What It’s Like to Visit 6 Continents in 5 Days, Ryanair Fined for Carryon Policy, A Lot of Hyatt News, and More!

It has been a while since I have done a weekly summary so this week’s will be only of the posts from the last couple/few weeks that are still relevant today. For some reason, every Monday night, I keep falling asleep instead of scheduling these. 🙂 Anyway, hope you had a great weekend and here we go!

The italicized posts below are referenced in the title

Weekly Summary

Travel

• The 259 Hyatt Hotels that are Changing – The Good and the Bad: You have just a couple of weeks before these changes go into effect so check them out and book what you need to!
• The Ryanair Business Class Jet – and Food Costs Here, Too: Want to see what Ryanair’s version of business class looks like? Check it out and remember that they even charge these passengers for food. 🙂
• What It Was Like to Visit 6 Continents in 5 Days – Check out this detailed post and you will never need to try it out yourself to find out. 🙂
• Southwest Made Almost $400 Million Last Year on This Fee – No Baggage Fees Needed! Don’t feel too bad about Southwest not charging for bags! They didn’t do that bad last year with a single fee!
• Why the Small Luxury Hotels are Better for Hyatt Members Than Hyatt’s Own Hotels – Hyatt is making some impressive moves with their addition of SLH properties. Find out why you may be better staying at one of them than a Hyatt hotel!
• Ryanair Fined Millions for New Carryon Baggage Policy – Great news for anyone that travels with more than a backpack. Let’s see what Ryanair’s response is to this.
• Hey, Southwest, Time to Stop Blocking Customers from Your Website! This practice has been going on for far too long and includes countries like South Korea and Switzerland. Fix this or stop messing with your customers!
• Google Earth Reveals Top-Secret Missile Base, IHG Going for a New All-Suites Brand and More – Here was a summary of some stories that I found interest in.
• Ryanair Launching a Frequent Flyer Program with a Twist – It will cost you up front and give benefits that you will need to fly a lot to save on.
• Traveling to Greece? You Need this Permit if You Rent a Car – If you are traveling to Greece from the US, this permit will be essential or you are not getting your rental car.
• The End of an Era: Airbus is Ending Production of the Awesome A380 – This plane has been amazing but the ones you see now are the only ones that will be around after 2021.
• New TSA Precheck Airlines Bring the Total to 65 Airlines – This is great news for all Precheck holders!
• 7 Non-Stop Flights from the US to Greece in 2019 – If you want to travel non-stop between the US and Greece, here are the 7 flights that will get you there!
• The Latest Wave of Luxury Hotels with Hyatt and Their Award Costs – Find out about these latest additions which include places like a castle, beach hotels and much more!
• Good News: Thai Airways and TAP Award Flights Now Bookable with United Miles – Singapore is still blocked but you can now access more European and Asian awards.
• The New Istanbul Airport Has a New Opening Date – Again – October, December, March, and April all have one big thing in common – they are months when the new Istanbul Airport was to open. Now, we have a new date!

Deals

• How to Track Your Google Fi Travel Gift Card Credit – There are some people that are having some issues with getting the travel gift cards. Find out how you can see if Google thinks you have fulfilled the terms.
• Google Fi Travel Gift Cards Being Sent – The gift card e-mails are going out and they are quite generous in their redemption terms!
• First Hyatt Promo of 2019 – Earn 1,000 Points Per Night and Even More at Hyatt House and Place Properties – Check out this nice promo! Staying at the lower tier properties will net you 1,500 points per night!
• Finally, a Pair of Jeans that Work for Travel! Review of the Bluffworks Departure Jeans – Yes, these jeans are not your normal jeans and they are great!
• Is it Time for IHG to Ditch PointBreaks? The IHG PointBreaks are a shadow of what they used to be as a deal. Should they go?
• New Data Shows Where to Get a 5-Star Hotel at a 3-Star Price – Find out where and when to book 5-star hotels at a 3-star price.
• Amex Transfer Bonus to LifeMiles for Cheaper Star Alliance Awards – They can be frustrating but this new Amex transfer bonus is a great way to get premium awards with no fuel surcharges.
• These 39 Luxury Hotels Are All Bookable with Hyatt Free Night Certificates – Your Hyatt free night values just increased quite a bit!
• New IHG Card Offer at 120,000 Points But It May Be Too Late – Find out the details about the new IHG card offer and see if IHG is moving too late with this.
• Alaska Airlines Offers an Elite Status Challenge for People in These States – If you want Alaska Airlines status and live in these states, make sure you check this out!

Travel Tech

• Why the Apple Watch Series 4 and Google Fi are Great International Travel Companions – Thanks to a new feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 and the fact that Google Fi works with iPhones now, they make a great combo for international travel safety!
• You Can Buy Google Fi SIM Cards at Best Buy – If you need to have a Google Fi SIM before your next trip, you won’t need to wait for it to come from Google. Pick it up at Best Buy!
• Review: Google Fi in 2019 – Better Than Ever and Great for Travelers! I have been a Google Fi user for years and they just keep getting better! Find out what Google Fi is like in 2019.
• Google Assistant Now Translates Like a Pro – and Hotels Love It – This new piece of tech from Google is going to revolutionize how travelers interact with companies around the world.

Running

• Why Garmin Should Make an Apple Watch App – This would be a great combination for sure! See why Garmin could benefit, too.
• Listen on the Run: These Garmin GPS Watches Now Offer Spotify Capability – If you like Spotify, these are the Garmin watches you want to find deals on.