One of the fun things about living in Washington, DC is access to the cultural offerings of the embassies: concerts, art exhibits, films, and receptions.
The free event, which runs from 10 am to 4 pm, is a day of family fun, food, and culture. The open houses offer visitors a look inside the embassies and provide a unique opportunity to experience the cultural heritage and national traditions of the 28 member countries of the European Union.
Embassy of the Netherlands Open House
A free shuttle bus runs between the embassies, allowing you to maximize your experience of traditional music, dance, food, film, and art.
I’ve heard that you can tell which embassies are offering free food by how long the lines are!
This year, participating embassies include: Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, France and the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Delegation of the European Union, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Republic of Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden.
Here are a few of the highlights that caught my eye:
I’m done with Resturants.com. I gave up on Entertainment Book a long time ago.
But there are still a couple of dining discount programs that I keep an eye on.
The first is the Dining RewardsNetwork, that allows you to earn miles or cash back for dining at certain restaurants and paying with a registered credit card.
Of these two programs, Groupon definitely offers the better deals, because you can get as much as half off. The Dining Rewards Network is better for earning a few extra frequent flyer miles to keep your account active.
I find that there are still a few quality seafood restaurants in both these programs in the Northern Virginia area.
Case in Point: The Dining Rewards Network
Tara Thai in Herndon, Virginia: This restaurant consistently serves delicious food, beautifully presented, including many fresh fish and seafood options. Highly recommended. The prices are reasonable, too.
The Ice House Cafe, Herndon, VA: There are a few local gems in “downtown” Herndon that have stood the test of time. The Ice House Cafe is one of the few joints around with an oyster bar, and live jazz on the weekends.
I have always been curious about Sanibel Island in Florida — was the conservation plan able to keep development in check?
Today, much of the island is preserved as the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Sanibel, and neighboring Captiva island are best known as a shell collector’s paradise. Eco-tourism is the major industry.
The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau is promoting the area by distributing a free copy of Lonely Planet’s guidebook, Discover the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, published in July 2012.
This is a full color softcover, pocket-sized travel guide — 176 pages, plus a pull-out map. There are no ads.
This guide covers:
Beaches: Beautiful beaches of every style, including world-class shelling, secluded white sand and sunsets
Nature & eco travel: From pristine beaches to wetlands and wildlife refuges
History & culture: Meet the pioneers, from the Calusa Indians to the Koreshan, and lively artists colonies
Entertainment: Shopping or nightlife, from jazz bars to dives and boutiques
Dining: Everything from bargain seafood joints overlooking the water to ethnic eats
Sport & activities: Get your hiking boots on, your kayak prepped, or hop on a bike
Accommodations: Choose from historic cottages, vacation rentals or chain hotels
Sign up here to request a free hard copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook.
If you prefer a digital version, you can download the Kindle edition free of charge from Amazon.com.
My favorite feature of the Barclaycard Arrival™ World MasterCard®is free access to my credit score every quarter.
If you are opening a lot of credit cards to earn points and miles, you definitely need to stay on top of the impact on your credit score.
Barclay’s offers free access to the real FICO score from Transunion. You are also eligible for a free FICO credit score from Barclay’s if you have the The US Airways Premier World MasterCard®.
This benefit has been available for the past six months, so I have been able to watch my score gradually increase over time as I took a break from opening new credit cards.
At first blush, you might think that your credit score would go down from opening a lot of rewards credit cards. It does. Your score temporarily drops a few points for each credit inquiry on your credit report.
Components of FICO Credit Score
However, if you pay your bills on time and in full every month (and you should only be in this game if you do) your score could actually increase over time.
That is because an important component of your credit score is credit utilization, or how much of the total credit line is being used.
If your total credit line increases as you open more cards, and the percent of credit utilized decreases, that can have a positive impact on your credit score.
Free FICO Score from Barclaycard Arrival: My Credit Score Increased Over Time
Free FICO Credit Score from Barclaycard Arrival
Six months ago, when I first gained access to my official FICO score via Barclaycard, my score was roughly 779. That is in the excellent range. (Sorry, I don’t have a screen shot.)
