Embracing Solo Travel | SingleFlyer

King Bed or Queen Beds in a Hotel Room

April 14, 2015

As a solo traveler, I prefer a single king bed in my hotel room. I like having a bigger bed to stretch out in and more usable space in my room. Having an extra bed in the room doesn’t benefit me. So what goes into the decision to have a king bed or queen beds in a hotel room?

In the the book Hotel Design, Planning, and Development (Penner, Adams, Robson), which for the record I have not read from cover to cover, the authors break down hotel guests into the following groups (I am paraphrasing here):

Mileage Run Dubai in First Class on British Airways

July 23, 2022April 13, 2015

Last week there was some buzz over a (possible) mistake fare from Dubai (DXB) to Austin, Texas (AUS) on British Airways and partner airlines, all in First Class.

I use the term “mileage run” in the title of this post, but really it is hardly a milage run for two reasons:

It was $1500 and
It was only one way

Mileage runs are usually cheaper (this one, for me at least, worked out to be 7.4 cents per mile). And having a one way from the middle east is not super helpful.

I learned about the deal while in Disneyland with my nephew and other family members and only had my iPad available to work on the itinerary. I booked through the devil OTA because by the time I was ready to pull the trigger, BA.com had already caught the mistake fare and removed it (but Expedia was still live). I wanted to make sure that all my segments were in First Class (some BA flights from LHR to US cities do not have a First Class, only Business). My ticket has been confirmed and I even was able to choose my seat. Others in the Flyer Talk forum have not been as lucky, no clue why mine ticketed while others have not yet.

Here is why I decided to book this deal:

Solo Travel to Cambodia

April 8, 2015

One way to approach solo travel is to plan a trip to a location where a friend lives. This way you can experience the best of both worlds; having a connection to base your travels off of while at the same time getting to explore in your own way. This is how I approached my solo travel to Cambodia.

Solo Trave to Cambodia — Angkor Wat Temple

A friend of mine moved to Cambodia in 2010 to teach English to college students. I had been to Vietnam (on a group trip) a few years before and was interested in seeing Cambodia. Visiting my friend was a win/win — I was able to spend some time with her while also being able to stay at her apartment and have her show me some of the country.

I planned a two week trip. The first week was over her school break and the second week was while she was working. My plan was to spend the first week with her; seeing Phnom Penh with an ex-pat local. The next week I would do some travels on my own while she was back at work — including a trip to Siem Reap to see the Temple of Angkor Wat.

Free weekend rental with Avis

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015

Here is an easy way to get a free weekend rental with Avis good for a two-day, full size rental. In the past I wrote about how easy it is to get free status with rental car companies if you have a MasterCard World Elite, including the popular Arrival + … Read more

Cost of the Hyatt Diamond Challenge

October 9, 2018April 7, 2015

Last month I was enrolled in the Hyatt Diamond Challenge, also known as the Elite Tier Offer 2015. I was able to do this by first emailing a property for an upcoming and then contacting Gold Passport directly. The cost of the Hyatt Diamond Challenge will depend on many factors. Here is my experience:

Grand Hyatt or Olive 8 – Battle in Seattle

September 25, 2020April 2, 2015

Grand Hyatt or Olive 8 – Battle in Seattle In Seattle, like any large city, you can find a hotel by just about every chain as well as some great independent hotels. Hyatt offers one of the best loyalty programs and many frequent travelers book a room at Hyatt when they … Read more