We live in the eastern suburbs of Phoenix and constantly see Allegiant flights coming and going from the Mesa Gateway Airport.  Every time I see an Allegiant plane I can’t stop thinking about how nice it would be to fly out of a small airport instead of Phoenix.

I’ve never had much of a desire to fly a low cost carrier like Allegiant.  Like Spirit or Frontier, Allegiant’s business model is to charge you a low price for the flight and then charge additional fees for each service you use.  Everything from choosing a seat to an inflight drink will cost extra.  When I’ve compared airfares in the past, the low cost carriers haven’t been much cheaper on the routes we’ve flown.  Plus, I have several airline credit cards which helps me save on fees with those carriers.

The nice thing about Allegiant Air is they typically fly nonstop to several smaller airports around the country.  These airports are usually not serviced by the legacy carriers or they’re expensive to get to.  However, if you need to go where Allegiant flies, you really can’t beat the convenience.

Why It’s Cheaper

My wife and I love to travel and we’ll look for any excuse to get away.  When I saw Allegiant had flights to our old college town for $77 per person round trip, I figured it was a great time to fly them for the first time. As I was researching flights, I heard that it’s actually cheaper to buy your tickets at the airport.

From what I knew about Allegiant, this couldn’t be possible. Why would Allegiant want me to go to the airport and talk with an actual person? Isn’t it more expensive that way instead of having me book my flights on their website? I did a little digging and not only found out that it was true but that it also made sense.

Airlines have to pay a 7.5% tax on the airfare portion of every ticket they sell.  However, they don’t have to pay this tax on the fees they charge for extra services.  By lowering the amount they charge for airfare, they’re able to save money on taxes.  While they only save a couple dollars on each ticket, it really adds up when you consider the number of tickets they sell each year.  In order for the airlines to be able to call it a fee, it has to be optional.  Meaning, there has to be a way for the customer to avoid paying the fee.

Save Money By Purchasing Tickets At The Airport

One fee is called an “electronic carrier usage charge“.  Everyone who buys a ticket using Allegiant’s website will pay a fee of $18 per person, per segment.  That’s $36 per person roundtrip.  Think of it as something similar to a convenience you pay when you buy movie or concert tickets online.  You’ll find this fee under the “taxes, carrier charges and government fees” section of the fare breakdown.  That means my tickets to Utah could be as little as $41 roundtrip!!!

If you want to avoid this fee, you can purchase your tickets at the airport.  Unless you live close to the airport, this probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to do.  Allegiant knows this and figures most people won’t deal with the hassle of driving to the airport.   For those who do go, Allegiant doesn’t make it easy on them.

According to Allegiant’s website, they only sell tickets at the airport during designated times.  As you can see below, the days and times aren’t the most convenient.   Here’s a link to the page that shows the full list of times at each airport location.  You’ll notice that it also says, “in most cities, airport ticket purchase will be available for one hour following each scheduled departure”.  You can take a look at the flight schedule at the airport near you to see what additional days and times might be available.  Regardless, I would strongly recommend calling them before you go down to confirm you’ll be able to purchase tickets.

How To Pay For Your Tickets

If you want to pay for your tickets with your points you don’t have many options.  Allegiant isn’t part of any of the major alliances so you won’t find any award flights there.  Allegiant flights also don’t show up on any of the major banks travel portals, so you’re out of luck there. 

The only way to use your points would be to use a card like the card_name that lets you redeem your points to get a statement credit for travel purchases. bonus_miles_full

Final Thoughts

Purchasing your Allegiant tickets at the airport is definitely cheaper than buying them online.  Unfortunately, for most people, the hassle of getting to the airport will offset money you’ll save.  However, if you’re going somewhere as a family, or happen to be close by, you can save a significant amount of money.  Have you ever purchased your tickets at the airport?  How did it go?  We’d love to hear your thoughts about Allegiant.

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How I Discovered It

A couple months ago, we were planning a family trip to New Orleans. As you can imagine, finding award flights for 7 people can be a challenge. I looked at the major airlines and they either didn’t have award space or they were asking an exorbitant number of miles for the flights.

Next, I tried splitting the flights into two one-way tickets. I figured maybe I could find award space on one airline there and another one for the way back. I didn’t have much luck, so I turned to Google Flights to see if I could find a cheap cash fare that could possibly work.

The search results returned cheap one-way flights to New Orleans (MSY) for $65 per person on Spirit Airlines. These tickets were more than half of what other airlines were charging for this route. Needless to say, I was pretty excited with my find.

However, when I started thinking about flying a discount airline something else popped into my head. It reminded me of the hack I used to buy cheap tickets on Allegiant by going to the airport. Because Spirit Airlines is a discount airline like Allegiant, I thought maybe it could be even cheaper to buy these tickets at the airport too.

Why It’s Cheaper

I’ll spare you a lot of the details as to why but if you want to get the nitty gritty details, you can read them here. Basically, Spirit and other airlines will take a large portion of the airfare and classify it as a surcharge on the ticket to legally save on paying taxes.

However, in order to do this, they have to provide a way for the consumer to avoid paying the fee. That’s where the trip to the airport comes in.  This fee is excluded from your ticket when you buy them at the airport.

Spirit Airlines calls this specific fee a Passenger Usage Fee and it is charged to each flight segment. Our flight to New Orleans had a stop in Dallas, so there were two segments which made the fee even higher. The total for this fee on our itinerary was $45.98 per person.

Save Money At The Airport

Before I headed down to the airport, I did a little research and found conflicting reports. There were some that said it was cheaper and others said they didn’t save anything. I didn’t know what to believe, so I figured I’d head down and find out for myself. If it’s true, this would save me over $300 on the 7 tickets.

Before you head down to the airport, here are a couple of things to consider:

Check Hours – You will definitely want to check the ticket counter hours before you leave the house. Agents won’t be at the ticket counter all day at most airports. You can find the Spirit ticket counter hours here for all airports they serve.

