Flores has collected over 18,000 Do Not Disturb signs from hotels in 197 countries (in case you’re keeping track that’s nearly every nation on Earth). Flores doesn’t condone theft. Aside from the paper ones that are easily replaced, he always asks for permission to take a sign and has either purchased or been given all the signs in his collection.

Not all of the signs are from his own travels. Some have been contributed to the collection by friends and family who know of Flores’ obsession. Now, the collection can be viewed online in a virtual museum.

Check out more, including an interview with Flores, on The Washington Post

The post Italian Man Collects Over 18,000 Hotel ‘Do Not Disturb’ Signs appeared first on Vagabondish.

While it’s technically “The Holiday Travel” episode, we chatted about road-tripping with our stoned cat, booking last-minute travel, a few bits of travel gear that I recommend every traveler pack (hint: always bring a backup battery), and some tips that are helpful no matter what time of year you’re traveling.

We tackle burning questions like: When is the best time to travel? What about buying tickets? Is it true that prices are different on different days? What about the rumor that prices will change if you revisit a website, even if it’s only an hour later?

It’s a quick, 30-minute listen but I promise there’s lots of great tips inside. Enjoy!

Listen Now

The post Holiday Travel Tips With the ‘Beards, Booze, and Bacon’ Podcast appeared first on Vagabondish.

But, beyond even the most out-of-this-world luxury hotels, there’s something about sleeping in a simple treehouse that we know we’ll always remember. It just elicits a sense of pure, childlike joy and wonderment that Kelsey and I will never outgrow.

Which is why we were stoked to get an invite from Dove (as in, the fancy soap brand people). In order to celebrate the launch of their new Elements line, they decided to … build a treehouse in Tennessee. Seems completely logical, right?

Maybe not at first, but it makes perfect sense when you consider that Dove Men+Care’s new Elements line is distinctly inspired by nature and the sort of scents that campers and outdoor-loving men want to bathe themselves in. Think Charcoal+Clay, Minerals+Sage, and Mineral Powder+Sandalwood. (I imagine they’re the kinds of smells male bears woo lady bears with. Assuming bears go on dates …) The fact that I already use Dove’s products and have for years made our decision a simple one.

So, last month we flew to Chattanooga (technically the treehouse is in Georgia, but … close enough) — one of our favorite small cities for outdoor-loving travelers — to spend three nights at the Dove Men+Care Treehouse. The first reaction from every one of our friends and family was, almost universally: “A treehouse? Cool! Wait … does it have a bathroom?”

We can confirm that, yes … yes, it does have a bathroom. An incredibly nice one. Actually, it has more amenities than our apartment. Which isn’t much of a surprise since Treehouse Master Pete Nelson architected the project. Of the collaboration with Pete, Dove Men+Care notes:

As you ascend to enter the house, Pete’s artistic interpretation of our nature-inspired formulas and transformative freshness come to life through design elements, including Shou Sugi Ban-style charred wood paneling and a living sage wall on the exterior.

If that all sounds borderline frou-frou spiritual, it’s because the man takes his treehouses seriously. Which is why he was able to pack a surprising amount of awesomeness into just 300-ish square feet. The treehouse’s first floor boasts a super comfortable Tuft & Needle bed (incidentally, the same mattress we have at Vagabondish HQ), a wet bar with a gourmet coffee kit, full HVAC system with heat and AC, a small lounge area, Amazon Echo connectivity, and an incredible, oversized spa bathroom with heated pebble flooring, a touchscreen-activated, five-jet rain shower, and a center glass column that wraps around a tree.

Just to refresh: all of this is in a treehouse.

Upstairs is a wide sleeping loft with two twin mattresses and dual skylights that make for great stargazing. Outside, there’s even two balconies and a private firepit area (with a complimentary s’mores kit!).

