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I recently returned from the trip of a lifetime with my parents — we visited Ghana for a PeaceJam conference, and continued on to Ethiopia and then a safari in Tanzania. While in Ghana, Wisdom Addo, the head of PeaceJam in West Africa, took us all on a trip to the village where he grew up, to meet the village elders. While we were there, I was given the unexpected gift of being crowned the village’s newest traditional chief — and my parents were there to witness the whole thing....

Mercury seems to be in retrograde over at Yellowstone National Park…The national park that spans three states in the Western US (Wyoming, Idaho and Montana), and whose famous natural features like the geyser Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring attract more than four million visitors per year is having some bizarre episodes as the nature reserve enters peak tourist season.Park officials said in a statement that in little over a month, at least four people have been injured by wild animals that roam the reserve....

You might not be thrilled about flying domestic business or first class, but some airlines operate aircraft with their international premium cabins on domestic routes, and those seats are up for grabs. I asked TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen to take a look at some routes where flyers can take advantage of these opportunities.Apart from the transcontinental routes on which American, Delta, United and even JetBlue have updated their business class cabins with the latest lie-flats, domestic first class cabins tend to be pretty lackluster....

One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about all the positive ways award travel has affected their lives. That being said, while I love hearing about your successes, I think there’s also a lot we can learn by sharing our mistakes, and I’m calling on readers to send in your most egregious and woeful travel failures.From time to time I’ll pick one that catches my eye and post it for everybody to enjoy (and commiserate with)....

Hyatt has been industry leading with their promotions recently- with multiple rounds of Faster Free Nights (one free night for every two stays), I thought for sure they’d take a breather.Instead, they’ve stepped up their airline bonuses, encouraging members to bank to airline accounts instead of Hyatt points. Below is a list of current promotions and their eligible dates. These are retroactive, so if you’ve missed out, contact Hyatt to get credit....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Lara, who learned a costly lesson about documenting flight delays. Here’s what she had to say:My partner and I recently traveled in August to London and Scotland on British Airways. On our return trip, we left London Heathrow a little over an hour late due to electronics that had to be rebooted several times. This put us late into Chicago and caused us to miss our connection to Denver, so British Airways put us up in a hotel and comped our meals, and we took the next flight out in the morning....

Like virtually every other consumer, I am not a fan of basic economy. United’s flavor is especially difficult to stomach, even after a recent (and much-needed) rollback. The situation was so bad at one point — with basic economy fares “available” even when short-haul fares were well above $1,000 — that I considered forfeiting my Premier 1K requalification and taking my business elsewhere just to avoid paying a premium for elite perks and mileage earning....

Norfolk International Airport (ORF) Transportation Security Administration officers detected a loaded handgun at an airport checkpoint this Sunday. This is the 17th firearm found in 2018 at this airport so far, a significant increase from the 10 discovered at the airport last year and an all-time record.The firearm, a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, was brought in by Chesapeake male who was then allowed to pass it off to a non-traveling companion....

In his bimonthly series, “Mistake Monday,” TPG Contributor J. Keith van Straaten invites readers to learn from his travel mistakes—his many, many travel mistakes. Or in this case, his pain, as well. (All photos are by the writer.)There are worse places to be injured.Last summer, I booked a trip to Spain from my home in Los Angeles, with an outbound stopover in New York. After a couple days of walking around Manhattan and Brooklyn, my feet were aching....

Yesterday afternoon, I had a blast talking to a crowded room of miles and points enthusiasts at the New York Times Travel Show. You know I can (and often do) talk about points all day long, but I had to condense my speech into 45 minutes, so I boiled it down to the basics of earning and redeeming points, as well as the best credit cards out there for doing so....

Always ones to get into the seasonal spirit, JetBlue is offering discounted fares for the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas or after the New Year holiday with their ‘Cold Turkey’ sale.Book today, November 18, 2013, before 11:59 pm PST for travel December 3-18, 2013 or January 7-February 12, 2014 and save up to 20% off their regular fares by using the promo code COLDTURKEY.Save up to 20% with the JetBlue ‘Cold Turkey’ for post holiday travel....

Every year, the major hotel chains adjust the award categories their properties fall into, and Starwood has just announced its changes for the coming year (with redemptions starting March 10) via this thread on Milepoint.The W Paris Opera is one of the properties moving down a category.Here is what SPG’s Social Media Specialist, Alexandra Baker, had to say:Just over 22% of hotels are changing category; of these, 10.49% are moving up and 11....

Stowaway travel hit the mainstream when two celebrities ended up going on an ANA “flight to nowhere” at the end of 2017, and now a United boarding pass is to blame for yet another LAX-related incident.On Sunday, July 1, an unidentified male traveler from Romania passed through a security checkpoint at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and successfully boarded United Flight 935 to Los Angeles (LAX), reportedly using a duplicate boarding pass previously issued to another passenger who also still managed to travel on the same flight....

Airbus’ newest aircraft completed its maiden voyage today. The first Airbus BelugaXL took off from Toulouse, France (TLS) and successfully completed its first test flight.Airbus teased the voyage on social media for the aircraft that’s sole purpose is to ferry oversized airplane parts around the globe.The plane, which can carry more than 50 tons of cargo, took off from Toulouse Blagnac Airport at 10:30am local time.It made a low pass over the airfield all with the original Beluga, the BelugaXL’s smaller predecessor, in the foreground....

If your version of a post-retirement (or post-apocalyptic) getaway plan involves buying property in New Zealand, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.On Wednesday, New Zealand’s government passed a law, called the Overseas Investment Amendment, that will ban foreigners from buying existing homes in the country. The law, created in response to a sharp increase in overseas buyers in recent years, was “designed to make housing more affordable for nationals” (especially first-time buyers) as well as to combat homelessness, according to Business Insider....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – United MileagePlus Explorer CardUnited’s in the middle of rolling out its much-anticipated Polaris business-class product, beginning with the opening of a brand-new Polaris lounge in Chicago this morning as well as the first flights to feature upgraded food options, designer bedding and enhanced service. This week we’re giving away 15,000 United miles in our Thursday Giveaway to help get you closer to experiencing Polaris for yourself on an upcoming flight....

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 the Southwest Companion Pass, you can bring a friend, family member or anyone else you deem worthy along with you on any flight (revenue or award) for free. Essentially, you get two tickets for the price of one — though you do need to pay taxes on the second one....

The New Year marks a fresh start to redeeming points and maximizing travel. And if you’re like us here at TPG, you already have your eye on more than a few amazing places to visit in 2018. But don’t just let your list get long; go forth and explore the fascinating corners of the world. If you’re still looking for some inspiration, check out our 2018 travel wish list and start planning your next getaway....

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 France recently took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, and to celebrate the milestone, the airline has released an incredible timelapse of the aircraft’s assembly. This crazy aviation video beautifully illustrates the complex process that’s required to bring the plane from thousands of parts in a warehouse to a flying machine that has a payload of over 500,000 pounds....

I don’t know if it is the weather, the time of the year, just me, or what, but I feel a little on the verge of a Jerry Maguire flip out. You can’t fire up Facebook or turn on the TV without seeing and hearing about truly heart-wrenching catastrophes both close to home and on the other side of the globe. It sometimes seems like people have just lost their minds....