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  1. Top 10 Things to do in Miami

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    Top 10 Things to do in Miami

    Welcome to Miami – the hip and happening Floridian city of Cubanos, heady nightclubs and stunning beaches. If you are looking for things to do in Miami then look no further, this ultimate guide will give you the ten must-see Miami attractions to make sure that your visit to the sunny city of the south satisfies your every need.

    1. Chill out on South Beach

    The iconic South Beach is the place to begin your Miami adventure. This long strip of glistening white sand is one of Miami’s most beautiful sights and is filled its most exciting flavors. Watch a game of beach volleyball, envy the super-fit as they roller skate along the promenade or simply sunbathe in your best swimsuit.

    2. Eat a Cubano in Little Havana

    Little Havana is the must-visit neighborhood of Miami. A stone’s throw away from South Beach, Little Havana is home to thousands of Cuban migrants who have made Miami their own. Tuck into a juicy Cubano sandwich, take in the smell of Cuban cigars or watch an intense game of dominoes in Maximo Gomez Park.

    3. Dance in a nightclub

    Miami is known for its extravagant nightlife and non-stop party scene. Whether you want to partner up in a salsa club and take in a live band or experience electronic dance music played by world-famous DJs in super-clubs on South Beach, Miami is the place to do it.

    4. See Art Deco architecture

    Miami is the capital of Art Deco and its Art Deco District is ideal for budding photographers and historians alike. These perfectly-preserved 1930s buildings in their wonderful pastel hues lie in the heart of the modern city and provide some real Miami history.

    5. Shop at Bayside Marketplace

    Miami is world-famous for its shopping malls and Bayside Marketplace is a shopper’s paradise. Located on the Miami Waterfront not only can you purchase some incredible souvenirs, the latest fashions and grab a bite to eat here, but you also get some of the most stunning views of the beach and waterfront.

    6. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

    Step back in time at Miami’s Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an enormous mansion decorated with priceless exhibits and artifacts. The former home of James Deering, the estate dates back to 1916 and has been an important location for a number of famous events throughout history including a visit by Elizabeth II and the Pope.

    7. Visit the zoo

    Zoo Miami is a unique cageless zoo and the ultimate way to see wild animals in their near-real natural habitats. Ideal for a family day out, the zoo features over 2,000 animals and visitors take a safari track to see them in their open-air environments.

    8. Miami Children’s Museum

    The interactive exhibits on display at the Miami Children’s Museum are state-of-the-art educational and entertainment tools perfect for the whole family. Move seamlessly on a journey of exploration through galleries detailing communication, arts, culture and community.

    9. Dine like a movie star

    For Miami’s best steak and to sit among the ghosts of Hollywood’s greatest stars, including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, be sure to book a table at The Forge. Try to time your meal and book a weekly dinner party, which features additional live music and dinner specials.

    10. Take a trip to the Everglades

    The diverse swamp lands of the Everglades are just a short drive from Miami and worth a day trip. Take a guided boat ride through the waters or walk along boardwalks and spot crocodiles, snakes,

  2. How to get Car Rental Upgrades

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    There is no real strategy to getting car rental upgrades if you don’t rent a car very often. Like airlines, car rental companies like to treat their most frequent and loyal customers with perks such as an upgraded vehicle.

    Don’t set your hopes on getting a Mercedes Benz, Porsche, or BMW when you’ve booked a Ford. A car rental upgrade can mean you’re bumped up from a midsize vehicle to a full size or sometimes even an SUV. Though it all depends on what’s on the lot.

    Rent Often, Be Loyal

    The best way to get a car rental upgrade is to join a loyalty program. Most car rental companies will sign you up for free, but don’t expect that upgrade just for becoming a member. Unlike airlines, though, chances of getting a better car than the one you booked are higher than scoring a business class seat on your next flight when you’ve booked economy.

    National probably has one of the best upgrade schemes we’ve experienced, where members of the Emerald Club can pick any car on the lot (in a designated area) and go, at a growing number of locations. This approach often means that there’s a wide variety of cars available in all categories. I think our ‘best’ upgrade form a mid-size was a Mercedes-Benz C300 or a BMW X5, but these are rare. Expect to have your pick of some Full-Size cars.

    Why do we get Car Rental Upgrades?

