If you’ve been feverishly roaming the interwebs for some new fifth freedom routes of 2025, I’m here to help. Fifth freedoms are a common theme among travel websites, but I still want to provide a quick backgrounder. Created in 1944 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention for short), and now managed by […]
Europe
Gifting Airline Status
Gifting airline status isn’t unique to Italy’s ITA Airways. Just ask the US3 (i.e. American Airlines, Delta, and United). For the past 15 years (save for maybe 2020 or 2021), I’ve had varying levels of airline status. Back then, the US3 rolled hard with distance-based mileage accruals, as did most of the world. You also […]
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn and Paternoster Lift
I have been a railfan for many years, but not traditional rail. Rather, it is more of an interest in metro systems and monorails. Depending on one’s point of view, that hobby reached its apex — or nadir — a few years ago, when I created a metro system ticket design for home and travel […]
Flight and Lounge Review: Condor Business Class Frankfurt to Miami
Disclaimer: I am writing this review with the support of Mardiks PR, who provided one Condor business class Frankfurt to Miami ticket. Condor is a German carrier specializing in leisure destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. I first learned about them years ago, being intrigued about their flight to Whitehorse, in […]
Airline Route Maps
Let’s stir up controversy with some airline route maps. JetBlue is in the news for having displayed Palestinian Territories on its in-flight map. I don’t care. What I do care about is a plane landing safely at its intended destination. But wait, maybe I do care … such stories make for great rabble-rousing here. To […]
Airport Supermarkets (Updated 18 September 2024)
As much as I personally love finding new foods to eat, I feel that much better when I can share some of the findings with family and friends. Though, it would be fair to say I don’t always remember to get to a city supermarket for some last-minute local food souvenir shopping. Enter: airport supermarkets. […]
Flight Review: HiSky New York JFK – Bucharest OTP
Disclaimer: In exchange for a one-way HiSky New York to Bucharest ticket, I am writing this review. In January, I wrote about a flight from the United States to Eastern Europe. More accurately, it was the resumption of a nonstop route last flown by a U.S. carrier nearly 15 years ago. Recently, I was able […]
Forgotten about Overnight Rail in Europe?
It’s almost the summer … have you forgotten about one of Europe’s overnight rail services? The European Sleeper, chugs its way from Germany’s capital to Belgium’s capital, stopping at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, as well as a few other cities along the route. It has three different classes: Sleepers – Deluxe, with three beds and […]