From day one, we contemplated just locking the front door and refusing to leave. Our hotel stays are usually just a means to an end: somewhere to store luggage and lay our heads at night. The intention is always to get out and see the surrounding city/town/island as much as possible. But, for the two full days that we were at the Dove Men+Care Treehouse, we just didn’t want to leave. Why would we? And, once we heard that a nearby pizza joint delivered handmade pies and ice cream right to the treehouse front door, we made it a point to not leave as much as possible.

Sorry, Chattanooga. We do love you a lot, but … treehouses with delivery pizza, ice cream, and free s’mores trump pretty much everything.

Alas, after our brief, three-night stay, they physically removed us from the property (there was much kicking and screaming and threats of violence). But, in all seriousness, the treehouse did provide a great base of operations for exploring Chattanooga.

Our stay was part of a clever campaign to promote the new Dove Men+Care Elements product line. So, the treehouse is only open to media at the moment. BUT, Treetop Hideaways — the actual owners of the treehouse — will be opening it for rent to the general public via Airbnb later this year.

The good news? If you just can’t wait to stay in a treehouse of your own, the husband and wife duo who own TH already have a two-story treehouse available for rent on Airbnb. While it lacks the modern polish of its fancier Dove Men+Care brother, it comes complete with a huge window wall, penny flooring, a vintage style gramophone speaker, and a kitchenette with complimentary drinks and snacks. And isn’t that all you really need anyway?

The post Crashing at Chattanooga’s One-of-a-kind Dove Men+Care Elements Treehouse appeared first on Vagabondish.

The key to staying connected and productive on the road is to have the right tools at hand, so here are a few tips for equipping yourself with the right digital gear (and without adding too much packing weight).

Get a Dual-SIM Smartphone

Admittedly, you might not want to buy a new smartphone just for this purpose if you’re happy with your current one. But the next time your smartphone is due for an upgrade, consider getting a phone with not one but two SIM slots. While Apple does not offer this, many Android phones do.

The advantage is that you can stay connected on your regular home SIM, while adding another local SIM upon arrival at your destination. This approach is much cheaper than roaming, as it avoids the high fees typically associated with international calling and data use. Within the device settings, you can select exactly which SIM to use in which situation. This means you can also use one SIM for calls, and another one just for mobile data, so you can take advantage of cheap data-only offers in each country.

By setting up a mobile hotspot on your phone, you can connect any other devices you have. Make sure your SIMs support mobile hotspot (or tethering) use.

Finding the Right Travel Laptop

Smartphones and tablets can be good portable devices, but they don’t include all the functionality you might need on the go. For those of us who need to work while on the road, or going on a longer journey, it makes sense to bring a laptop.

The best travel laptop for you depends of course on your exact budget and requirements. But you’ll probably want to keep things lightweight and versatile, and there are a couple of laptop types that are particularly suited for travel.

If you’re a budget traveller needing just a simple device for transferring photos or doing some blogging, then I recommend looking at the latest Chromebook models. Keep in mind that these laptops run on Google’s fairly basic Chrome OS and are mainly designed to be used in the cloud, so they don’t include much storage space nor much processing power. But they’re fine for internet browsing and basic office tasks, and you can find decent Chromebooks for as little as $200. Be sure to pick one with a USB port, so you can attach external drives.

If you’re going to countries with high crime rates, you might feel more secure bringing a cheap Chromebook than the latest brand-name laptop. When I travelled in Central America, I felt more comfortable carrying this around than an Apple laptop, and didn’t feel the need to pay an extra insurance premium.

For a more advanced travel laptop, ultrabooks such as the MacBook Air or Dell XPS used to be your obvious choice. But a new and attractive option is the Microsoft’s Surface Pro. These two-in-one laptops are perfect for using on the go.

The killer feature of the Surface Pro (and its imitators like the Dell XPS 2-In-1 Edition or the Acer Aspire Switch) is that you can use them both as a tablet and as a regular laptop. Ever tried using your laptop when flying economy, seated all cramped up with only a tiny table to use? Now you can just fold up your laptop and comfortably use it as a tablet device.

