I checked on my eVisa today and it was approved. I applied on February 24th and my eVisa was approved on February 27th. I’m honestly surprised my visa was approved in such a short amount of time. When I applied for my visa for Ghana, it took about 2 weeks. That process involved someone physically going to the embassy in
Read MoreZanzibar Prep: Getting an eVisa
In my research for my upcoming trip to Zanzibar, I wanted to know if I needed a visa or not. Turns out that you do need a visa but you can apply for a visa on arrival. Looking through some of the travel forums, it seems that process can be very easy or very difficult. Usually, a single entry visa
Read More250 Starbucks Stars for Signing up For A Spotify Trial
People who know me, know that I love Starbucks. Spotify Premium is one of the services I can’t live without especially when I’m traveling. Starbuck will give you 250 stars (that’s enough for 2 free items) when you sign up for a 60 day Spotify Trial. This offer is for those who have not had Spotify Premium before, so I
Read MoreFinding a Hotel in Zanzibar
When I’m planning a trip, I always book the flight first and my accommodations are always an afterthought. I find that most places I travel to, will have a Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt hotel. Zanzibar is no different. Hilton has 2 properties on the island, Marriott and Hyatt each have 1. I want to be close to the beach as
Read MoreO’Hare is the Busiest Airport in the Country and I’m not Sure How I Feel About That
I currently live in Chicago. I love the city but not necessarily the city’s main airport, O’Hare. When you compare the amenities and the operations at O’Hare to other airports around the country, I think it’s well below par. So it was surprising to hear that O’Hare is now the country’s busiest airport. It’s quite impressive when you consider that
Read MoreMy Birthday Trip is Booked and I’m Headed to Zanzibar
Every year for the past 7 or 8 years, I’ve gotten into the habit of booking a trip for my birthday. The trips started small at first. The first trip I took was to Las Vegas. After that, the trips got more exotic. I managed to book trips to Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Germany, Ecuador and Amsterdam in the
Read MoreIt’s Cold in Chicago
I have been stuck in the house for the past 4 days and started to come down with a little bit of cabin fever. If you haven’t heard, the city of Chicago was in the grip of the polar vortex. Temperatures reached lows of -20 degrees with windchills of -50 degrees. As of today the vortex has passed and it’s
Read MoreWhy I’m on the Fence about Dropping my Citi Prestige
Recently, Citi has updated the Prestige. As I’ve mentioned before in my post about how I offset my annual credit card fees, the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit was a major part of that strategy. With the new changes, the $250 air travel credit is now a $250 general travel credit, beginning in September the 4th night free will
Read MoreFlight Deal: Chicago to Beijing ~$400
United, Delta and Air Canada are currently offering flights from Chicago (ORD) to Beijing for ~$400. It looks like travel is for late February through April. I tested Feb 24 -27 and was able to see fares from United for $389. I should note that these flights were not booked into basic economy so you should be able to check
Read MoreMy Rewards Strategy for 2019
I took an inventory of all the rewards currencies that I currently collect and decided I’m going to have to change my rewards strategy for this year. At the end of 2018 I had a large collection of Membership Rewards points, from the American Express Gold sign up bonus and the American Express Platinum 5x on airfare. I also had
Read MoreMy Travel Plans for 2019
This year my travel plans are not as concrete as they were last year. This is because the nature of my job has changed between last year and this year (so long #consultantlife). Given that, there are some destinations that I want to check off my bucket list this year. The biggest of which is visiting Australia. Given the relatively
Read MoreMy 2018 Year in Review
Happy Year! 2018 was a big travel year for me. I didn’t visit the variety of places that I have in previous years but I spent the most hours in the air (thanks #ConsultantLife). For perspective here are all the statuses I’ve earned: American Airlines Executive Platinum (previously Platinum) Marriott Platinum (previously Gold through American Express) Hyatt Discoverist (no status)
Read More