Double Check – I would also recommend calling the airport directly to confirm. I found this out the hard way. I checked Spirit’s website and went down at the time listed, only to find out the website was not accurate. If you can’t get a hold of someone at the airport, find out when flights depart and plan to arrive about 90 minutes before the flight leaves.

Prices Can Change – Just be aware that prices can change while you plan your trip to the airport. If you find a good deal and want to try this trick, go to the airport as soon as you can.

My Experience

I arrived at the airport and got in line with everyone who was checking in for their flight. It’s possible there could be a designated line for customers buying tickets, so keep an eye out for that just in case.

There were a few people in front of me so I pulled up the flight again on the Spirit app just to confirm the price hadn’t changed. When it was my turn, I gave the agent the flight information and she quickly pulled it up. She told me the grand total for all 7 of us to fly one-way to New Orleans was a whopping $131.60! That means we saved over $300 by purchasing our Spirit tickets at the airport!

Even though I was expecting that amount, it still shocked me to actually hear it. Even the agent was a little surprised. I just wish they had a flight home on the day we needed so I could have booked a round trip. Instead, I found an inexpensive one-way on Southwest which was nice since we have the Companion Pass.

How To Pay For The Ticket

Use The Right Card – I always recommend paying for your airline tickets with a credit card that has travel insurance. This is especially true when flying on an airline that doesn’t have many flights like the larger airlines. If you’re flight is delayed or cancelled, that insurance can really come in handy.

Recommendations – Three of my favorite cards all have good travel insurance that could really come in handy. I’d recommend using either the card_name, card_name or the card_name.

Using Points – Using points to pay for flights on discount airlines can be tough if you pay for them at the airport. The only way I can think of would be to use a card, like the card_name, that allows you to redeem your points for a statement credit.

Final Thoughts

Buying Spirit Airlines tickets at the airport are definitely cheaper and can save you a ton of money. The process was very smooth and didn’t require any hoops to jump through. With the mixed reports out there, I’d be curious to know if you had any issues. Leave me a comment below and let me know how it went.

As for the flight, we didn’t actually get to take it. A hurricane hit New Orleans the day we were planning to travel so we had to cancel our flights. Spirit quickly issued a full refund and we ended up rescheduling our trip a few months later. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to test out the inflight experience and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

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The Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program has been around for a long time.  I have seen it listed as a Citibank transfer partner but didn’t know much about it.  I knew the program had a region-based award chart and you can typically find a sweet spot or two with those types of programs.

I’m a huge fan of British Airways’ Avios distance-based program because there are some excellent redemption options.  The most popular redemption is the sweet spot from the West Coast to Hawaii.  Another great redemption is being able to fly from several cities in the U.S. to Mexico for under 10,000 points each way.

With most loyalty programs converting to a dynamic pricing model, I didn’t think I’d find another overall program that I would like as much.  Boy was I wrong!  Turkish’s Miles & Smiles program has a lot of great redemptions that almost everyone can take advantage of!  I promise, you guys are going to love this program!

Earning Turkish Miles & Smiles Miles

Unless you frequently fly to Istanbul for business, you may be asking yourself, “How do I earn Turkish Airlines miles”?

Credit Cards

Earning points with your credit cards is the quickest way to earn miles.  The Miles & Smiles program is a transfer partner of Citibank’s ThankYou program.  Your ThankYou points will transfer to the Miles & Smiles program at a 1:1 ratio.

You can quickly earn ThankYou points with cards like the Citi Prestige or the card_name.  Plus, if you also have the card_name, you convert your points into ThankYou points on a 1 cent per point basis.  Here are a few highlights of these cards:

card_name – bonus_miles_full  There are several excellent categories that will be earning 3x ThankYou points.  This card has a $95 annual fee.

card_name – This is an excellent card for everyday spending.  bonus_miles_full  I think this is such a great card that I’ve had it in my wallet for several years.

Citi Prestige – New cardmembers will get 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening an account.  You’ll earn 5x points on all restaurant and air travel purchases, as well as 3x on other travel purchases. This card gives you an incredible 4th night free on virtually all hotel bookings made through ThankYou.com.  You also get several statement credits and a free Priority Pass membership.  The card does carry a $495 annual fee.

Other Ways To Earn Miles

Flying – Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, so you can earn points by flying on one of their partner airlines.  United would be the most popular airline to earn Turkish miles with for those living in the U.S.  The amount you’ll earn will vary by airline and the type of ticket you have.  Just be sure to enter your Miles & Smiles number when making a reservation.

Marriott Bonvoy – You can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to the Turkish Miles & Smiles program at a 3:1 ratio.  Plus, for every 60,000 points you transfer, you’ll get a 5,000 mile bonus.  For example, if you can transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points for 25,000 Turkish miles.

Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Program Overview

The more I have looked into this program, the harder it was for me to understand why this program isn’t more popular.  Then I read that the Miles & Smiles program has recently upgraded their website.  Apparently, the previous site had a horrible search function and it was next to impossible to find award availability.  Sounds like a recipe for turning your loyalty program into something no one wants to use.

The current website is actually really easy to use.  I was able to find a lot of availability for the sweet spots I was researching.  There were a couple wonky things about it but once you know about them, it’s pretty easy to use.  For example, when setting up a Miles & Smiles account, you are only allowed to use numbers for your password.  The site doesn’t tell you this, so I won’t tell you how many times I received an error message before I finally figured it out.

Before we get into the best uses of your Turkish miles, here are several highlights about the program:

Program Highlights

Traveling With Others – You can purchase up 5 award tickets at once using miles from your account.  You can also purchase an award ticket for someone else even if you’re not traveling with them.  I have read in different forums that booking an award ticket for someone else can range from fairly easy to somewhat tedious.  I haven’t done this yet but when I do, I will update you on the process once I do.

