In addition to traveling the world, Madeline and I roam the internet looking for news, information and deals to help us travel smarter and safer. In our Traveling the Internet series, we share some of the most interesting and helpful stops we’ve taken.
Flying Coast to Coast is Becoming Less Costly
Madeline and I haven’t benefited from this trend because our travel is usually from the middle of the United States to somewhere else. But for those that need to commute between the east and west coasts, this might be appealing. Who knows how long it will last? You should book your travel ASAP to lock in these fares.
Fellow blogger, Expert Vagabond, has a few tips for finding that low fare:
How to Find the Cheapest Flights for Traveling (Complete Guide)
Need to Contact the US Embassy in Austria? Go to McDonalds!
Madeline and I will be in Austria later in 2019, so we found this Food and Wine article amusing. I’m not sure why this auspicious relationship developed between the Unites States State Department and McDonalds but since there are 194 McDonald’s in Austria, and any American will recognize the golden arches, I think it’s a good thing.
When we’re travelling internationally, we frequently take guided tours. Often a meeting point is a McDonald’s near a bus station or train station. Why? Everyone knows how to find the McDonald’s!
The last time Madeline and I were in Germany, the McDonald’s served beer, which was a nice gesture. We saw McDonald’s served wine in Mendoza, Argentina, during harvest season. And we’ve had beer with our cheeseburgers in China.
Let’s see if this relationship extends to other countries!
American Travelers in Austria Can Now Reach the U.S. Embassy from McDonald’s
American Airlines Lounge at DFW is New and Improved
Madeline and I fly Delta more than American Airlines. But we’ll soon be taking some business-class flights on American. With our Delta status, we go to the DFW SkyClub, Delta’s premier lounge. We noticed Delta consistently upgrading their lounges. Recently, we saw the improvements. The new lounge has better seating. and a line of workspaces with electric outlets for those who want to sit with their laptop or other devices.
Then we read this Travel and Leisure article about American improveming their Flagship Lounge. The idea of a Flagship Lounge for first- and business-class passengers is nice. In our experience, the meal does not taste as good at 35,000 feet as it does on the ground. Having your business-class meal before you board allows you to sleep immediately after takeoff. As it is, you might wait up to two hours for meal service to begin.
The lights would still be on, and you’d still hear dishes and glassware rattling about. But I like the idea of the Flagship Lounge, and we’ll report our experiences when we try it later this year.
Amazon Can Help with Packing
Madeline does most of our packing, so we rarely need anything when we travel. But I’ve been known to forget things in my technology bag. One time, I forgot my laptop’s power cable! Forgetting something like that can be a big problem. I used Amazon to ship one to where I was staying. Problem solved in 24 hours.
According to Travel and Leisure, Amazon is now offering same-day delivery for all Prime members to Orlando. So, if you’re at Disney World, you can get missing items like power cords, adapters, diapers, sun tan lotion and shampoo delivered immediately. If you’re not an Amazon Primer member, you can sign up for the free trial.
Madeline and I have been Prime members since they announced the service and will never quit. The service continues to improve.
If you’re at Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando or the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Amazon can make your travel problems disappear. We love the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, and we’d recommend it for any occasion.
This Disney Packing Hack Could Make your Next Trip so Much Less Stressful
American Airlines is Spending $3.5B on New Gates at DFW
Madeline and I fly American more frequently since we’re in the Dallas area. We haven’t racked up a lot of miles and status yet, since most of my flying life I lived in Illinois and Minnesota and flew Delta or Northwest Airlines (now Delta). We maintain Diamond status on Delta. But we’ve been spending money with American because it’s so convenient!
For example, when we fly to Cancun on Delta we need to stop in Atlanta. That’s not a direct route and can take between six and 12 hours. If you add our time to get to the airport, and later to get to the hotel, we can spend 11 to 17 hours travelling.
With American, the flying time between two hours and six hours. That makes total travel time between seven and 11 hours. That’s a big improvement. While we’re loyal to Delta and American, flying either one must make economic sense and minimize travel time.
We’re intrigued by this Travel Pulse article about American adding a sixth terminal at DFW. American essentially rules Texas, and DFW is a major hub for national and international flights. Any expansion will benefit all the traveling public. I’m glad they are improving their gates and access to lounges. If you are an American loyalist, you’ll appreciate this investment.
DFW Airport and American Airlines Reveal Plans for Sixth Terminal