Society & Culture
NowBoarding, your daily travel news in 7 minutes or less. This is your host, Ed Pizza, bringing you the latest travel deals and travel news you need to know Monday through Friday. Tune in daily so you don’t miss any of the best deals!Look for links to all of today’s stories in the show notes on whatever podcast platform you’re listening. And, please share the show with a friend!First up today is another one of those opportunities that occasional travelers need to take advantage of. If you’re not traveling enough to accrue valuable elite status that saves you money, you need to jump on other opportunities when they pop up. View From The Wing reports on a way to get National Car Rentals’ top-tier elite status, Executive Elite without spending a dimeExecutive Elite status means guaranteed upgrades both in the US and some European countries. Upgrades, especially overseas, can save a lot of money for travel. And, Executive Elite members earn 1 free rental day for every 5 paid rental days.All you need to obtain Executive Elite status is hold any American Express card in your wallet. Check the show notes for the link to this one. Once you have Executive Elite status with National, you can also probably match it to President’s Circle status with Hertz, which also earns free upgrades and a faster earning rate in their loyalty program.While the expiration date for this promotion is in late February, this one feels like there’s no way it will last that long. I’d definitely do this sooner than later.United Airlines frequent fliers are getting used to a new way to earn elite status, but United isn’t quite ready for them yet. The website isn’t correctly displaying elite progress on flights flown so far in 2020. They’ve announced they’ll have this fixed by today, January 3rd. Maybe they didn’t know the transition was coming…..And, if you’re one of those people who feels stung by United’s elite qualification changes, check out the article from God Save The Points in the show notes. He really takes United to task on their changes, and it’s hard for me to disagree.Amtrak is bringing back a promotion that train travelers will enjoy. For every 6 one-way trips booked you’ll earn a free round-trip ticket valid for travel this summer. You have until the end of February to accrue free trips. There are two separate promotions, one for the Acela train and one for the Northeast Regional. And, if you have Select Executive status with Amtrak you can earn travel in premium classes in both promotions.This is a solid promotion for business travelers who frequent the Northeast Corridor. Registering for this promotion may just earn you enough free tickets to score a cheap or free trip for your family this summer. Check the link in the show notes for more information.The island nation of Palau has become the first to ban harmful sunscreens. They’re just the first, as a ban by the US Virgin Islands is a few months away, with popular destinations like Hawaii and Key West not far behind. The reefs and other marine life systems are incredible things to behold. We got to visit the Great Barrier Reef for the first time this past summer and it was unbelievable. I hope we can be good enough caretakers to stop the damage before it’s too late. I want my grandchildren to see them the same way I did.Wrapping up today is a guide from Point Me to the Plane on how to use points at some popular ski resorts. As a family of occasional skiers, I can vouch for the fact that skiing is expensive. Gear and lift tickets are enough to break many a budget. Hotels located near the slopes can hurt your pocket just as quickly. Point Me To The Plane breaks down options from Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton. As a general rule, you can find some pretty good deals using points at ski resorts. The implementation of peak and off-peak awards at Marriott, and soon to be at Hyatt as well, will likely dampen it. But, it’s still a great place to consider using your hard-earned points.That’s a full wrap on today’s travel news. If you’ve got a piece of travel news that you think I should feature on NowBoarding, you can e-mail me at ed@pizzainmotion.com, or find me on social media, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And, you can find me blogging daily at pizzainmotion.com.Lastly, I need your help, for just a minute. Reviews and ratings are a huge part of what helps us reach a larger audience. So take a minute and help us out, leaving us a review and a rating wherever you get your podcasts. And, please tell a friend. That’s your travel news in 7 minutes or less. I hope you’ll join us again on a future flight!