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Mandalay posted:Barring unexpected extra travel. I've spreadsheeted out my travel plans tail end of year... Shouldn't you be able to one-stop it through ORD or PHL? You would still hit over 3k miles.
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Oct 3, 2016 13:16
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This is my first year as SPG platinum, so having access to the lounges has been nice. Is there any rhyme or reason to them? I try to stay at Sheratons/Westins where available and I've had varying experiences with the lounges. For instance, Sheraton Westport St. Louis - cont breakfast (AM), hors doeurves (PM) but paid drinks (beer/wine/liquor) Sheraton Imperial Raleigh - hot breakfast, hors doeurves and free drinks Westin downtown Cleveland - hot breakfast, hors doeurves and free drinks (probably the nicest spread I've seen in a domestic lounge) Westin Oaks/Galleria Houston - no lounge Sheraton Universal Los Angeles - cont breakfast, hors doeurves and paid drinks Sheraton Boston - cont breakfast, hors doeurves and paid drinks Sheraton Norfolk waterside - cont breakfast, hors doeurves and paid drinks W Atlanta midtown - no lounge Obviously, having the option of a free breakfast of any kind is good so I can still take the points as the amenity (and free bottled water whenever I want it), but the ones that offer free drinks and hot breakfast seem like the better ones to stay at. How/who decides what the hotel will offer in the lounge? It looks like FT had a SPG club lounge thread with the locations that have them, but the link isn't working for me. Has anyone put a spreadsheet like this together?
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Oct 3, 2016 21:20
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is united 1k worth it? i have plat and could get 1k if i want, but would rather award travel
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Oct 4, 2016 00:15
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KillHour posted:In other news, I was approved for a CSR card. No more waiting in lovely airport food courts for me!
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Oct 4, 2016 00:59
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Cacafuego posted:This is my first year as SPG platinum, so having access to the lounges has been nice. Is there any rhyme or reason to them? I try to stay at Sheratons/Westins where available and I've had varying experiences with the lounges. It depends very much on the property and who is running it. Most SPG hotels are not owned by SPG but rather a franchise and the actual owner has a ton of sway over what brand standard is or is not implemented. Some are glorious (like the Sheraton Salzburg) and some are barely passable as a space that humans are allowed to inhabit (looking at you, Sheraton Gunter San Antonio). And many Westin properties have no lounge at all. Something to research when you're looking at a particular property. In other news, I'm personally of the belief that a meal or drink outside the hotel is nearly always preferable to whatever the offerings are inside. It's nice to have the option, I suppose, but not generally worth steering your spend to over something else within the SPG family.
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Oct 4, 2016 01:36
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Mad Wack posted:is united 1k worth it? i have plat and could get 1k if i want, but would rather award travel Higher upgrade priority and you earn 11x RDM per PQD rather than 9x. Plus GPUs are nice if you do international travel and are willing to buy at least a W fare. I wouldn't spend extra to make it unless you were really, really close.
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Oct 4, 2016 01:37
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I find the Marriott concierge lounges to be fairly convenient for light breakfast. I would prefer to eat meals outside the hotel but it's easier to prep in the morning in a space other than a restaurant. Hotel restaurants are not good as a class, with some exceptions of course.
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Oct 4, 2016 13:05
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In the US, that's true. Try the breakfast at the Herod's Herzliya in Israel. 
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Oct 4, 2016 13:11
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On my last trip through NRT I sat next to a woman in her late 20s who had never flown international in economy. Her dad worked for United and, until she turned 26, she got to fly first-class standby where ever she wanted. Our conversation stopped there until a steady stream of questions through the flight would have me dying of laughter: "Do they give you water back here?" "What is the food like? I'm not a picky eater, but I don't eat a lot of meat or grains." "Are we allowed to sleep?" "There is ice cream? Like first class?!"She was really nice, but drat is she lacking in regular people experience.
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Oct 4, 2016 15:45
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MickeyFinn posted:On my last trip through NRT I sat next to a woman in her late 20s who had never flown international in economy. Her dad worked for United and, until she turned 26, she got to fly first-class standby where ever she wanted. Our conversation stopped there until a steady stream of questions through the flight would have me dying of laughter: 
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Oct 4, 2016 17:26
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Hey guys, tell me about Chinese visas. I have to make a short trip to China for a client's joint venture partner. It's likely that I will have to do more trips of this nature in the future. It appears I will likely need a multiple entry M or F visa. How difficult is it to get, and what's the lead time?