When you call to put your award reservation on hold, they’ll be able to tell you how to do it.  Just be sure to have everything set up before you transfer your miles.  You don’t want the award space to disappear while you’re waiting for your miles to show up.  You can call them at 1-800-874-8875.

Promo Awards – Turkish Airlines periodically will offer promo awards at reduced rates.  Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to be notified of these award sales.

Award Reservation Holds – You can put an award reservation on hold for up to 72 hours.  This is very important because it can take a day or two for the miles to transfer from your Citi ThankYou account to show up in your Miles & Smiles account.

Segments – You are allowed to have up to 4 segments on both the outbound and return flights.  This is huge!  This allows pretty much everyone the ability to take advantage of the sweet spots mentioned below.

Stopovers – When flying on Turkish Airlines, you are allowed one stopover in Istanbul.  It doesn’t matter if this is on the outbound or the return flight.  Stopovers are great because they allow you the chance to see another city for free.

Open-jaw – Open-jaw itineraries are allowed if you’re booking a round-trip award ticket.

One-way Awards – You are allowed to purchase one-way award tickets.

Change/Cancellation Fees – You can change or cancel your award flight for $25.

Surcharges – Turkish Airlines doesn’t pass on any surcharges for flights on United.  However, surcharges are imposed on Turkish and other Star Alliance partner flights.  For some itineraries, they can be pretty hefty so it won’t be worth redeeming your miles for those flights.  For instance, I found a one-way flight to Venice on Lufthansa that had a fuel surcharge of $263.90.

Mileage Expiration – The miles you earn with this program will expire 3 years from the date you earned them.  You can pay a fee to extend the expiration date of your miles.  The fee can get expensive, so I would simply recommend not transferring them until you’re ready to use them.

Booking Miles & Smiles Award Tickets

From what I’ve read, redeeming your Miles & Smiles miles before was quite the Herculean task.  However, now the process is actually quite simple.  Just be aware there is one search tool for Turkish Airlines flights and another to book awards on Star Alliance partners.  Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.

Booking A Flight On Turkish Airlines

If you want to book a flight on Turkish Airlines, the process is pretty simple.  Start by logging in to your Miles & Smiles account.  Next, check the “Award ticket” box in the search area, which will then take you to the search function.  Enter in your itinerary and the search tool will display any available award flights.

The results will display both economy and business class availability.  The one thing I didn’t like, was the search tool doesn’t give you a flexible search option.  So if the day you’re looking to fly doesn’t have availability, then you’ll need to search day by day until you find an open seat.  Hopefully they’ll add the ability to search by week or month soon to make it a little easier.

Booking A Star Alliance Flight

If you want to fly on a Star Alliance partner, you can’t use the same search tool that you find on the home page.  It’s a little hidden but once you find it, it’s just as easy to search for flights.  Let me show you how to find it.  First, you’ll need to log into your Miles & Smiles account.  Next, click on your name in the top right corner to display the drop down menu and then select “Miles Transactions”.

This will take you to a summary page of your account’s activity.  On the right side of the page you’ll find the “Star Alliance award ticket” section.  Click on “book now” and it will take you to the search tool for flights on Star Alliance partners.  From here, the search tool is the same as the other one as far as I could tell.

Miles & Smiles Sweet Spots

Buckle your seatbelts, this is where the magic happens.  A lot of airlines are changing their programs to have a dynamic pricing model.  Translation; they can charge you whatever they want, whenever they want.  That’s one reason why I’m loving the Miles & Smiles program.  As long as you can find availability, the rates are fixed no matter when you travel.

To make it even better, because this program is region-based, allows multiple segments and is a partner of United, virtually anyone can take advantage of these redemption sweet spots.

Hawaii

Last year when I took advantage of the amazing sweet spot to Hawaii I thought it was an absolute steal!  Not only does it require fewer miles but it isn’t limited only to flights from the West Coast.  With Turkish miles, you can fly in economy from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii for only 7,500 mile each way plus $5.60 in taxes.  And if you’re lucky enough to find availability, you can fly in business class for only 12,500 miles each way!

I found availability from Phoenix (where I live), New York and even South Bend, Indiana to Hawaii.  If you’ve ever wanted to visit Hawaii, this is how you need to do it.  Any other airline will easily cost you triple the points to go to Hawaii.

Alaska & Puerto Rico

Alaska has been on my bucket list for a long time.  For only 7,500 miles each way, I can check it off my list.  You can also fly to Puerto Rico for the same rate and soak up some sun.

Domestic Flights

These same rates apply to all domestic flights as well.  These are perfect if you’re flying between major cities or to a small town that can typically be very expensive to fly to.  How about flying to Rapid City, South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore?

Europe

This program is also a decent value when it comes to award flights to Europe.  You can fly each-way for 30,000 miles in economy or 45,000 miles in business class.

Mexico

This summer I took advantage of another Avios sweet spot to Mexico but again, this is only good if you live in select U.S. cities.  Now everyone can fly to Mexico for cheap!  Economy tickets are only 10,000 miles each way and business class is just 15,000!  If you find it, definitely spend the extra miles and fly in the front of the plane.

Other Sweet Spots

With this program being region-based, I’m sure there are many more sweet spots to take advantage of.  I’ll update this with more as I find them.  In the meantime, play around with it and I’m sure you’ll stumble on something great!

Final Thoughts

The Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I love that there are so many great values and they aren’t limited to just certain cities.  I don’t think this program will stay under the radar for too much longer, so take advantage of some of these deals as quickly as possible.  If you find a great redemption that I missed, let me know in the comments so we can add it to the list.

The post Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Easy Travel Points.

