Welcome BoardingArea readers!
Less than two weeks ago I shared some exciting news about my upcoming move over to BoardingArea and now the time has come.
I am thrilled to be posting for the first time as a BoardingArea blogger but this isn’t the first day of my blog. In Spring 2011 I got some amazing news which would keep me grounded from traveling for about a year. My wife Kim was pregnant with our now 19 month old son Lucas Miles. I wanted to still be able to dedicate some time to the hobby that I love (travel) so Michael W Travels was created in October 2011.
While Kim was pregnant we often heard that our days of traveling would be over once Lucas was born but boy were they wrong. I was determined to travel with Lucas and that’s what we’ve done!
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Michael, Lucas & Kim in Long Island City, NY |
Having a child doesn’t mean that you have to stop traveling, it just means that you need to adjust the way you travel (just a little bit). Lucas started flying at about 2.5 months old and has already traveled internationally to Barbados, Singapore, Bali, Malaysia, Russia and Japan.
We’re leaving on our next adventure tomorrow. Don’t forget to check back to see where we are going!
Some of you might wonder what kind of travelers we are?
Kim and I consider ourselves to be budget travelers. We use miles and points to pay for quite a bit of our travels. For flights we prefer to fly economy so we can stretch our miles to get us to as many places as possible. The flight is not the highlight of our trip, it is just a way to get to the amazing places we want to see. I’m not saying that we don’t like to fly in premium cabins, we just don’t do it all of the time.
As for lodging, we try to do a combination of points, hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostels (in private rooms with ensuite bathrooms) are my favorite place to stay. They tend to be in good locations and the prices are usually reasonable. Most of all, the information you receive is generally more authentic than that of a big hotel. Ever ask for a restaurant recommendation at a fancy chain hotel? Odds are they will point you in the direction of their own restaurant. Ask in a hostel and you’re more than likely to be sent to a favorite place among locals.
The content on Michael W Travels varies daily. I like to cover topics ranging from trip reports & planning, miles & points offers, travel with kids, food, travel news, offers & contests and quirky posts like Jumping Pics and Ridiculous Street Signs.
I’d like to invite you all to take some time to check out my blog. I hope that you will like what you see and come back, making Michael W Travels a part of your daily blog reading list.
Check out a few of my previous posts (in no particular order):
- Amex Does The Right Thing- I Got My 100,000 Points
- Progress In Planning- Our Next Big Trip- Russia
- Credit Card Miles & Points Earned in 2012
- Hotel Review: Intercontinental Singapore
- The 6 Oddest Foods That I’ve Ever Tried
- Packing For Two (Or Maybe 1.5)
- An Unlikely Place For A Souvenir- Easter Island
- The Shit Fountain
- A Swim With The Coney Island Polar Bears
- A Shocking Collection Of Oddities: The Kunstkamera- St Petersburg, Russia
- Our First Time Flying Southwest- I’m Impressed
- The Oddest Checked Luggage I’ve Ever Seen
- Heavy Metal Burgers At Kuma’s Corner
- Lucas Tries Out New Southwest Lie- Flat Seats
- How I Upgraded To First Class For 7500 Miles
Michael W. is social! Don’t forget to:
Are you going to be an (exemplary) exception on BA, in a sense that you will not post CC offers? I really hope so.
Kevin- Thanks and nice meeting you too!
Rene- Thank you for all of the support!
Randy- I am honored to join the BA family! I believe that you owe me a jumping photo!
Jason- It was very nice meeting you and your wife too!
Grant- I don’t expect him to remember these trips but we’ll have the photos to show him. I feel that traveling has helped to make Lucas the friendly and amazing little boy that he is.
Steve- Awesome! Would love to hear about some of your experiences in the future!
Angelina- Thank You! I hope that you got a good deal to fix it.
Denny & Grace- Thank you!
Ric- Thanks! It was great chatting with you too.
AAdvantage Geek- Thank you! Lucas is growing faster than he can add passport stamps!
Mommy Points- Thank you! I hope to be able to show parents that travel doesn’t have to end when a baby arrives!
Becky , Marshall & Jane- Thank you!
Craig- I’d love to see some of your jumping photos! I think the key to a good shot is timing not the camera itself although a very slow shutter does make it hard to get a good shot.
Pixie Points- Indeed! Fun times ahead!
Levy Flight- Very nice to hear! Take a look around when you get a chance.
Welcome. I think I will relate to your philosophy on travel. Looking forward to reading more.
Exciting news!!
Hi Michael!!! I’ll look forward to reading your blog on BA !!!
I have to tell you I started my jump shots album in the 1980’s with shots taken around the world. After filling more than an album with over 300 shots, I wound up stopping. The actual reason was that when I went to digital cameras about 12 years ago, there was a small shutter delay which made getting the perfect jump shot very difficult. With the more recent cameras, you don’t have that problem, but I stopped doing it. Now I will have to go back. Most of the shots of me have me in an “X” shape whereas you are just jumping in the air. One day I’ll have to share some with you!
Welcome to Boarding Area. I look forward to reading your blogs and your adventures with your family.
Welcome!
Welcome! Great to have you settled into your new site.
Love increasing the family perspective around this joint. 😉 Seriously, exciting to have you in the BA Family!
Welcome! So good to have you on BA:-)
PS: I can’t believe how much Lucas has grown!
Good to see you on the BoardingArea page.
Enjoyed meeting you and your wife in Colorado Springs in May.
Welcome onboard!
Welcome!! Look forward to reading your blog.
Welcome welcome welcome!!! I fixed my phone by the way 😉
Welcome to the BA! I also travelled with our daughter and it rocked – I agree with your statements about hostels (some of them are really good and affordable).
I’m jealous of your son, he is not even 2 and he has been to so many cool international locations. Hopefully he remembers some of it later on when he is older.
Welcome Michael – it was great to spend time with you and your wife at BAcon.
Great family of bloggers? Can we get a SPG post here, LOL. JUMP to it! BA has become a massive billboard for BentOffers. Maybe an influx can make it respectable again.
Welcome to a great family of bloggers who respect their readers and the information and advice they publish. Now … JUMP to it!
Welcome to BoardingArea MW!
Welcome aboard! Great to have you at BoardingArea (and great to meet you at BAcon!)