Category Archives: Travel

The JetBlue big winter sale is back and it’s time for you to plan your much-deserved vacation but here is the catch – the deal ends tonight.

For as low as $34, JetBlue will fly you from Boston to several destinations. Travel must occur between January 18 – March 8, 2017 with black out dates from 2/17 – 26/17 and traveling Monday – Thursday & Saturday. Published airfare rates from Boston include $39 to DC, $49 to NYC, $69 to Chicago, $89 to Puerto Rico and $99 to The Bahamas; 30+ destinations are listed as part of the sale.

OUCH! Last month J.D. Power and Associates released their annual North American Airport Satisfaction Survey and Boston’s Logan Airport ranked 28th out of 32 large airports. One reason cited for Boston’s dismal ratings are the disruptions caused by renovations. However, Logan Airport has some unique issues that in the near term seem likely to continue to frustrate travelers.

About the Study  Now in its 11^th year, the study measures overall traveler satisfaction with large and medium North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport accessibility; security check; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check; food, beverage and retail. The 2016 North America Airport Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 38,931 North American travelers who traveled through at least one domestic or international airport with both departure and arrival experiences (excluding connecting airports) during the past three months.

See more results here.

Iceland Air has some killer airfare deals to Europe from Boston, New York City and Washington DC, starting at only $399. Fares include two checked bags, gate-to-gate WiFi access, personal in-flight entertainment and all taxes and fees if booked before January 2, 2017.  Booked travel must take place between January 15 – May 15, 2017. Below is a chart to see introductory fares for this sale to Reykjavik, Paris, London, Glasgow, Frankfurt and Munich.

Learn more about this killer sale here: Iceland Air European Sale
The sale ends at Midnight on Monday, January 2, 2017.

According to a recent American Express survey of US households that have an annual income of $100,000 or more the average per person spend is expected to rise by more than 150% to $1,521 from just $605 in 2015.

The top reason to travel cited by consumers this holiday season is to visit family or friends. The second most cited reason for travel is to take a vacation, but the cost for the average American family holiday vacation has jumped and is expected to cost slightly more than $9,000. Among those traveling during the holiday season, the majority will stay within the U.S. with nearly one out of every three Americans naming the Northeast as their destination.

You can read more about these findings from American Express, here.

It is rare for us to return from a vacation feeling anything but rested and happy, but I know that is not always the case for everyone.  Part of the trick to getting back into the swing of things is making sure that your body and mind actually have time to process that you are going back to work.

Here are three tips that make returning from your vacation a lot easier and cost next to nothing to do.

1 – Travel during the middle of the week: If you are going to take a week off from work (assuming you work Monday – Friday), travel during the middle of the week. Why travel Wednesday to Wednesday? You make your life much easier, because your vacation is book ended by a short work week before and after your time out of the office. Who doesn’t love short work weeks? 

2 – Treat yourself: Having a treat at home gives you something to look forward to. Often before we leave on vacation we’ll make sure we have a nice bottle of Champagne in the refrigerator awaiting our return so on our first night back we can enjoy a few toasts and reminisce about our trip. I have other friends who book themselves a massage after vacations. Pick a treat that you would like and make sure it is scheduled or waiting for you when you return home.

3 – Take an extra day off to get your life in order: If you can, take an extra day off after arriving home. This way when you return home you can still feel like you are on vacation, and use the extra day off to get your life in order. Running errands on a weekday is so much easier.

These tips may not be for everyone and we don’t necessarily always follow these for every vacation, but they really go a long way to prolonging the post-vacation glow; especially tip number 1 – there is nothing better than coming back to a short work week.

Even though Boston is enjoying a beautiful fall in just a few short weeks the leaves will be gone and to paraphrase an often used saying from GoT, “winter is coming”. Each fall I like to encourage readers to plan ahead. One of the ways to survive a Boston winter is to book yourself a quick trip someplace warm (even if just for a few days) to break up the long, dark cold months otherwise known as a New England winter.

Booking trips to warmer climates early next year will start to get really expensive if you wait until the holidays or are hoping you’ll be lucky enough to snag a last minute e-saver fare. Moreover, by booking an airfare now, you’ll have the ticket paid off well in advance of the holidays.  Sergio and I are still discussing where we would like to escape early next year but below are some photos from past winter escapes that I thought I’d share to tempt you to do the same.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2016

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, 2015

West Beach – Laguna Beach, CA 2014

Book your trip this week – you’ll thank me come February.

A former colleague of mine works at a cool tech company in Cambridge called hopper has an app called GTFO – Get The Flight Out, that helps travelers book last minute trips leaving the same day or first thing the next morning.

Although I’ve yet to use the app the interface seems easy to use.  I’m curious if anyone has already downloaded the app or has used it.

Want to check it out for yourself? Download here: GTFO.

PORTO: Sergio and I were lucky to meet a native in Porto who showed us around his hometown and pointed us to two gay bars which we enjoyed getting visiting. The first gay bar, Conceição, is located not far from where we had dinner at Flow on Rua da Conceição. I would describe the place as a dive bar but it has a friendly crowd, the bartenders pour great drinks and it gets busy a bit earlier than the larger gay club, Lusitano (shown above), that was mostly empty when we arrived at 11:30PM, but started to fill up after Midnight.

LISBON: Lisbon is a much larger city than Porto and has many more options with most located in Bairro Alto and neighboring Principe Real. A pamphlet called “Lisbon Gay Circuit” is available at many clubs and show fifty different destinations that include clubs, saunas, food, services and accommodations.

