There was a tweet from Fake Points Travel Blogger listing 5 people who have left TPG in the last 30 days. I don’t get the point he is trying to make since many of those employees had been there for years and it isn’t exactly the best time to be a travel blogger. But Twitter thought that I would like the Tweet which is why I commented “Zero attrition at TPOL.”
Incidentally, today is editor’s day, the day I celebrate my editor, cliffordbarnabus, who has been with me since April 2017 (see 30 for 30: TPOL’s Blog Editor). I still haven’t met clifford in person which may explain why he has yet to quit. I also haven’t met Fake Points Travel Blogger, though I don’t know if that interaction would be as pleasant. Then again clifford is a fan of Notre Dame, Ohio State, and if I recall correctly, Duke (editor’s note – I hate the dukies!). What can be worse than that? #ihatechristianlaettner
Happy editor’s day!
Don’t quit, lest you lose your fringe benefits. #hbogo #sling #nounionsattpol
I previously wrote 90,000 Business Gold Card Offer, Suddenly Not Available and Amex Business Gold Offer Under ‘Investigation’. These posts were regarding my application for the Business Gold card and the 90k sign-up bonus. Amex claims that the offer was only for 80k, despite sending them screenshots of the higher offer. The good news is that I will receive the 90k bonus. The bad news is that it is only coming as a result of a retention offer, whereby I have to spend an additional 3k on top of the 10k.
10k bonus points is worth the spend but I miss the days of Chase where better offers would be matched without this inconvenience.
One Way to Madrid is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
The international travel drought is over. TPOL is back. It has been a long time since I could put together a spreadsheet. My last big Trip Report was ANA, Take Me ‘Round The World which was inclusive of the TPOL in Shanghai, expat assignment. That was in 2019 before the world ended. Annoyed at the imposters who are pretending to be travelers just because they went to Tulum during COVID and inspired by the disingenuous well-wishers who in reality relish in me being grounded (see We’re All In This Together, So Long As You’re Miserable), I am coming out of the basement and resetting the standard for what travel and blogging is supposed to be.
The kickoff of international travel begins with a stop in Colombia to visit my sportswear factory floor (see IQKhameleon: Halfway There!). Then it’s back to Puerto Rico to put together some marketing videos for my revolutionary product (see VIDEO: Battle Ropes in Puerto Rico!). Next, I will witness Michigan lose at Wisconsin (see Booked! Michigan v. Wisconsin). From there, the fun real begins as I’m off to Madrid for wine tasting in Ribera del Duero on Iberia business for only 34k points. At some point, I will stop in Italy and follow up on my application for purchasing a 1 euro villa (see Nothing to Rent in Tuscany, But Maybe I’ll Buy a House in Italy). Along the way, I will visit the remaining countries that I have not been to in western Europe including some islands and territories to spite and increase the tally of my Country Count List. When I will return, I do not know. What I do know is that TPOL is back. Imposters, you’ve been put on notice. Good luck keeping up (sarcasm added).
*Trip and spite subject to cancellation as more of Europe says no to Americans.
TPOL, the matador of the travel blog world, is back!
August is done. The angry people writing on my blog are not. The top posts are below. It’s noteworthy that the negative posts round out the top 4, thus the title of the post.
Last March, I wrote “Describe Trump’s Travel Ban: It’s Stupid.” Today I use the word stupid again to describe the US’s requirement that travelers returning from abroad need to present a negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours from the date of travel.
For those that have left their basement during COVID, don’t tell me your trip to Croatia and Tulum count as travel and that COVID requirements aren’t a big deal. That is not travel. That is child’s play.
Passengers on inbound, outbound, or transit flights who test positive for COVID-19 at the airport will be required to quarantine at a MINSA-designated hotel/hospital for 14 days.
Traveling domestically just to get off the island is not my idea of a good time. That does not include seeing my feckless Wolverines. This year I am going to Madison, Wisconsin to lose again.
TPOL’s Guns & Butter Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Here’s how it works – A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy. The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa. The guide includes inefficient activities i.e., tourist traps that should be avoided and aspirational activities that are worth doing but may be impossible to see given the constraints of time and resources.
I had one day in Auckland to do and see as much as I could. Mission accomplished.
