I travel several many times a year for both work and pleasure, and thanks to some strategizing, I’m able to book many of my flights on points. Thanks to the Southwest Companion Pass, my husband and I can each bring a family member along for free. We use the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card …
Tag Archives: tourism news
I splurged on a $60 lunch at an iconic Moscow restaurant that’s inside an 18th-century Russian aristocrat’s mansion. Here’s what it was like.
Café Pushkin is the one of the most iconic restaurants in Moscow. Named after Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin, the restaurant opened in 1999 in a renovated 18th-century Baroque mansion in central Moscow. On TripAdvisor, it has more than 8,100 reviews with many describing it as “legendary,” “iconic,” and “like visiting a museum.” On the advice …
5 ways to earn credit card points faster, from dining rewards programs to referral bonuses
Many credit cards come with great sign-up bonuses that reward you with thousands of points or miles, or hundreds of dollars of cash back, after you meet a minimum spending requirement in the first few months after you open your account. But how do you keep accumulating points once the card is in your hands …
The number of reported allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships was up 32% during the first three-quarters of this year
The number of reported allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships that operate in the US is up 32% this year through the end of September, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). There were 79 reported allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships through the first 9 months of this year, up from 60 …
Everyone loves the Amex Platinum card, but I’m convinced the Business Platinum is better for 4 reasons
The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Business Platinum® Card from American Express are both great credit cards. Many of the benefits of each card overlap, but there are a few perks unique to each. Even though I have both cards and think both are worthwhile, if I had to pick just one it …
6 tips for a painless return flight home after the holidays
Holiday travel can be stressful, but a little bit of preparation can make trips easier. A lot of people focus on the outbound part of the trip, but flying home can be even more hectic, with bigger crowds and longer lines. In fact, more Americans are expected to fly the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year …
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The founder of the ‘Airbnb of yachts’ says the service is attracting millennial women — here’s why
Jaclyn Baumgarten founded Boatsetter, a peer-to-peer boat-sharing platform in the US, in 2012. Baumgarten was named to Inc.’s top female founders list this year, alongside women like Magnolia’s Joanna Gaines and Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd. Boatsetter’s clientele skews younger and more female. The reasoning is two-fold: Baumgarten says Boatsetter makes the activity of boating, which …
Credit cards from Delta, United, and other airlines offer discounts on in-flight purchases, so you can save on drinks, Wi-Fi, and more
The best airline credit cards offer money-saving benefits like free checked bags and annual companion tickets. Many airline cards can also help you save each time you fly by offering discount on purchases of in-flight food and Wi-Fi. The savings can vary by card and airline, so be sure to check the terms of your …
The president of a luxury lifestyle management service for millionaires says there’s one key difference in how ultrawealthy Americans and Europeans travel — the degree of planning
Insignia, a 20-year-old European luxury personal concierge service for ultrawealthy individuals, recently made its way to the US. Business Insider spoke to Richard Lewis, the US president of Insignia, about how the service works and how it’s being implemented in the US. Lewis said Insignia clients mostly utilize the lifestyle management service to book travel, …
I spent 3 days at a tiny house resort surrounded by woods and farm animals, and it convinced me that what the experts are saying is true — luxury is all about experience
I recently visited Think Big! A Tiny House Resort in the Catskills. For three days and $300 per night, I stayed in a 269-square-foot tiny house in the woods on a property with farm animals. It doesn’t sound luxurious, but the experience and convenience the resort provided was the ultimate luxury. It’s evidence of what …
3 strategies I use to earn as many points as possible from my holiday spending toward
If you tend to spend more during the holidays, it’s wise to plan out your spending with rewards credit cards so that you can earn as many travel points or as much cash back as possible. I target lucrative credit card welcome bonuses during the holiday season that require a higher level of spending to …
Air New Zealand trolled a customer by repeatedly speaking in the Māori language, even though they said they didn’t understand it
Air New Zealand repeatedly spoke to a customer in te reo, the Māori language, in a series of Facebook comments despite the customer’s repeated requests that it speak in English. The airline used te reo phrases like “kia ora” (hello), “taihoa koe ka kite” (you will see), and “Kirihimete” (Christmas) in its comments. Meanwhile, the …
The 16 best new hotels in Europe that every traveler should visit
Europe’s hotel of the year is the 19th-century Palazzo Daniele in Puglia, Italy, according to the AHEAD Europe 2019 Awards. Run by Sleeper magazine, the AHEAD Europe 2019 Awards recognizes Europe’s best hotels built or renovated between June 2018 and May 2019. AHEAD Europe announced its 16 winners across 18 categories, ranging from best hotel …
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The hottest destination for RV travelers right now is a 200-acre park with natural springs in northern Florida, and it’s becoming Instagram-famous for its unbelievably clear water
RVshare, the first peer-to-peer RV sharing platform with over 100,000 RVs, released its 2020 trend report on November 12. The report found that while families are still renting RVs for a classic, all-American national park vacation, they’re also booking RVs to explore more unknown locales. Business Insider spoke to RVshare CEO Jon Gray about why …
There’s a strict hierarchy on cruise ships that creates a huge gap between the highest and lowest-paid workers. Many of those at the bottom make less than $20,000 per year.
