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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.Anthony Bourdain — chef, author and world traveler — has been fairly vocal about his distaste for vegetarian cuisine and those who eschew meat. “I’ve made much fun of vegetarians over the years and have been said, frequently, to ‘hate’ them....

Search engine Bing recently released the most searched for destinations of 2014. It turns out, when we’re not searching for tropical beach vacations, it’s major European capitals that are racing through the search engine. Read on for Bing’s list and check out BingTrends for more search trends. Maybe it will inspire a search of your own.Surf’s up in Costa Rica. Photo courtesy Shutterstock.1. Costa Rica - From eco-tourism to adventure travel, Costa Rica is a popular destination offering year round sunshine and affordable accommodations....

There’s certainly no shortage of special liveries being proudly flown by airlines worldwide. American Airlines has legacy liveries for each of the carriers that merged throughout history to form the current fleet, while JetBlue has special liveries that include tributes to the NYPD, NYFD, our nation’s veterans and even the Boston Red Sox. On the other side of the Pacific, Qantas unveiled a special LGBT-themed livery and ANA has a pretty decidedly badass Star Wars-themed series of planes....

Imagine preparing yourself — mentally and physically — for an almost-seven-hour flight in a standard, cramped economy seat, when suddenly you hear your name being called over the loudspeaker to alert you that your upgrade cleared. You’re still on the same flight, but now you get to travel in a lie-flat business class seat with international business class-style meals, amenities and service — without paying an additional penny.This happens to elites daily on American Airlines’ flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), making it the best upgrade that any American Airlines AAdvantage elite can get using AA’s 500-mile upgrade system....

So, I have a confession to make. I work for The Points Guy, but I can’t tell the difference between a 767 and a 777 (or an A380 and an A330 and the list goes on). I thought a “yoke” was something you’d find on an ox-drawn cart, not in an airplane cockpit. And, up until this past Saturday, I’d never flown in business class.I know, I know. Burn me at the stake … or in the comments to this article....

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.Still haven’t finished your holiday shopping? Well, low-cost carrier Norwegian Air could help you pick up your gifts. That’s right, Norwegian is flying you across the Atlantic to pick up your purchase — for free.To celebrate Free Shipping Day — which, in case you weren’t aware, is December 16 — Norwegian is letting you pick up your purchase for free instead of waiting for it to arrive at your home....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here - United MileagePlus Explorer CardBack in April, Chase relaunched the 50,000-mile sign-up bonus offer for its United MileagePlus Explorer card. For a while, the sign-up bonus had been just 30,000 miles, so this was a much better offer with a minimum-spending requirement of just $3,000 in the first three months, and the $95 annual fee waived the first year, plus two one-time passes for the United Club each year....

Entrance on Rue de la PaixFor our two day stopover in Paris, we decided to stay at the Park Hyatt Vendome. To get there, we bought an 8.70 Euro RER ticket and it took about 45 minutes. We took the RER to Chatelet and then transferred to the 7 subway to Opera. Once there, it was a short walk to the hotel, which is on Rue de la Paix.We got these two nights for free for taking advantage of Hyatt’s Big Welcome Back promotion....

Just a friendly reminder to register your Amex and shop at a small business tomorrow to get a $25 statement credit (see my original post on the deal). You can register multiple cards (even additional cardholders), so the savings can really add up. There’s a liquor store in my neighborhood on the list, so you’ll know where to find me on Saturday ;-)RegistrationFind eligible small businesses (that accept Amex) in your zip code by using this toolT&CTo be eligible for the Small Business Saturday $25 statement credit, you must (1) register any valid U....

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.This probably won’t come as much of a surprise given the carrier’s history and bizarre current situation, but per the Telegraph, Ryanair just shared that it no longer plans to bid on bankrupt Alitalia.With continued financial support from the Italian government, Atiltalia’s situation isn’t nearly as dire as Air Berlin’s — I flew Alitalia myself just a few days ago and it felt like business as usual at the carrier — but without other alternative bids confirmed, this latest Ryanair move will no doubt leave Alitalia’s creditors a bit uneasy....