I wanted to give my credit score a rest, so I stopped applying for new credit cards for a while. As credit inquiries gradually dropped off my report, my score rose to 810 in January 2014.
Three months later, in April 2014, my credit score rose again to 825 out of a maximum score of 850. This is amazing considering the large number of credit cards I have applied for over the last several years.
Stay Alert for Offers for 50K Frequent Flyer Miles
My “strategy” when I first got into this game was to look for rewards cards that offered 50K bonus miles for new applicants. First, I applied for the Southwest credit card for 50K, and then the Southwest business card for 50K. Next I applied for the Delta card for 50K, and then the Delta business card for another 50K. After that I applied for the United card for 50K, and the United business card for 50K.
I am self-employed so I am eligible for small business credit cards because of my environmental consulting business.
I got a lot of free flights from these airlines!
Actually though, I think a consolidation strategy makes more sense for a lot of people, especially leisure, budget travelers.
Nevertheless, I didn’t follow my own advice, and last summer I applied for the American Airlines AAdvantage credit card for 50K bonus miles.
With my credit score now well above 800, I was now ready to consider applying for additional travel rewards credit cards. So this weekend, I applied for the American Airlines AAdvantage business credit card for 50K bonus points. This card has a $3,000 spend requirement in the first three months to get the bonus, and it has a $95 annual fee that is waived the first year. There are other offers out there for “Executive” versions of the AA card, but they had higher spend requirements than I was comfortable with.
Diversification is a good idea in the stock market, but it is a bad idea as far as frequent flyer programs go.
In order to maximize award travel, you need to concentrate your earning strategy on one or maybe two frequent flyer programs.
Miles and points have no value if they are not used. Zilch. So there is little value in gathering a few miles here and a few miles there unless you will have enough to redeem for an award ticket or hotel room.
Miles and Points Programs Are Loyalty Programs
Frequent flyer and hotel programs are loyalty programs so it stands to reason that they reward loyalty. If you spread your spending around, the less likely you are to accrue enough points in any one program to redeem an award, or to benefit from elite status. Now I am not one for elite status, but if you are doing a lot of traveling, and can arrange your travel to concentrate on a particular airline or hotel chain, you may accelerate your points earning as you move up the loyalty program ladder.
35,000 Miles Won’t Get Me Where I Want to Go
Let me give an example. Last year, I opened a The US Airways Premier World MasterCard® for a bonus of 35K miles. I thought this was a great deal because the miles were awarded after making my first purchase — there was no minimum spend requirement. Free miles, I thought. (The offer now is for $30K miles after your first purchase, with an annual fee of $89.)
US Airways fit into our family’s travel plans, because they had a lot of flights from Washington National (DCA) to Hartford (BDL). The US Airways card came with two $99 companion passes, so I thought it would be a good way for our family of three to save on travel expenses. Furthermore, it allowed award redemptions for 5,000 fewer points. (Economy awards on US Airways normally cost 25K miles, but if you have The US Airways Premier World MasterCard®, they cost only 20K miles.)
When it came time to book our travel, there was ready award availability at the “economy” level for flights from DC to Hartford.
Experienced travelers know that the key to a pleasant journey is comfortable footwear.
When we were in Vermont last fall, I discovered some great Merino wool socks at a local outfitter — Sam’s in Brattleboro.
Sam’s occupies at least three buildings in downtown Brattleboro, across the street from the Latchis Hotel where we stayed.
It is one of those stores with an endless selection of hats, gloves, coats, boots, sweaters, and of course socks.
The socks — Darn Tough Vermont — are manufactured in the Green Mountain State.
I bought a couple of pairs, and now I am a convert.
There are a variety of styles for men, women, and children: socks for hiking; socks for skiing; socks for running; and socks for everyday wear.
The socks come in different weights, sizes, lengths, and colors, and they all have an unconditional lifetime guarantee.
If our socks are not the most comfortable, durable and best fitting socks you have ever owned, return them for another pair, or your money back.
Vermont Country Store
These socks are expensive, but sometimes you can find bargains on last year’s styles. I wear mine around the house, for walking the dog, and when I know I’ll have to take my shoes off at airport security.
They are also available from outfitters like REI or on Amazon.com.
