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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.Sometimes, searching for that perfect Airbnb for your next trip can be as fun as actually taking the trip. Airbnb has rounded up its most wish-listed properties in 2017 from around the world, and if the list indicates anything, it proves that travelers are looking for incredible homes to stay in — globally....

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.Curio Collection by Hilton is the Hilton’s group of worldwide hotels that aims to give visitors a unique and authentic experience. From an old 1900s department store in Iceland, to an exotic retreat on the mountaintops of Japan, the properties in this collection were created to be part of the local destination and its culture....

In this hobby, knowledge is power. This adage holds true for maximizing travel rewards credit cards and taking advantage of award chart sweet spots, but it also applies to managing your account balances as well. Recently, I was reminded of an important strategy for doing just that: Make sure to regularly audit your various loyalty program accounts to ensure that your points and miles are posting properly.The issue began when I traveled to Europe in November 2017 with my wife and daughter, and we snagged a great deal on a one-way business class ticket on Air Europa from Miami (MIA) to Munich (MUC) via Madrid (MAD)....

On Sunday, November 30, the busiest travel day of the year, post-Thanksgiving travelers flying out of Chicago-Midway International Airport (MDW) found themselves stuck in a security line that stretched about one mile with wait times of 20-75 minutes, requiring the help of Chicago police officers to manage surrounding airport car and foot traffic.The TSA now blames itself for this snafu, citing its failure to open security lanes until 4 am (30 minutes after the airport opened its ticket counters) and staffing levels that were lower than planned....

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.As Uber continues expanding cities and adding more modes of transportation, the service becomes even more convenient for getting around — especially when traveling far from home. (If you don’t have an Uber account, you can sign up now to receive a free ride [up to $20] from TPG....

Today, TPG Contributor Jason Steele introduces us to the Air Travel Pass, a great way to get around for travelers with multiple regional destinations in mind.The most efficient way to use your points and miles is to see as much as you can with one major international award flight, rather than travel back and forth between home and abroad. When you’re trying to put together a large trip, rather than pay for individual flights (or trains, or other modes of transportation) around the region you’re exploring, you might consider the little known option of air travel passes....

Ski town food in the United States has come a long way over the years. It used to range from notoriously bad cafeteria fare on the mountain to, at best, pale imitations of alpine cuisine at what would’ve been considered the fancy place in town. Well, times they have a changed. These days, ski towns from the Rockies to the Green Mountains are serving dishes that are just as good — and in many cases better — than what you’d find at home....

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.Harry Potter fans, rejoice! The British Library in London — where you can view important historical documents like the Magna Carta and Gutenberg’s Bible, as well as handwritten lyrics by The Beatles — is opening a new exhibit dedicated to all things Harry Potter in honor of the 20th anniversary of her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Americans know this novel as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)....

On Sunday, United announced that it was adding its new Polaris business-class seat on its San Francisco (SFO) to Tel Aviv (TLV) route, taking over for its Dreamliner. While the carrier isn’t set to launch the 777-300ER aircraft until May 23, 2018, we’re seeing wide open award availability on the route.If you’re looking to try out United’s new Polaris product and get a great redemption in the process, this is a great opportunity....

Become an Airbnb host here!As the year comes to an end, some of us are already planning our 2018 vacations. In addition to considering where to go, we’re also thinking of where to stay. To add to the travel-planning discussion, today, Airbnb revealed the soon-to-be biggest travel destinations, Experiences and stays that everyone will be talking about in the new year. The home-rental company also released year-end analysis — making it clear what destinations saw surges in tourism over the course of 2017....

Update: The current sign-up bonus for the Amtrak Guest Rewards World MasterCard is 12,000 points after spending $500 in the first 3 months, 2 points per dollar spent on Amtrak, and one point per dollar on everything else.While I love to fly, sometimes taking Acela is just easier. Being NYC based, it means I avoid a trip to the airport and I feel like every Amtrak seat has more space than most domestic first class cabins....

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 death toll in the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Lombok Island in Indonesia early Sunday morning has risen to 131, according to new numbers from The AP.Rescue workers were still trying to reach people Wednesday in remote parts of the island, which is best known by tourists for its beaches and mountainous landscape....

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.With just a few weeks left in the NFL regular season, there are only a couple more chances to play Marriott’s “Extra Points Sundays” trivia game to earn 1,000 free Marriott points. Today’s NFL trivia question is now posted on Twitter and you can get your free points just for answering it correctly by 8pm Eastern on Sunday, December 10....

IHG is currently offering a promotion where you can earn 10,000 bonus points when staying at nineteen new and featured properties. TPG’s latest valuation values these points at $60, but you might value this bonus even higher since 10k points are enough for two nights at a 5,000-point PointsBreaks property or one night at a Category 1 property.The DetailsUnfortunately, the details of the promotion are vague and the promotion web page doesn’t show any terms or conditions....

If you haven’t heard, EgyptAir is in some hot water after running a very questionable interview with Drew Barrymore in its in-flight magazine, Horus. Barrymore claims that the interview, which is choc full of sexist anecdotes and presumptions about her love life, never happened.In a tweet defending the validity of the article, EgyptAir said that the interview was “conducted by Dr. Aida Tekla-O’Reilly, former president of the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) and one of the voting members of the Golden Globes....

Between all the ways travelers have to get between the US and Asia, Air Canada often gets overlooked. Star Alliance passengers have luxurious options via Singapore Airlines, ANA or Thai Airways, while those flying east have Lufthansa to consider — even United is making a serious grab at the premium cabin market with its Polaris business class. Thankfully, Air Canada has decided to step up its game by introducing a new “Executive Pod” business class on its new 787s and select 777 aircraft this summer....

Not sure how long this will last or if it’ll even be honored, but I just booked an overnight flight+hotel package on expedia.ca from JFK-LAS on Delta for $27 TOTAL.Want in on the deal? Go to expedia.caChoose flight+hotel.. make sure you search for only 1 personChoose your city to LAS/NYC from now until Dec 31, 2010.Choose a package (the cheaper the better)Enter your information and when you get to the payment page, select the “I Have a Voucher” box at the top- its small, so make sure you enter it before you enter in any credit card info....

The 12-year-old girl who was believed taken from Reagan National Airport (DCA) Thursday morning is safely back with her parents after being found in the Queens borough of New York City, police said Friday.Jinjing Ma was part of a Chinese tour group that had been looking at schools and tourist sites in the US since July 26. As the group was readying to depart from the US on Thursday, the girl broke away and left with airport with an unknown woman....

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.Last week, we learned that the Houston Passport Agency office shut down due to the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. This closure of such a large office caused ripple effects across the US Passport Agency offices and Allied Passport & Visa saw firsthand how any open expedited time slots closed up at other passport offices....

Anna Fisher had been looking forward to the trip for a long time.The 34-year-old had never been to the US Virgin Islands, and the 10 days she and her boyfriend had planned there together looked to be a welcome respite of sun, sand and cocktails by the pool after a whirlwind summer of work trips and weddings.“It was my first time there, and it was our only real vacation this year,” the Washington, DC bank vice president says....