Category Archives: Trip Reports

Trip Planning: $249.30 + 158,250 Miles & Points= Trip for 3 to Grenada

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Grenada 
image: Google Maps

At the end of May one of the best credit card hotel perks came to an end.

When it was announced that the Club Carlson’s 2nd night free benefit was ending, many of us were in a mad dash- to try to spend our points the best way possible to take advantage before the benefit ended.

I initially redeemed 304,000 points on a variety of future trips. I then used an additional 176,000 points on three additional stays.

Due to the Club Carlson benefit ending, I booked us on a trip to Grenada which I otherwise, may have not done. Continue reading Trip Planning: $249.30 + 158,250 Miles & Points= Trip for 3 to Grenada →

24 Hours in Doha, Qatar

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Doha Qatar

Our trip to the Mid- East Gulf States got off to a great start. Now it was time to move on to our next destination, Doha, Qatar.

Qatar would be the third of four countries visited during our trip before making our way back to the UAE to explore more of the country.

Some trip highlights so far include a visit to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital and spending 24 Hours in Bahrain. (Check for links to other related posts below.)

Our flight from Bahrain to Qatar was at night, getting us into Doha pretty late. This gave us a day to see some of the sites that the country has to offer. While we could’ve used a little more time, we were still happy with the visit. Continue reading 24 Hours in Doha, Qatar →

24 Hours in Bahrain

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Bahrain

Our trip to the Middle East Gulf States started off with a quick visit to Abu Dhabi, UAE.

During the second day of the trip we took a morning tour of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital before heading off on our flight to Bahrain. Once we arrived in Manama, we had to figure out how we would get around to see some sites during our quick visit.

A bit of luck was on our side. We ended up being shown around by a local and had an amazing time in Bahrain thanks to Papa John’s…

Here is a recap of our visit to Bahrain. Continue reading 24 Hours in Bahrain →

Reaching Travel Milestones

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UNESCO World Heritage List

During our recent trip to the Middle-East Gulf States, Kim, Lucas and I visited four countries. It was the first time visiting all of these countries for Kim and Lucas, while I had visited one of them previously.

On the trip, a couple of travel milestones were reached- one for Lucas and one for myself.

So what kind of milestones could’ve been reached while traveling some of you might wonder? Continue reading Reaching Travel Milestones →

Have You Tried Any Camel Food Products?

Food, Trip Reports,

camel food

Even though I consider myself to be a picky eater I still like to try new things, especially when visiting new places.

I’ve enjoyed zebra and just about any type of gazelle served in Africa, had a hard time swallowing a fat-ass ant in Colombia, enjoyed stuffed pigeon in Egypt and then there was the time I tried cuy (guinea pig) in Peru. Find out the 6 Oddest Foods That I’ve Ever Tried.

On our most recent trip to the Middle East Gulf States, there were a few items that I came across that I would’ve liked to have tried which come from a local animal. Continue reading Have You Tried Any Camel Food Products? →

An Awesome Time at Taste Talks Food & Drink Fest

Food, NYC, Trip Reports,

taste talks

Over this past weekend (September 12-13), Kim and I attended the Taste Talks Festival in Brooklyn, NY. (Lucas came along to the event on Sunday.)

The festival featured a variety of seminars, discussions & tastings on Saturday as well as the Future Food Expo both days. Sunday was the All-Star BBQ with music by Questlove. Luckily we went early and left just in time before the rain started falling.

We attended a few of the seminars, sampled some tasty food and had a really good time overall.  Continue reading An Awesome Time at Taste Talks Food & Drink Fest →

Amazing Time in Bahrain Thanks To Papa John’s

Trip Reports,

Papa johns Bahrain

During our trip to the Middle East Gulf States our first stop was the UAE where we visited the fascinating Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.

We moved on relatively fast, heading to Bahrain after just one full day. We arrived in Manama early in the evening. Our visit got off to an annoying start when we caught our cab driver attempting to rip us off when we got to our hotel, The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel.

Luckily we knew some of the games the cabbies try to play in the country so we called him out on it, paying the correct fee while also exchanging some choice words…

We knew right away that finding a cab to drive us around wasn’t going to cut it. Continue reading Amazing Time in Bahrain Thanks To Papa John’s →

A Visit to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital

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Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital

During our trip to the Middle East Gulf States, our first stop was Abu Dhabi, UAE.

We didn’t have lots of things planned but there was one place that I was really hoping to visit, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.

After finding out that in the UAE, falcons get passports, I really wanted to check out the hospital even though a reader commented that they were disappointed after their visit.

During (and after) our tour I sure was glad that I went with my gut and took the tour! Continue reading A Visit to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital →

Forget TripAdvisor, How About ToiletAdvisor

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TripAdvisor

During our recent trip to the Middle East Gulf States, we spent a good portion of our time away visiting Oman.

The country has a lot to offer visitors with many forts & historical sites, natural attractions and more.

One of the destinations that we were most looking forward to visiting was Wadi Shab, sometimes described as the Grand Canyon of Oman. Continue reading Forget TripAdvisor, How About ToiletAdvisor →

233,500 points + $1,742.38 + 2 IHG Free Nights= Trip for 3 to Mid-East Gulf States

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MIddle East Gulf
image: Google Maps

Back on Christmas Day 2014 I booked a flight to Abu Dhabi during what I’d consider the best flight connection ever.

Kim, Lucas and I recently got back from our trip to the Middle East Gulf States and I wanted to share the details about how we planned the trip along with the costs involved including miles, points and cash (well credit cards…).

Itinerary Planning:

I booked our flight to Abu Dhabi from New York’s JFK for a little over two weeks including travel time. Continue reading 233,500 points + $1,742.38 + 2 IHG Free Nights= Trip for 3 to Mid-East Gulf States →