ORD to Anywhere

For a capital city, Vientiane is an awfully small and sleepy location. Hugging the banks of the Mekong River along the border with Thailand, the city isn't as sexy or well known on the tourist circuit as its neighor to the north - Luang Prabang. But let me assure you, it has charm nonetheless. Vientiane was the second stop on our three city tour of Southeast Asia after spending several days further south in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to tour the crumbling ruins of Angkor Wat. If

Kuala Lumpur (KL) - a city I am intimately familiar with. Over the years I've flown into and out of KL over thirty times as I found it is an excellent base from which you can explore Southeast Asia. It's a hub airport for the largest low cost carrier in the region (AirAsia) and hotel costs, even at five star hotels, are almost always extremely low when compared to cities of similar size across the globe. Because of these two factors, I selected it as the final destination p

As I detailed in my recent review of Japan Airlines' first class (LINK), my partner and I took a trip to Southeast Asia to celebrate his attainment of an MBA. We left Chicago mid-afternoon and a little over 12 hours later we arrived in Tokyo's Narita airport with an overnight layover staring us down. We'd be flying out to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific from Tokyo's Haneda airport, so when researching our overnight I was looking for a hotel property that had three things: Conve

I recently wrote about my experience flying on American Airline's transcontinental business class product from Los Angeles to New York City, complete with Kardashian drama (LINK). When I landed at JFK I was going to be spending the night in NYC before continuing onward the next afternoon to my home in Chicago. It was, oddly enough, the cheapest option from Los Angeles to Chicago for the dates I needed. While overnighting in NYC would obviously increase the overall costs du

Considering the name of this website, it might be a little surprising to see a hotel review being posted that's located less than a twenty minute drive from my front door. But guess what folks? It's happening! You might be asking yourself why I found myself in this situation. And the truthful answer is that sometimes you get a little crazy from being up too late a month before a trip and think to yourself, "Ya know, waking up early to catch a flight seems tedious, why don'

The Taj Mahal Palace is an iconic landmark in the city of Mumbai. A throwback to the days of the British Raj, the hotel is often said to have been constructed by legendary Indian businessman Jamsetji Tata when he was refused entry at the Watson's Hotel due to a "whites only" policy. Though historians state there is dubious evidence to support this claim, the fact remains that Tata constructed a beautiful hotel on the shores of the Arabian Sea that stands as a benchmark for

Ahhhh Goa. That mystical beach paradise on the shores of the Arabian Sea, calling out to travelers across the ages whether they're dusty bodies on the "Hippie Trail" (LINK) in the 60s or the planes full of Russian tourists that pack its shores today. Like Honolulu or Riviera Maya, Goa is India's version of the seashore hot spot that people love. And hate. While the beauty of the region is legendary, others often attach some rather unflattering adjectives to Goa - touristy,

As I mentioned in my recent review of the YOTEL's premium cabin, I've spent a lot of time traveling through London's Heathrow (LHR) airport. Often with a layover. I've stayed at many airport hotel properties at LHR over the years including the Hilton and Sofitel properties that are attached to the airport. Despite the luxuries offered by those properties, especially the Sofitel, I've come to rely on the YOTEL as my first choice when staying at LHR on an overnight layover.

While I spent most of my childhood as a Navy brat in locations across Japan, my family did actually spend a little bit of time in the good ole US of A. One of the two locations I lived in the US during my childhood was Hawaii on the island of Oahu, just outside of Honolulu in a suburb filled with other Navy brats. It was, generally speaking, a great life. You're in Hawaii - even when things are bad life's pretty good! With so many positive memories of my life in Hawaii, I

My stay at the Westin Grand Munich wasn’t intentional. When I was planning this entire trip I was much more focused on securing hotels for my stops in Berlin and Budapest than anything remotely related to Munich. In retrospect I believe it was because I simply wasn’t that interested in Munich as a destination and that quickly translated into general apathy regarding anything on that leg of the trip. In the end all I wanted was a comfortable hotel for the three days I’d be e