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At 8:08am Hawaii time, I was excavating a yellow passionfruit to go with a bowl of yogurt in my suite at the Hotel Wailea, a Relaix & Chateau property in Maui, when my phone buzzed. “Emergency Alert,” it said calmly, before changing to frantic all-caps: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.“For the next 15 or so minutes, my wife and I wandered around our room, dumb-struck and shoving laptops and chargers and cash into a backpack....

When planning my vacations, I always let the miles decide where I go. When planning this year’s summer trip, I had a boatload of Delta miles to use and every time I tried to book a flight on Delta.com in business class, it was giving me their “medium” level or 200,000 miles. Being the spendthrift mileage hound that I am, I looked to other methods of maximizing my miles (ps this trip story was also featured in Conde Nast’s Maximize Your Miles Contest)....

Earlier this month, US Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) intercepted a couple arriving from the Philippines who “claimed to be carrying pickled mango,” a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told The Points Guy.According to a statement from the department, “inconsistencies” were identified in the travelers’ luggage when an agriculture specialist screened the bags. Upon opening the suitcase, 34 pieces of carved elephant ivory were discovered, along with carved warthog and hippopotamus tusks....

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt prefers to fly Delta to score SkyMiles for his frequent flyer account. Even when the airline is not the federally contracted carrier for his official trips, he tells his staff to book Delta so he can collect the SkyMiles — and earn his way to Medallion status.That’s just one of the revelations in a damning and extensive letter that Congressional investigators sent to Pruitt’s office Thursday regarding the Trump-appointee’s controversial travel habits....

I just completed a whirlwind 36 hour trip to New York City to attend some events and meet with Amex folks about the new Everyday Cards (more on that soon). I was a guest of Amex for the meetings/events, and since they provided the hotel accommodations, I was at their mercy on where I would be staying. For this OCD points obsessed travel gal, turning over control of travel plans takes a bit of a a leap of faith....

Anthony Bourdain paved the way for so many world travelers, on the hunt for new flavors and one tour company is working to continue on in his legacy.Exotic Voyages — a company based in Vietnam — is taking a cue from Bourdain’s 2016 travels in the country by offering a tour titled “A Tribute to Anthony Bourdain: Taste of Vietnam.” This is far from the afternoon-long food tour you may be used to....

For today’s Thursday Giveaway, we are giving four lucky TPG Readers the opportunity to each win $250 in Musement credits. Musement is a digital, multi-platform booking service that allows you to find and book activities, guided tours, tickets to museums and attractions, city passes and much more around the world.As a special offer for TPG readers: When booking tours/experiences though the Museument app, use the one-time discount code POINTSGUY to receive a $15 discount with a minimum spend of $60....

In contrast to Airbus’s strategy to build bigger behemoths like the A380, Boeing’s strategy with future long-haul aircraft flies a different direction – smaller, lighter, more efficient – starting with the 787, the so-called “Dreamliner.”Though its development has run late since even before the first one rolled off the factory floor back in 2007 (it was supposed to enter service back in 2008, but only finished flight testing last year), and it continues to have issues that have caused ANA, the first airline to fly it, to ground some of its fleet due to a faulty Rolls-Royce engine component, aviation enthusiasts have been salivating at the chance to catch a ride on one of these sleek new birds....

Between bad weather, technical failures, delays and cancellations, cramped seats and minuscule bathrooms, hotel snafus and even puking passengers, traveling can be stressful. When traveling, the smallest gestures of goodwill can be particularly meaningful, especially when they are unexpected. TPG reader Russell B. recently asked our Facebook group members to share “moments of magic” where strangers made a difficult or painful time easier to manage, or simply when a kind word or deed made a trip more meaningful....

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.Ruelala.com is one of my favorite discount online sites and they just launched a Tumi sale that lasts until Thursday, but you need to act fast because the good stuff sells out quick. Ruelala is an invite only site, but you can sign-up here to get in on their offers....