    It’s all about supply and demand. An airline knows how many of what kind of seat it will have on a flight, and it knows at what time the passengers should be showing up. Rental Car companies, though they ask you for an arrival time, don’t know what time you and all their other customers will show up exactly. So it’s up to them to balance the cars they have (which may have to be driven into that location from an outside lot) with the people they expect to turn up.

    That might mean that during a busy period there are only SUV’s left on the lot and that’s what they’ll give you. For some this might be fun car rental upgrade but if you’re conscious about fuel consumption not so much. If you’re not happy with the vehicle you’ve been assigned, ask what else they have available. If nothing, then you should ask when they expect to have a more suitable vehicle available. Most companies will let you swap your ride without asking any questions. Just remember to fill up the tank before you return any vehicle.

  3. International business class on regional or domestic flights

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    Some airlines may choose to fly a luxury product on shorter flights. Think of AA’s Flagship service, or United’s P.S. flights. These are products designed for that market, but if you had the choice of flying a regional jet or a twin-aisle with fully flat beds, which would you choose? There’s a quirk in international passenger aviation that allows for airlines to fly larger jets on some rather short routes. This is known as a fifth freedom flight.

    When an airline has fifth freedom rights, it is allowed to fly from its home country to a destination, pick up passengers at that destination, and fly them on to a third country. There are a number of reasons for these flights. The plane may not be able to reach the final destination and it has to stop to refuel (consider Singapore Airlines’ service to New York via Frankfurt), or perhaps the market just doesn’t sustain two separate flights so the route is combined.

    Either way, there are some interesting flights to be done on international carriers. Here’s a look at a few of them:

    Vancouver to New York on Cathay Pacific and Philippine Airlines

    Cathay Pacific is able to fly passengers non-stop from its base in Hong Kong to both of these cities individually, but the airline maintains its flight between Canada’s West Coast city to the Big Apple. For passengers looking to fly in international first class, this trans-continental journey can be a good deal using points if you can find the availability. Philippine Airlines also will fly passengers between New York and Vancouver, but if you’re looking to get to Manilla this is a stop you can’t skip.

    Madrid-Frankfurt on Latam

    In Europe, there’s a flight operated by LATAM Chile that flies between Frankfurt and Madrid. If you would like to have a fully-flat bed for this relatively short flight, you are in luck if you can get a seat on Latam’s 787-dreamliner

    Island Hopping in the Caribbean

    British Airways still offer a number of flights between islands in the Caribbean including between Antigua and St. Kitts, Nassau to Grand Cayman, and a few others. These schedules do vary.

  4. Earning Elite Status with three US Airlines

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    American Airlines

    New to 2017 for the Aadvantage program is a spending requirement to earn Elite status. To qualify, passengers must earn at least 25,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) and spend at least $3,000 in Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs).
    American Airlines will let you earn up to $6,000 dollars in EQDs by spending at least $50,000 on their branded credit card. If you only spend up to $25,000 on the card you’ll have to make do with $3,000 in credit. So if you’re looking to earn Executive Platinum status with American Airlines, you’ll have to fork out over $12,000 before taxes to meet the threshold, or $6000 to American + $50,000 spend on your credit card.

    Delta

    To qualify for medallion status on Delta you will need at least 25,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and you’ll have had to spend $3000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). So that doesn’t mean that all the miles you earn on your flight will automatically count towards elite status, nor does it mean that your entire ticket cost will count as your MQD spend. The fine print defines MQMs and MQDs pretty rigidly so you’ll have to do your homework to make sure you are going to qualify.
    One thing delta does do, is give its SkyMiles members outside of the US a break. These customers don’t have to meet the MQD requirements. Holders of a Delta-branded American Express card can also be exempt from the MQD requirements for their tier if they spend at least $25,000 on the card in a year.
    Delta will also roll-over miles earned above the qualification threshold to next year.

    United Airlines

    To earn premier status in United’s frequent flyer program, Mileage Plus, you’ll need to earn 25,000 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs), and spend $3,000 Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQDs) within the calendar year. Pretty much the same as Delta, but the website doesn’t list exemptions for non-US residents and credit card customers.

  5. Some of the world’s best Fireworks displays for New Years eve

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    With 2017 right around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the best fireworks displays that rang in 2016. As does the New Year, we will start east, and make our way west across the different time zones. Where are you celebrating the start of the new year, and what are your resolutions for 2017? Let us know in the comments below.
    The videos definitely do not do the shows justice.

