Lufthansa First Class Experience in 10 Pictures

I wanted to put something out quickly about my recent experience flying Lufthansa First Class for 40,000 points. A full trip report will follow.

My experience started Thursday at 6 AM at the Munich Airport, where I only had about 15 minutes in the First Class Lounge before my 7 AM flight to Frankfurt.

Trip Report: Sala VIP [Priority Pass] at Barcelona Airport

In May, I visited the Sala VIP Pau Casals at Barcelona Airport. In August, I visited the very similar Sala VIP Miro. Here's what you can expect from these Priority Pass lounges that you can enter for free with a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Citi Prestige, or American Express Platinum Card.

The Sala VIP Pau Casals is available to passengers flying within the Schengen Area, and the Sala VIP Miro is after passport control for passengers leaving the Schengen Area.

Both offer a comfortable place to sit, free wifi, enough food for a meal, and free alcohol.

Trip Report: Kotor, Montenegro; Mostar & Sarajevo, Bosnia; Dubrovnik, Croatia

In July, I jumped around the Balkans, seeing:

Kotor, Montenegro
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Mostar & Sarajevo, Bosnia

The Route
I've spent all summer in ex-Yugoslavia other than a quick trip to Spain. The plan has been to learn the Serbo-Croatian language. I wanted to switch bases from Belgrade to Zagreb via an efficient route that would let me see more of ex-Yugoslavia.

Eventually I settled on flying from Belgrade to Tivat, Montenegro and bussing the rest of the way to Zagreb with stops every few hours along the route.

Top Ten Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #4 & 5, The Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca

I originally wrote this series in 2012.  As it has turned out to be quite popular, I am in the process of updating it to reflect current information for 2016.
“Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru” Series Index

Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: Prologue
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #1, Machu Picchu
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #2 & 3, Amazon Rainforest and the Sacred Valley
Top 10 Things to Do, See, and Eat in Peru: #4 &

Review of Free T-Mobile 4G European Data

T-Mobile's basic, contract-free, $50 plan offers free data and text messages in 140+ countries. I have had it for a few years, and I have been happy with it.

Unfortunately the free data abroad is at Edge speeds.

How I Got $400 from Avianca for a Broken Golf Club

In September 2015, I flew from Honolulu to Los Angeles to Bogota, Colombia in United First Class and Avianca Business Class. Here is a Trip Report of Avianca Business Class, and the post explaing how I booked the award for 27,500 miles.

The trip was very pleasant until I opened my golf bag in Bogota and saw that my driver's shaft had snapped.

This was my first experience with damaged baggage.

Combining Nine Tricks to Save Big on a Vacation to Brazil

My friend, Sarah Page, recently took a trip to Brazil to escape the dismal winter weather in Buenos Aires that drove me to Brazil and then Europe myself. She and her friends used tips they learned from this blog to save money and earn extra travel rewards on the trip.

Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil

I will go through those tips below so you can learn from their experience. (Ignore the fact that she started in Buenos Aires.

Should You Live in PointBreaks Hotels Full Time + Trip Report Holiday Inn Express Belgrade Serbia

This week I stayed one night in the Holiday Inn Express Belgrade - City in Serbia.

This hotel was on the current PointBreaks, though it has sold out for PointBreaks.

Trip Report: Spelunking and Snorkeling in Bonito, Brazil

I recently spent three days in Bonito, Brazil, a small city in Southwestern Brazil famous for its caves and rivers.

There are two ways to get to Bonito:

Fly twice weekly from Viracopos-Campinas (Sao Paulo area)
Fly to Campo Grande and take a four hour bus

I flew into Bonito on Azul Airlines on a Sunday from Rio de Janeiro (via Viracopos-Campinas) and flew out the next Wednesday to Sao Paulo (Azul/Viracopos-Campinas/Free Azul Bus Trip Report Here).

Trip Report: Azul Brazilian Airlines

"It is possible that because of the weather, your aircraft will not be able to land.