On our final day staying in downtown Cairo, Shae and I took an Uber over to Old Cairo to explore Babylon Fortress. This is a fortress that's home to several churches, a synagogue, a mosque, a museum and more. Even more noteworthy, some of the locations are thought to have … [Read more...] about Exploring Babylon Fortress In Old Cairo, Egypt
Hotel Review: Ramses Hilton In Cairo, Egypt
After spending a week in Dubai, Shae and I hopped on a plane to Cairo, Egypt to visit there for six nights. The first three of those nights were spent at the Ramses Hilton, a hotel that overlooks the Nile. The hotel is a little dated, although they've been updating some of the … [Read more...] about Hotel Review: Ramses Hilton In Cairo, Egypt
1 Week In Dubai: Here’s What We Did
The first week of our three week surprise trip for Shae's birthday was spent in Dubai. It was our first time visiting the UAE and although we had an idea of what Dubai was like, it was different from - and exceeded - our expectations. Here's everything that we got up to on the … [Read more...] about 1 Week In Dubai: Here’s What We Did
Awesome Dubai Desert Safari For Shae’s 40th Birthday
Our week in Dubai saw us celebrating both our 17th wedding anniversary and Shae's 40th birthday. For her birthday I booked an Arabian desert safari excursion with OceanAir Travels which included camel riding, sand boarding, dune bashing, a Bedouin tent dining experience, henna … [Read more...] about Awesome Dubai Desert Safari For Shae’s 40th Birthday
Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Dubai (1 Bedroom Grand Suite)
After landing in Dubai having had an awesome experience flying First Class on Emirates, we headed straight to our hotel - the Grand Hyatt Dubai. There were tons of great hotel options to pick from in Dubai, but I primarily focused on Hyatt properties as I have their top tier … [Read more...] about Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Dubai (1 Bedroom Grand Suite)
Flight Review: Emirates First Class – Chicago (ORD) To Dubai (DXB)
I'd originally planned for us to get from Chicago to Dubai (via New York and Doha) on Qatar Airways in QSuites (Business Class), but those plans were stymied once we got to the airport due to the timing of our COVID PCR tests (see this post for more about that). As a result, … [Read more...] about Flight Review: Emirates First Class – Chicago (ORD) To Dubai (DXB)
Road Trip Stats: Month 43 – July 2021
Going in to July 2021 I knew it wasn't going to be a pretty month for our budget. The entire month was going to be spent in a hotel we were paying cash for rather than using points, so that was going to take up 84% of our budget. That left us very little leeway, especially … [Read more...] about Road Trip Stats: Month 43 – July 2021
It’s Time For Shae’s Secret Birthday Extravaganza!
Shae and I love celebrating each other's birthdays, so she was a little disappointed last year as her plans for my 40th birthday fell through due to COVID. My parents were going to be here during that time and she'd secretly arranged for my sister to come over too (they all … [Read more...] about It’s Time For Shae’s Secret Birthday Extravaganza!
A Quick Trip To Seattle: Here’s What We Did
Shae and I briefly paused our road trip last month to fly out to Seattle for a few days to celebrate our friend's birthday. We had a great time with Mark and Megan while we were there, but there's still so much we didn't get to see (such as the Space Needle) and so we're … [Read more...] about A Quick Trip To Seattle: Here’s What We Did
A Wonderful Whale Watching Experience In Seattle, WA
Last month Shae and I flew to Seattle to surprise one of our friends for his birthday. While we were there, the four of us went on a whale watching experience with Puget Sound Express which was simply awesome. We got to see a huge transient super-pod of orcas which the captain … [Read more...] about A Wonderful Whale Watching Experience In Seattle, WA