    Auckland, New Zealand

    Two hours ahead of Sydney, Auckland is the first major city to ring in the New Year.

    Sydney, Australia

    Always a crowd-pleaser and never a disappointment, the Sydney fireworks show draws in tourists from all over the world to be among the first to go in to the new year with a bang! This show definitely puts others to shame.

    Taipei

    Hong Kong

    Dubai

    Paris

    The city of lights uses the Eiffel Tower as the main focus point of the fireworks show. Sadly the video isn’t of the greatest quality, but as a teaser it definitely merits a mention in this list.

    London

  6. Why are none of the busiest air routes in the world in the USA?

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    For many, the end of December is a big time to travel. In the US, the Department of Transportation notes that the number long distance trips taken increases by 23% around Christmas. This is less than around Thanksgiving, but still enough to put a strain on transit infrastructure during this period. With so many people travelling in the US not just around the holidays, but on a regular basis you may expect that the busiest air travel routes in the world would be found here. They’re not.
    In terms of the numbers of passengers carried, not a single US air route (domestic or international) makes it in to the list of the top busiest routes published by OAG. The numbers presented are based on seat capacity and not passengers flown. However, we believe seat capacity is a key metric.

    Busiest, domestic or international routes?

    Before we get to the list, there’s another area to look at when it comes to the busiest routes, are they domestic or international? Not only are there more barriers for passengers wanting to fly internationally (think visas and passport control), governments and airlines need to work out agreements that allow passenger carriage to take place. Perhaps unsurprisingly so, the busiest routes in the world by seat capacity are almost all domestic routes.

    Why is the US not in the top-10?

    Perhaps one of the key reasons why US routes don’t make it in to the top 10 is because the country is so big. While that would probably mean that there is more reason to fly, it also means that there are more options. Many of the routes in the top 10 are in countries that are smaller than the US. Looking at all the major US carriers, they each have multiple hubs spread throughout the country and traffic isn’t funneled into one channel. To get from New York to LA, for instance, you can fly direct, but there are options to connect you in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, and the list goes on. Point to Point air travel isn’t as big in the US as in other countries. Capacity is spread out in the US, and not concentrated. And where there are very frequent connections, the aircraft are usually a lot smaller.

  7. Popular Cruise Destinations

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    The cruise industry is a big industry. The Cruise Line Industry association (CLIA) which represents 62 cruise lines (or over 95% of global cruise capacity) publishes an annual look at the state of the cruise industry and predicted that in 2016 cruise lines would welcome over 24 million passengers and by the end of the year there would be 475 cruise ships in operation ranging from specialty ships in the Galapagos to mega cruise ships in the Caribbean.

    Caribbean Cruising

    By far the most popular destination for a cruise is the Caribbean with 33.7% of the passenger cruising capacity for 2016. With warm weather year-round and plenty of different ports of call, the Caribbean has long been a favourite for all sorts of cruise vacations. Florida is by-far the starting point for many of the cruises with the port of Miami, Port Everglades, and Port Canaveral holding the top three spots; each catering to over 4,000,000 cruise passengers a year.

    Mediterranean Cruises

    Barcelona is the first port outside of the Americas to make the list of busiest cruise ports in the world; and this leads us to the second most popular destination for cruises: The Mediterranean. While the Mediterranean isn’t quite the year-round hub for cruising as the Caribbean is, there is still plenty of charm and variety between the different ports dotting the southern European and North-African coasts. Many ships sail in the Mediterranean in the summer months, then seek warmer climes for the winters, trekking across the Atlantic or through the Suez Canal en-route to their winter homes.

    European River Cruises

    Often overlooked in Europe is river cruising. While perhaps not as grand as ocean cruising owing to the smaller size of the vessels, river cruising certainly should not be considered inferior. River cruise ships offer many of the same high-quality amenities and services their larger ocean-faring counterparts do and provide an intimate sophisticated experience for all passengers.

    So whether it’s a jaunt to the Bahamas, or a tour of the old world; consider a cruise for your next vacation and have your hotel take you places.

