Inspiration and Tips for Traveling the World

seven ways to earn points and miles

Earn Your First Points

March 11, 2020

Welcome to the world of points and miles!  We’re sharing how ordinary people can travel to extraordinary places with the use of airline miles and hotel points.  In this series we lay out steps to save money and travel more.  These steps include: Getting Started with Points and MilesLook and Learn Before You LeapDecide What Type of Reward Points You Want to Begin EarningSign-Up For a Frequent Flyer AccountEarn Your First PointsEarn Points Through Credit Card Sign Ups- Part 1- Count the CostEarn Points Through Credit Card Sign Ups- Part 2- Nine Steps to FollowEarn Points Through Credit Card SpendingEarn […]

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Etihad business lounge cafesandalleyways.com

Etihad Business Lounge at Abu Dhabi Airport

March 6, 2020

On a recent stopover at Abu Dhabi, we had a chance to visit the Etihad Business Class lounge. Here’s a quick pictorial tour.  Flights to the United States clear U.S. Passport Control in Abu Dhabi. As a result, we had to leave the lounge in time for a security screening and passport control. After U.S. pre-clearance there is a smaller lounge that eligible passengers can use prior to boarding. We spent a few minutes there.

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Ritz-carlton-dubai-lobby-majlis

Ritz Carlton Dubai- Review of Room and Hotel Grounds

March 4, 2020

The Ritz Carlton Dubai, a Marriott Bonvoy property, modern yet beaming with old world charm.  Friendly faces greeted us when we arrived in the middle of the night under the carport. They took the luggage to our room while we checked in at the desk.  As we walked into the lobby, we saw a beautiful fountain filled with rose petals. In-ground fuchsia lights surrounded the fountain resembling glistening pomegranate seeds.   In front of the fountain facing the beach is a round table with vases and fresh flowers.  Two staircases anchored on either side of the table led down to the […]

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credit card online shopping points miles

Credit Cards We Use For Online Shopping

February 29, 2020

Earn points and miles when shopping online. We share five cards we use to earn points for travel.

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Rakuten Visa card

How Valuable Is the Rakuten Visa Card?

February 27, 2020

How valuable is the Rakuten Visa for those who collect points and miles?  On February 15th, 2020 The Rakuten Visa excluded three stores from earning 3x when shopping through the Rakuten Portal: Giftcardmall, Giftcards.com and Raise. Here is a portion of the statement they shared: Starting February 15, 2020, Rakuten Cash Back Visa® Credit Card purchases made through Rakuten on GiftCardMall.com, GiftCards.com and Raise.com will be eligible for 1% Cash Back instead of an extra 3% Cash Back. Is this a big deal or not?  It depends.  For many people the card functions as it always has, it earns 3x when shopping […]

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Aerotel_ Abu_Dhabi

Review: Aerotel at the Abu Dhabi Airport

February 21, 2020

On a recent trip we had a 11 hour, overnight layover in Abu Dhabi.  Our incoming flight landed in Abu Dhabi at 9:40 pm.  Our connecting flight left the next morning at 8:45 am.  That adds up to an 11 hour layover. We decided the best plan was to get a hotel room and try to get some sleep. We looked at hotel options close to the airport and decided on Aerotel. Aerotel is not only close to the airport, it’s in the terminal. Aerotel is located airside, within the transit area of Terminal one. If Abu Dhabi is your layover, you don’t […]

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Ordinary People Traveling to Extraordinary Places

cafes and alleyways about us

Our passion to travel takes us to cafes and alleyways around the world. From neighborhood cafes in Paris to a street market in London, we’ll take the road less traveled to hidden gems, new experiences and mouth watering eateries.

Whether it’s your first time abroad or you’re an accomplished traveler, we’ll share inspiration and tips for traveling the world.  Let’s pack our bags, grab our passports, relax in our seats…we’re now ready for take off!

 Mike and  Mariah