Lisbon also has a wonderful all male guest house called The Late Birds that we stayed at and which I would encourage gay travelers to consider.

Upon arriving, the staff encourage you to download their own app called “The Late Birds Lisbon” (shown above), which makes getting around the city very easy. I’m amazed that larger hotel chains have not done this already, but that forward thinking, concierge-like service really defined the experience we enjoyed while staying there. Below are a few photos of our room and the property.If you have any questions about gay life in Portugal or would like to know more about The Late Birds, feel free to reach out to me. I’m happy to provide more details about places to check out when you visit.

Lisbon is smaller than Boston in population (550, 000 in the city limits and nearly 3 million in the region), but it feels much larger and certainly more worldly. Just like Rome, Lisbon was built on seven hills – some of which are so high and steep you wouldn’t believe it; walking the city will give you a leg workout so don’t feel guilty about eating all the pastel de nata that you like.

We stayed in Bairro Alto which in addition to being popular with tourists also is home to most of the gay bars, nightlife and the gay owned and operated, The Late Birds, where we ended up staying. Below is a picture from our room overlooking their private back patio, garden and pool; a perfect place to relax.

Just down the street from The Late Birds was a funky outdoor bar that was located at the top of a parking garage called Park Rooftop Bar.  The place has no signage and on our first visit we initially wondered if we were in the right place. Sergio and I enjoyed this place so much we went here for an evening cocktail and to watch the sun set over Lisbon (shown below) several times. 

If you have the opportunity to visit Libson, it makes sense to take a few day trips if time permits and after a lot of discussion Sergio and I spent time visiting Cascais and Sintra. The two locations could not be more different but both were easily accessible by the Lisbon metro (30-40 minute rides) that cost about 5 €.

Praia da Rainha – Cascais, Portugal

Cascais is a coastal town about 20 miles west of Lisbon that became a favorite destination of Portugal’s royal family in the late 1800s but is now an affluent suburb of Lisbon that is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and tourists. We spent our time walking through the small town and along the running / bike paths that hug the coastline and extend out from the town.

Sintra is another beautiful day trip from Lisbon probably best known for its many 19th-century romantic architectural monuments. We spent a day here when the temperature in Lisbon was close to 100°. Fortunately Sintra’s microclimate meant that we enjoyed a breeze and temperatures in the low to mid 80s, which was important because visiting Sintra = a leg workout. 

After clearing customs in Lisbon we immediately flew up to Porto, Portugal which is an easy 45-minute flight north.  We were lucky enough to befriend a local who was returning home and waiting for the same flight. His warm hospitality was an unexpected welcome to Portugal and he proved to be a wonderful tour guide for his hometown of Porto.

I had initially hesitated at the thought of visiting Porto, thinking it would be smarter to stay based in Lisbon and use the extra time to explore the capital or take more day trips, but I’m really glad I was persuaded to make the trip.

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city but it is easy to navigate and see in just a couple days. In addition to being incredibly picturesque, the city had a great vibe with some delicious restaurants like Flow and perhaps our favorite place was the outdoor bar, Base, which is located in Praca dos Clérigos also referred to as the Jardim das Oliveiras – Garden of Olives (shown in photograph below).

Earlier this month Sergio and I visited Portugal for the first (but not our last) time. The combination of a strong US dollar and the relative affordability of Portugal meant that we were able to enjoy the vacation for much less than travel to other parts of Europe.  However, it wasn’t the fact that the country was so affordable that made the both of us fall in love with the country.

We found the Portuguese to be extremely friendly, the food & wine delicious and the sites breathtakingly romantic. On our whirlwind trip we flew into Lisbon then connected on a flight to Porto in the north of Portugal. After spending a few days there we took the train to Lisbon where we explored Portugal’s capital and took day trips to Sintra and Cascais.  Below are a few photos from our trip.

Sergio is relaxing in an over sized bathtub at an outdoor bar called Base which was where we spent a bit of time each day enjoying the wine and views of the city. In the background is the tower for La iglesia de los Clérigos a Baroque style church and tower from which point you can see all of Porto.

An easy day trip from Lisbon is Sintra, a town that is best known for its 19th century romantic architectural monuments like the Pena Palace which resides atop a very steep hill and is a leg work out but worth every step.

Also an easy day trip from Lisbon is the affluent beach town Cascais. The town is known for its beaches, shopping and restaurants but we liked the dramatic coastline that became apparent if you took a short walk outside of the downtown area like this photo of Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth).

The time we spent in Lisbon passed too quickly. The capital city is both gritty and graceful with monuments and squares that remind travelers of the country’s proud past. The seven hills Lisbon was built upon are filled with ancient streets, breathtaking vistas and a vibe that is uniquely Lisbon and proudly Portuguese.

Sure there are some restrictions, but if you’ve never been to Buenos Aires this may be all the incentive you need to visit this beautiful city.

The Points Guy blog has published a post detailing this amazing deal, which includes flying Aeromexico between September 2016 – March 2017 to snag an economy fare round trip for the jaw-dropping price of $349.  Visit The Points Guy: Deal Alert Boston to Argentina for $349 RT for more information.

Sergio and I visited B.A. back in November 2004 and this deal is making me seriously consider another visit because I fell in love with Buenos Aires on that trip and would love to return. Below are a few photos from that trip.

Much thanks to the guys over at Hotties on the T! for sharing this news with me.