Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is happening now! Follow us as Greg, Nick, and Stephen compete to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines before November 23rd. Who will complete the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
This Saturday you can read about Hyatt’s breakfast-cutting experiment at certain US properties, people trying to use their personal Starlinks for inflight wifi, Japan’s own version of the Appalachian Trail (and their interesting connection to the AT’s history), and more.
Hyatt Place Trials Cutting Free Breakfast In US
Hyatt Place is apparently testing out what happens when they cut free breakfast for all World of Hyatt members (something that’s not uncommon overseas). They’re starting with a test of just a few (~40) select Hyatt Place properties in the US. As Ben explains in the article, Hyatt has tried this kind of experiment before – back in 2018 – and this is what led to free breakfast being limited to World of Hyatt members. Check out Ben’s post for more thoughts on what this means in the context of Hyatt’s history with these kinds of trials.
Why Delta Passengers Are Bringing Their Own Starlink Onboard – But Finding It Can’t Beat Free WiFi
In last week’s Saturday Selection, I highlighted a useful review I’d come across of the new, Starlink Mini. It genuinely did not occur to me that anyone would think to bring their own Starlink devices on board a plane for wifi (!!!) but apparently people have indeed been trying to do this, mostly without success. The thing that gets in the way here, according to Gary and others referenced in the article, is that the Starlink plans typically limit you to speeds of 100mph or less or the service will cut off. Mostly I just find it hilarious that people have been attempting to travel with their Starlink satellites.
My 14 destinations on my round-the-world trip to get 1 million points
Since half of the Frequent Miler team is jetting around the world right now on their own missions to score 1 million SAS points, I think it’s fun to compare their journeys with other travel bloggers who didn’t limit themselves to ~2 weeks or a competitive budget to make things harder like we did for our Million Mile Madness challenge. Two destinations that stood out to me in Andrew’s itinerary is Petra and Bali. Neither destination has shown up for our travelers YET, and I would be surprised if either of them do since our travelers have all already transited through Jakarta without detouring to Bali, and have all transited through the Middle East as well. Andrew was also lucky enough to have organically checked off two destinations (and 2 qualifying SkyTeam airlines) through his organic travel plans. That meant his trip only needed 13 more airlines included.
How the Appalachian Trail Inspired One of Japan’s Greatest Long Hikes
Ever since I was young, the Appalachian Trail has been on my bucket list (or perhaps on my pipe-dream list). Every few years I’ll sort of mention the idea to Drew since we both love hiking-centric travel, but he grew up in Appalachia, has already seen many of the hikes that make up the AT or closely resemble it, and has therefore always felt the AT would be a little too close to home to feel like an adventure. This article caught my attention not only because it highlights a possible overseas alternative to my backpacking dream, but it also tells a fascinating history of the connections between the Appalachian Trail and Shinetsu Trail (and shed light on some of the Appalachian Trail history I didn’t know.) I had no idea for example that one of the prominent characters in the foundation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park was a Japanese Immigrant – George Masa. It’s a lovely read for anyone interested in hiking.
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