travel Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Empathic Finance

Beware the second time around

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 31, 2015 | Featured | No Comments

We were stuck at the Gare du Nord with no place to stay. We had arrived on the Eurostar, fresh from London, with accommodations all arranged. We had booked an apartment near the Champs-Élysées through AirBnb, and everything was … Read More … Read More

Tags: Copenhagen, London, Paris, Stockholm, travel, travel planning, trip planning, trips

Getting my mom and I to London and back: a study in trip planning

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 20, 2015 | Featured | No Comments

In my last post I talked about how my mom and I were going to Europe together. Specifically London, although we threw in Paris at the last moment. It’s a really exciting time. For me, one of the best … Read More … Read More

Tags: flights, frequent flyer miles, planning, travel

The absolute best way to use frequent flyer miles

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 17, 2015 | Featured | 3 Comments

I’m going on a big trip starting this week, and I’m really excited about it! I’ve hinted about it in previous posts, but I wanted to lay it all out here so you can share in my excitement and … Read More … Read More

Tags: adventures, family, London, travel

Why foreign transaction fees are (annoying but) no big deal

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 5, 2015 | Featured | No Comments

WARNING: This post contains math. Are you old enough to remember travelers checks? When I went on my first trip abroad when I was much younger, that was still the de facto method of using currency when in a … Read More … Read More

Tags: banks, credit cards, debit cards, fees, foreign transaction fees, international travel, travel, travelers checks

Challenge: Travel to one new country every year

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 9, 2015 | Featured | No Comments

Got any travel plans for this year? Still think that travel isn’t in the cards for you, despite your wish to the contrary? I have a challenge for you. And I think you can achieve it, both this year and … Read More … Read More

Tags: challenge, countries, one new country, travel

Does a mileage run ever make sense?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on December 1, 2014 | Featured | No Comments

I was trying to find a round trip ticket on Alaska Airlines that would end up being more than 6,342 miles round trip. This is difficult. Alaska runs a rather short-haul system, and the longest flight they run is … Read More … Read More

Tags: hawaii, mileage runs, travel, travel hacking

NEXUS is inconsistently awesome: a report on flying to Canada

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on November 3, 2014 | Featured | No Comments

I’ve written before about NEXUS and how much of a good deal it is for most people who fly on any regular basis. To recap: $50 and an interview (and your eyeballs scanned) will get you expedited security and … Read More … Read More

Tags: NEXUS, Pre-check, travel, travel hacking, Victoria

Become a Trusted Traveler with NEXUS (and get your eyeballs scanned)

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on September 15, 2014 | Featured | No Comments

A few months ago, I wrote about my experience signing up for NEXUS, the joint border clearance program between the US and Canada that allows for expedited travel in, out, and between the two countries. The process for getting … Read More … Read More

Tags: airports, border crossing, Canada, customs, Global Entry, international, NEXUS, Pre-check, travel

How to save money on airfare by purchasing frequent flyer miles

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 28, 2014 | Featured | No Comments

Frequent flier miles can be a really amazing tool for seeing the world. I used miles to travel in international business class when I came home from Europe earlier this year, and while it was a bit of an … Read More … Read More

Tags: flying, frequent flyer miles, miles, travel, travel hacking

Is it worth it to purchase lounge access?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on June 30, 2014 | Featured | No Comments

As mentioned in the discussion of my failed attempt at extending my airline lounge access, I had purchased lounge access for a year, and had enjoyed the experience. But I balked at renewing my membership. It just seemed like … Read More … Read More

Tags: airline lounge, airports, travel

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