These are images from my trip in January 2018 to the Galapagos Islands.
A Grand Galapagos Trip
How to Override Hotel Thermostat Limits
Some hotel rooms have thermostats that offer only a limited amount of control to the guests. For example, the temperature might be limited to the range of 71 to 84 degrees F.
This Your Mileage May Vary post has links to YouTube videos that show how to hack these thermostats so they will go beyond the normal limits. That is useful if you sleep best at, say, 65 degrees.
The site contains a warning that some of these hacks might damage the thermostat, but I deem that highly unlikely if you are just pushing the buttons.
I always carry an un-inflated mylar balloon and string, which can be used to fool occupancy sensors by “blowing in the wind.”
Enjoy the tips, and stay comfortable on your upcoming hotel stays.
Austin to San Diego, Raleigh/Durham, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Philly Just $15!
Frontier is having a “Penny Sale” for flights to certain destinations. Today only, for travel until May 23.
Of course, you will have to pay extra for assigned seat, checked luggage, etc.
See the details at https://www.flyfrontier.com/ways-to-save/online-deals/
Blog on 5-Day Vacay
Dear Readers,
I’ll be unable to post for the next 5 days.
Miles
DoNotPay.com Promises to Re-Book Your Flights & Hotels When Prices Drop
The Milenomics blog has a long post on a free new service that could save travelers some real money…if it works as planned.
DoNotPay.com plans to be the AutoSlash of airline and hotel bookings, checking frequently to see if prices have dropped and automatically re-booking you when they do.
DNP owners claim they can even work with Southwest Airlines, which is something that others have had no success with…Southwest’s team of lawyers quickly sue any website owner that scrapes their data.
DNP requires a large amount of private information from its clients, as explained in the Milenomics post.
I wish them the best of luck…they will need it to survive.
Free Seminar for Seniors in Austin Next Tuesday (April 10)
Commission on Seniors
Community Interest Announcement
Livability for Longevity: A Symposium Connecting People, Process and Policy for Healthy Aging in Austin
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Located on the lower level of Sid Richardson Hall (SRH)
2315 Red River St.
Austin, TX 78712-1536
Free and open to public
Southwest Airlines Companion Pass Suddenly Gets Harder to Earn!
Southwest Airlines offers a Companion Pass to anyone who earns 110,000 Rapid Rewards in a calendar year (with a few restrictions). Today (April 5) they made a change, effective today, that will make this more difficult for most people.
In general, from now on you will probably need to own a business in order to get the Companion Pass.
See the details at The Points Guy.
Another Southwest Airlines Sale
The marketing team at Southwest likes to announce sales, and they’ve done it again.
Check Southwest.com to see if any of your existing tickets have gone down in price, and rebook at the lower price if they have.
AirfareSpot has the details and some significant limitations.
Low Round-Trip Airfares Austin to Portland on United
All The Flight Deals has found bargain round-trip airfares between Austin and Portland for the remainder of 2018.
Check Google Flights to see the price for your date pair.
Drones Drones Drones at Austin Forum Tonight (April 3)
Austin Forum is a monthly gathering where an expert (often more than one) discuss a topic related to technology, medicine or society. Admission is free and open to the public.
“Drones: Changing Business, Agriculture, Security and More” is the subject of tonight’s meeting (April 3, 2018) in the downstairs room of the new Austin Public Library downtown. Craig Nehrkorn, formerly with DJI and IBM and now Drone Dynamics, is the presenter.
See the deets at AustinForum.org