Uber acquired electric bike-sharing company JUMP two months ago in an effort to expand its business beyond traditional ride-share methods.JUMP is already in four US areas, but Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced yesterday that the electric bikes would be coming to Germany. The service will hopefully launch in its first city, Berlin, by the end of the summer, according to Reuters.JUMP bikes are dockless electric bikes that can be rented, and dropped off, anywhere in the city....

Not every trip is going to go smoothly, but while that usually means missed connections or sitting next to a crying baby, for some passengers it can mean a life-altering medical event. Read on to learn what to do if you, or another passenger, suffers a heart attack in flight — it could save a life.First, some background. “Heart attack” is actually not a medical term —“myocardial infarction” is the proper name....

The Daily Mirror is a British tabloid paper — one that seems especially partial to airline-related “stories,” since they generally have broad interest. That certainly seems to be the motivation behind the publication’s most recent aviation post, “United Airlines passengers stunned to see pilot take off clothes and fall asleep in first class.“I cringe when I see many Daily Mirror headlines, and this one’s no exception — the entire premise of this post is utter nonsense....

One of the most fascinating flights across the Atlantic is British Airways’ all-business class Airbus A318, which flies between New York’s Kennedy (JFK) and London’s closest airport: London City (LCY). With just 32 business class seats on-board, the flight is truly unlike any other British Airways flight.And, if you want to check this flight off your AvGeek bucket list, now’s a great time to book: British Airways Flight 1 from London City (LCY) to New York Kennedy (JFK) currently has wide-open award availability....

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 can get 100 free Aeroplan miles for simply signing up for free homehardware.ca account. You need to enter a Canadian zip code, so thanks to TPG reader JD for providing R3L 1B7.One bonus per Aeroplan member. This is a great way to keep your Aeroplan account active since points expire after a relatively short period of 12 months....

While Elon Musk deals with an investigation by the Securities and Exchanges Commission, his vision of Hyperloop is coming closer and closer to fruition.On Tuesday, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (unaffiliated with Musk) unveiled the world’s first full-scale passenger hyperloop pod.The capsule, which HTT hopes will hit speeds of 620 mph moving through vacuum-sealed tubes, was shown off in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, near its construction site. Named Quintero One, the vehicle measures 105 feet long and weighs five tons....

The former British Airways pilot that was charged with being intoxicated in the cockpit of a commercial aircraft has pleaded guilty.In April, Julian Monaghan was arrested in the cockpit of a British Airways 777 for having a blood alcohol level that was four times the legal limit for pilots.Monaghan, 49, boarded the aircraft that he was supposed to pilot on January 18 at London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW). Cabin crew smelt alcohol on Monaghan just minutes before the airplane was scheduled to depart — they notified authorities that they suspected he was intoxicated....

TPG follower Jason has a flight booked on Lufthansa that he would like to upgrade using United miles:“‪@thepointsguy‬‬ can you use United miles to upgrade a ticket you already bought on Lufthansa?“Yes you can upgrade a Lufthansa ticket using your United miles, but be aware that you must be booked in the most expensive fare classes.That’s the big downside to using miles to upgrade across alliances, because even though airlines have these agreements where you can use miles on one to upgrade tickets on another, you’re often paying much higher fares in order to qualify to do so....

Traveling through O’Hare might get a bit easier this fall with the opening of the airport’s newest runway and air traffic control tower. The new addition brings the active runway count up to eight, and is the fifth of six total planned parallel runways that will allow ATC to move traffic faster through the airport — and hopefully reduce delays for travelers.The Chicago Department of Aviation says that the new runway, 10R-28L, should positively impact both arrivals and departures, especially in poor weather conditions — the airport should see a 25% increase in good-weather arrival rates and a 40% increase in poor-weather arrivals....

For our final Destination of the Week post of 2013, we decided to pull together a list of all the destinations we’ve covered this year. From Seattle to Shanghai, Mexico City to Melbourne, and Vienna to Dubai…we’ve covered a sundry selection of destinations…and there is something from everyone in this mix - from bustling cities to laid back beach resorts, so have a look through it and start planning your next vacation....