Emirates Lounge Zurich
Emirates A380 First Class from Zurich to Dubai
Emirates Lounge Dubai
Emirates A380 First Class from Dubai to Houston

Last Tuesday I flew from Zurich to Dubai in First Class on the Emirates A380. As with all premium cabin international tickets, including award tickets, I got lounge access as part of my ticket.

Emirates operates lounges in many of the cities that it serves including Zurich.

I just flew an award that saw me fly four flights in four days between four countries.

I just flew an award that saw me fly four flights in four days between four countries.

Bikes exist with motors that are activated by pedaling. The bike share program in Madrid uses these bikes. You feel like you have a super power as each effort shoots you forward much faster than it should. I would love to have one of these to pedal around at home (if I had a home.)

Spain has the third most tourists in the world.
Finland is terrible at soccer.
I can walk 25 km (15.5 miles) comfortably, and then walking any further becomes hellish.

About 1 AM today, my friend and I hopped in a taxi outside a well known nightlife area in Belgrade, Serbia and were the almost-victims of a taxi scam.

We were just taking a 4 km ride to another bar, and we hopped into one of several waiting taxis. The ride took under 10 minutes, with part of it at over 80 miles per hour as our taxi driver barreled down empty streets.

Late in the ride, I noticed the meter was over 2,000 dinar (110 dinar

I spent the last month traveling from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry and from Tallinn to Riga to Vilnius by bus, spending about a week each in the capitals of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Ferries and buses are cheap, easy to book, and very comfortable in this beautiful part of Europe.

Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn
Ferries are the easiest way to get between Finland's and Estonia's capitals, which are just 80 km apart across the Gulf of Finland.

Almost every time I fly, I get free lounge access one of three ways:

International Business and First Class passengers get lounge access throughout the journey, and I fly a lot of international premium cabin awards.
Most airports have one or more lounges affiliated with Priority Pass.

I just spent a completely legal week in Cuba, split between Havana and Viñales. An American in Cuba in 2015 is a six part series on the trip.

I just spent a completely legal week in Cuba, split between Havana and Viñales. An American in Cuba in 2015 is a six part series on the trip. This post will focus on things I wish I’d known about lodging and transportation in Cuba before going

Full Series

Entry, Exit, and Legal Requirements
How to Book Flights or Ferries into or Out of Cuba
Internet, Money, Food, Nightlife
Transportation and Lodging (this post)
Trip Report: Viñales
Trip Report: Havana (coming soon)

Transportation
I got around with taxis, shared taxis, buses, a scooter, and my own two feet.

This is the ninth installment of a round-the-world trip report that started here.