  8. The declining service of airlines

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    United Airlines has recently announced a new fare structure where perks such as free seat selection, and even overhead bin space will now be available for a fee. It’s no secret that airlines have been making a mint out of ancillary fees. Increased competition from low cost carriers and the travellers desire for the lowest possible fares are driving the established players to adopt a new model to remain profitable. Here we have a look at some of the things that may now cost you money on your next flight.
    Seat Selection – even at online check-in
    In the past all seats were created equal. Passengers could reserve most seats simply by request, and there was always a wide selection of seats available at the airport. Granted sometimes it meant getting up at an odd hour of day and trying to be first to check in as soon as online check in opened, but there was choice. Now, ever more airlines are making you fork over for the privilege of selecting a seat in advance of the flight. Some like United Airlines and British Airways even going so far as to not give the passengers in the lowest fare classes seat selection at all but just allocating the seats at check-in.
    Meals
    For many airlines gone are the days of a free meal. Of course, not all flights had a meal service; but this was the first area where airlines started to scale back to reduce costs. Urban legend, or truth: many people can recall the story that shaving a single olive off a salad saved lots of money for the airlines. So now if you want it, you’re going to have to pay for it separately.
    Baggage (even some carry-on)
    When you buy a plane ticket you are purchasing transportation for yourself from point a to b. airlines used to consider that if you’re flying somewhere you are probably going for an extended period of time and you’ll need to bring more than what can fit in a backpack. So they threw in a suitcase or two of space for you to take clothes. Weight limits have been around for as long as this writer can remember, and going over that meant forking up; but now that first Samsonite in the hold will cost you regardless.
    What it boils down to is what is included in the price of your airline ticket. Air fares have dropped and so has the level of service. Splitting out the components of the travel experience are giving consumers a pick and pay menu of what

  9. My flight is delayed!

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    Many travellers face delays and cancellations. For the airlines, these are a daily occurrence and airline staff take care of rerouting and accommodating people on different flights. So what if this happens to you?
    In Europe, and increasingly in many other countries; there are consumer protections on what your rights are and what the airlines’ obligations are when dealing with a cancelled flight. The most important thing to remember is that the airline has the duty to honour your ticket and get you to your destination. It is also always wise to have travel insurance. Many credit cards will automatically provide insurance for your trip but be sure to read the policy and make sure you know what’s covered. Another option is to buy trip-specific insurance policies; or take out a multi-trip annual plan. Insurance can help you where the airline will not by refunding you for hotels and accommodation; or even if you have to buy a return ticket on another airline. Be sure to check with your provider to see what is covered.
    Airlines in the US have differing policies on when they will provide accommodation. If the circumstances are beyond the airline’s control, you’re usually on your own to rely on your travel insurance for coverage. Make sure you get a statement from the airline with the reason for the cancellation, and keep all receipts.
    It helps if you do your homework a bit and look at the other flights yourself so you can present them with the options. Just presenting the staff with the options doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to make the changes, but it shows that you are trying to think with them and you’re doing some of the leg work.

  10. Exciting Small Airports

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    Gibraltar Airport

    This airport’s runway divides the country; literally. There was no other flat, wide portion of land that was suitable to build the runway for Gibraltar’s airport other than the isthmus between the Rock, and mainland Spain. As a result, the airport bisects the country and there’s even a main road that crosses the runway. Every time a plane needs to land, or take off the road is closed for vehicles and pedestrians.

    Saint Barth’s, Gustaf III airport

    This tiny airport in the Caribbean sees scheduled service and links the French territory with neighbouring islands. You won’t be able to fly here from much further than the range of a small propeller aircraft, considering the runway is one of the shortest in the world, and is flanked by a hill and the ocean. Landing here is a risky manoeuvre with no room for error or second chances.

    Saba, Dutch Caribbean Island

    This tiny island is a destination in itself. Marketed as the unspoilt island, it’s no surprise that everything about coming here is an adventure. From the main road which is simply called “The Road”, you can expect to be amazed from before you even touch down. Regular air service connects Saba to St. Maarten, and charter services are provided to Anguilla and Antigua. Pilots have to make sure they carry enough fuel to get them to the nearest pump, considering there are no provisions for refuelling on the island. At only 400m in length aircraft and operators need special permission to land.

    Courchevel Airport

    Even though this airport does not see regular scheduled service, it still makes our list given its dramatic location on top of a mountain. If you’re a James Bond fan, you may even recognize the airport from the opening sequence of Tomorrow Never Dies. Of course, the silver screen has embellished some of the features, but the fact remains that this is one of the most dangerous airports in the world.