This past spring we took our family of seven to Kauai for the first time.  We’ve been to other Hawaiian islands before but this one is my favorite.  It’s significantly less crowded than Oahu and Maui and the island’s natural beauty is unparalleled.  Now matter what your interests are, there are numerous things for you to see and do while you’re there.

Our family was able to fly there using one of the best award travel sweet spots out there.  Even if you don’t live on the West Coast, there are other inexpensive ways to get there.  I frequently see great airfare sales to Hawaii from all across the U.S.  Plus, now that Southwest flies there, you can even use the Companion Pass to fly there.  However you get there, just make sure to pay for your flights using a card that gives you a bonus on travel purchases.  If you don’t have one, my favorite travel card is the card_name.

Best Adventure Activities To Do

Na Pali Coast Boat Tour – Visiting the Na Pali coast is an absolute must-do when you visit Kauai.  It is absolutely breathtaking and there’s nothing else like it in the world.  There are no roads that go to this coast line, so the only way to see the whole thing is by air or by sea.

There are a few tour companies that offer tours of the Na Pali coast and we booked ours with Captain Andy’s.  The cruise was fantastic and provided great views of the coast!  The trip also included about 45 minutes of snorkeling and a BBQ lunch which were great.  This cruise was the highlight of everyone’s trip.  If you book a boat tour, and I highly recommend that you do, here are two important tips.

First, the water can get choppy, so be sure to take your motion sickness medicine before you go.  Second, book your tour near the beginning of your trip.  The day we planned to go, out trip was cancelled because of a rainstorm.  Luckily, it was on the second day of our trip so we were able to reschedule for later in the week.

Kauai Tubing – You can book a tubing trip down the canals of an old sugar plantation with Kauai Backcountry Adventures.  You’ll float down about 2 miles of the canal system and go through 5 tunnels along the way.  The water is calm the entire way so this trip is great for travelers of all ages.  While it’s not as adventurous as I had originally thought, each one of my kids had a fantastic time.

Helicopter Tours – There are several companies that offer helicopter tours of Kauai.  While these tours can be a little pricey, there’s nothing like seeing Kauai from the air.  The tours typically last about 45 minutes and they’ll take you all around the island.  You’ll be able to see several waterfalls, Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast.  If you’re going to pay for a helicopter tour, I would definitely pay the extra fee to sit in the front so you have the best views.

Bike Along The Coast – One of my new favorite things to do on vacation, is to enjoy a bike ride around town.  We rented bikes in Kapa’a and rode the bike paths up and down the coast.  While not quite as “adventurous” as my other recommendations, it’s a fantastic way to enjoy a beautiful afternoon at the beach.

Best Beaches In Kauai

Hideaways Beach – My favorite beach on the island is Hideaways Beach on the north shore of Kauai.  The trail head down to the beach is located just outside of the Princeville Resort.  There’s a small public parking lot that only has space for about 6 cars, so be sure to get there early.

From the parking lot you’ll have to hike down to the beach using various ropes along the way.  While it is a little steep, our 5 year old did it without a problem, so it’s definitely doable.  Just go slow and take your time, it’s absolutely worth it!

Poipu Beach – This beach is located on the south side of the island.  This is a great beach for snorkeling and seeing wildlife.  Each time we visited, we either saw seals or sea turtles resting on the beach.  This beach is pretty popular, so it can get a little crowded at times.

Hanalei Bay – If you want to try your hand at surfing or kayaking, spend an afternoon at Hanalei Bay on the north shore, we recommend you to check out at campingfunzone.com these tips before going in a kayaking adventure.  My favorite thing about this visiting this beach was the views surrounding it.  Directly behind the beach are the lush green mountains that have several waterfalls flowing from the top.  Where else in the world can you enjoy that kind of a view while relaxing on a beach!

Kalihiwai Beach – This beach is located on the north side of the island near the Princeville airport.  It’s a small, quiet beach where a small river empties into the ocean.  You can take kayaks or paddle boards up the river to some waterfalls nearby.

Scenic Things To Do

Waimea Canyon – Nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, visiting Waimea Canyon is something you have to see when you visit Kauai.  The canyon is located on the southwest side of the island.  It can take several hours to make the round trip, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get up there and enjoy it.

When you get to the canyon, there are a couple of look out areas that can give you a great view of the canyon and waterfall.  It can get windy and chilly up here, so be sure to bring a jacket or sweatshirt.

Kalalau & Pu’u O Kila Lookouts – After you’ve had a chance to visit Waimea Canyon, continue up the highway for about another 20 minutes until you reach these lookouts.  From the lookouts you can see the gorgeous Kalalau Valley which is also the start of the Na Pali coast.  If you aren’t able to do a boat cruise or helicopter tour, this view can give you a small sample of what the coast looks like.

Queen’s Bath – Located up north in Princeville, Queen’s Bath is a natural rock formation that forms a large pool next to the ocean.  To get there, you have to hike down a trail from the parking lot.  We went right after it had rained and so it made it a little tougher to get to.  When the tide is low, you can get swim inside Queen’s Bath.  However, when the tide is high it can be very dangerous to enter.  Use common sense and be careful.

Kauai Waterfalls – Kauai is littered with gorgeous waterfalls.  Some of them are easy to get to by car and others require a lot more effort to get to.  I would recommend driving up to see Opaekaa Falls and Wailua Falls when you’re on the southeast side of the island.  Each has a designated area to park your car so you can get out and enjoy the view of the falls.  Another gorgeous waterfall on the east side of the island is Ho’opi’i Falls but this one requires a short hike to get to.

Best Hikes To Do

Kalalau Trail – This trail just recently opened after being closed for months due to damage caused by a storm.  The total trail is about 11 miles along the Na Pali coast and can be difficult in some places.   You won’t be able to do it in one day so you’ll need to plan to do some camping along the way.  If you want to see the beginning of the Na Pali coast, you can hike in a couple of miles and come back.  Either way, you will need a permit if you want to hike the trail.

