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Iberia Business: SJU-MAD, Anything Left to Say?

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Iberia Business: SJU-MAD, Anything Left to Say?

If you don’t know, I will tell you that I have taken this flight many times before (see Iberia Flight Reviews). This time around, I took the earlier flight.

a sign in a store
Group 0?

a person's feet in a chair with a tv

Price

For 50k Avios, this remains the best deal in the sky.

Pre Take-Off

Having lived in Madrid (see Recap! Madrid Residency), I am partial to cava.a glass of orange juice and a glass of water on a table

Pasta

The bad golfers in my golf club are called ‘bacalao’, which translated in means cod. I attempted to use my Spanish speaking skills to order cod for the main course. It was sold out. I settled for the pesto pasta. It was not bad.

a plate of food and a glass of wine on a table a plate of food and a glass of wine

Dessert

On past Iberia flights, I have indulged in Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines. After almost being kicked off a plane (see Iberia Business ORD-MAD: Mask Jokes Literally Don’t Fly ), I decided to limit my intake to two reds.

a bowl of ice cream and a glass of wine

The real reason I did not drink so much is that the flight to Madrid is only 6 hours. There’s not enough time for a silent disco party (see Emirates A380 Silent Disco!), so drinking too much and arriving exhausted is not worth it.

No Pillow

I went to sleep but noticed that there were no pillows. I looked at my neighbors, who also had no pillows. This was quite odd.

Overall

When I lived in Scottsdale, I used to fly SWA to Vegas. It was convenient and it was reliable. The same is true about this route.

A-Live from Lisbon

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A-Live from Lisbon

When I did my inaugural residency in Madrid (see Recap! Madrid Residency), I blogged daily about my life as a Spaniard. I have decided to do the same when I am in Lisbon. This introductory post brings back an old blog strategy called ‘a-live’, short for Alex Alive and Alex is Live. The novel concept of hopping from country to country and blogging as I went was short-lived due to the unavailability of Wi-Fi, the tedious process of uploading photos, and the inability of my brain to formulate sentences after a night out in the new or often old town.

Since I will be [mostly] stationary in this trip, I thought I would give this another go. The last thing I want is another Trip Report that is overdue (see World Cup 2022).

a cobblestone street with buildings and people walking
Bem-vindo a Lisboa

Chase Sapphire Reserve Business: Chase Says No And No Again

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Chase Sapphire Reserve Business: Chase Says No And No Again

The old days of calling recon and coming away with a good result have changed (Chase Recon: How to Get It Done, written in 2016). I applied for the Chase Sapphire Business card. Instead of getting the 5/24 rejection, I received the following reasons for rejection:

a close-up of a credit card

Baffled by the seemingly contradictory reasons, I called recon. I was told the decision was final and nothing could be done. Curiously, I have never been approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve personal either.

How I would have met the minimum spend is no longer an issue (see Oops!… I Did It Again: Min Spending Hell).

 

 

Residency Lisbon, Portugal Begins Next Week

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Residency Lisbon, Portugal Begins Next Week

On April 29th, 2025, I wrote, Off Again! SJU-TBD Trip Report. At that time, I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I was flying from San Juan to Madrid. Now, I can share that my new [temporary] residency will be Lisbon, Portugal (For those unfamiliar with TPOL’s novel residency concept, I encourage you to read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency? and catch up on my prior Residency Adventures). Unlike my Madrid Residency (see Recap: Madrid Residency), I plan to venture off more than a few blocks from my apartment. Stops include Athens, Greece, to see my Italian real estate attorney (see Did TPOL Buy a 1 Euro Italian Villa?), Manchester, England to meet my YouTube producer for the first time (see 7 Lessons Learned from FAILING at My 1st Vlog: St. Lucia Carnival), South of France to meet my roommate from Shanghai (see Travel Lesson Lisbon: Friend Reunion Led to Missed Flight), and somewhere in Eastern Europe to meet my cousins.

What does that mean for you? More spectacular content that should be produced more efficiently now that I’m revolutionizing how blogs are written with the aid of technology (see TPOL’s Out of the Office…to Automate Automation).

a group of people sitting at tables in a street
I’m going to keep dancing on the Pink Street in Lisbon.

Reminder: Don’t Let Your Global Entry Lapse

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Reminder: Don’t Let Your Global Entry Lapse

“Please see the agent.” Those were the words on the Global Entry Kiosk when I returned from my Central America trip. I thought my pretty face was not recognized. As it turned out, my beloved Global Entry had expired. I commented, “I thought it was good for ten years?”. The border agent said it is good for five. “It’s been five years already?” I replied.