Cruise-ship workers are subject to a strict hierarchy that determines their pay, living conditions, and contracts. Workers closer to the bottom of the hierarchy have described to Business Insider more difficult working and living conditions than those at the top, and many reported monthly earnings of $2,000 or less. “Whenever it comes to an officer …
The golden age of at-home genetic testing may be over — but it’s still a critical part of one of the biggest trends in how people will be traveling in 2020
Sales are slowing for leading direct-to-consumer genetics testing sites AncestryDNA and 23andMe, Business Insider’s Lydia Ramsey reported. Despite sales projections for genetics testing companies, ancestry tourism is still booming. In 2018 and 2019, major hospitality brands including Airbnb and Cunard entered the ancestry travel space, offering trips and recommendations based on DNA tests. Luxury Travel …
Hilton’s high-end Aspire card includes an annual benefit that can reimburse up to $250 in expenses at resorts. Here’s how it works.
The Hilton Aspire Credit Card from American Express is one of the best hotel credit cards in terms of the value you get for the annual fee. One of the many perks it offers is up to $250 in resort credits toward purchases at Hilton properties each year. The resort credit on this card can …
I spent 4 days on the longest train ride in North America and I wouldn’t hesitate to do the entire 96-hour trip again
I traveled for four days on the longest train journey in North America, which takes passengers between Toronto and Vancouver. The ride took a little more than 96 hours to complete, which included about 10 stops and the time we spent waiting for freight trains to pass us. I was nervous about being alone on …
United experiences ‘intermittent’ site and app outages as Thanksgiving travel gets underway (UAL)
Some United passengers traveling on Tuesday evening found themselves unable to access their reservation details online. Twitter users began reporting that they could not log in to the airline’s website or app starting shortly after 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, as Thanksgiving holiday travel was in full force. Sign up for Business Insider’s transportation newsletter, …
SoulCycle is launching wellness retreats with meditation sessions and breathing workshops to ‘recharge your soul,’ and it’s part of a skyrocketing $639 billion industry
Trendy New York City-based cycling studio SoulCycle is now offering wellness retreats, Skift reported. The retreats will include activities like mindfulness exercises, breathing workshops, sessions with an acupuncturist and Reiki master, morning movement sessions, s’mores and stargazing by the campfire, and SoulCycle classes. The first retreat was held in October at a luxury hotel in …
6 easy ways to meet the minimum spending requirement so you can earn a credit card’s sign-up bonus
Earning credit card sign-up bonuses is the fastest way to get credit card points or frequent flyer miles to put toward free travel. Typically, cards have a minimum spending requirement you need to meet in order to get the bonus. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 in three …
Wealthy people love golf carts that aren’t on golf courses
I’ve spent the past year covering luxury lifestyle and wealth for Business Insider. I’ve toured multimillion-dollar penthouses and mansions, visited the richest zip code in the US, and attended the glitzy Monaco Yacht Show. One surprising thing kept popping up in all of these places: golf carts. Specifically, I’m talking about golf carts that aren’t …
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The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s trip delay insurance benefit has saved my family more than $1,500 this past year alone
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of my favorite rewards credit cards thanks to benefits like up to $300 in annual statement credits toward travel and 3x points on dining and travel purchases. It isn’t just a great card for these “fun” benefits, though — it can also save the day when your travel is …
A couple who wanted to travel in retirement sold their 4,000-square-foot house to afford it, and they aren’t sorry
Joe and Karen Stermitz, both 62, wanted to retire and travel after corporate careers, but they realized that owning a home would make that impossible financially. They decided to sell their home, and now travel the world full-time and live in their overlanding vehicle, seeing the world and traveling slowly. Business Insider is looking for …
Inside Shaolin Monastery, the home of kung fu and Zen Buddhism, where thousands of boys as young as 5 train to be martial arts masters
The Shaolin Temple in central China was built in the Fifth Century, and is the original home of Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism. It’s nearly been destroyed many times by Chinese warlords, and more recently Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution. It’s a mecca for young boys (and some girls) who dream of escaping poverty, becoming warrior …
Boise, Idaho, has been called the best place for millennials to live in the US. I spent 4 days there, and a walk through downtown makes it clear why it’s so popular.
Boise, the mid-size capital of Idaho, is having a moment. Its population grew by 18.2% between 2010 and 2018, and Forbes ranked it the fastest-growing city in the US in 2018. Most out-of-state newcomers are coming from California, followed by Washington state and Utah. Microbreweries, luxury condos, and Brooklyn-esque coffee shops are popping up in …
Airlines are joining in on Black Friday with major flight sales — here’s how you can save
Black Friday is perhaps the single most famous and historically important day of the year for US retailers. Major airlines such as Delta, Emirates, Singapore, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Alaska Airlines, Southwest, EasyJet, Norwegian, JetBlue, and Ryanair are expected to post discounted flights and vacation packages for Black Friday. Only a few airlines have announced …