Last March, I wrote Describe Trump’s Travel Ban: It’s Stupid. Today I use the word stupid again to describe the US’s requirement that travelers returning from abroad need to present a negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours from the date of travel. Next week, I am going to Colombia (see Don’t Route Via Panama), the next step in my IQKhameleon odyssey. Colombia, like North Korea, is on the Level 4, Do Not Travel List (see North Korea – Level 4: Do Not Travel). This means that COVID is hanging out on every street corner, every bar, and every crevice. If by some chance, I can’t outrun its menacing ways like Barry Sanders (see Barry Sanders Reveals Breakthrough Case), I won’t be able to return to the US until I produce a negative test. Here’s why that is stupid:
Like a termite infestation, the virus is already all over the US. Even if I’m contagious, I’m not bringing back something that isn’t already here.
Testing is inaccurate. Someone who takes an antigen test is less likely to produce a positive result than taking a PCR test. Travelers looking to minimize the chance of being stuck will opt for this test, partially defeating the point of being tested.
Being vigilant is a myth. I am not going to lie. If an indoor bar is open, I’m going in for a drink. Second, even if I were on my best behavior and did nothing but double mask and keep my distance, it is a myth to believe that this will absolutely ward off infection. If it’s in the air, it’s in the air. There’s still a chance of a breakthrough case (see Breakthrough Infections: Another Reason Not to Travel).
I can still drink and eat on a plane! How is taking my mask off on a plane safe? Maybe I will be negative 72 hours before but what are the chances of infection from flying? I’m not buying that the air in a plane is COVID free.
COVID isn’t going anywhere: The point of the vaccine is to stop people from dying. It is not going to stop people from getting infected. It is the unvaccinated that should be making the adjustments in their lives. They are the ones that should not be allowed to fly because they are the ones who are holding the rest of us hostage by rules that try to accommodate their ignorance.
I want to get back to normal. Normal means that I may get infected. I might get sick. That’s a risk I am willing to take.
I’ll file this one under Punxsutawney TPOL, the directory of trips I say I’ll take but do not because of COVID. The latest in the world of imaginary adventures includes a gorilla trekking safari in the DRC. While watching a game between Chelsea and Arsenal, I saw the advertisement that said ‘Rwanda Is Open.’ As the game was played at Emirates Stadium, my mind also started to contemplate the possibilities of where I could go in Africa by routing through the Middle East. Due to the value of AA points, I would not be routing through Dubai but would go through Doha on Qatar, a business class product that I have not flown since The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World.
I went to BA’s website and could not believe the availability to Doha and beyond in business. I went to Kayak’s COVID website and saw that it was manageable to go to DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. Then I went to visit.virunga.org and saw how easy it was to book a package (contrast How to Book a Trip to Bhutan). Like Bhutan, obtaining a visa, a persistent problem for me (see Visas), is also arranged through the outfitter.
All set for an impulse buy, I almost put the itinerary on hold, an admittedly bold move. Then I started reading about the COVID protocols for Virunga. Namely, if someone tests positive for COVID he/she will not be able to go on the trek. This reminded me of my Malaria/food poisoning incident in Maasa Mara (see Malaria Or Food Poisoning? Day 2 Safari Ruined). Frozen again, I closed Internet Explorer and went back to the Stone Age of accepting that TPOL’s adventures are on hold forever.
This morning I awoke to an email from Visit Virugna outlining the details of the itinerary. At a cost of $2000, it includes a gorilla trek and an overnight hike up Nyiragongo Volcano. Maybe I should risk it. At this point, I know nothing except that I still have my sense of adventure and that I am happy to have done so much before this damn virus upended my lifestyle (see 11 Reasons Why I Still Don’t Want to Travel).
Preemptory Response to Annoying Comments: For those that have left their basement during COVID, don’t tell me your trip to Croatia and Tulum count as travel and that COVID requirements aren’t a big deal. That is not travel. That is child’s play.
I refuse to change my travel style (see ThePointsOfLife Travel Philosophy) because of COVID. If that means I have to stay home, then I will stay home (see 11 Reasons Why I Still Don’t Want to Travel). Traveling domestically just to get off the island is not my idea of a good time. That does not include seeing my feckless Wolverines. This year I am going to Madison, Wisconsin to lose again. The last time the Wolverines played the Badgers I was streaming it on an epically terrible ride back to Kathmandu (see OMAAT: The Hell Journey from Chitwan to Kathmandu). This time I can witness the misery in person. Nothing is more fun than going to the enemy’s den for a game of pigskin, even if our leader has lost all his swag (see Meyer Quits: Michigan Should Fire Harbaugh, written in 2018).
Remember this interception machine? (streamed off of Blackberry)
