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TPG reader Sarah tweeted me about flying to Hawaii this fall:"@thepointsguy — I’m trying to find flights to Hawaii from Texas in October. Do you have airline recommendations?“Hi Sarah, and thanks for your question. Hawaii is one of the top travel destinations, and for good reason — it’s pretty much amazing all year round. There are several different islands to visit, and plenty of different airlines that fly to them.You can still use AAdvantage miles on Hawaiian airlines, but some heavy restrictions will be added in September....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Jeff, who waited too long to use travel funds from a canceled flight. Here’s what he had to say:I was looking forward to a long-awaited vacation to Seattle. I had my non-stop flight from Orlando booked on Delta and I was ready to go. Unfortunately, I got a call from the office saying they needed all hands on deck and I couldn’t leave....

While New Orleans is known for throwing a good party, it’s also a cultural mecca that offers something special for every type of traveler. If you’re interested in putting down that Hurricane and venturing away from Bourbon Street — which I highly recommend, by the way! — follow these 10 tips you probably won’t find in a guidebook to help you make the most of your next trip to the Big Easy....

Ask an American about traveling to Paris, and you’ll hear the same two complaints: “It’s expensive!” and “The French aren’t friendly!“But with a few simple tips and tricks in mind, any visitor can enjoy a fabulous trip to the City of Light and return home with a newfound appreciation for croissants, arrondissements and la vie Frances.1. “Bonjour!” Opens DoorsParisians get a bad rap for being unfriendly to tourists, but there’s an easy way to get plenty of helpful smiles from the locals....

Whether you land in Keflavík International Airport (KEF) before sunrise, or find yourself left in the dark by the typical guidebook’s uninteresting regime, these 10 tips and tidbits, which you probably won’t find in a guidebook, will help you navigate your way to a locally-inspired and budget-friendly visit in Reykjavik.Save Big With Happy Hour Specials…Reykjavik is a notoriously expensive city, especially when it comes to drinking. To keep some Icelandic króna in your pocket, drink like the locals and stick to the happy hour specials happening around town....

Discovering a tropical island paradise that hasn’t lost its authentic beauty to stampeding tourists yet is a rare occurrence nowadays. If you were to visit the island of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand during the early 1990s, you would have found beautiful coral reef systems, untouched marine fauna and crystal clear blue waters — fast-forward to 2017 and you’ll find fast food restaurants and hotels on every corner. What was once an immaculate tropical island has since suffered major damage due to increasing amounts of visitors....

Anyone who’s seen an Airbus A380 knows how ridiculously large it is. Certified to carry up to 868 passengers across two decks, the aircraft stretches 80 meters (262 feet) from wingtip to wingtip and 73 meters (239 feet) from nose to tail. But, did you know that there’s an even larger aircraft lumbering through the skies?The Antonov An-225 cargo lifter is truly one of a kind; indeed, there was only one ever built....

As I reported yesterday, JetBlue is discounting last-minute flights from New York City this week up to 80% as part of a marketing campaign called Flight Week. Every day they will be announcing three cities that are up to 80% off the base fare for limited, last minute dates of travel. Today’s options are: Bermuda, Portland, Oregon, and Grand Cayman.Today’s Flight Week deals include Bermuda, Grand Cayman and Portland.Here are the details on each:Bermuda: Use promo code JFKBDA80, and depart 1/31-2/1 or 2/3 and return 2/3-4 or 2/7....

WOW Air recently eliminated the complimentary carry-on it used to provide to passengers. A disappointing move for sure, but there is a small silver lining to note: The airline will be introducing bundled fares that will include baggage and other extras in the cost of your ticket — which could potentially save you some money over booking your ticket and paying for bags separately.A quick check of WOW’s site brought me to a beta version (still in testing) of its website, so I was able to select bundled fares for a dummy booking....

People’s Viennaline is making history by launching the world’s shortest international flight. The flight, from St. Gallen, Switzerland (ACH) to Friedrichshafen, Germany (FDH), covers a distance of 13 miles and lasts just eight minutes in the air (though it’s blocked for 20).The route from ACH to FDH over Lake Constance.The flight is operated on an Embraer 135 with 50 economy seats and costs ~$45 per ticket on all the days we searched (actually just $12 for the ticket itself plus taxes and fees)....

Ever noticed how travel can make you enthusiastic about activities you’d be unwilling do at home? Like standing in line for a museum or joining a noisy crowd at a festival? Maybe it’s because diving into the culture of a place is one of the best ways to discover it — and for creating memories that will linger long after the jetlag fades.To help you seek out those unforgettable experiences, each month we’re rounding up the best festivals, exhibits and cultural events taking place around the world....

Emirates may have launched a swanky new first class suite at the Dubai Air Show, but its business-class flyers — at least those on the Boeing 777 — are out of luck: They’re still getting a 2-3-2 configuration, which isn’t on par with the many competitors offering 1-2-1. Emirates fliers don’t have aisle access for all seats without stepping over someone, and one passenger per row even gets a dreaded middle seat....

The next round of Flying Blue 50%-off Promo Awards is out, and this time, rather than just being valid for two months as usual, some of these specially priced awards are good through March 2013.As a little refresher: Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program of SkyTeam partners Air France and KLM. Promo awards are 50% off normal award levels and run all year long, but the gateway cities generally change every two months....

Earlier this year, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen shared the most exciting hotel openings planned for 2015. However, since that list of 15 properties barely scratched the surface of new hotels we’ll see open across the world this year, he’ll now share a list on a regular basis. This first installment covers openings from January through March, but look out for new entries in the coming months as more hotels come online....

In celebration of my best friend’s upcoming wedding, I recently spent a long weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a tight-knit group of friends. I had looked into renting a house, but the date was fast approaching and many of the options I found were either wildly expensive or in a bad location, so instead I suggested that our group rent out two villas at Condado Lagoon Villas at Caribe Hilton San Juan....

The Iberia saga of 2018, which might be appropriately titled “The Pursuit of 90,000 Avios,” continues to experience highs and lows. The good news is over the last 72 hours, it appears the vast majority of promotion participants — including those who created new, legitimate Iberia Plus accounts for promo purposes — have now received their Avios. However, there are definitely still members who are waiting to receive the promised bonus, even some who did not create new accounts to take advantage of the promotion....

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 Berlin will cease to exist on October 28. Germany’s second-largest airline filed for insolvency in August, and since then, no single party has come forward to take over all of the carrier. Now, Lufthansa is reportedly going to buy part of it....

Japan’s Tsukiji fish market is closing its doors to tourists.The crowded and fast-pasted seafood marketplace will be relocating on October 11 and will stop admitting tourists to its famous crack-of-dawn tuna actions beginning September 15, officials announced Tuesday. The 80-year-old market will be completely closed on October 6.Known as one of tourists’ favorite attractions in the Japanese capital, Tsukiji’s iconic tuna auctions start at 5:30am and only admit 120 tourists a day....

We have our “biggest” trip of the year coming up very soon where my husband and I are flying literally around the world to celebrate his 40th birthday. We are only stopping in a few cities, but we are technically flying around the world via Europe to The Maldives, and then back home via Asia. This award was booked all in business class on Star Alliance partners including United, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and EVA Air for 120,000 United miles (before the February devaluation) + $90 in taxes/fees each....

TPG reader Jeff asks:“Many of us have American Airline e-VIP’s that are expiring at the end of February 2013 that we need to use up, or somehow extend. American will NOT extend the expiration date, but you can use them on a ticket that is then cancelled and remains good for a year?“Jeff is referring to the 8 one-way upgrade certificates you get when achieving American Airlines Executive Platinum Status (100,000 EQMs in a year)....