Trips, Tips and Activities in This Week's Top Five!

 Sometimes I like to talk about where to go.  Sometimes I like to talk about what to do.  Sometimes I like to just leave a couple good tips for the road.  This week, let's do all of that!

1.    Dog sledding in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.    There are a few locations and companies for this in and around Lake Louise.  What can I say?  I went to Alberta in the winter and it was cold, but it was awe inspiringly beautiful.  And, who doesn't want to take that once in a lifetime pass at dog sledding?  This one just seems like a no brainer to me.

So, check out the option of not only visiting Banff in the beautiful winter, but take a turn with a dog sled while you admire the view.

https://www.banfflakelouise.com/sleigh-rides-dog-sledding/dog-sledding

https://banfftours.com/things-to-do/dogsledding/

https://kingmikdogsledtours.com/

https://www.snowyowltours.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g154910-Activities-c61-t244-Banff_National_Park_Alberta.html

2.    St. Louis Cathedral, Fort-de-France, Martinique.   Martinique is a tropical paradise and it's always a pleasure to visit a lot of the islands of the Caribbean.  But there is that other thing they tend to have in common and that's natural disasters from weather to earthquakes and sometimes a volcano.  Martinique is no exception to that rule.  In this location, there's pretty much always been a church, ever since the missionaries established their religion in the area.

What's different about this church?  Well, it's superstructure is metal; iron to be precise.  It's held together by iron beams, and you can imagine how original that is on a Caribbean Island, but it guards against the elements.  At any rate, it's a beautiful cathedral and well worth the visit if you're in Fort-de-France.  Just another little side attraction to add to your sightseeing day.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147328-d147820-Reviews-St_Louis_Cathedral-Fort_de_France_Arrondissement_of_Fort_de_France_Martinique.html

https://travel.usnews.com/Martinique/Things_To_Do/St_Louis_Cathedral_21322/

https://azmartinique.com/en/where-to-go/places-to-visit/cathedrale-saint-louis-st-louis-cathedral#google_vignette

https://en.martinique-tour.com/offres/saint-louis-cathedral-fort-de-france-en-1356462/

https://www.getyourguide.com/st-louis-cathedral-martinique-l141161/family-friendly-activities-tc2128/

3.    Let's talk a little bit about credit cards and travel.  I know we've done this before, but as I learn, I like to tell you what I've learned so it can benefit you as well.  I'm big on sharing.

One of the things that I can't be more clear about; it depends an where you live, what your budget is and exactly what you're looking for when you choose your credit cards.  There are different cards and different deals in different countries, so first things first; this is for people who live in the United States.  I wish I knew more about cards elsewhere, but I don't.

My first piece of advice is always, and I hate to say this, Discover is great in the U.S. but it doesn't fare all that well in a lot of other countries.  I don't know how many times I've been traveling and no one even knows what it is.  If you're traveling in the U.S. though, it's a great card with great cash back and easy to use the cash back.

Those Chase Cards.  Let's just say it.  They keep floating to the top of the list of the best cards for travel.  I finally broke down and got a Chase Sapphire last year.  I love that card!  Everything you've ever heard about the 75,000 points bonus for your first three months of spending and the ease of actually using the points for travel is absolutely true.  It's a great card and I also highly recommend it.  If you don't have the budget for that particular one, just find another Chase Card.  They all have pretty good benefits.

Now, if you're like me, you get a lot of credit card offers.  I get them all week long and I love to get cards that benefit me.  Just make sure you read all the requirements of any offer on any card before signing up.  Thousands of points and miles sound great, but beware of the thing that they don't put out there in the large print.  Most notably, fees.  I got an amazing offer for an American Express card last week and it looked so good.  Until I saw the $395 yearly fee.  For that money, I could have purchased my perks outright and not bothered with the card.  It's all about what suits you and not about what everyone else is talking about.

And finally, always remember to think it through.  It may sound ridiculous to spend $4,000 on your new card in three months, but think that through.  You have housing, car, gas, groceries, phone, utilities, insurance, and everything else that you do in a month.  Just use that new card for all your regular purchases.  If your actual all in budget is within the range of the requirements, you can earn those bonus miles without making any ridiculous purchases.  

