Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Do you love to earn miles for the money you’re going to spend anyway? Great, me too, and it’s the reason why shopping portals take the cake as one of the best ways to earn miles outside of credit card sign-up bonuses. American, via the shop…
Author: The Short Final
Driving in Italy? Beware of “Controllo elettronico della velocita”…
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
The what now? If you’ve ever driven in Italy you’ve seen signs periodically that say ‘Controllo elettronico della velocita’ with a little image of a traffic cop… As confusing as the sign may be, the concept is quite simple…
Help Eradicate Your Parking Problems with SpotHero
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Parking problems must be eradicated – it’s the only way. Having lived in the city my entire life, I long for the day when I can have a parking spot, let alone a driveway. I have a car payment but Uber/Lyft is my friend more often than not b…
The Best Way to Learn About Spontaneous Award Space
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Do you have a bunch of miles and points, but no destination in mind? Do you enjoy spontaneous trips to Italy for cacio e pepe? Vietnam for Bun bo Hue? If you’re like me, you like the work to mostly be done for you. You want to be inspired with sp…
Airbnb: How to Weed Out The Good Places From the Bad
Airbnbs have changed the game – this is no secret. A kitchen, washer/dryer, free Wi-Fi, and low price points are some of the benefits of booking an Airbnb over a hotel. Nowadays, most Airbnbs have these amenities and this is due to consumer deman…
Read MoreThe Five Current Amex Offers That Will Save You A Bunch of Money
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
AMEX offers are one of the best features of AMEX cards, hands down. The perks range from hundreds off hotel stays to X number of membership rewards per dollar spent at your favorite retailers. As of today, there are some really, really good Offers and …
Are You Bilingual? What Are Your Best Tips for Learning Languages?!
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
I really, really need to learn Italian. My girlfriend and her family are all fluent so you know if I want to be “a part of the family” I can’t be the dude at the table not able to converse with the aunts and uncles. Now, here’s …
A Beginner’s Guide to a Vietnamese Food Menu
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Vietnamese is one of my favorite cuisines. In fact, when I’m not stuffing my face with the food of my Italian heritage, I’m usually eating at a Vietnamese restaurant. For some of you that are like me, you know your way around a Viet menu. F…
Great Deal! Rome, Venice, and Florence By Train on Italo for Just €20
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Have you ever traveled to Rome and wished you could see other cities in Italy for cheap? Well, now is your chance to check three amazing cities off your bucket list — Rome, Florence and Venice — for under €20. Yes, you read that right…
Costs to Consider If You Took Advantage of Hong Kong Airlines’ Amazing Flight Deal
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
You may have heard the news, Hong Kong Airlines published an amazing fare deal for a round-trip flight to China for less than $600…in business class. While the availability for these tickets is scarce at this point, and it remains to be seen if t…
What is the Michelin Guide and What Are Michelin Stars?
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
You’ve heard it before – world-renowned Michelin Starred chef XXX has the best-rated restaurant in Europe! That all sounds great, but you may be asking yourself…what is a Michelin Star and what is the big deal? I had the fortunate opp…
More to The Stable! American Adds 4 Airlines to Website for Award Booking
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
It looks like American has added additional partners to AA.com for online award booking. Prior to this news, in order to book awards on Cathay Pacific, SriLankan, Qatar Airways, and Malaysia Airlines, you would have had to call into American reservatio…
Coffee on a Plane? Why You May Want to Say No to a Cup of Airplane Joe
Alright, this is downright nasty and before you say anything, just know that I am 100% sold on this story as being true. Full send. “Insect Eggs” Lifehacker wrote up an article today about why you should avoid drinking coffee on your flight…
Read MoreHave You Joined Our Private Facebook Group?
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
I find tremendous value in being a part of many Facebook travel groups. It’s a great way to share ideas, inspiration, and get feedback on upcoming trip plans. One of my goals with this blog was to create a forum environment so that all of us can …
Ranking Which Credit Cards Offer the Best Cell Phone Protection
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
A while back I compared five credit cards that offer cell phone protection. All of these cards have the same maximum coverage per claim, but differ in other areas such as deductibles and annual maximums. Of these cards, I want to highlight the very bes…
How to Find Great Miles & Points Earning Deals By Yourself
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
A large part of my posting rotation is miles and points earning deals — portal bonuses, cheap miles for purchase, etc. While I’d love for you to be my captive audience and to come visit this blog each and every time you’re looking for…
What is The Short Final?
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
I’ve been blogging on my own for three months and it never occurred to me (until now) that I never explained how I chose my blog name. The way I arrived at The Short Final is sort of convoluted, but when I figured it out I felt super hipster and …
Score Thousands of Miles With a Motley Fool Subscription
Looking to pick up some extra airline miles this Friday? Motley Fool is offering multiple thousand point bonuses if you sign up for a subscription ($19/month or $99/year). The Motley Fool is dedicated to helping the world invest — better. Fo…
Read More4 Unexpected Costs That Will Derail Free Award Travel
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
Many of us get into “travel hacking” because of the prospect of “free travel.” Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a free lunch (unless Ed from Pizza in Motion is buying) and there are a number of unexpected costs that…
Save Pins of Your Favorite Places in Google Maps – And Be Everyone’s Best Friend
Written by The Short Final @ BoardingArea
If I had to name three things that have truly impacted my travel over the last few years, I’d have to say Google Flights, ExpertFlyer, and Google Maps pins. Today’s story is about Google Maps pins and all of the reasons why they’re gr…