AwardWallet front page

Right now, the economy is struggling, people are unemployed, and, yet, there are trillions of dollars in frequent flier miles, award points, and gift cards going to waste.  Much of these miles/award points are lost because we simply forget to use them but, sometimes, it is because the airlines or stores adopt deceptive or misleading practices to steal away our points.  A few years ago, airlines arbitrarily slashed miles without warning, leading to a Congressional investigation; this year, New Jersey passed a bill to seize unused gift cards and raise $80 million. 

This is why you need AwardWallet, simply the best frequent flier/awards management tool out on the market right now.  (I'm not the only one who thinks so: check out reviews at FoxNomad, the Cranky Flier, the Consumerist, the LA Times, and the Wall Street Journal.)  As a special bonus to The Road Forks readers, AwardWallet is offering 25 free upgrades to AwardWallet Plus using the promotional code "roadforks6mo."

AwardWallet front page

Lest you think that I am just a corporate shill, let me tell you my AwardWallet story.   A few weeks ago, I started planning our 10th anniversary vacation to hopefully somewhere beautiful, romantic, and rock-bottom-cheap because we need to save as much as we can for our European trip.  I grew increasingly frustrated as I realized that planning a vacation to anywhere in the Caribbean in vacation-heavy June would be more expensive than either of us hoped.  Then, I received an e-mail from the marketing director at AwardWallet, suggesting that I check out their site.  I get e-mails like this every single day, at which time I normaly look at the product, decide that I am not impressed, thank them for contacting me and delete the e-mail.

But, AwardWallet impressed the heck out of me.  Simply put, it organizes every single award program you have, for every family member, in a single easily navigable website.

AwardWallet - add a reward

What I Love:

• Free, Free, Free:  The basic version is completely and totally free.  Free!  I love free.  You can upgrade to AwardWallet Plus for a fee (more on the fee below), which allows exporting to an Excel spreadsheet, unlimited notices of expiration, and displays extra reward option. 

• Multiple Users: I can organize both Patrick's and my award points in one place [and, if you fly with your pets, you can add their award points, as well], instead of having to input different user ids every time I want to see our mileage/awards.

• Works For Every Award Program:  Unlike most frequent flier managers, AwardWallet organizes every award system: frequent flier miles, hotel points, store rewards, credit card rewards, and even gift cards.

• Ease of Inputting Awards:  As you can see from the above image, all you need to add a new system is your user name and password.   

• Secure Storage of Passwords:  You can choose to store your password with AwardWallet (similar to Mint.com's online storage) or on your hard drive.  Anil, at Tech Guide for Travel, did a great interview with Todd Mera and Alexi Vereschaga, owners and founders of AwardWallet, where they describe their encryption technology and how they ensure that their customers' passwords remain secure.

• Automatic Updating:  If you store your password with AwardWallet,  then they will automatically update your points on a daily basis, pulling the information from the company.  For example, last week, I earned 287 points on our Capital One credit card and AwardWallet notifies me of the change by showing a green arrow with the increase (or decrease).

• Expiration Notification:  We don't fly American Airlines very much, as you can tell from the paltry 451 miles accumulated over the last year.  AwardWallet notifies us as to the date of expiration of those miles and, for the first time ever, I will be donating those miles to Iraq soldiers rather than letting them evaporate into the ether because I didn't realize they had expired.

. . . keep reading awardwallet review + free upgrade (including how to get the upgrade) after the jump

At last, here is the long sought after, long awaited packing list for Patrick, written by none other than the originator of this list, Patrick himself.

The dilemma I have is the age old packing dilemma of being able to handle both cold and warm climates. Therefore, all of my pants are convertible and I carry two light-weight long sleeve shirts that can be warn in warm weather when in a pinch. Without further ado, please read on.

In the five months we have been traveling with the Kindle 2, we rarely go a week without someone asking us what it is, how it works, and whether it is good for travel.  In a word, it is fantastic.  But, we have several major criticisms and, given the recent launch of the iPad, want to weigh the pros and cons of traveling worldwide with a Kindle.

Paper-like screen: Thumbs up, mostly

Probably the most impressive Kindle feature, the crisp black and white E-ink screen without backlighting makes the Kindle easy to read even in bright sunlight.  As you can see from the picture on the right, the text on a Kindle looks just like a paperback book.  We take our Kindles to parks, cafes, and even beaches, and never worry about glare or tiring our eyes. 

But, it is a black and white screen.  iPad readers will be able to “flip” through magazine pages, maps, childrens’ books, and color photographs.  The Kindle, on the other hand, is best for reading books and newspaper articles. 

Whispernet: Thumbs down

The proprietary Whispernet service, based on worldwide AT&T coverage, makes downloading Amazon e-books convenient because it is free and does not require a WiFi Hotspot.  However, while Whispernet works really well in the U.S. and Europe, coverage is spotty elsewhere in the world.  The Kindle can use unsecured WiFi connections but most hostels, hotels, and cafes use secure WiFi connections to prevent freeloaders from accessing their Internet.

WiFi is the universal standard and Amazon messed up big time by not letting their readers use it.  Kindle users should be able to connect to any WiFi network even if it requires a password.  In countries without Whispernet, we end up downloading books onto our laptops and then revert to 1990s technology by transferring the book through a USB connection. 

Whispernet access (dark purple is 3G access, light purple is Edge access)

Carry Your Library in 10.3 Ounces: Gigantic thumbs, toes, all fingers up
When I explained to my mom that the Kindle would let us carry over 200 books while we traveled, my mom said, "That's the perfect gift for you!"  We tend to barrel through books like a teenage girl goes through lip gloss (cherry flavored, if you please) and our bags are usually packed full of novels and electronics and very little in the way of clothing and accessories.  Because of this wonderful wonderful machine, we have read over 100 books in the last five months without worrying about finding English-language bookstores or forcing ourselves to read The Da Vinci Code for the millionth time (it continues to amaze me that nearly every English language bookstore in the world stocks this book).  

BUT, The Lack of Organization: Thumbs down
Unfortunately, the Kindle’s organization structure is poor, to say the least.  It allows you to organize books by title, author, and most recently read books.  We wish we could also organize books into sub-folders so that we could archive books we have already read and by category.  Libraries have been using the Dewey Decimal System for ages; shouldn’t our electronic library have the same organization capability?

Long Battery Life:  Big two thumbs up
We spend at least two hours every day reading our Kindles but we only charge our Kindles once every two weeks.  That is just ridiculous.  Long after our laptops and iPhone die on night buses, long-haul flights, and boring ferry rides, our Kindles keep us company.  For this reason alone, I think that the Kindle is a clear winner over the iPad as an e-book reader.

. . . Keep reading kindle for travelers at The Road Forks

An Electronics Junkie's Round the World Packing List from theroadforks on Vimeo.

One of us is obsessed with buying organizational systems, packages, and bags which leads to this sort of packing list; the other of us is mad about gadgets, electronics, and the newest toys which leads to the packing list below.  It is a bit of a problem that our electronics bag weighs more than all my clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous equipment and that we carry nearly $9,000 on our backs. 

But, here's the thing: we use all of it every single day.  Though this list is long, we would not give up any of our electronics because they keep us connected, working, and able to capture the best parts of our travels.  If you want the quick and dirty version of our electronics gear, watch this short 2-minute video which captures how we pack in our electronics, including weight and total costs.

Or, if you want the nitty gritty details, come walk through our electronics packing list with us.

. . . . Keep reading an electronics junkie's round-the-world packing list at The Road Forks