Zach Griff
Travel journalist and analyst (TPG) covering planes, points, hotels, lounges; frequent practical insights on airline and loyalty trends.
Wrapping Up Apple Visit, Anticipating First Foldable iPhone
And that’s a wrap on my time at Apple HQ! 🍎 One final “goood morning” from Tim Cook ✈️ Cool new travel features 👨💻 Lots and lots of AI Now, the countdown is on for September, aka the annual iPhone event. Who else is pumped for what might just be the first foldable iPhone?
IOS 27 Auto‑Fixes Travel Passwords with Apple Intelligence
Apple just fixed a travel security nightmare 👀 Your miles, points, and credit cards are sitting behind passwords you’ve reused — exactly how these accounts get hacked. Soon, your iPhone will fix them for you. It’s called Automatically Fix Passwords, coming in...
Sicily Exceeds White Lotus Hype—Free Travel Guide Inside
Sicily lived up to the White Lotus hype — and then some. We stayed in Taormina, took day trips to Mt. Etna, Ortigia, and Noto — and came home with a long list of where to stay, eat, and explore. I put...
Emirates A380 First Class Luxury for 109k Points
Emirates first class never ever disappoints, especially when it’s on the Airbus A380. A few epic highlights: 🥂 Free-flowing Dom Perignon 🧴 Bulgari amenity kit 🥄 Signature caviar + Arabic mezze 🛏️ Supremely comfy bed 🚿 Onboard shower (yes, really) ✨ The starry ceiling...
Left‑side LGA Takeoff Offers Unbeatable Manhattan Views
The best views of NYC aren’t from a penthouse — they’re from the left-side window out of LaGuardia. Takeoffs from Runway 31 give you a sweeping left-side bank over Manhattan. It doesn’t happen every flight, but when it does, the left-side...
Skip European Border Chaos with Free EES Guide
Want to skip the immigration chaos at the European border? 👉 Comment EES for my free guide. Europe just rolled out the new Entry/Exit System (EES), and travelers are waiting in hours-long lines. My free guide breaks down what to expect, which line...
TikTok Tourism Turns Quiet Spots Into Crowded Lines
Last time I visited, this line didn’t exist. Now it’s around the block. Welcome to travel in the TikTok era… but is it actually a bad thing? 🤔
Saying Goodbye to Spirit: What We'll Miss
Everything I’ll miss about @spiritairlines, and I *promise* you’ll miss at least one of these, too. Godspeed, Spirit.
Skip Dynamic Currency Conversion, Save on Every Purchase
Europe’s most expensive button 👆 It’s called Dynamic Currency Conversion, and pressing USD costs you way more. ❌ A worse exchange rate ❌ A ~3% markup fee The fix: ✅ Pay in local currency abroad ✅ Use a card with no foreign transaction fees Save this for...
EU eGate: 8‑Minute Clearance with No Stamp
Everyone’s freaking out about the new EU immigration process, and that’s before peak summer season starts 😮 Well, here’s how it actually went. 🎫 Enroll your passport first (first time only) 🛂 Find the right eGate line (most people didn’t) ✅ Cleared, but with...
St. Regis Offers 10k Points for Early Check‑In
Here’s something I’ve never seen before. A St. Regis paying you 10k Bonvoy points to check out early. Aside from it not feeling on-brand for a five-star hotel, part of me wishes this would catch on. Do you agree?
Should $500 M Bailout Rescue Spirit’s Repeated Bankruptcy?
$500 million of your money could be headed to an airline that’s gone bankrupt twice 🤔 I really want Spirit to survive — they keep fares honest and the Big Front Seat is legit a steal — but is bailing them...
Tim Cook's Final Launch Sparks iPhone 18 Speculation
Who knew this would be Tim Cook’s last major launch as Apple CEO? Can’t wait to see what John Ternus is cooking up next. My money is on the iPhone 18 😮
Empower: Cheaper Rides, but Questionable Quality and Legality
There’s a new cheaper rideshare app called Empower that’s 25% cheaper than UberX or Lyft. BUT: 👴 Some cars are really old ❌ It’s supposedly operating illegally in DC (but working fine in other cities, including NYC, Miami, Dallas, and Houston) ⏱️ The...
The Breakers: America’s Best Oceanfront Luxury Hotel
Someone I trust recently told me The Breakers is the best hotel in America. So I flew to Palm Beach to see for myself. Verdict? Add it to your list. The property is massive, the oceanfront setting is unreal, and I...