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Oct 4, 2016 18:29
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I did mine through a passport service out of Houston. You'll need a letter of invitation from your customer and to fill out a form. Took less than 2 weeks if I remember from last year. You have to send them your passport along with some extra photos and whatnot. They'll give you a 10 year multiple entry visa good for 3 months per visit I think, assuming you're in the US. I can find the name of the service if you want.
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Oct 4, 2016 18:58
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FunOne posted:I did mine through a passport service out of Houston. You'll need a letter of invitation from your customer and to fill out a form. Took less than 2 weeks if I remember from last year. You have to send them your passport along with some extra photos and whatnot. Thanks, good stuff. I'm OK on the name for now, I think we might have a service we use.
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Oct 4, 2016 19:53
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Thanks, good stuff. I'm OK on the name for now, I think we might have a service we use. Yep, what FunOne said. I have a 10 year multi-entry visa after a couple of years of single year multi-entry. We use Travisa but any of the corporate agencies should be able to handle it. There are sometimes odd documentation requirements based on your location (I think SFO and NYC have those) but any of them require an invitation letter that the company you're doing business with in China gets from the government there as well as a letter from your company and several other things beyond the regular visa application and passport photos. It's less obtuse than Brazil but more dumb than many other countries.
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Oct 4, 2016 22:22
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This might be a long shot but i high recommend getting an APEC card. It's great for lot of countries and places. As for applying it's not too hard but just takes time.
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Oct 5, 2016 16:58
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caberham posted:This might be a long shot but i high recommend getting an APEC card. It's great for lot of countries and places. Just got mine. It took the full 6 weeks of time to get the card, and it LOOKS Asian as gently caress. Not a western design team involved. That being said, it doesn't absolve you of the VISA requirements as a US citizen for China/Australia/etc. So you still gotta handle that, just a skip-the-line provision. Heads up, if you already have GE (which you have to have, but you can get at the same time) then your APEC application is fill out the form, pay the money, and drop into a GE center to sign the paperwork. No appointment is required, they'll take you as a walk in. Mine in DFW took less than 5 minutes with a long-rear end line out the door for GE processing.
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Oct 5, 2016 17:45
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FunOne posted:Just got mine. It took the full 6 weeks of time to get the card, and it LOOKS Asian as gently caress. Not a western design team involved. Goddamn that's great news. Thanks guys!
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Oct 5, 2016 20:12
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Brazil was loving horrible. I had to drive to NYC.
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Oct 5, 2016 22:46
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Brazil has a hard on for making it hard on US citizens because you don't let them in and that triggers their enormous inferiority complex. Funniest I heard was a guy who was trapped in Uruguay for a few days waiting for a transit visa to get a layover in Guarulhos. On the flight there no problems but the return was with a Brazilian carrier and they refused to take him on without the visa. I believe he never showed it to anyone because he stayed on international side for the 2 hours he was there.
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Oct 6, 2016 01:56
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Luckily, once I actually got there, nobody gave a poo poo about the regulations that said I was supposed to drive back a week later and they just gave me a 10 year multiple entry on the spot. Also luckily, they didn't question why I was going too hard because I technically was supposed to get a VITEM V, which requires a loving FBI background check. Then you have to go to the federal police when you get to Brazil to "check in" so they can find you. And after all that, it's only good for 3 months. 
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Oct 6, 2016 02:18
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I haven't found a better thread to ask this, but feel free to point me to one: I'm planning a trip to Taiwan in a few months; what's the best way to handle currency conversion? I'm an American.
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Oct 6, 2016 03:12
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Go to an ATM and get cash out in the currency of wherever you are. Your bank at home will make the conversion at current exchange rates and ATM fees are usually reasonable unless you're in a strip club or something.
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Oct 6, 2016 03:17
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Get a Schwab checking account.
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Oct 6, 2016 15:23
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Thanatosian posted:I haven't found a better thread to ask this, but feel free to point me to one: I'm planning a trip to Taiwan in a few months; what's the best way to handle currency conversion? I'm an American. Unless you plan to be there for a tremendously long time or need a massive amount of cash, bank card is the way to go. Just make sure you tell your bank in advance if they are a stupid idiot bank like CapitalOne.
