I recently flew Alitalia from New York’s JFK Airport to Rome in business class after I scored an incredible deal, and managed to stack two different discounts on the flight. I was impressed by the onboard food and drinks, and the comfort of the cabin on the Boeing 777-200 — the airline has a fun …
Tag Archives: tourism news
The safest, smartest way to buy things abroad is the same as in the US: a credit card
Credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card are the best way to make a purchase outside of the United States due to low costs and added fraud protections. ATMs usually give the best exchange rate — just look out for fees charged …
Here’s the income you need to live comfortably in every state in the US
The cost of living is notoriously high in the US – but it can vary widely from state to state. GoBankingRates recently released a report determining the “living wage” necessary to live comfortably in each US state. Some states, like New York, require an annual income of $95,724 to live comfortably. But the living wage …
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Amex Green vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Both cards earn bonus points on dining and travel, but which is best for you?
The American Express® Green Card has been around for ages, but it only just recently became a rewards card worth considering. Amex revamped the card, adding new bonus categories, and introducing new annual statement credits that will reimburse you for purchases with LoungeBuddy and the expedited airport security service CLEAR. Though it has a lower …
The new CEO of Trivago says travelers want the coziness of an Airbnb but the predictability of a hotel, and it’s creating a new type of company
Travelers today want the coziness and personality of an Airbnb but the predictability of a hotel, according to Axel Hefer, the new CEO of Trivago. This desire is creating a new type of hybrid company like Sonder, Lyric, and Blueground, which offer apartment-style rentals in properties they lease and manage. Hefer says these new companies …
I spent 2 nights in a tiny house and it was basically the same as my New York City apartment, but with more windows and fewer stairs — here’s how they compare
Tiny houses are basically New York City apartments on wheels. I’ve experienced both myself: I live in Manhattan and recently stayed in a tiny house in the Catskills. Both NYC apartments and tiny houses are notoriously small and involve amenity trade-offs. Compared to the tiny house, my apartment may have a living room, but my …
A sprawling ranch outside of Park City just sold for $32.5 million and became the most expensive home sale in Utah’s history. Take a look inside.
Riverbend Ranch just sold to Nikola Motor CEO Trevor Milton for $32.5 million and became Utah‘s most expensive home sale. The 2,670-acre estate is half an hour from Park City, Utah, and features a helipad. The house boasts nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and an in-home movie theater. In September, Forbes valued Milton’s ownership of Nikola …
The aviation industry’s biggest players are gathering in Dubai to strike deals and show off tech like the world’s biggest passenger plane and electric flight. Here’s what to expect.
The Dubai Air Show starts Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, bringing together the world’s largest plane, helicopter, and defense companies to make announcements and sign deals to shape the industry. The show is expecting almost 90,000 people. It is exhibiting 165 planes and will include aerial displays where passenger planes, fighter jets, and helicopters …
6 reasons why I have both the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum — despite their high annual fees
I have both the Platinum Card® from American Express and the Business Platinum® Card from American Express, and I’m happy to pay the annual fees for both. While several benefits overlap, each card has meaningful perks of its own. If you can use the Business Platinum card‘s WeWork Platinum Global Access benefit (you must enroll …
I toured an Upper East Side members club for women that costs $3,300 a year, has a strict no-kids policy, and is stocked with $45 CBD gumdrops. Here’s a look inside.
Maison is a members-only women’s club on the Upper East Side designed with mothers in mind. Founded by fashion blogger Ashley Wu, it opened in February 2019 and features a kitchen, workspaces, and a library designed to feel like your best friend’s home. Annual membership is $3,300, plus a $275 initiation fee. Maison events include …
I flew across the continent in Air Canada’s Signature Class, the ‘best business class in North America.’ It lived up to the hype, but there were a few surprises.