All food for thought, so always keep it all in mind.  And, if it has foreign transaction fees, then do you really want to travel with it?

https://www.bestmoney.com/credit-cards/compare-travel-cards?utm_source=google&kw=travel%20credit%20cards&c=712829820704&t=search&p=&m=e&adpos=&dev=c&devmod=&mobval=0&network=g&campaignid=21674354559&groupid=166707471306&targetid=kwd-94400973&interest=&physical=9003419&feedid=&a=C777T&topic=&ts=&clicktype=&camtype=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhbi8BhDIARIsAJLOludEE8aEfTOQyUe7AYkzI3ALWrpKAuvfohxi6hh6TAqhLt7aNE0XI2kaAlvTEALw_wcB

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/l/best-travel-credit-cards-v2/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20929645143&accountid=9033979427&utm_content=157289040443&utm_term=kwd-94400973&network=g&device=c&placement=&location_physical=9003419&device_model=&creative=702304703252&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhbi8BhDIARIsAJLOlue7nOmNdp0DyVtTkFIq1t0XaNyaEijVjxDGqF1BiCuwia_OuVVqcQQaAkU5EALw_wcB

https://www.comparecredit.com/credit-cards/best/travel/?utm_source=adwords&utm_campaign=9123840126&ad_group_id=97900334371&utm_content=643438197006&utm_medium=search&acquisition=prospect&ad_position=&network=g&ad_extension_id=&placement=&geolocation=9003419&kw=travel%20credit%20cards&kwid=aud-1840978166860:kwd-94400973&kwmt=e&product=credit_cards&glcid=Cj0KCQiAhbi8BhDIARIsAJLOlufkg25cPcalxIVP8WqgcrB5L9oo6367zpDSHlhFWjlESHFezUMAVF4aAi2vEALw_wcB&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhbi8BhDIARIsAJLOlufkg25cPcalxIVP8WqgcrB5L9oo6367zpDSHlhFWjlESHFezUMAVF4aAi2vEALw_wcB

https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/credit-cards/travel

https://money.usnews.com/credit-cards/travel

4.    Villa Palagonia, Bagheria, Italy.  This is Sicily people!  That exotic, how did this get related to Italy, only connected by bridge island hanging off the boot on the map.  There's something between fantasy and criminal about this area of Italy, and this amazing villa is just that one more thing to see.

It was built starting in 1715 and it's baroque and stately and big and almost royal and those monsters.  Monsters?  This villa is known for it's statues of monsters with human faces.  They're everywhere.  The villa became known as the Villa of Monsters, and is still largely known that way today.  There are a lot of theories, but no one knows for sure why the place is covered in macabre sculptures.  It is a great little trip from Palermo, and something you'll never forget.

https://www.wondersofsicily.com/bagheria-villa-palagonia.htm

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1050566-d247469-Reviews-Villa_Palagonia-Bagheria_Province_of_Palermo_Sicily.html

https://en.villapalagonia.it/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/villa-palagonia

https://www.summerinitaly.com/guide/villa-palagonia

5.    Take that long layover in Iceland!   Icelandair has long been famous for offering to schedule a long layover in Iceland while on your way from America to Europe or vice versa.  It's not alone either.  Play and some others will do that too.  It will add a bit to your flight cost and your trip cost, but it's still cheaper than taking a separate trip to Iceland.

This is one of my favorite countries and it gives a whole new meaning to the word exotic.  It doesn't matter what time of year it is, and it doesn't matter where you go while you enjoy that layover.  You really can't go wrong with spending some time in Iceland.

I've known people who just scheduled a long enough layover to get a look at Reykjavik and go to the Blue Lagoon, but I've never met anyone who wasn't glad they did it.  Take my advice when it comes to Iceland, any time you get to spend there is worth it.

https://www.icelandair.com/flights/stopover/

https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-info/what-to-do-during-a-stopover-in-iceland

https://www.going.com/guides/the-layover-guide-to-iceland

https://www.flyplay.com/en-us/campaign/stopover-in-iceland

https://www.northbound.is/blog/266/your-guide-to-having-a-layover-in-iceland

There you have it.  A little bit of where to go, a little bit of what to do, a little bit of how to do it.  It's a well rounded fast five, and see you next week!