A 2-in-1 laptop is easily used it as a video player, sketchbook, or ebook reader from your plane seat or that hammock on the beach. Simply unfold it and set it up like a regular laptop whenever you need more productivity functions. While these laptops are usually a bit less powerful than a regular ultrabook, you may find the increased versatility worth it.

Handy Accessories

There are a few miscellaneous tech bits and bobs that you may wish to bring with you on the road.

One key item is a spare battery charger, just to give my smartphone and other devices some extra juice on long journeys. A typical smartphone or camera battery will hold a charge of about 2000 to 3000 mAh, so if you get a USB-powered battery with several times that charge, you’ll extend the life of your devices dramatically.

Speaking of cameras, if you’re on the road a lot, you’ll surely want to look at getting a lightweight camera instead of a bulky SLR. You can find some recommendations for best travel cameras here.

An external hard drive is a must, even if it’s just for making backups. I’ve met far too many travellers around the world who suffered some data disaster, so don’t underestimate the value of making backups! Setting up a cloud backup service is a good first step, but if you’re going to countries where internet connectivity is slow or spotty, it’s worth having an extra local backup packed in a separate bag.

Finally, if you regularly need to be online for work or blogging, you might want to bring a trackball. Yes, it adds just a bit more packing weight, but laptop trackpads often force you into an unhealthy dinosaur arms position that can seriously strain your muscles. Unlike a mouse, a trackball doesn’t require a flat surface, so you can use them even on a bus or plane, or if you’re seated at a cafe table with an uneven surface.

The post A Quick Tech Guide for the Frequent Traveler appeared first on Vagabondish.

Of the state’s first settlement, Ogden, Al Capone once remarked that it was “a bit too rowdy for my taste”. It’s that kind of town. So it’s no surprise that Ogden is at the epicenter of Utah’s coolest alternative (read: non-ski-related) experiences. Here are just five of our favorites:

Search for ET at North Fork Park

We’re huge space geeks. I mean huge. With the recent opening of a handful of certified dark sky parks around the country, we were stoked to hear that Utah scored a coveted spot on the list. Just north of Ogden, Weber County North Fork Park offers more than 1,000 hectares of pristine dark sky territory. It’s unique among similar parks, however, in that it’s so close to an urban center and boasts an immense focus on wildlife and investing in local, dark-sky-inspired artwork. As a bonus, it also features a long list of must-have park amenities including campsites, hiking trails, and horse corrals. So, you can come for the stargazing and stay for … everything else.

Lose the Skis and Go … Fat Biking

If you don’t live on or near the mountains, you’d be forgiven for not knowing about fat biking. The niche sport — which utilizes purpose-built bikes with fat (get it?) tires designed to tackle soft, unstable terrain like snow, mud, and sand — has taken off in recent years. Ogden, in particular, was home to the inaugural USA Cycling Fat Bike National Championships, so they know a thing or two about the sport. Due to the event’s success, Ogden developed their own dedicated fat bike race called the Sweaty Yeti. Amateurs looking to dip their toes (and tires) into the scene will find a handful of dedicated fat bike shops downtown for daily rentals.

Get Lost Snowmobiling

By the numbers, the outdoor opportunities in and around Ogden are jaw-dropping: “over 170,000 acres of National Forest land, three ski resorts, over 210 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking and 13,000 acres of lakes connected by pristine rivers.” The list goes on and on and on. In the summer, this means awesome hiking, biking, fishing, and kayaking. Come winter, it’s all about snowmobiling! Visitors should check out ClubRec for everything from rentals to trail maps to guided tours of the impossibly large backcountry.

Experience Via Ferrata at Waterfall Canyon

If you’ve ever wanted to climb a mountain, but have been scared off because it involves actually climbing a mountain, via ferrata (literally “iron road”) is for you. The unique mountain-climbing method was developed during World War I to allow Italian soldiers to quickly scale nearby mountains to defend their hometowns. It ditches typical complex ropes and knots in favor of a series of cables and metal ladders to which you’re attached. Safely clipped in, you’re able to experience (almost) all the thrills of mountain climbing without the pesky risk of, ya know, falling to your death.

