It's hard to plan travel when your internet is out

And by "out", I mean going on five days out.  AT&T has been giving me the run around something fierce, and after a conference call last night with an account rep and technician, the earliest they can have someone out to troubleshoot is next week Tuesday.  And oh by the way, between 8am and 4pm is the best time.  I politely said those times wouldn't work for me, and that it had to be after 5pm (especially since a scheduled technician never showed last night at 5).

I've tried just about everything to get it resolved.

Not happy.

Second round of British Airways Visa Avios have posted!

I've always been a happy customer of British Airways. They even upgraded me on my birthday some years ago as a surprise.  So naturally I've always tried to keep a BA Visa in my wallet box as a backup for future flying and points collecting.  Executive Club also helped me pay for my first award ticket to Doha during my PhD studies.

So one year ago when the Visa was being offered with a 100,000 Avios sign up, I couldn't pass it up.

Now, if you believe some other bloggers out there, Avios aren't what they used to be.  Flying BA means paying for huge fuel surcharges and planning out your trip using a distance-based model.  But if you can figure all that out, the actual flying experience is very comfortable - I've always felt well taken care of when flying BA.  In fact, Dad and I did a connection from Oslo to London Heathrow on BA in June for 10,000 Avios and we got to try Club World!

The deal I signed up for a year ago was 50,000 Avios on the first swipe, and another 50,000 at the one year card anniversary.  How easy is that??  You don't even have a spend requirement.  So, the one year mark just passed and after checking my account, my second 50,000 has posted!

My flight options just increased............

So you're almost to United Silver status...

I just wanted to give a quick summary of what happens when you hit the first tier of status on United - I was geeked out the first time I got it, since it meant having a few enhancements to my overall travel experience.

As a review, you can reach Silver status by flying 25,000 miles on United (or qualifying Star Alliance partners) in a calendar year, or reaching 30 qualifying segments.  Next year this will be changing, and will include having to spend $2500 Premier Qualify Dollars on United.com tickets.

You will find the summaries below:

Silvers get access to Economy Plus seats at check-in, and are also in the queue for upgrades if seats are available.  It's pretty difficult to get those seats at the silver level, but on certain routes you can get them!  I also like the additional mileage bonus per flight (25%), as well as the 500-mile earning minimum - shuttle flights like SAN-LAX make the benefit worth it.

Complimentary checked luggage is also included, and some of the award fees are reduced beginning at silver.  As you move up the ladder, those fees are waived upon reaching Platinum status.

Be sure to check your account to see if you're close to reaching the next level of status!  You might be surprised at what you get...

Place of the Day: Krak des Chevaliers

I'm not sure what it is about castles that I enjoy so much...maybe its the rich history that usually accompanies seeing some of the places that have stood the test of time, or possibly its the novelty of being in a place where people used to live without the conveniences we have now.  In any case, I recently saw a castle that I'm going to add to my list of places to visit the next chance I get - it will go nicely with my fond remembrances of Neuschwanstein and Wartburg:

Krak des Chevaliers - Syria

Granted, getting to this castle may take a while, since all of the unrest in Syria is preventing most from getting there.  But given its location high on a hill (no reference to my alma mater) and views of the surrounding countryside, I think most are missing out on what it has to offer as one of the only remaining Crusader-style castles. 

Sadly, a recent airstrike shows how volatile the region is, so be prepared for a wait until visiting.  I hope that the fighting will soon stop so that no more damage is done.

Easier travel for me...in San Diego

I've been avoiding getting a car for quite a long time.  While I've missed the Prius for many reasons along with its great fuel economy, I've been content to walk everywhere (especially to work) and take the trolley as necessary for anything downtown related. This has also helped me to save a monthly payment as well as insurance costs and fuel every so often.

Where this has occasionally been a hiccup is when I've needed to get to the airport super-early (before the trolly) or if I'm coming back in to SAN late (after the busses go).  In those cases I've had to either rent a car or take a taxi, neither of which are cheap.  Also, not having a vehicle means that I'm stuck and not able to get to places like church, or when family is in town and wants to tour.  And if I need certain groceries or to get to USD quickly for something, I've had to rent a Zipcar and pay per hour. 

After crunching the numbers, between the Avis rentals and Zipcar reservations, I've been spending almost as much as a car payment per month in rentals.  Doesn't seem very efficient.  While my career path forward is still fluid with the completion of my PhD, I decided I was comfortable investigating a car (either loan or lease) to get me through and help me realize better usage and money.  I won't get the points any longer for car rentals, but I'm comfortable with that to gain the access.

Thankfully...I found a deal/car that made sense (lease) and after some haggling, had an offer on a new 2013 Mazda3....Zoom!

Have you ever leased a car before?  What are your experiences?