Well, we can’t say we didn’t see this one coming — as promised and reiterated a handful of times over the past few days and weeks, Marriott has begun to take its loyalty program and booking platforms offline for Saturday’s scheduled program merger.The SPG.com website currently shows a splash page indicating that there is an “Upgrade in progress,” and neither cash nor points bookings are available.Expect the chain’s various websites and apps to be unavailable off and on throughout the day, with call center agents unable to access their systems intermittently as well....

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.If your travels this week will take you to your destination via the sky, T-Mobile and Gogo have teamed up to offer you a way to stay connected while 35,000 feet in the air. Through Saturday, November 26, you can get an hour of free Wi-Fi access on your phone during your flight courtesy of the mobile carrier....

There are a few fun travel contests and sweepstakes going on around the web this week. Here are some of our the TPG top picks to win some great travel prizes.Win 100,000 AAdvantage miles.Win 100,000 AAdvantage Miles: Join the AA shopping portal for the chance win 100,000 AA miles with their “Fly Like You Are Famous” sweepstakes. Follow the instructions here to become an AAdvantage eShopping mall member by completing and submitting the enrollment form including your AAdvantage account number....

As of the end of April, US Airways still was not imposing fuel surcharges on partner awards, including one of the new partners it got thanks to joining Oneworld back in March, British Airways.Looks like no more cheap BA awards using US Airways miles!Why It Mattered?That was significant because among the airlines, British Airways is notorious for levying some of the highest carrier-imposed surcharges on flights to/from its hub in London – up to about $800 on some economy tickets, and over $1,300 on some business class and first class tickets....

This is an installment in my March 2012 Asia Trip Series which includes: A Birthday Present To Myself: Business Class on the World’s Longest Flight for $2.50, Help Me Plan My Asia Trip Starting With Singapore, Flight Review: Singapore Airlines All Business Class Flight From Newark To Singapore, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Singapore, Video Trip Report: Singapore, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Bangkok Avantec Suite, Video Trip Report: Bangkok, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Angkor, Video Trip Report: Siem Reap, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Phnom Penh, Video Trip Report: Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, Hotel Review: W Hong Kong....

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 week, TPG and I will have an opportunity to attend a very exciting aircraft delivery as Singapore Airlines picks up its latest A350 from Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, France. This is the actual A350 that’ll operate the carrier’s inaugural from San Francisco later this month, so it’ll certainly be “factory fresh” for that flight a week or so after the plane first arrives in Singapore....

It’s looking like I might be heading to a mini family reunion in the mountains of North Carolina this summer for a long weekend. I met up with these same cousins in the Outer Banks last year, and the places under serious consideration this year are all within driving distance of Charlotte - a US Airways hub. Flights seem to be in the $350 - 400ish range, so not quite where I would want to use miles, but also not really in the range I want to pay for a 1,000 mile domestic ticket at $350 - $400 x 3 either....

TPG reader Joe sent me a message on Facebook to ask about elite status:“I have several trips coming up on American Airlines; is there an easy way to see how many elite miles and elite dollars I’ll earn?”Toward the end of each year, I get a lot of questions from readers who are scrambling to qualify for airline status. While there are strategies to meet the requirements at the last minute, you can avoid the rush by mapping out your path to elite qualification ahead of time based on your travel plans for the year....

Luxury travel aficionados and musical history buffs, take note.Prince’s private estate on Turks and Caicos is going up for auction this summer. Premiere Estates auction house announced Tuesday that the late musician’s five-acre estate located on the south shore of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos is going under the gavel.Prince’s Beachfront EstateThe 10,000-square-foot compound includes six bedrooms and six baths, a tennis court and guard home at the entrance. Featuring panoramic ocean views, this estate has two private beaches and a 200-foot personal dock....

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.You probably know Gogo as the legacy in-flight Wi-Fi provider that, well, doesn’t always offer the best performance. Fortunately, that’s changing with the company’s new 2Ku service, which I experienced (and enjoyed using) back in March. Of course, having great technology doesn’t do much good when a major nation doesn’t allow you to use it for a significant chunk of some international flights — however, that’ll soon change as well, as China is lifting its restriction on Gogo service this October....