by Andy | Apr 21, 2016 | Asia, China, Photography, Travel, Trip Reports
As part of my epic Bluffworks travel pants test (Part I and Part II), which was really just a weekend mileage run to Hong Kong and Beijing, I visited the Great Wall of China. I had previously visited in 2014 and was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Once you get out of the pollution and crowds of Beijing there’s something very simple and pure about visiting the Great Wall, at least until the tourists show up. I decided to visit the same section as I did last time, Mutianyu, to see if I could get some better pictures than last time.
by Andy | Apr 21, 2016 | China, Dragonair, First, Hong Kong, Product Review, Videos
I’ll admit, I was breathing pretty heavily. Walking up hundreds of stairs will do that to you. Especially carrying about 20 pounds of camera gear on your back. It was kind of nuts to me that I only had six hours until my flight, because that meant about an hour of hiking and a fairly hefty drive back to an airport notorious for delays at security (I’d end up being the last person to make the flight). What was I doing there? Besides taking pictures? Well, I was completing the most thorough product test of my blogging career: testing the Bluffworks travel pants.
by Andy | Apr 20, 2016 | Travel
American Airlines is undergoing a massive effort to revitalize their fleet and incorporate new, fuel-efficient aircraft. While it will be great to see all of the new aircraft come online, until that day we are occasionally forced to fly on some very old aircraft. This is only compounded by the addition and cross-fleeting of US Airways jets after the merger was completed. Understanding the various aircraft types can be confusing but it’s important to know which of the American Airlines jets you’ll be flying because it can drastically change your flight experience. Let me fill you in so you don’t get caught on a dud next time you fly.
by Andy | Apr 20, 2016 | American Express, American Express, Australia, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, Lounge Reviews, Lufthansa, Oceania, Qantas, Qatar, Travel, Trip Reports, Videos
Shower. Massage. Champagne. A Porsche to drive you to your plane.
All of these things are found at the best airport lounges in the world. The lounge visit is a crucial part of the travel experience for me, particularly when traveling internationally. There’s just something about having a quality meal, a few quality beverages, and a relaxing shower or massage that gets my mind right before I fly.
I get asked pretty frequently to talk about my favorite lounges in the world. I have not visited all of the great lounges out there but I’ve been to quite a few. Let’s take a look at my five favorite lounges and then I’ll tell you about some lounges I want to visit next.
by Andy | Apr 19, 2016 | Asia, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, First, Flight Reviews, Hong Kong, Lufthansa, Middle East, Qatar, Singapore, Singapore Airlines, Trip Reports, United Arab Emirates, Videos
Part of being a blogger in the miles and points space is have a roster of good trip reports. While I’d say I flew these flights so I could offer a more thorough analysis and comparison of the various airlines, honestly I really just wanted to fly in really nice cabins and drink lots of champagne!
That said, I want to tell you about some of my favorite flights, for those of you who may be new to Andy’s Travel Blog.
