as age, your level of physical fitness and sex don’t seem to be factors....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Ashley, who used an American Express and Virgin Atlantic promotion to save on premium international awards. Here’s what she had to say:Since it’s the season of thankfulness, I wanted to take the time to thank you and your staff for the article about maximizing the Amex transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic. After a week of searching across ANA, United Airlines and ExpertFlyer, we were able to find a combination of flights that fit our needs....

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.Security officials at Nino Aquino International Airport (NAIA/MNL) in Manila, Philippines were recently surprised by a bizarre image on one of their X-ray scanners—a sleeping infant zipped inside a backpack.According to Manila’s ABS-CBN News, Jenifer Pavolaurea, a 25-year-old single mother and nursing graduate student, confessed that she had failed to obtain necessary immigration clearance for her 2-month-old son to join her on an Air Nuigini flight to her native country, Papua New Guinea, and instead attempted to smuggle him through security in her carry-on....

New TPG contributor and assistant editor Peter Rothbart brings us through the art of scoring free Las Vegas perks via MyVegas Rewards.Opportunities to earn and redeem hotel points in Las Vegas are improving, especially with the recent partnerships forged between prominent hotel brands (like Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood and IHG) and premier properties on the Vegas strip. Still, as one of the top 5 most visited travel destinations in the US, we welcome more options to explore Sin City using points and miles....

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.Air Canada will be the first North American airline to offer expecting or new moms or dads who take parental leave from work the opportunity to postpone their elite status with the airline’s Altitude program. The Altitude Status Extension will begin in the 2017 elite benefit year and allows you to extend your elite benefits for a minimum of 12 months, although it’s not clear whether parents will retain elite benefits during their leave....

Eight passengers who were on board the deadly Southwest Flight 1380, in which an engine exploded and killed one passenger, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Southwest Airlines, Boeing and the plane’s engine manufacturers.The passengers claim that due to the airline’s and manufacturers’ negligence, they suffered psychological and physical injuries after being “confronted with their greatest fear, the overwhelming horror of being trapped in a plane about to crash.”The 20-page complaint further states that “Southwest negligently failed to reasonably monitor, inspect, test, service maintain and repair the Aircraft and the Engine to keep its aircraft reasonably safe for its passengers, and to remove from service aircraft that were not reasonably safe....

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.Just a friendly reminder that the 100% US Airways purchase miles promotion ends on Thursday, March 31, 2011. As I outlined in my original post on the offer, this is an excellent way to buy premium Star Alliance flights for cheap....

The Saudi government issued driver’s licenses to 10 women in Riyadh today, ahead of the official June 24 lifting of the kingdom’s longtime ban on female drivers.A video of one of the women receiving her license from the General Department of Traffic quickly went viral, showing the woman, dressed from head to toe in the traditional black abaya, smiling as she receives the white card from a mustachioed man in a uniform and beret, as three other similarly dressed men look on....

You’ve got a week left to buy LifeMiles with up to a 125% bonus, and now, even more reason to do so. LifeMiles is the mileage program of Colombian-based airline Avianca. But even if you aren’t interested in flying Avianca, it’s worth getting to know LifeMiles since it’s made itself known as the wholesaler of cheap Star Alliance miles and award tickets, as well as regular sales of discounted miles.The latest sale allows those with a hefty LifeMiles balance to redeem for Star Alliance flights (think Air China and Asiana Airlines) with up to a 48% discount....

Oh car seat. How I love you for keeping my children safe and comfortable, but how I hate you for how complicated you can make family travel with little ones. We had escaped the carseat dilemma for a while as our six year old grew out of a traditional car seat and our baby cruised along very easily in the Doona that switches effortlessly from a car seat to a stroller and back again....

Fourteen Trump Hotels properties suffered a data breach that may have exposed guests’ names, addresses and credit card information to hackers between August 2016 and March 2017, according to a notice posted on the luxury hotel chain’s website. The breach is the latest in a string of recent hacks to have impacted hoteliers including IHG and other properties operated by major chains. This is the third time in three years that Trump-branded properties have been affected, according to The Washington Post....

An arrest was made at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) when an American Airlines employee tried to bring a gun through security – a stolen gun, at that.Elvira Thomas, 62, who worked at the American ticket counter at CLT has now been charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for the possession of a stolen firearm and the possession of a firearm on city property. Transportation Security Administration spotted the gun through the checkpoint’s X-ray machine....

Uber drivers across England have launched a massive daylong strike on Tuesday in protest of low pay and unfair working conditions.The strike, which was called to start at 1pm GMT time, is to last 24 hours and take place in three different cities.The Independent Works Union of Great Britain (IWGB) organized the strike and says it expects hundreds of drivers to not sign-in to the Uber app today. Drivers are rallying outside of Uber’s offices in Birmingham, London and Nottingham....

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.Uber is giving its top customers access to a 24/7 support line. The ride-share service, which has faced heat in recent months for its poor business practices, is now trying to win back both drivers and riders with new leadership and initiatives....

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.Online shopping malls are all the rage these days. Retailers know that miles are a great way to encourage shoppers (color me guilty) and often offer huge bonuses to increase sales.One of the newest marketing platforms are browser embedded toolbars that automatically alert you to mileage earning opportunities....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Jeff, who nearly missed an international flight to start a vacation. Here’s what he had to say:This past summer I was on a business trip in England, and planned to meet my wife in Mallorca for vacation afterward. I had booked an economy seat on the only non-stop flight from Heathrow to Mallorca on British Airways. I got an e-mail reminder to check in 24 hours before my flight, but as I had meetings all day and then went out with colleagues that night, I thought I could just wait to check in until I got to the airport....

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.The next time you’re in Shanghai, you might want to add a trip to Starbucks to your itinerary — no joke.According to CNN.com, Starbucks opened its largest store to date there yesterday, spanning 30,000-square-feet. The space is part of the new retail program, Starbucks Reserve Roastery, giving customers the opportunity to watch beans being roasted onsite....

On Saturday, we learned that Delta’s bringing its premium lie-flat business-class product to a handful of additional routes — but the airline isn’t stopping there. Come April 1, 2018, Medallion elite members will be able to take advantage of a very welcome new perk: complimentary upgrades to Delta One on domestic flights. That’s right — a positive change from the SkyMiles program.What’s especially notable here is that this change doesn’t only affect Delta’s new upgraded routes — all domestic Delta One flights will be eligible, so beginning April 1, we shouldn’t see any lie-flat seats going out empty on the airline’s premium US flights....

United is currently offering a 40% discount on purchased miles through September 19, 2012. They’ve run this promotion in the past (and I’ve written with my thoughts on it), but I’ll recap it again since I’ve been getting a lot of reader emails whether this promotion is worth it or not.Promotion Landing Page With Links to Purchase MilesI personally value United miles higher than any other airline mileage currency. They aren’t perfect, but they are extremely valuable because there are so many partners and united....

A fatal helicopter crash Saturday afternoon near Quartermaster Canyon on the west rim of the Grand Canyon killed three and badly injuring four other survivors, including the pilot.The Eurocopter EC130 carrying seven people crashed under “unknown circumstances,” said Allen Kenitzer, Federal Aviation Administration Officer of Communication, although strong winds are being considered as a possible factor. The helicopter plummeted on the Hualapai reservation right outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park, just around 5:30 pm Saturday afternoon, according to Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley....