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” All that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going…” -Jack Kerouac

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“He who would travel happily must travel light.– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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Hotel Intel

“I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room – and God damn it – died in a hotel room.” -Eugene O’Neill

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  • Hilton Honors Status: Officially Worthless in 2026

    Hilton Honors Status: Officially Worthless in 2026

    The purpose of a hotel loyalty program is to make frequent guests feel appreciated and keep them coming back for exclusive perks they can’t get anywhere else. In 2026 Hilton has degraded the experience of its Hilton Honors program so badly that it now has the opposite effect: the program will prevent me from booking…

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  • Review of the Comfort Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor

    Review of the Comfort Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor

    If you’re searching for a hotel in Downtown Baltimore these days you often have two choices: pay exorbitantly high rates or settle for substandard quality… at rates that are slightly lower but also exorbitant! Let’s take a look at why you shouldn’t stay at the Comfort Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor. I booked this hotel for…

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  • Review of the Days Inn Sarasota, FL: Hotel Intel

    Review of the Days Inn Sarasota, FL: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel in Sarasota you’ve got choices all up and down the scale of quality. But if you’re coming for Spring Training and trying to keep the costs even a little within reason you’ll unfortunately be near the bottom of that scale, which is where we find ourselves at the Days…

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  • Hotel Hacks: Save More Money When Hotel Rates are Highest

    Hotel Hacks: Save More Money When Hotel Rates are Highest

    The best travel deals are usually found outside a destination’s peak season. But what if you’re attending an event that draws hundreds of thousands? Or your schedule is limited to peak times by work and school? How do you save more money if you want to celebrate Christmas at home on Christmas morning? It is…

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  • Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel around Boca Raton you’ve got plenty of choices. But if you’re coming in peak season and not made of money those choices get narrow pretty quickly. In that case you might find yourself looking at the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach as I did recently. Can this Best Western property…

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  • Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Personal day-use coolers have always been a staple of road trip travel. Driving around the Florida coasts as much as I do, mine was getting daily use. Eventually an upgrade was in order and I wanted something with some size and substance. But I was still a bit hesitant to shell out Yeti money for…

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  • Capital One’s Venture X Card: Complete One Year Review

    At the end of 2021 Capital One launched the Venture X travel card. As a luxury offering it competes with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex’s Platinum Card. But with an annual fee that’s significantly lower can it really stack up? Sites like the Points Guy and Motley Fool gave it top honors in their…

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  • A View Into History at Saigon’s Caravelle Hotel

    If you’re planning a visit to Saigon, chances are pretty good you’re going to walk right by the Caravelle Hotel. It’s at the dead center of the city and adjacent to city hall and the symphony. That location isn’t an accident. You need deep pockets to acquire that kind of real estate. Caravelle’s original investors…

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  • How to Deal With The Motorbikes in Saigon

    If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam you may have seen posts elsewhere mentioning the preponderance of motorbikes in Saigon. I’m here to tell you that those posts don’t even come close to impressing upon a reader how many Ho Chi Minh motorcycles they are going to encounter in the city and how that experience…

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  • More Like No-Chi-Minh-City If You Ask Me…

    I’ll be honest with you: I did not enjoy visiting Saigon. I don’t recommend anyone go there, unless they’re arriving or departing at the airport and traveling elsewhere in Vietnam. You can see enough to get a decent impression of Ho Chi Minh City by booking a hotel in District 1 and walking around for…

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  • The Jim Beam Distillery: A Complete Tour in Photos

    Most folks who take a trip along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are going to encounter the Jim Beam Distillery. With its central location just a half hour south of downtown Louisville, Beam is very easy to reach. The location just 2-3 minutes off I-65 and proximity to other attractions makes it a box that has…

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  • Finding The Best Rare Bourbons in Kentucky

    Bourbon isn’t just distilled and aged in Kentucky. It’s commonly enjoyed there as well. The Bluegrass State leads the nation in straight whiskey consumption and it isn’t particularly close. Folks there drink so much bourbon that distilleries and distributors allocate retailers there with their best products. These include rare bourbons like single-barrels and Kentucky-only releases.…

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