Air Canada was voted the “Best Airline in North America” and awarded the title of “Best Business Class in North America” by SkyTrax in 2019. I tried out two different business class tiers — the Signature Class, the airline’s most premium offering, and the classic Business Class — on a recent journey across the continent …
Qantas is taking an even longer nonstop flight, sending passengers from London to Sydney in almost 20 hours
Qantas is testing another new contender for the world’s longest flight — a nonstop from London to Sydney, part of its “Project Sunrise” initiative. The flight, at over 10,000 miles and nearly 20 hours long, follows a test of a slightly shorter nonstop from New York to Sydney that took place in October. The airline …
Your credit card could get you a free drink and a comfortable place to relax at the airport
Airport lounges include perks like fast internet, clean bathrooms, and complimentary adult beverages. Premium travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card® from American Express include membership to travel lounges around the world. While they carry annual fees of $400 or more, premium travel credit cards can be worth the cost, …
There are different types of credit card rewards — but this is the best one
There are a few kinds of rewards credit cards. Some earn cash back, others earn points that can only be used toward statement credits, and others earn the best type: transferable points. Transferable points are credit card points that you can transfer to travel partners, such as airline and hotel loyalty programs. Amex Membership Rewards …
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Hyatt is the latest hotel chain vowing to cut mini shampoo bottles from its rooms, and it’s as good for the environment as it is for business
Hyatt released a statement on November 12 saying it is doing away with mini bottles of toiletries across all 875+ of its properties by 2021 in an effort to eliminate single-use plastics. The move by the major hotel chain is just the most recent example of the hospitality industry leaning into sustainability. In addition to …
The bugs that lay eggs all over your body
Some bugs and parasites spend part of their life cycles in nice, warm human bodies. Human botflies, for example, lay eggs in mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites, the eggs hatch, allowing the larvae to wriggle into your skin and form a pus-filled pimple. Meanwhile, green bottle flies lay eggs directly in open wounds. When the …
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The Amex Platinum is available to active-duty servicemembers at no annual fee — but even with the fee, the credit card is a great value
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a tremendous value to cardholders who travel, even with a high $550 annual fee. If you’re an active-duty servicemember, Amex will waive your annual fee if you request it. The benefit is available as part of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The easiest way to get the …
Here’s what time you should travel if you want to avoid traffic on Thanksgiving, according to Google (GOOG, GOOGL)
Google‘s traffic data from 25 US cities last year during Thanksgiving gives you an idea of what kind of traffic to expect during Thanksgiving this year. For all cities, the worst time to start your travels is around 3 p.m. on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The best times are usually in the very early hours …
My husband and I are making our dream trip to Argentina a reality by using credit card sign-up bonuses to book our round-trip flights
My husband and I plan to use travel points from rewards credit cards to cover the cost of two round-trip tickets between Nashville and Buenos Aires, Argentina. We opened a Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express when it was offering a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus SkyMiles. We also signed up for a …
Owning a private jet is not for the mere millionaires among us
Owning a private jet is not for mere millionaires. Paying for fuel, maintenance, and pilot salaries can easily add up to $1 million or more per year, according to Chris Battaglia, the director of charter sales at Meridian Aviation at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, the main private aviation airport serving New York City. Pilot salaries …
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A hidden United benefit will extend your trip for next to nothing
United’s Excursionist Perk lets you add an extra flight in your destination region for no extra miles. It doesn’t require any extra steps to use, only that you book with miles and create a multi-city itinerary. If you have miles from the United Explorer Card or another source, like points transferred over from the Chase …
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I always book a warm-weather escape around the holidays using points from the Hilton Aspire card. It’s not too late for you to do the same if you start now.
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express can help you earn enough points for a free winter resort vacation The card offers several opportunities to rack up points quickly, including a big welcome bonus and earnings rates The free weekend night certificate and resort fee credit that come with the card annually can help …
Before-and-after photos reveal how landmarks have been ravaged by fires, floods, and melting ice over the last decade
Many famous landmarks and iconic natural wonders have been flooded, scorched, or eroded by extreme weather in the last decade. In the US, the Statue of Liberty and Glacier National Park have both been affected by climate-related disasters. In some cases, the damage is irreversible. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more. The effects of climate …
I sat in every type of seat on Qantas’ new world’s longest flight from New York to Sydney, Australia. Here’s what they were like.
Qantas recently tested the new world’s longest flight, a nearly 20-hour nonstop from New York to Sydney, Australia, using the Boeing 787-9 — Business Insider was aboard the test flight. The airline uses the same plane on its current longest route, a 17-hour trip from Perth to London. We sat in the seats in all …
I’ve always thought travel insurance was a scam — but it saved me $124 my first time using it
I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve declined travel insurance when booking plane tickets. But when it came to Amtrak, horror stories of delays that I couldn’t shake from my head convinced me it might be worth the investment for my cross-country trip this fall. Turns out I was right. The …
The Amex Green card earns valuable bonus points on travel and dining, but it faces stiff competition from Chase’s Sapphire cards
The American Express® Green Card was recently re-launched with a bunch of new benefits, including 3x bonus points on travel purchases and spending at restaurants worldwide. It’s a much improved card for earning valuable Amex points, but it faces some strong competition from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. …
The world’s first hybrid cruise ship is currently on its maiden voyage, an 18-day trip to Antarctica with 450 guests onboard. Here’s a look inside.
Hurtigruten, a Norwegian expedition cruise company, unveiled the world’s first hybrid cruise ship earlier this year. It is currently on its maiden voyage to Antarctica with 450 passengers aboard. The vessel, MS Roald Amundsen, runs on low sulfur diesel fuel that is supported by battery packs, cutting emissions by 20%. But it’s not all science …