For those in the financial services field, it’s already October – the 4th quarter, which leaves us with just three more months to reach all of those targets and goals. All I can think about at the moment is finalizing arrangements to attend those last few seminars and conventions (sadly this weekend’s Chicago Seminars are … [Read More…]
Dad Post: Boarding Group 5
Hello all – it has been a while since my last blog post. Angelina threatened to cut my pay (still zero) if I did not fulfill my quarterly blog post quota. Well, for the most part, the last two weeks have been fairly busy for this points dad, aka soon-to-be points grandpa (sounds old, I know). … [Read More…]
Dad Post: Free Birthright Trips to Israel, Greece, and Armenia
Hi all – I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day holiday weekend. As some of you might already know, three years ago I became a “Big Brother” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. With both of my kids being “grown up” at that time, I still wanted to be able to be a … [Read More…]
Dad Post: Choosing My Next Value Destination Using the Big Mac Index
I recently came across the “Big Mac Indexâ€, which was created by The Economist in 1986. Even though I’ve stumbled across these annual reports multiple times during my 30+ years in the financial services industry, I never really paid attention to it until now. This year while all of you were learning and socializing at … [Read More…]
Dad Post: Seoul, South Korea Layover Tips & My Korean Spa Experience
A few weeks ago, Angelina and I made sudden changes to our Australia trip by adding a few nights in Tokyo before heading home. Given the short notice that we had, I was fortunate enough to be able to snag a last-minute seat in Asiana’s Business class from Sydney to ICN (Seoul) that included a … [Read More…]
Sydney Day Trip Idea: Exploring the Blue Mountains Without an Organized Tour
**Post edited with updated information on 3/18/16** Sydney has made it up the list as one of favorite cities I’ve visited. Getting around the city is incredibly easy, so we felt quite confident to venture out on two fun day trips during our 4-day stay. Our first trip was to the Blue Mountains, using the … [Read More…]
Dad Post: Hello From the “Deal of a Lifetime” Trip
On July 8, I received a phone call at 1 a.m. I was hesitant to pick up the phone because when you get a call at 1 am, it’s either terrible news, a pervert, or my points-obsessed daughter with a “deal of a lifetime”. The deal of a lifetime was a rare release of Singapore … [Read More…]
Dad Post: One Way Van Rental Success – No Drop-Off Fees/Unlimited Miles
First, Happy New Year! May our travels be the best and cheapest ever, and may our enemies inherit our hotel and airline fees. 2013 is becoming a year of excitement for our point-collecting household. My son graduated from college with a degree in engineering, and I finally say goodbye to tuition payments. Simply put – … [Read More…]
Dad Post: My Wife Bailed On Our Anniversary Trip – I Went to Costa Rica Alone
On September 23,2012, I got the following text from my lovely daughter: “Dad! EWR-SJO $283 RT for 4402 UA PQM… Book now!!” The one thing Angelina is good at is finding cheap airfare for the family, but when it comes to her paying me back $, that’s another story, ha! Anyway, the timing of the … [Read More…]
Dad Post: A Few Days in Bali for Galungan Day, Bali Hyatt Review, + Tour Suggestions
Hey guys, it’s Dad. I’m sure you’ve noticed that BoardingArea experienced some downtime yesterday. To make it fun, Angelina asked via Twitter for followers to help her pick the next post. Well, I guess I have more fans than her because 2 out of the 4 responses were in my favor, yeah another Dad Post! … [Read More…]
