How I prevent lost luggage

Happy Thanksgiving Eve weekend, y’all… If that makes sense… 🤔

Basically, it’s the weekend before Thanksgiving! And I’ve been caught up in daydreams that look like this👇

But before we jump into the shorter holiday week, let’s reflect on the best travel news, tips, and deals from the last few days.

✅ Priority Pass memberships are on sale for Black Friday (unless you already have a credit card that gets you in for free 😉)

✅ This week’s YouTube video will help you determine when you should use cash vs. points for a booking.

✅ You can still find cheap, domestic Delta flights (thank goodness).

✅ Save big and book a Spontaneous Escape… by November 30th.

✅ Don’t forget: Marriott’s Cyber Week Sale starts on November 26th.

🏆 Favorite pick of the week: Never lose your luggage again (for just $2)

I swear the only time I’ve checked a bag (and it was lost) was when I forgot to pull out my toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear 🙄

Lesson learned.

I rarely—like never—check luggage when I travel, but if I have to (e.g. when bringing back six liters of olive oil from Italy), I’ll only do so if I have my Apple AirTag.

If you’re not familiar with this little coin-sized gadget, it’s essentially a tracking device that sends out Bluetooth signals, which are picked up by other nearby devices.

By using it, you’re able to see its exact location, no matter where in the world you are (or it is) 🌎

Taking this a step further, Apple just announced that they’ll be partnering directly with some major airlines in the coming months to use geolocation technology to help them pinpoint missing luggage and more effectively return it to the passenger 👇

That’s really cool to hear, but now for the whole reason you’re reading this…

How do I get one of these bad boys for CHEAP?! Basically free, actually.

If you sign up for our favorite shopping portal, Rakuten, you can get $40 back after you spend $40 on one of their retailers within 90 days of signing up!

So if you go to Apple’s site via Rakuten, you can purchase an AirTag and a secure holder strap for just $41.95 before taxes…

To reiterate:

• Sign up for Rakuten with this link

• Go to Apple.com (via Rakuten’s site)

• Add an AirTag and secure holder strap to your cart for $40+

• Receive a $40 rebate from Rakuten 🎉

You can get one for yourself or gift it to someone else, but either way, this is the perfect time to get an AirTag with this deal.

PLUS, with Rakuten, did you know you can convert the cash back you earn into MR points??

Check out this video or this article to learn how!

🏃🏻‍♀️ Runner-Ups

🥇Options for how you could earn Oneworld status

The Oneworld alliance has always been my preferred alliance because it includes some of my favorite and most frequently flown airlines (British, Alaska, Japan, Qatar, and Finnair).

Here’s the full list though 👇

I currently have Oneworld status through British Airways, and I have found that to be the easiest program to “quickly” earn status.

To be honest, earning status is never quick lolz, but I fly BA regularly on the Vancouver to London route, so I rack up their elite Tier Points that way.

Plus, they award Tier Points based on both the distance you fly and the fare class you choose (including on partner airlines!).

So for example, if I fly nine hours, but in basic economy, all the way from Vancouver to London, I’ll only earn 20 Tier Points (because of the low fare class, despite the distance).

But if I fly business class on a cheap, 30-minute flight from my small regional airport down to Seattle on Alaska Airlines, I’ll earn 40 freaking Tier Points one-way thanks to that higher fare class, despite the shorter distance…

I just input my BA frequent flyer number and credit that flight to BA’s program (as opposed to Alaska).

You can also see how flying a long-haul route in the top fare class will earn you the maximum Tier Points (210 points for the YVR > LHR route).

Sometimes, I’ll even do a silly mileage run and take that 30-minute flight down to Seattle, sit in the lounge for two hours and enjoy a free lunch, then turn around and fly 30 minutes back home 🙃

And boom—80 Tier Points earned for an hour of flying time.

The takeaway here is that if you can find short, cheap routes in business class, you’ll easily accelerate the amount of Tier Points you earn in the shortest amount of time.

Mike also details three other solid options to earn Oneworld status:

• American Airlines AAdvantage

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Royal Jordanian Royal Club

If you’d like to read his breakdown (and what option he’s personally going with), check out that newsletter here.

🥈 IHG dropped a baller Cyber Sale to get 25% off hotels worldwide!

So okay, we’ve got two 25% off “Cyber Sales” battling it out. But frankly, IHG’s is better than Marriott’s 😎

This is a pretty straightforward promo, so I’ll keep this short and sweet:

• IHG members will get 25% off hotels worldwide (non-members will get 17% off… so sign up, it’s free!)

• No promo code is needed, just search normally

• Stays must be booked by December 3rd, 2024

• Valid for stays between November 23rd, 2024 and April 30th, 2025 🙌

• There are some blackout dates, so check out the sale page for details

You’re getting this discount on 6,000+ hotels around the world, and you have until the end of April for your travels… which is great.

Plus, if you’re hoping to become an IHG loyalist, you should definitely look into getting the hotel’s credit card which will grant you Platinum status and some other nice perks and benefits during your stay.

Overall, this is a super easy promo to take advantage of if you’ve got upcoming travel this winter or spring!

📣 Quick Callouts

• 🏃‍♂️ Mike on the Move: Luxury travel on the cheap

• 🤓 Travel trivia: Which airport was recently ranked as the best for holiday travel?

• 💡 Good to know: Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy, but should you be concerned?

If you’re traveling for the holiday this coming week… good luck and may the force be with you 🤞

See you next time!

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