The Sleeping Giant – This trail is located up in the Nounou Mountains.  The hike gives you beautiful views of the island and is a popular place to watch the sun rise.  Some portions of the trail are narrow and have steep drop offs, so be very careful you go on this hike.  If you decided to go, here’s some additional info that will help you on your hike.

Bonus Things To Do In Kauai

Visit Hanalei – The town of Hanalei is on the north side of the island, just past Princeville.  It’s a picturesque town that’s a great place to walk around, relax and enjoy the island life.  If you have a sweet tooth like me, there are two places you need to visit while you’re there.

The first is Pink’s Creamery.  They have some of the best ice cream you will ever eat.  The other place is JoJo’s Shave Ice.  Treat your taste buds to a snow cone with a scoop of Macadamia nut ice cream at the bottom and their homemade vanilla cream on top.

Go To A Luau – There’s nothing more Hawaiian that enjoying a luau!  There are several places on the island that host a luau most nights.  The menus will vary slightly but they all serve delicious traditional Hawaiian food.  We have been to several luaus before, so we skipped going to one on this trip.  However, I did have some friends who went to the Smith Family Luau that’s located near the airport and they had nothing but great things to say about it.

Final Thoughts

There’s no shortage of incredible things to do while you’re in Kauai.  No matter what you decide to do, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy the tip of a lifetime.  If there’s something you loved doing on your trip to Kauai that I missed, leave me a comment below and let me know what it was.  I’ll be sure to check it out the next time I’m there.

The post Best Things To Do In Kauai appeared first on Easy Travel Points.

I was born and raised in Huntington Beach, so I have had plenty of experience showing people around the city.  Whether you’re here on a family vacation, a couple’s getaway there’s plenty of things to do for everyone to enjoy.

Location & Getting There

Huntington Beach is located about 30 miles south of Los Angeles in Orange County so it’s really easy to get there.  I would recommend flying into either Long Beach (LGB) or Orange County (SNA) but you’ll generally find lower fares into Los Angeles (LAX).  My favorite airport to fly into is Long Beach because it’s generally the least crowded and it just “feels” like California.

When booking your flights, maximize your purchase by using a credit card that gives you bonus points on travel purchases.  A couple of my favorites are the card_name, card_name or the card_name.

Regardless of where you fly into, you’ll probably want to rent a car while you’re in town unless you’re planing on staying downtown the entire time.  If you do rent a car, you’ll want to take a look at what I think is the easiest way to save money on car rentals.

Once you get there, I would recommend staying close to downtown.  There are some fantastic hotels where you can redeem your points or there’s some fantastic vacation rentals in the area.  The ambiance of Main Street is really something special.  Again, be sure you use a credit card that rewards for travel purchases so you can earn as many points possible to use on your next vacation.

The Beach

By The Pier – Of course, my top recommendation of things to do is to visit Huntington Beach and the Pier.  My kids could easily spend several days just playing in the ocean and building sand castles.  If you’re not staying downtown, there’s plenty of parking along PCH or in lots along the beach.  I would recommend picking a spot close to the pier because there are plenty of amenities to enjoy close by.

Alternative Spots – If you are looking for a quieter spot to enjoy the beach at, I would move a little further north to 17th Street.  This section of the beach is generally less crowded than by the pier.  You can park across the street in the neighborhood for free.  There’s an intersection at 17th Street where you can easily and safely cross PCH.  If you have a dog, they’re allowed on the beach starting around 21st Street, so you can park here as well and just walk the rest of the way.

Local Tip – Here’s a local restaurant recommendation if you plant your umbrella down this way.  If you’re looking for great Mexican food, there’s a small place called Fiesta Grill that’s walking distance from here.  It’s located in a small strip center on the corner of 17th & Orange, which is about 3 small blocks inland from the beach.  We use to eat here all the time when we lived by the beach.  There’s also a small convenience store in the shopping center if you’re looking for a place to refill your cooler.

Bonfires – One of my favorite things to do at the beach was have a bonfire at night.  There are hundreds of fire rings all along the beach that you can use for free.  They’re first come, first served, so be sure to snag on earlier in the day if you’re going to have a bonfire.  If you want to spoil your taste buds, fill a metal trash can with ocean water and cook corn on the cob in it over the bonfire.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Huntington Beach Pier

No visit to the beach would be complete without a walk down the Huntington Beach Pier.  When you get to the end, treat yourself to an ice cream cone at Rudy’s while you enjoy the ocean breeze.  The pier is a great place to watch the surfers carve up the waves.  If you want to try your fishing you can fish along the pier and you don’t even need a fishing license.

Other Activities – There are a lot of things you can do down by the pier.  There are several beach volleyball courts, that are free to use and the city even provides volleyballs to use.  One of my favorite things to do is ride a bike along the bike path that goes on for miles.  There are a few places by the pier where you can rent one for a few hours or all day.  They also have pedal carts to rent that are great if you have smaller children or if don’t want to sit on a bike seat for hours.

Downtown Huntington

Downtown Huntington Beach is full of great restaurants and local shops to visit.  If you’re looking for that perfect souvenir, there are dozens of fun shops filled with wonderfully unique items.  There are also a ton of great local restaurants to enjoy.  Whether you’re visiting for the day, or spending a week at the beach, there’s always something new and delicious to try.

Also, on Tuesday nights, they shut down the first few blocks on Main Street to host a farmer’s market and street fair.  You can buy delicious produce as well as enjoy the various street performers and other activities going on.

Annual Events

Each year Hunting Beach hosts several events that are unique and fun for the whole family to enjoy.  Here are a few of my favorites.

US Open of Surfing – There’s a reason Huntington Beach is the surfing capital of the world.  Each year at the end of July, the world’s best surfers descend on Huntington for the world’s largest surfing competition.  The event is free to attend so you’ll want to get there early because it can get extremely crowded.

