John the Wanderer Update – Fighter Jets – Overwater Suites – Hyatt

This post is John the Wanderer Update – Fighter Jets – Overwater Suites – Hyatt. It covers articles that I’ve been reading this week.

Recent Travel

My wife and I recently visited Maui to celebrate her birthday and to get away. The above picture represents a beautiful sunset from the trip.

The blog just featured the trip report which concluded today where I covered my flights, AirBNB experience, an amazing meal and whale watching. You can check out the complete trip report here.

Upcoming Travel

It is the end of February, which means elite status changes take place. I have previously been an American Airlines Executive Platinum Member. Due to the recent changes to the program and the revenue model, I will be dropping down ton mid tier Platinum for 2017.

What that means is complimentary upgrades on American are going away as I will now need to utilize 500-mile certificates which cost about $35 for each 500 miles of flight. I also will be losing system wide upgrades as well as access to First Class Lounges when traveling on One World Airlines.

Fortunately, I have one more trip planned at the end of the month… Traveling to Hong Kong.

Is anyone else changing status as of the end of the month? What are your thoughts?

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What Others Are Talking About This Week

I read a lot on the internet. Whenever I see an article of interest, I mark it so I can share it with others. Here are some of those stories I marked this week:

German Air Force Prepared to Shoot Down Commercial Flight to London – This is an amazing story that Gary highlighted about an airliner that was on the wrong frequency for communication and got intercepted by German fighter jets.

Win a 4 Day Stay at the All-New Sandals Caribbean Overwater Bungalows  – Lee talks about a Sandals promotion where you can win an amazing stay in an overwater bungalow. Staying in one of these is on my wife and my bucket list. We dream of going to the Maldives or Bali to experience it. Now we don’t have to look as far since Sandals is opening them up at several resorts in the Caribbean. Unfortunately the nightly rate is quite high. But someone will be a lucky winner and get to win a free stay! Could it be you?

Why You Should Link Hyatt Status to M life Now! – Mommy Points reminds us about an amazing benefit available to Hyatt members where you get status matches at MGM properties. Some of my friends have gotten some awesome benefits in Vegas including free theater tickets, attractions, valet parking and upgraded rooms. Mommy Points got to see the Dolphin Habitat and Sharks for free with the match.

What to Expect from the New World of Hyatt – Speaking of Hyatt, Travel Codex covers the upcoming changes at Hyatt. I love staying at Hyatt Properties and the Diamond Status has been awesome with great upgrades, lounge access and in room amenities. It will be interesting to see some of these changes taking place.

“People Say They Can’t Afford Travel. But All It Takes Is a Little Knowledge and Discipline” – Million Mile Secrets posted about Ian who is a fellow blogger. Ian shares his experience with miles and points which started with him planning his honeymoon. Interestingly he started via train travel and progressed to airline and card. Check out his story.

Inside United’s Gorgeous New Polaris Lounge in Chicago – United opened the Polaris Lounge in Chicago to celebrate the launch of the new cabin. Here is a good overview of what to expect. Hopefully one of these days I will get to experience the Chicago lounge. It is a step above traditional US based airline lounges.

Defining a Luxury Experience: What Can Hotel Guests Expect – I often talk about luxury hotels and resorts but have found it difficult to describe what it means. Jamie does a great job of defining them.

What are you reading?

What have you been reading this week?