We found a huge display of Darn Tough Vermont socks at the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. This is a really fun store that sells all kinds of old fashioned candies, toiletries, toys, and everything else made in Vermont, from cheese to maple sugar candies, to rugged clothing. Be sure to check out the upstairs loft for discounted merchandise!
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks if you choose to use them.
United Airlines is offering a 25 percent discount on award tickets to Japan, just in time for the cherry blossom season and festivals.
This is the bargain of the century!
Round-trip coach tickets for nonstop flights from Washington, DC to Tokyo price out at over $2,000 in April 2014, but can be had 52,500 miles with this sale!
The regular “saver” award price is 70,000 Mileage Plus miles.
What’s more, there is plenty of availability for Dulles International Airport (IAD) in both directions!
Saver Award Space from IAD to NRTSaver Award Space From NRT to IAD
I did not check availability for other departure cities — but the offer is good for travel from the mainland U.S. and Canada.
The offer is valid for coach tickets purchased by April 17, 2014, for travel between April 1 and April 30, 2014.
A sample itinerary I checked priced out to 52,500 miles plus $120.50 in taxes for a roundtrip ticket, or $2,480 in cash.
That means that you could get enough miles for a roundtrip ticket to Japan just by opening a single credit card and meeting the minimum spend requirement. That’s extraordinary if you think about it!
I’m just back from two business trips to North Carolina.
Last week, my meeting was held in the Carolina Inn, a fabulous historic hotel on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
I’ve stayed there several times before, sometimes with a very good Priceline rate.
Destination Delivers
When I checked in, the desk clerk offered me a brochure for the Destination Hotels and Resorts loyalty program, Destination Delivers. “It’s a pretty good deal,” she said. “You can get room upgrades.”
When I got to my room, I went online to check out the benefits. Anyone can sign up, and you are automatically granted “VIP Status.” The benefits of VIP Status are somewhat elusive, but they seem to include:
10% off the Best Available Rate
Use promo code D2BAR1 to receive 10% off the Best Available Rate. Offer is based on availability.
20% off the Best Available Rate
Get 20% off the Best Available Rate during your birthday month. Mention promo code D2BDAY. Must show valid ID to receive discount.
Room Upgrade Late Checkout
A room upgrade could be a very useful benefit, especially at a historic hotel like the Carolina Inn, where the standard rooms are quite small. This benefit is only offered when available.
There are more than 40 other hotels and resorts in the Destination portfolio, including many at ski resorts, and city hotels in Washington, DC and Chicago. All the properties are in the United States.
Fodor’s has updated its series of 22 free travel guides for iPhone and iPad and the 2014 editions are now available on iTunes.
Just in time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, city guides for Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo have been added!
Each App features:
– Expert info: Read about things to do and get expert tips
– Interactive Local Maps: Discover what’s nearby
– Booking Tools: Book hotels, tours, and more – Planner: Save favorites and create lists
Fodor’s local travel experts vet every recommendation. You’ll find information on neighborhoods, cheap things to do, kid-friendly attractions, shopping, nightlife, performing arts, and more. These are not your parent’s stuffy travel books!
Fodor’s Apps Feature Interactive Maps
The interactive maps make it easy to find nearby hotels, sights, restaurants, bars, and clubs and to access reviews from the map.
Listings are searchable by destination, price range, or category of interest. Look for properties designated “Fodor’s Choice,” representing the best of the best.
The Fodor’s apps were recognized as the “2013 Travel App of the Year” by the Society of American Travel Writers, and were featured in Wired Magazine’s 2012 App Guide as a Best Travel Reference App.
How can Fodor’s afford to give away its guidebooks for free? The apps include the ability to book hotel rooms via Expedia, buy event tickets via Tickets Now, and make restaurant reservations via Open Table. Fodor’s is likely earning a commission if you make purchases via the app.
I logged in to the online account for my Barclaycard Arrival™ World MasterCard® and noticed a contest Barclay’s been running in honor of Women’s History Month.
The “Be Your Possible” contest will award four $10,000 prizes. There are two more chances to enter, by April 1 and April 8, 2014.
Being your possible means you don’t let anything stand in the way of accomplishing your goals and reaching your full potential.