Ice Climb Malan’s Falls

There’s no shortage of ice flows and smears that crop up around Ogden each winter — all of which make the area a phenomenal destination for ice climbing. However, the most famous and notable is Malan’s Falls. The falls bear the distinction as the first vertical ice climb in the country and today offer no less than four pitches of WI5. As an added bonus, the southwest-facing nature of the climb provides an unusually — and pleasantly — warm vertical. The falls are easily accessible by following the 29th Street trailhead, and then on passed the signs to Waterfall Canyon. Visitors will also find a number of excellent guided tours via Bear House Mountain Guiding — one of the area’s best guide outfits.

The post 5 Amazing Outdoor Experiences in Ogden, Utah (That Don’t Include Skiing) appeared first on Vagabondish.

But sometimes, I love taking a proper tour of my hometown (OK, technically Providence is my hometown, but Boston is close enough …). It’s a great way to see the place that I call home through another local’s eyes.

Which is how I wound up on Viator’s brand new PhotoWalk North End-Little Italy Tour. I’m a decent photographer (my mom tells me so, so it must be true), but I decided it was high time to get back to basics with a refresher course. It just so happened that the refresher included a free historical walking tour of one of my favorite cities.

The tour covers a modest amount of ground in a little more than an hour and a half. In that time, visitors can expect to see some of the essential landmarks and stops typical of any “high level” tour of Beantown. The Tony Demarco boxer statue, Mike’s Pastry, The Freedom Trail. Cheers. That bar where Matt Damon wooed Minnie Driver with his “apples” one-liner (kidding). But my tour guide, Saba, also revealed small, lesser-known markets, interesting back alleys, and curiosities that I’d never even heard of, let alone visited.

My biggest takeaway from the tour was two-fold. First were some new, simple photography techniques that I’d never delved too deeply into. My new favorite is puddle photography! I’m not sure how I’ve been missing out on this gem for so many years. But it’s opened my eyes to shots like this:

… which is among my favorite Boston photos I’ve ever shot.

Secondly, don’t ever think you’ve seen everything there is to see in your hometown. Get out and be a tourist where you live. The tourist attractions are usually attractions for a reason. Sure, you’ll rarely have those spots all to yourself. And you might need to throw a few elbows to get a great shot. But, so what? Don’t be the New Yorker who’s never seen the top of the Empire State Building. Or the San Franciscan who’s never visited Alcatraz. And, even if you’ve gone, go again with a tour! (Throw on a fanny pack if you really want to complete the picture)

The Bottom Line

In short, the $40 price of admission to the PhotoWalk North End-Little Italy Tour is a bargain even if it were just a 90-minute historical walking tour. Add to that the expertise of a professional, local photographer and it feels like a steal.

The post Seeing Boston Through New Eyes on a North End Photo Walk appeared first on Vagabondish.

So guys … tell us a little about yourselves. Where did you work in your pre-travel days?

We are a gay couple, Stefan and Sebastien. We quit our jobs and London life last year to eat our way around Asia and plan to make travelling a long-term lifestyle and career.

Stefan, 32 is a former lawyer, of Greek Cypriot origin, born and raised in London. Sebastien, 33, is an IT geek, originally from France but moved to London to work in the finance industry. London is where we met.

Leaving London to Travel the World (Seb left, Stefan right)

Has the travel bug always been there for you, or have you been bitten recently?

Stefan first got bitten when he was old enough to leave the nest and not travel with the family. As he is from the Greek family this happened in his early thirties. Sorry – that’s a very bad Greek joke. He was 18 when he first backpacked and started his travel experiences inter-railing around Europe with friends and later took a gap year in between university and starting law school in 2005 to volunteer and backpack his way around South America.

Sebastien always had a dream of being whisked away from his hometown in France by a Latin lover to exotic locations far, far away. He came to London initially to improve his English in 2006 and stayed for a few years. In 2009, he was so set on moving to Spain or Latin America to find said Latin lover, but he instead met Stefan. Initially, Sebastien thought Stefan could be this Latin lover, but he turned out to be a Greek (which was still ok) with a strong British accent (hmmmm …).

