Archives for August 2019

Let me start off by saying that this is the first blog I’ve ever done. I enjoy writing, but more than that, I love the idea that the written word can take you to another place for the 5-10 minutes it takes you to read it. Almost like travel itself. That’s my goal: to provide soup-to-nut reviews and advice for traveling the world, and when it makes sense, in high-style. For the most part, I’ll do it on reasonable budget, and in reasonable timeframes. I’ve learned a few things about how the airline and hotel industry operates, and I hope to share that with you on what I hope is fun journey for all of us.

American Airlines liked my story enough, that they featured yours truly on the March 2016 issue of American Way -along with four other Road Warriors (now close friends) – that documented our “Un-Belize-able” trip to Belize.  A life-changing experience!

I have a full-time job, a wife (Leigh), a dog (Dallas, no relation to the city), and we’ve managed to visit nearly 3 dozen countries in the last few years. During that time, we’ve moved cross country, established new relationships, and try to keep a sense of normalcy while at home.

Most importantly, I’ve managed to not go broke traveling, and have had a great sidekick in Leigh for most of my trips. Over the last few years, I’ve flown on average, 165k miles, and spent about 150 nights in hotel rooms. 80-90% of those stats are pure business travel, while the the rest are our leisure trips. Leigh, by the way, is not a business traveler by any means, but has managed to keep airline status the last few years.

A typical trip for us means one of three things: 1) Leigh meets me in the city I’m working, 2) we both meet in a city, or 3) we travel together from home. I’ve been lucky enough to work in some of the finest cities in the US, and am fortunate to live in a city that can take me direct to almost any city on the planet (or within one-stop).

Now before I dive in, I need to give a few disclaimers:

1. Although my job is demanding, I have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to working remotely. This is a cornerstone to taking so many trips vs taking one or two extended trips.
2. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make a great trip opportunity work. This means either putting in a lot of hours early in the week, or even working while we’re at our destination (see #1), but not the entire time of course. 
3. Through other blogs and living it on a daily/weekly basis, I’ve come to have a better understanding of the value of the currency I earn by traveling so much (and credit card spend). I’ll offer my inputs, strategy, and what you can expect on trips.
4. I love food, and scour my destinations for the best hole-in-the-wall’s to the gastropubs to food trucks. I want to know where the locals go long before I know the name of the best high-end restaurant.
5. I love food a good cocktail/beer/wine, and scour my destinations for the best dives to mixologists to breweries. Who doesn’t want to have a celebratory drink when you get to where you’re going?
6. Did I mention I love food?
7. I try to exercise a good bit, so any activities that involve breaking sweat or getting my adrenaline pumping are on-point for me.
8. Luxury is great, don’t get me wrong, but for most of us, it’s not feasible to take every trip in first-class and stay at a five-star hotel (at least not on a regular basis).
9. Traveling alone can be quite fulfilling, especially internationally. It puts you out of your comfort zone and forces you to figure everything out yourself. That said, traveling with a companion – whether it be a friend, significant other, or even a pet – is in many ways more rewarding. Sharing experiences are what make life grand. In the blog, I’ll talk about how to make it feasible for friends/couples to travel together.
10. One of my favorite quotes regarding how we go about traveling (forgive me for paraphrasing and not remembering the author):         “If you think about a new destination like a puddle, we as adults tend to walk around and look at the puddle. Children, however, jump in the puddle and get dirty. Travel like a child would, in that respect”.                                                                                                                                                  For me, this sums the allure of travel. Of course we all want to do the obligatory, but fun sightseeing. But what about intentionally taking a wrong turn and end up in cool neighborhood or seeing something amazing you would’ve never planned? That’s how I like to travel, and hope I can help others do the same. I promise, you will be all the more fulfilled with your journeys.
11. HAVE FUN AND DON’T STRESS!

Welcome aboard, I’m glad you’re here.

-Andrew