The Great Pacific Airshow – Around the first weekend in October, Huntington Beach hosts the annual Great Pacific Airshow.  Each year some of the world’s top aviation performers fill the skies with incredible performances.  The line up for the air show will change a little each year.  However, some of the past performers have included the Blue Angles, the USAF Thunderbirds and the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.

The event is free but get there early because the beach can get packed.  I would recommend sitting on the south side of the pier for the best views.  They VIP section is set up there so that’s where the focal point of the show is.

Beachcruiser Meet – At the end of March, dozens of classic cars flock to Main Street for this annual competition.  If you love vintage cars, this is the place to be.

4th of July – Each year the city hosts an Independence Day parade that marches down the streets of downtown Huntington Beach.  Filled with floats, marching bands and others, this is a great way to celebrate our Nation’s independence.  Later that night, fireworks fill the sky for all to enjoy.

Outdoor Activities

Surfing Lessons – You’re visiting the surfing capital of the world, so you might as well give it a shot.  There are several companies that offer surfing lessons that typically last about 2 hours.

Whale Watching – Several species of whales swim up and down the coastline all year long.  There are multiple companies that operate whale watching boat tours that last about 2 hours.  While not exactly in Huntington Beach, shese tours typically leave out of Newport Beach, which is about 20 minutes south of Huntington.

Deep Sea Fishing – Another one of my favorite things to do is go deep sea fishing.  These are usually half day or full day trips so you’ll be gone most of the day.  Again, you’ll have to travel down the coast about 20 minutes to find the tour companies that operate these trips.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands – Just a few miles down PCH from Main Street is the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.  You can walk along the trails and find numerous types of birds and other wildlife.  If you stick around until the evening, it’s a great place to enjoy the sunset.

And here are some other easy and affordable ideas to do while you’re visiting Huntington Beach.

Parking

Most of the parking around Huntington Beach and Main Street can be found in paid lots or metered parking along the streets.  Generally the lots charge $2.00 per hour with a daily maximum of $15.00.  The meters also charge $2.00 per hour but you can now pay with a credit card at most of the meters.  Keep in mind if you’re in town for a special event, the rates will increase on those day.

The only free parking is in the neighborhoods north of Main Street.  You’ll need to get there early on the weekends or it can be very difficult to find a parking spot.  Be aware, during the week there’s street sweeping on select days throughout the city.  If you’re parked on the street when the sweeper comes by, they’ll issue you a parking ticket.  Due to limited parking, street sweeping will also vary depending on the side of the street you’re on.  There are signs posted on every street telling you when this occurs.  Just be sure to check the signs before you park your car.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a great beach vacation but don’t want to travel all the way to Hawaii, plan a trip to Huntington Beach.  Whether it’s relaxing on the beach, shopping or trying something adventurous, there’s something for everyone.  With so many things to do you’ll be happy you did.  If you have any questions while you’re planning your trip, leave me a comment below and I’d be happy to help!

The post Best Things To Do In Huntington Beach appeared first on Easy Travel Points.

None of the shows listed below gave me free tickets or sponsored this article in any way.  I have seen all of these shows and recommend them to anyone I know who is planning a trip to Las Vegas.  You’ll love each of these shows and they can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

Where To Buy Your Tickets

Each show has their own site where you can buy your tickets to see the show.  If you’re planning on visiting Vegas during a holiday or when a big convention is in town, I would recommend buying your tickets ahead of time.  The popular shows will typically sell out during those times.

If you’re not going to be there during one of these busy times, or you don’t care which show you see, I would recommend waiting until you get there to buy your tickets.  All along the Strip there are ticket booths that sell discounted last minute tickets to almost every show in Vegas.  Almost all of them are run by one of two companies.  I have purchased tickets from both of them on multiple occasions and never had a problem.

The discounts will vary by show and seating location but I have always saved a good amount of money buying tickets this way.  They only sell discounted tickets 48 hours in advance, so you’ll want to stop by one of these booths when you first get into town so you have the best selection.

Best Credit Card To Use

We’re all about maximizing the amount of rewards you can earn on each purchase.  Luckily, there are a few credit cards that give you a bonus when making purchases classified as entertainment.  The card_name that gives you up to 8% cash back on Citi entertainment purchases.

If you don’t want to hassle with bonus categories, my favorite cash back card is the card_name.  bonus_miles_full This card also pairs well with other Chase cards to maximize the number of Ultimate Rewards points you can earn.

The Best Cirque Du Soleil Show

Some of the best shows I’ve seen in Las Vegas are by Cirque Du Soleil.  I have seen almost every one of their shows on the Strip and have enjoyed almost every one of them.  The only one I haven’t seen yet is La Reve.  I hear it’s fantastic but since I haven’t see it yet, I can’t give a personal opinion.  Of all the shows, there are two that I would highly recommend seeing the next time you’re in town.

“O” – My favorite Cirque Du Soleil show is O.  The show takes place over a large pool of water inside a theater at the Bellagio hotel.  The theater isn’t too big, so there isn’t a bad seat in the house.  This show epitomizes everything I think of when I think of a Cirque show.  There are a lot of unbelievable acrobatics and stunts that leave speechless during the entire show.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Michael Jackson’s One – This was my wife’s favorite Cirque show but it is second on my list.  The music and the show were fantastic!  However, there weren’t as many acrobatics in this show as you are accustomed to seeing in a Cirque performance.  That said, if you love Michael Jackson’s music and enjoy a loud club-like atmosphere, you’re going to really love this show.  You’ll find this one playing in a theater inside of Mandalay Bay.