Sebastien nonetheless stuck with Stefan. Over the course of our 6 years relationship, we’ve done a lot of travelling throughout Europe and a few trips to Asia. A few years ago we agreed that long term travelling was a mutual long term goal, so we saved and planned for many years and in June 2014 we quit our jobs and lives in London to eat our way around Asia.

How long have you been on the road? Where are you now? And where are you going to be in the next few months?

We left London in June 2014 and entered Asia with the Trans-Siberian railway through Russia. Fifteen months on, we are in Malaysia Borneo and about to head to Indonesia for a month, then to Bangkok for a final stop, then back home to Europe for Christmas with the family.

What’s your travel style? Do you like slow travel or do you like to cover as many places as possible?

We prefer travelling slowly for two reasons. Firstly, it’s cheaper if you stay long-term. Secondly, we need time to work on the blog, which has grown exponentially over the past year.

And – it’s just too damn exhausting packing in everything that you stop appreciating it after a while.

Room with a View – Stefan Working on the Blog in Kota Kinabalu (August 2015)

Do you work while you travel? Volunteer and earn locally, manage a digital business?

The dream is to continue travelling long term and make a career out of it. The blog has really taken off over the past year and we hope that this may one day be a source of income.

Otherwise, Sebastien is an SEO consultant and can work remotely and Stefan has always fancied teaching English as a means to continue long term travelling. Stefan also says that travelling with Sebastien is hard work because he has to fight hard to stop Sebastien stealing his food at every single meal.

What’s on your travel bucket list? Have you knocked off any destinations/experiences from that list yet?

Asia was up there and we’ve pretty much covered some really special places, which we want to return to, like Mongolia, Nepal, Malaysia and the Philippines.

North Korea and Bhutan are up there, but they need a chunk of money as you can only visit them via expensive tours.

Stefan’s dream is to go to Antarctica (again needs a lot of money) and Sebastien – a road trip through North America.

One dream we did accomplish on this trip was learning to dress up and swim like mermaids at Boracay in the Philippines. Now that was something else!

Do you believe that travel teaches lessons about the world, about mankind that we wouldn’t have learned otherwise? Can you tell us what your most valuable lesson has been?

There is one lesson we are still learning when it comes to eating – it’s quite a common one throughout Asia in fact – called “sharing”. At first this concept really confused and baffled us and even today we still struggle to understand it, but apparently it makes meal times more social? He he he …

Food Fight at the Kuching Food Festival in Borneo, Malaysia

From our perspective as a gay couple travelling in a continent where gay laws are stuck in the medieval ages, we have learnt that at the end of the day most people just don’t really care what your sexuality is! Most people only want to lead their lives, go to their jobs, have enough food for their family and pay their children’s schooling. Most people are just not bothered what you do in the bedroom, despite what the media and most politicians throughout Asian governments would have you believe.

Before we set out in Russia, we were terrified after seeing the growing antipathy to the LGBT community there as reported in our Western press. Whilst, of course, this does exist and we certainly don’t go walking hand in hand in public nor wave rainbow flags around, the reality, however, is quite different. We booked twin beds at the start of our Asia adventure in Russia purely out of fear and quickly realised we were being paranoid.

A year later and travelling in countries like India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Malaysia (i.e. where gay is technically illegal in the eyes of the law), we don’t bat an eye with booking double beds and no one queries it or has any concern with it.

In fact, some places absolutely welcome it, as they want to tap into the “pink pound” tourist industry. For example, The Four Seasons in Langkawi (Malaysia) were keen to promote their appeal to the gay industry and invited us for a day trip there.

After you’ve been on the road for days. What’s the first thing you do when you reach civilization?

This is really sad, but for social media addict Stefan, it’s updating our FB, Insta, Twitter profiles. For Sebastien, it’s shopping. He loves to update his Clarins moisturiser collection.