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Oct 6, 2016 15:56
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Barry posted:Get a Schwab checking account. Seconding this.
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Oct 6, 2016 15:58
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Barry posted:Get a Schwab checking account. This should be the default best answer for anyone in the US traveling abroad.
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Oct 6, 2016 17:17
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There is nothing quite like a mistaken wake-up call to take a hotel with a bed you can't sleep in to next level awful. Maybe after the 5th or 6th attempt you should check the number you dialed?
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Oct 13, 2016 15:11
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Who even uses wake up calls anymore? Do you not have a smartphone with an alarm built into it? Doesn't each room have an alarm clock anyways?
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Oct 13, 2016 16:02
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DJCobol posted:Who even uses wake up calls anymore? Do you not have a smartphone with an alarm built into it? Doesn't each room have an alarm clock anyways? Nightmare scenario: You forget to plug in your phone and it dies. You rely on that, so why bother with the alarm (I don't think I've ever used one, tbh). The only time I've used a wake up call is before a marathon. I also set multiple cell phone alarms, though
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Oct 13, 2016 16:19
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I use them as a backup every time. Why not.
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Oct 13, 2016 16:34
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my primary wake up call is my personal cell phone. my backup wake up call is my business cell phone. haven't failed me yet
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Oct 13, 2016 17:00
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DJCobol posted:Who even uses wake up calls anymore? Do you not have a smartphone with an alarm built into it? Doesn't each room have an alarm clock anyways? My smartphone is my primary alarm clock but I'll set a wakeup call if I have a super early flight. I either ignore or unplug the room alarm clock.
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Oct 13, 2016 18:07
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DJCobol posted:Who even uses wake up calls anymore? Do you not have a smartphone with an alarm built into it? Doesn't each room have an alarm clock anyways? I could forgive the first two attempts but the phone ringing off the hook is crazy. Two calls is all you get, if you aren't up by then you need a different wake up method. On the other hand I can now say I've answered a phone with "why the gently caress do you keep calling me this early?"
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Oct 13, 2016 18:24
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Once overnight my phone lost service and flipped back to the OG time zone and my alarm got skipped. Thankfully my friend's went off but it was a close shave including not filling up my rental car tank and being the last person on the plane. Never again rely on that.
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Oct 14, 2016 00:56
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Yeah right drunkie, your phone forgets its time zone when it loses service, suuuuure. Clearly you've never been a parent if you think anyone is falling for that horseshit.
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Oct 14, 2016 01:13
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Deep down this is all about not wanting to wake up and go to school. Stop the late night video game or hentai binge
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Oct 14, 2016 02:22
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MickeyFinn posted:On my last trip through NRT I sat next to a woman in her late 20s who had never flown international in economy. Her dad worked for United and, until she turned 26, she got to fly first-class standby where ever she wanted. Our conversation stopped there until a steady stream of questions through the flight would have me dying of laughter: So Cathay Pacific flies JFK-YVR, and it's regarded as the best domestic/transborder flight in North America. In economy, in standard Cathay Pacific fashion, they give you printed paper menus of the dinner service on board and the meal selections available. Some American passengers were asking others "do we have to pay for this? how much is it?" 
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Oct 14, 2016 21:57
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MickeyFinn posted:There is nothing quite like a mistaken wake-up call to take a hotel with a bed you can't sleep in to next level awful. Maybe after the 5th or 6th attempt you should check the number you dialed? I was on a major ERP deployment working night shift 7pm-7am in a factory to ensure the new system didn't poo poo the bed overnight. On the third
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Oct 15, 2016 03:58
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The hotel in Alaska where I once worked would offer wake-up calls for the northern lights. The problem with this plan is that there wasn't any way to see what was going on outside from the front desk (the windows all faced west or east) and there was no foot traffic through the lobby after the restaurant closed. I wonder if the night auditor ever made a single call?
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Oct 15, 2016 20:39
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air- posted:This should be the default best answer for anyone in the US traveling abroad. Besides Schwab, people should either be using T-Mobile or Google Fi. The international roaming is ridiculous. The free hour of GoGo with T-Mobile on domestic flights is great, too.
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Oct 15, 2016 22:46
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