You may have just finished earning elite status during the 2024 qualification year. Or, if you’re chasing status with a program that doesn’t use a calendar year as its qualification period, such as American Airlines AAdvantage, you may still have months to earn your desired elite status. As the year comes to a close, it’s…

Cruises are often seen as one big booze fest at sea, and for good reason. As soon as you step on board, friendly servers make the rounds with trays teeming with rum punches and glasses of Champagne to celebrate the beginning of your vacation. That party vibe often continues throughout your time on the ship….

The best feature of the three major airline alliances — Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld — is that you can earn points or miles on any carrier within a given alliance by flying on any other. Likewise, you can use points or miles from any carrier in that alliance for award travel on a flight…

Not even a week into 2024, it became clear that aviation safety would be a major theme of the year. On Jan. 2, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 crashed into a Japanese Coast Guard DHC Dash-8 while landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew aboard the Coast Guard plane. The A350…

Sometimes it’s hard to beat an oldie but a goodie, and that’s certainly the case with Carnival Sunshine. Carnival’s oldest ship and part of the line’s Sunshine Class of reimagined vessels, Carnival Sunshine has the “Fun Ship 2.0” upgrades that bring it in line with newer Carnival ships. Modern amenities and an unpretentious environment dovetail…

Happy New Year! As we close out one year and look to the next, many of us are making resolutions to be better in the new year. And what’s better than being rewarded for keeping those resolutions? With the right credit card, you can save money and earn valuable rewards as you practice your resolutions…

Sorry, leisure travelers: British Airways plans to shift to a revenue-based program for earning Tier Points, which determine status qualification within the airline. This change will be effective April 1, 2025, and will accompany a rebranding of British Airways’ loyalty program, Executive Club, to The British Airways Club. Here’s what you need to know. Tier…

Marriott Bonvoy has over 30 hotel brands in more than 10,000 global destinations. While some other hotel loyalty programs have opted to bring properties from acquired brands into their existing brands, Marriott Bonvoy has generally not been hesitant to add a new brand to its program. Hence, the number of Marriott brands will likely continue…

If “The Golden Girls” were Italian nonnas, they’d feel right at home at Casa Monti, a boutique hotel in the heart of Rome’s oldest neighborhood. Thanks to its never-ending combinations of patterns, textures, prints and tchotchkes, the new hotel feels like an old friend, “a pal and a confidante,” if you will. Instantly welcoming and…

You might have heard that cruise fares are all-inclusive, but if you’re new to cruising, that term could be misleading. While mainstream cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line offer incredible value, covering lodging, meals and transportation in their cruise fares, they are not 100% all-inclusive. In other words,…