WalletHub

“Best” Cities for Celebrating the New Year

Published December 29, 2017 | By Clark Norton

Times Square on New Years’ Eve — I’ll be watching at home

The one time I don’t like to travel during the year is between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Theoretically, it’s the week when I clean up my office, get my affairs in order, and enjoy more time with family and friends. Oh yes, and watch some football, especially my beloved Michigan Wolverines, who often play in a bowl game on the morning of January 1 so I have to be abstemious the night before. Go Blue!

In practice, it doesn’t always work out that way, but I still prefer spending New Year’s Eve at home with my wife, Netflix, and clam dip, unless we’re invited to a small party with nearby friends or family. I lived in New York for 20 years and never made it to Times Square to see the ball drop — not on… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, Budget travel, Holidays, Tucson, Uncategorized | Tagged clam dip, Hialeah Florida, Michigan Wolverines, New Year's celebrations, New Year's Eve, New York City, WalletHub, where to celebrate New Year's | 2 Comments

Are These the Best Travel Credit Cards?

Published October 10, 2017 | By Clark Norton

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card got WalletHub’s top mark for best initial bonus.

While I don’t usually wade into the credit card wars — too much fine print and peeking behind the promotional curtains can quickly turn great-sounding offers into not-so-hot — the personal-finance website WalletHub has done its homework in determining what it calls Winter 2017’s Best Travel Credit Cards.

With holiday travel season approaching, this might be a good time to take a look at the offers on hand. Applying for certain cards now will give you enough time to earn up to $625 in “free” travel — at least if you’re willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars first.

Note that they all come with annual fees, so these cards are ones you’ll want to use if you successfully apply for them. (And they all require good-to-excellent credit.)

Be sure you have definite… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, travel costs | Tagged Barclaycard Arrival Plus, Best Travel Credit Cards, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Club Carlson Premier Rewards, Frontier Airlines Credit Card, WalletHub | Leave a comment

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.