Some days, shit goes all wrong. What is your calm-down mantra on those days? Do you have a ritual?

Yes – we head out to the local market and eat lots of street food. Cooking also helps and then eating afterwards seems to soothe things nicely.

Any arguments or tantrums arise when either and/or both of us are hungry and/or tired. We’ve learnt to deal with each other’s mood swings when fatigue or hunger sets in.

Keeping fit is also a great stress reliever. We try hard to maintain a body weight exercise routine to keep fit and where possible use public swimming pools, go for runs, and join local gyms. It’s incredible the difference exercise makes when you’re feeling stressed or just feed up.

Since this is a couples-travel series, how do you manage alone time? Do you find you need it?

Alone time is important for everyone, most of all for couples.

Alone time is important for everyone, most of all for couples. Back home, we’d leave each other in the morning, go to work and reunite later in the evening. Now, we’re constantly with each other. But this has made us a lot closer and we’ve learnt to manage our tantrums when they happen.

We talk about travelling separately at times, especially after seeing how other couples struggle, but (and sorry to sound so cheesy) we just can’t stand the thought of being apart and travelling without the other.

During the days when we’re working on the blog, we each do our own individual things for it – Stefan does the photos, content and social media while Sebastien is behind the IT, videos, and planning for our travels. So this means we maintain a kind of healthy “separation”. Of course, dinner time then kicks in and all hell breaks loose …

We are both very excited about returning to Europe in November (Stefan to London, Sebastien to Lyon) as we will see our friends and family again after a long break. But at the same time, we are nervous about not seeing each other during this period of several months.

Stefan with Friends at Machu Picchu, Peru (May, 2005)

What has travelling together taught you about yourselves as a couple?

Travelling has brought us closer together and taught us how to manage the other’s mood swings, particularly when fatigue and/or hunger sets in.

What websites/social media platforms do you use most often to research/plan your travel?

Tripadvisor has become the new Bible for us and we swear by it. We love Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but they are more social platforms rather than tools for planning.

What do you miss most about home, apart from friends and family?

For Stefan, it’s his bike (called Trek-inda) and cycling through London. Sebastien is French, so naturally his main gripe about travelling through Asia is the lack of cheese and wine.

What amazing food have you discovered on your travel? What food do you miss?

This trip has been about food and boy have we found loads of it. Asia is the best for it. Sri Lanka is incredible because they make a curry out of anything – like jack fruit, garlic, pineapple. Nepal dal bhats are delicious and always different. Sichuan food from central China is wow — spicy, but wow. Malaysia is a foodie’s wet dream due to the large variety available. And of course Thailand and Vietnam cuisines are world famous for a reason.

Stefan misses a good moussaka and halloumi cheese. For Sebastien, it’s the cheese (seeing a theme evolving here right?).

Sebastien on Annapurna Trek in Nepal

Tell us about the best moment so far? When have you stood in awe and thought, ‘This is my moment forever’?

For Sebastien, it was waking up at 5,000 metres high at the Annapurna High Camp at 3 am due to breathing difficulties due to the altitude. He went outside and was just alone with the mountain peaks around him and the clear (very cold) night sky. There, he felt that sense of wow as he breathed in the air and slowly overcame his altitude sickness.

For Stefan, it was in the Gobi Dessert in Mongolia, staying with one of the nomadic families and watching a fiddle player put a camel to sleep (the sound soothes them and makes them cry) all to a stunning sunset backdrop. That was an unforgettable moment.

Do you talk to other travellers much? Has someone said something insightful that you’ll remember?

Of course all the time, both in person and via social media. We met Dani of Globetrotter Girls in Bangkok who was probably the most influential we’ve met in person. She inspired us to take our blog to the next level, to use the gay following we’ve developed and grow it further. It has really changed our travelling experience and now we’re getting invited as media to cover events like the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching or to stay in plush places like Mandala Spa in Boracay who want to broaden their reach to the gay community.

