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Author: Benjamin J Travel

essentials for stress-free global travel
Travel Gear: My Essentials for Stress-Free Global Travel

Travel Gear: My Essentials for Stress-Free Global Travel

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] We all pack differently for travel. Some of us can live out of small backpack for a month in Southeast Asia. Some of us check 3 bags for an overnight trip to Phoenix. Most folks fall somewhere in between those two extremes.Throughout my life, my packing style has evolved. Since I’ve become uber-frequent traveler, I’ve been  able shed a lot more unnecessary items in my luggage. I’ve become a much…

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Trip Report: DFW to London | American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

Trip Report: DFW to London | American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I’ve just returned from a quick trip to Madrid for the weekend and flew aboard American Airlines’ 777-300ER in Business Class. The 777-300ER is American’s “flagship” airliner and the only new American Airlines aircraft to feature both Business and First class.I was ticketed on American Airlines from DFW to London Heathrow and then connecting onto British Airways to Madrid. My ticket was purchased in Economy but I decided to apply an…

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Trip Report: American Airlines Madrid to DFW in Economy Class

Trip Report: American Airlines Madrid to DFW in Economy Class

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] This report reviews the OLD American Airlines Economy product about their 777-200s. At post date, American Airlines is partway through refurbishing their 777-200 fleet. After such a short time in Madrid, it was time to head home. With lounge time in mind, I headed to MAD a bit early. I hopped off the Metro at the Terminal 4 station and headed for the check-in desks in Terminal 4. American Airline’s…

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Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong | The Wing Business Class vs. The Bridge Business Class
Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong | The Wing Business Class vs. The Bridge Business Class

Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong | The Wing Business Class vs. The Bridge Business Class

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[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.64″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”] On my latest trip to Hong Kong, I flew American’s ultra-longhaul flight between DFW and Hong Kong on both outbound and the return. I did visit the American Airlines Admiral Club at DFW on the outbound flight which is an okay lounge. However, in comparison, the Cathay Pacific lounges at HKG are fantastic. With a 2:30 PM departure from HKG on my return flight, I arrived fairly early to the airport as I wanted plenty of…

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Causeway Bay Hotel Review
Hotel Review: Somerset Victoria Park Hong Kong

Hotel Review: Somerset Victoria Park Hong Kong

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I’ve just returned from a quick trip to Hong Kong earlier this week which involved a stay at the Somerset Victoria Park Hong Kong, located in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island. As you may pick up, the major hotel rewards programs are not my cup of tea and I tend to focus on two main booking tools: Airbnb and Hotels.com. I like Hotels.com as the rates are competitive and the rewards…

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Trip Report: DFW to Hong Kong | American Airlines 777-300ER Main Cabin Extra

Trip Report: DFW to Hong Kong | American Airlines 777-300ER Main Cabin Extra

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[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”1″ padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.64″] Hong Kong has become one of my favorite cities and I just returned from a quick trip. With American Airlines’ nonstop service between DFW and Hong Kong, it makes short trips doable over a long weekend. (At least for me!) Here’s my full report on the world’s tenth longest commercial airline route,…

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Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777 Regional Business Class, Hong Kong to Taipei

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777 Regional Business Class, Hong Kong to Taipei

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Cathay Pacific is well renowned for it’s exceptional in-flight service and it’s short haul regional service is no exception! On a recent trip to Hong Kong, we took a side trip to Taipei, redeeming 36,000 Avios and roughly $70 in taxes for round-trip Business Class on Cathay Pacific for two of us. This was one of my best redemptions using Avios on partner travel. This redemption is within Zone 1…

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Lounge Review: Finnair Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport (Non-Schengen)

Lounge Review: Finnair Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport (Non-Schengen)

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] After 36 hours in Finland, it was time to head home to Dallas. I’d flown Finnair on the outbound flight segment from Paris (CDG) to Helsinki (HEL), but this was my first long haul flight on Finnair. My return journey was to start with a Finnair A330 from Helsinki to JFK.I’ll get to the Lounge in a moment but I wanted to point out what a fan I am of…

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Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York Blog Airline Review
Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York

Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York

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[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.64″] After 36 hours in Finland, it was time to go home. I really enjoyed my short visit in Helsinki so I wasn’t quite ready to go. I had arrived quite early at the Helsinki Airport since I wanted some avgeek time, snapping photos and checking out the Finnair Lounge.  This was only my second flight on Finnair ever and my first one was just days before…

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Booking Secrets: How to Find Your OneWorld Record Locator Booked on American Airlines
Booking Secrets: How to Find Your OneWorld Record Locator Booked on American Airlines

Booking Secrets: How to Find Your OneWorld Record Locator Booked on American Airlines

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[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.64″] Traveler Question: How do I find my OneWorld Record Locator using my American Airlines Record Locator? I won’t be the first blogger to share this tip with you but it’s information that a lot of travelers are on the search for. For frequent American Airlines flyers like myself, I’m often booked into codeshare flights onto other OneWorld carriers’ flights, with or without AA flight numbers . This…

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Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki
Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki

Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I’ve just returned from a 36 hour visit to Helsinki which included some express sightseeing, a few great lounge visits, a new airline for me, and a stay at the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki. Location: The central location of the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki is hard to beat. It’s just about 2 blocks from the Central Railway station in Helsinki. And if you’re coming directly from the Airport train platforms, there’s…

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Hotel Review: Dorsett Mongkok | Hong Kong
Hotel Review: Dorsett Mongkok | Hong Kong

Hotel Review: Dorsett Mongkok | Hong Kong

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] TripAdvisor is my gold standard for hotel reviews and I use it heavily when selecting hotels. It rarely lets me down but unfortunately, this was one of those occasions. I’m still scratching my head on how the Dorsett Mongkok won a Traveler’s Choice award! We arrived in Hong Kong in the late evening, checking into the Dorsett Mongkok around 9:30 PM. The location was claimed to be incredibly convenient to…

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Migration Updates

Migration Updates

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[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]As I look forward to a fresh start at BenjaminJTravel.com, I will be migrating some items from the old Avion Addiction. Some of my in-flight product reviews and hotel reviews were the most popular posts.Over the coming days, I’ll be migrating many of these trip report posts post as reposts from Avion Addiction to BenjaminJTravel.com. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Hotel Review: Shangri-La Jakarta

Hotel Review: Shangri-La Jakarta

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] On my recent trip to Indonesia, I had the opportunity to stay at the Shangri-La Jakarta for 7 nights. Our company hosted a multi-day event at the Shangri-La and my colleagues and myself stayed at the Shangri-La for a full week. I expected good service from a Shangri-La but I was absolutely thrilled with the service I received.Everyone in Jakarta loves to smiles and the Shangri-La is no exception. Everyone: bellhops, wait staff, chefs, front…

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New & Refreshed: Benjamin J Travel

New & Refreshed: Benjamin J Travel

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[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] After roughly 2 years at Avion Addiction, I’m thrilled to announce my new and refreshed site, BenjaminJTravel.com. While not much will change from Avion Addiction, I wanted to make Benjamin J Travel more personal, vibrant, and interactive. I like to travel comfortably: often and on a budget. Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve been incredibly fascinated with travel. I’d memorize timetables and beg my mother to take me to LAX to…

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