The Best Las Vegas Magic Show

Mat Franco – Hands down, my favorite magic show in Vegas is Mat Franco.  He won America’s Got Talent several years ago but I had never heard of him when we bought the tickets.  We decided to see the show based on the recommendation of the guy selling the tickets at one of those booths and I’m so glad we did!  Not only was the show excellent but the tickets were reasonably priced.

What I liked most about his show was the type of magic he performed.  None of his tricks were over-the-top, like making a large mechanical dinosaur appear out of nowhere.  His show was very interactive and all of his tricks left you awe-struck.  Plus, Mat has a great sense of humor so his performance was very engaging throughout.  He performs his show at the Linq hotel and the theater is very small, so even the last row is a great seat.

Budget Friendly Shows

We all know Vegas can be pricey.  Especially when you go see a popular large production show.  If you’re price sensitive, there are still some really good shows you can see.  The last time we were in Las Vegas we decided to try something different and see a variety show.  We ended up buying tickets to see V The Ultimate Variety show at the Planet Hollywood hotel.

The theater itself wasn’t very nice but show was entertaining.  It was made up of several different specialty acts that included juggling, a balancing act and a comedy routine.  The line up of acts changes nightly, so you can see something different one night to the next.  If you manage your expectations and aren’t expecting the glitz and glamour of a big production, you’ll enjoy the show.

Other Show Ideas

Concerts – Las Vegas always has a strong line up of concerts along the Strip.  Once of the best shows I’ve seen was an Aerosmith concert when they were on tour playing at the MGM arena.  There’s something about seeing a concert in Vegas that makes the experience extra fun.  If you plan to see a concert while you’re visiting, just be sure to grab your tickets before you arrive.

Las Vegas Knights – Hockey isn’t exactly a show but it’s definitely a fun entertainment option that I highly recommend.  Last year my son and I flew out to catch a game and we had a blast!  Even if you’ve never seen a hockey game, you’re going to love it.  The arena is right behind the New York New York hotel, so it’s super convenient to get to.  If the game is during the week or they’re playing a team that isn’t very popular, you can even get tickets below face value.

Final Thoughts

The next time you’re in Vegas, do yourself a favor and see one of these shows.  You’ll absolutely love it!  If you see one of them, leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought.  Have you seen another show you loved but didn’t make our list of the best Las Vegas shows?  I’m always looking for recommendations for our next trip so let me know what you liked and I’ll go see it!

The post The Best Las Vegas Shows appeared first on Easy Travel Points.

What is Skellig Michael?

Skellig Michael is a rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The island was inhabited by monks dating back to as early as the 6th century. These monks built stone staircases that start at the base of the island and reach all the way to the top where they constructed a small Irish Christian monastery. The grounds and structures can still be seen today in their original forms.

Star Wars Island

Skellig Michael was featured in two of the more recent Star Wars films and has become a popular tourist destination ever since. But you definitely don’t have to be a Luke Skywalker or Last Jedi fan to enjoy the Skellig islands. It is absolutely breathtaking!

On our trip to Ireland, visiting Skellig Michael was easily the highlight of our trip!

Where is Skellig Michael?

Skellig Michael is an island located about 8 miles off the coast of Kerry, Ireland. To get there, you have to go with a licensed company and take a small boat out to the island. If you get seasick, you’ll want to come prepared with Dramamine.

The sea can be a little choppy and some on our boat got sick. Don’t let the ride out discourage you though, it is more than worth it! You’ll also want to pack a poncho because it can rain while you’re out there as well.

Skellig Michael Tours

Ireland has limited the number of visitors to Skellig Island each day. Tours only operate between the months of May through September due to the weather.

The only way you are able to visit Skellig Michael is by booking a Skellig Michael landing tour with a boat tour company that is authorized to dock at the island. There are approximately 8 boats that are allowed to dock each day and each boat only carries 10 people.

IMPORTANT NOTE –There are several companies that offer tours around the island so you can see it up close from the water, but most boat operators are not able to drop you off. When you are booking a tour, be sure that it is a “landing tour”.

Because of the Star Wars movies, these tours have been known to fill up extremely fast. You will most likely need to book them months in advance. My advice would be to book your tour tickets the minute after you buy your plane tickets to Ireland.

We booked our tour with Skellig Islands but I’m sure the rest are great too. They all had comparable boats from what I could tell.

Almost every tour company leaves from the small town of Portmagee around 9 am. There are a few lodging options in Portmagee; however, we decided to stay in Killarney the night before. If you stay in Killarney, plan on giving yourself an additional 90 minutes in the morning to make the drive to Portmagee.

Skellig Island

The boat ride from Portmagee to Skellig Michael takes about an hour and the ride can be choppy.

Once you arrive you will climb over 600 ancient stone steps to get to the top. There will be plenty of time to reach the top, so take your time and be careful.

The stones can be very slippery, especially if it has been raining. Along the way, you will see thousands of puffins flying around and nesting along the cliffs. This is one of the few places in the world where you will get to see these birds up close.

Breathtaking Views

Once you get about two-thirds of the way up you will arrive at the spot where they filmed scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. From here the views are absolutely breathtaking!

After you catch your breath and enjoy the scenery, there’s one final staircase to climb to reach the top. At the top, you will find a few small houses and buildings constructed by the monks over a thousand years ago. It’s incredible to think about how they built these structures so long ago. It’s amazing they have survived hundreds of years in such a remote location.

Using Points To Offset The Cost

Flights – There is a great sweet spot using British Airways Avios miles from the East Coast to Ireland. You can fly there for only 26k miles roundtrip, plus taxes and fee. Most of the major banks transfer to British Airways, so it’s easy to earn points. Here’s a list of all of the transfer partners.

Hotels – Outside of Dublin, there aren’t any major hotel chains. So if you wanted to use points, you would have to book your lodging through your bank’s travel portal. The card_name gives you the best redemption rate. However, you can also use the card_name, card_name and card_name as well.