Follow Nomadic Boys:

• Blog: http://nomadicboys.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomadicboys
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomadicboys
• Instagram: @nomadicboys
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC99ODSH8UaA1JAIrQmxXTig/videos

The post Traveling Couple: An Interview with the “Two Greedy Boys” Behind Nomadic Boys appeared first on Vagabondish.

This recent article from Mother Jones doesn’t disappoint. A sample:

Zion National Park

Zion National Park © Cyril Fluck

“Scenery is grand and huge and up in the air and distant and impersonal.” ?!

Talk about missing the point.

The post The “Best” One-Star Yelp Reviews of National Parks appeared first on Vagabondish.

The post Jimmy Fallon Reads His Favorite #WorstRoadTripEver Tweets [Video] appeared first on Vagabondish.

National Car Rental is working to change all that as far as rental cars are concerned. Their free Emerald Club loyalty program offers features like Drop & Go express drop-off service, the ability to choose your rewards, and bypass the counter – all to make the experience seamless to the point of being almost invisible (for the record, that’s a good thing). Of course, the greatest rewards and amenities are made available to the most loyal and frequent customers, but anyone can sign up and start scoring these program perks today.

So I started wondering how much better the entire travel experience would be if every brand took the Emerald Club approach. Let’s imagine the Emerald World of Travel …

Pick a Room … Any Room © nicephore

Demystifying Your Hotel Room Booking

In today’s world: When you book a hotel, you’re guaranteed a room in a specific category. But you have virtually no idea which exact room you’re getting. (It’s kind of exciting, isn’t it? “What’s in the box???”)

In an Emerald World: You arrive, skip the check-in counter altogether, and head to the Emerald Floor. Here, you have your pick of any room you like. And, when you reach higher status levels, you have even more floors to choose from. All the rooms are open and you’re welcome to inspect each one until you find one to your liking. When you achieve a high enough status, the entire hotel becomes your oyster: you can literally pick any room you like.

Ghosting the Hotel Checkout Line

In today’s world: Hotel guests are notorious for checking out at the last possible minute (can you blame them?) and you probably do, too … right on time with every other guest in the hotel. Hopefully, you brought a good book or three because it could be a looooong wait. You know the drill: the guest at the counter is having an issue with his credit card. And the woman behind him is stewing about an errant charge on her bill, vowing “Oh, I am not paying that!” And the couple behind her can’t seem to round up their five kids so they can actually step to the counter. And on and on …

In an Emerald World: You drop your room key on the desk and just … leave, shouting “I WAIT FOR NO ONE!” to a packed and confused lobby. All without interacting with a single human being … seriously. I like to call this “ghosting”.

First Class Flyer © Richard Moross

Picking Any Airline Seat That’s Right for You

In today’s world: Ditto the same airline drill above. Sure, you can pick your class of service and even your seat as well. And sites like SeatGuru have made it easier to select a seat that makes sense for you (the location, does it recline?, is it too close to the bulkhead, and so on …). But there’s no substitute for actually seeing the seat in person.

In an Emerald World: You step onto the plane before everyone else and head to the Emerald Class cabin. And … sit. Wherever you want, no questions asked. Not enough legroom in 3A? Hop into 6C instead. That seat a little too close to the bathroom? Just move. No one’s going to tell you “No.” Plus, with exclusive, upgraded status comes the ability to pick any seat on the entire plane (except perhaps the cockpit … let’s not get carried away). First Class, Business, in the bathroom, on the drink cart … virtually any seat you want is yours.

Pick a Rewards Program … (Almost) Any Rewards Program

In today’s world: Airline alliances are nice. Book on JetBlue, earn points with Hawaiian. Great. But, in most scenarios, you typically need to choose your preferred rewards program in advance and the options are almost always limited.

In an Emerald World: What if your frequent flyer miles could be applied to loads of other travel reward programs beyond just airlines? I’m talking hotels, car rentals, and airlines. Just like with National’s Emerald Club, it’s all possible in an ideal Emerald World.

The post 4 Ways Travel Would Be Way More Awesome in an Emerald World appeared first on Vagabondish.