I didn’t receive notice that my Global Entry was expiring. I also didn’t think it would be a big deal to renew. A week before my trip to Colombia, I finally got around to doing the application. The day before leaving, I went to check in for my flight and noticed that my TSA PreCheck status was not showing up. I went back to the Global Entry page and saw that my status was still pending. Freaked out, I started Googling how long it takes for a renewal to process. My heart sank when I read horror stories that it could take months. I grew more despondent when I read that I could have still made use of Global Entry if I had applied for renewal before it expired.

The next morning I mentally prepared myself for the arduos line through airport security. My punishment for not renewing was enduring the humiliation of taking off my shoes and removing my laptop from my bag. Fortunately, the line itself was not that long.

Two days after my arrival, I received an email from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. My heart raced when I opened it. What if I were not approved? Could I ever travel again without the luxury of Global Entry?

Fortunately, I would not have to answer those questions as my application was approved.

a group of people in a building
What a relief!

 

 

Simply The Best: June 2025

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Simply The Best: June 2025

Half the year is over. That’s no good. But here’s what is great:

  1. Shaqtin’ a Fool: How I Almost Drown in Roatan 
  2. Etiquette of Things: Put Down Your Window Shade

    two people sitting in an airplane
    Why are humans oblivious?
  3. Cruises Kill: Just Say No

    a plane wing and a cruise ship in the water
    Where did this crowd come from? A cruise, of course.
  4. Travel Fitness: Just Say No To Bread

    a basket of bread and rolls
    On any good international carrier, you will be offered an assortment of dough.
  5. AA Business SJU-MIA: Flick the White Button!

    a close up of a sign
    Impatient, she hissed, “Flick the white button!” I was confused, forcing her to do it herself. That did not please her.
  6. Under The Sea? Maybe Scuba Isn’t For Me

    a bottle of wine in a bag
    Ranking the dare-devil activities that I have yet to do, scuba is near the bottom.
  7. Motivational Or Irritating? Expiring Stay Certificates

    a pool with chairs and umbrellas in front of a building
    I resent the obligation that expiring stay certificates impose. However, without due dates, I would never leave my bubble.

TPOL’s Out of the Office…

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TPOL’s Out of the Office…

But this time it is for more than travel. It is to go down to Colombia to meet with my AI Web Developer about increasing the automation of this fantastic blog. That way I can post twenty times a day without each post requiring hours of work.

boxing gloves on a ledge with a city in the background
Fighting to move this blog into the 22nd century.

Alaska Approved! Pending Avianca, Amex Never

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Alaska Approved! Pending Avianca, Amex Never

All I receive from Amex when I apply for anything is a warning that I am not eligible for anything. That is depressing. In search of app-o-rama thrills, I went through the credit card pushers’ list of best cards. The two that stuck out were Alaska’s 50k offer and Avianca’s 100k offer. I was instantly approved for the Alaska card. This bonus will go very well with my Hawaiian personal approval and perhaps my Hawaiian business approval (see Barclays Hawaiian Business App: Send in Your DL, SS Card by Mail). Avianca needs more time to see if I am worthy of those 100k Lifemiles.

What is a churner to do?

a large white airplane on a tarmac
Better start looking for Fiji flights now.

Barclays Hawaiian Business App: Send in Your DL, SS Card by Mail

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Barclays Hawaiian Business App: Send in Your DL, SS Card by Mail

I’ve never seen a more antiquated bank than Barclays. I understand the KYC requirements but how do they not know me by now? Each time I apply for a business card, it’s like I am applying for a green card (see Barclays JetBlue App: Please FAX Your Business Lease, Barclays AA Business Aviator App: History Repeats Itself, JetBlue Business Approved! Yes, Alexander Bachuwa Owns Bachuwa Law). I was approved for the business version of the Hawaiian card, but now I have to mail a copy of my driver’s license and social security card (front and back) to Delaware. Why is that necessary? How is that secure? Anything for miles.

a plane on the runway

Cruises Kill: Just Say No

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Cruises Kill: Just Say No

Would you take a cruise? I would not. I don’t care how many commercials they push at me. Nothing about the experience is appealing.

Cruises kill. First, they kill the environment. Imagine how much energy is required to move a city across the ocean. Second, it kills the tourism sector. According to store owners I spoke with in Puerto Rico, cruise passengers spend the least amount of money compared to other tourists. Passengers have no incentive to eat because they can stuff their faces on the boat. They do not stay at the hotels because they are in their underwater state room. They don’t book excursions because the ship provides them. Third, cruises kill adventure. The fun of traveling is not planning and not knowing what is going to happen next. Who wants to be on a set itinerary?

Finally, cruises kill my fun. It was a Tuesday in Roatan. The beach was swamped with people, killing the tranquility of the beach. Where did this crowd come from? A cruise, of course. Hours later, the invasion ended and the beach went back to being beautiful.

Cruises kill. Just say no.

a plane wing and a cruise ship in the water
Stop the invasion.
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