Tour – The only way to use points for this would be if the tour costs codes as travel on your credit card statement. If that’s true, you could use one of the Capital One cards above to “erase” the cost. It’s been a few years since we went, so I can’t remember how the charge codes.

If you’re thinking about using points to help cover the cost of your trip, here’s a link to the best public credit card offers currently available.

Final Thoughts

If Ireland is on your bucket list, you really need to make time to visit Skellig Michael. It takes a little time and planning but it is more than worth it! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The post How To Visit Skellig Michael appeared first on Easy Travel Points.

What Is AutoSlash

While it’s been around for a few years, I only recently discovered AutoSlash about a year ago.  AutoSlash is more than just a typical rental car website.  Not only do they search all major rental car companies for the best price but they will also find you all applicable discounts you qualify for.  Then, after you book your reservation, they’ll monitor your reservation and let you know if the price drops.

Not only was it easy to use but I easily saved just over $50 on our minivan rental.  Frankly, after seeing how easy it was to use this site, I’m shocked I hadn’t heard about it sooner.  Now I’m going to show you how you can use AutoSlash to easily save money the next time you rent a car.

However, before I do, I just wanted to mention this article wasn’t sponsored in any way.  I have used this site several times to rent a car and it has always saved me money.

What They Do

AutoSlash provides a few different services you can use and they do it all for free!  If you prefer to book your rental car on your own, you can still use their site to help you save some money.  Here are the three main services they provide.

Quotes – Just like most other online travel agencies, you can search for pricing based on your travel itinerary.  They will also apply any available coupons you qualify for automatically.  AutoSlash will then provide you with rates for both prepaid and reservations with free cancellation.  To really take advantage of this service, you want to make sure you book a reservation that allows you to cancel it at any time.

Price Tracking – This is the best and most valuable service they provide. Once you book your car, you can go back to the AutoSlash website and enter in the reservation details.  From there, they will continuously monitor your car rental reservation and email you once the price drops.

Coupons – If you decide you want to just book your car rental on your own elsewhere, you can use AutoSlash to find any applicable coupons.  Just fill out the questionnaire based on your specific circumstances.

When you book your car rental, be sure to use a credit card that provides primary car rental insurance.  This can save you a lot of money by not purchasing insurance through the rental car company.  Chase has an excellent line up of credit cards that provide this coverage for free just by having the card.  A few of my favorites that I have used are the card_name, card_name, card_name and the card_name.  I always use my card_name for personal rentals and my card_name while traveling for business.

Get A Quote

AutoSlash works a little differently than the other online car rental agencies.  Usually, you submit your itinerary details and they provide a list of results with the associated pricing.  With AutoSlash, the first thing you need to do is request a quote from AutoSlash.  The process is pretty simple and takes only a couple minutes to do.

After you have entered your itinerary and the type of car you want, it will ask you to fill out a short questionnaire about memberships and credit cards you are part of.  This will help AutoSlash find you any applicable coupons or discounts you may qualify for.  The car rental companies do have the right to verify any discounts applied to your rental, so be sure to fill this out accurately.

Once you’ve entered your email address, it will submit your request and take you to a summary page.  Here you can review your request and make any necessary changes.

Within about 10 minutes AutoSlash will email you telling you that your quote is available.  Simply click on the link in the email and it will take you to the different pricing options.

The results will provide you a link to various different online travel agencies based on where they find the best rates for your itinerary.  If you plan to use their tracking feature, just be sure to make a reservation that allows you to cancel for free.  The results in the quote do a really good job of noting which ones allow you to pay later but just double check your reservation before you reserve your car.

The first time I made my reservation with them I was a little skeptical about my rental rate.  I decided to check a couple other sites I have used in the past to compare the price I was given to theirs.  When compared to the four sites I looked at, AutoSlash had an equal or better rate for the same itinerary.  I repeated this process for a couple more reservations I have made and had the same results.

Tracking Your Reservation With AutoSlash

After making your reservation, it’s time to let AutoSlash get to work saving you money.  You’ll need to go back to the home page and select “track a rental” that’s at the top, right-hand side of the page.

From there, it will quickly take you through a few different pages where you will enter in the details and cost of your car rental reservation.  When you get to the screen with the membership questionnaire, be sure to fill it accurately to get the appropriate discounts.

The last thing you’ll do is enter your email address before submitting your tracking request. It will then take you to a summary page with your tracking request where you can make any necessary changes.  You will also receive an email confirming they received your request and will now start tracking your reservation.  Now you just need to sit back and let AutoSlash work their magic.

Once they find a lower price for your itinerary, they’ll email you to let you know.  I have received an email within hours of submitting my tracking request and other times it can take days.  When you get the email, click on the link and it will take you to where they found the lower rate.  Sometimes it won’t be at the very top, so be sure to scroll down if you don’t see it right away.

Regardless of when it comes, don’t wait to book your car rental at the lower rate.  Prices for car rentals are always changing so the new rate may not be available for long.  The first time I used AutoSlash I received an email at 2am notifying me of a price drop but by the time I saw the email, the lower price was gone.  Luckily for me, an even lower rate became available a few days later.

I will only book a new reservation if it also allows me to cancel it for free.  The only exception would be if my trip were a few days out and there was a great prepaid rate available.  Once you book your lower rate, don’t forget to go back and cancel your previous reservation.  After you’ve done this, you’ll want to then go back and update your tracking request in AutoSlash.  This way they’ll know the updated price of your reservation and won’t send you outdated price alerts.

Final Thoughts

I have used AutoSlash a few times now and each time they have saved me money.  Not only did they save me money but they saved me a lot of time.  I would always check prices on multiple websites periodically leading up to my trip.  Now, I let them do the work for me.  With how easy and effortless the whole process was, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t use this site when renting a car.  Leave me a comment below and let me know if you’ve used AutoSlash before and how much money you saved.

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