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With the recent Nepal earthquake fresh in travelers’ minds, TPG Contributor Carly Blatt—a former Red Cross staff member who was on vacation in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit —shares tips on how to be prepared for natural disasters while you’re on the road.Photo courtesy of ShutterstockA natural disaster descending upon an area you’re visiting is the ultimate travel nightmare, but while there’s no definitive way to know when the worst might strike, you can proactively take steps to be as prepared as possible....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While passing through New York-JFK recently, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen had a three-hour layover and nowhere to spend it. So he used the time to check out the Airspace Lounge at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 — and here’s his review.The view on entering the lounge.I recently flew from Santiago (SCL) to New York-JFK via Rio de Janeiro (GIG) in business class on American Airlines....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.So far, the weather has mostly played nicely with travel plans this holiday season. However, weather conditions are expected to impact travel in parts of the US over the next few days. Winter storm warnings have already been issued for five states, and multiple airlines have issued travel waivers letting flexible travelers change their flights with no fees....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you want to stay on or near a mountain during a ski season weekend, paid rates are probably going to be off the chart crazy. They are so crazy that we simply don’t pay them. We also don’t like to stay very far off the mountains since we are in a season of life with little skiers who do much better without a bunch of travel time to and from a day of skiing....

Over the last few years, Southwest has been steadily growing its international routes. For those with a Southwest Companion Pass, this means more options than ever for buy-one-get-one-free travel. But, if you booked flights on the airline’s newest international routes, you might want to check your flight status.This past Sunday (December 4), Southwest launched new routes from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cancun (CUN), San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos (SJD) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Starwood Preferred Guest is offering a 25% discount on purchased Starpoints now through December 31, 2014. Much like the last time this promotion was offered, the discount is tiered. To get the full 25% off, you’ll need to purchase the maximum amount of 20,000 points.The tiers are set up as follows:• Buy 500–9,500 Starpoints, get 10% off;• Buy 10,000–14,500 Starpoints, get 15% off;• Buy 15,000–19,500 Starpoints, get 20% off;• Buy 20,000 Starpoints, get 25% off....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week:Check out the so-called #1 hotel in the world in TPG’s full review....

A man in Georgia really loved Delta’s loyalty program for businesses — so much so, that he’s been accused of wire fraud related to it.Gennady Podolsky, a dual Ukrainian and American citizen, and managing partner of Vega International Travel Services, Inc., was arraigned this week for wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia.According to the indictment, Podolsky used his Chicago-based travel company to acquire SkyBonus points, which is a program for businesses similar to the airline’s SkyMiles....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This week’s Thursday Giveaway is a chance to win 67,500 American Airlines miles.Last Thursday, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig was invited to fly on the inaugural A350 flight from the US, which was operated by Qatar Airways from New York to Doha, Qatar (you might’ve even seen the aborted takeoff). As per TPG policy, we do not accept free flights, but to take advantage of this opportunity — which wasn’t available to book with money or miles — we are giving away the number of miles required for an identical redemption....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.How many credit cards do you have, and is there really such a thing as too many? Is it better to close an account once you’ve used the welcome bonus and the annual fee comes around or keep it open to help improve your credit score? One of our TPG Lounge readers recently posed these questions to the rest of the group and, as usual, the answers came pouring in....

The Transportation Security Administration has reportedly approved a program to test a device that would scan multiple air passengers for explosives or other weapons from a distance of up to 25 feet away in airports.The device, known as a “passive terahertz” screening, has previously been tested at select train stations in the US. The clunky 50-pound, computer-like device screens passengers’ outlines and reveals any concealed weapons or explosive devices that could be hidden beneath flyers’ clothing....

American Express Offers, which incentivize purchases by statement credits or additional Membership Rewards points, are a good way to continue building balances long after your sign-up bonus is gone. Though multiple cards offer some form of this, Amex is the king of offers. And today, we’ve got two new ones to add to the table. These appear to be available across all American Express charge cards, so be sure to check for all your Offers....

View this post on Instagram U.S. airlines parked more than 3,000 aircraft during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, including these @united widebodies at Washington Dulles. #avgeek A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Jun 4, 2020 at 7:10am PDT View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram U.S. airlines parked more than 3,000 aircraft during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, including these @united widebodies at Washington Dulles....

What was President Trump doing Monday night on the tarmac of Stansted Airport, the low-cost-airline hub 40 miles northeast of London? Certainly not boarding a Ryanair flight. He had just landed there for the 29-country NATO summit beginning Tuesday.Although best known as an airport serving primarily low-cost airlines — it is, in fact, Ryanair’s busiest base — STN is no stranger to the business of welcoming Air Force One and the U....

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a seminal moment in LGBTQ history: the Stonewall Inn Riots, an uprising in response to police harassment at the New York City bar that took place on June 28, 1969.Every June, Pride month commemorates the event, which is considered around the globe to be an important turning point for the LGBTQ community and the gay rights movement. And you don’t have to be in the Big Apple for WorldPride this year to commemorate the revolution....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG Contributor Mitch Berman offers 11 tips that allowed his family to work around 2015’s school-break times to put together mistake fares, deep discounts and credit card sign-ups into six international trips to eleven countries (and five more transcontinental trips). Visit Mitch and his son Kofi’s photo blog here.2015 was a great travel year for my family and me, with mistake fares, airfare sales and credit card perks providing plenty of opportunity for us to explore cities around the globe....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Nick Ewen shares his strategies for making sure you get the most out your travel rewards credit cards when you decide they’re no longer needed.Credit cards can unlock a world of travel thanks to sign-up bonuses, category bonuses and an array of other benefits. However, as with many other products out there, you may reach a point where keeping a card open is no longer worthwhile....

While much of the country is in the thralls of winter, Hollywood is in the midst of another season: awards season. We’ve already watched stars bring home coveted trophies at the Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards, but the main event is just getting started.The Academy Awards are set to take place on Feb. 24, and on Tuesday morning, the nominees were announced. While film fans are busy speculating about this year’s winners, we’re busy planning getaways inspired by this year’s nominated films....

In late January, American Airlines teased a “new desktop award booking tool” that the airline said would “give customers easier access, at-a-glance views of the lowest mileage days, availability.” The next day, AA launched this new award search engine as a way to search and book its premium economy awards.Many points and miles award searchers were underwhelmed by the new tool. Sure, you could see a week’s worth of award prices on the new tool, but you could still see up to a month’s worth of pricing using the existing award searching tool....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: Although this promotion wasn’t scheduled to end until December 31, Visa has already pulled it, citing “unexpected popularity.“The Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection can offer great value for cardholders. And with the program’s current promotion, Visa’s offering a pretty irresistible deal: Get one night for free when you book two nights or more at participating properties. Considering the properties included can be pretty pricey, this promotion is far superior to many others you’ll find....