Modhop Podcast

The guys are back again with some long-winded banter about pandemic times wrapped around some travel-related bits. A couple of airlines are offering Covid testing, we’ll break down who and how much. Plus, we’ll talk about Jake’s unintentionally comical appearance on last week’s #figureitoutfriday with pal Deena Lang. Listen… News Transcript & Related Links: Airlines are doing all they can to jumpstart travel. United announced this past week they’ll be offering Covid testing before flights…F or testing right there at the airport it’ll set you back $250 or $80 for a home test that’ll have to be taken and overnight mailed back 72 hours before your flight. With Hawaii dropping their mandatory 14-day quarantine for incoming passengers beginning October 15th, Hawaiian AIRLINES is offering tests as well. Theirs is a little more affordable, set at $90 for a test that gets results within 36 hours or $150 for a day-of-travel rapid test. I’m now thinking Hawaii for Christmas, no? Boarding Area rock-star level blog On

We’re back to give our pal “Contributing Author” a break. We dust off our talking skills to chat about where US Citizens are currently welcome, why NOT to steal sand in Italy and vanishing airline change fees. Plus, we daydream (out loud) about where we want to go next.

After a few weeks of being too busy to pod, Jake and Anthony are back talking a little about travel news and a lot about continued lockdown. In news it's all about sanitizer on planes, Chase's latest round of perks to try and keep Sapphire Reserve customers and more. Plus, Jake talks to radio pal and host of the new podcast "My Jewish Parents" Mike Klein about what it was like to visit a (sort-of) socially distanced Myrtle Beach, SC over Memorial Day weekend. News Transcript: Sanitizer on Planes I gave some deserved applause to Delta on Twitter the other day for the hygiene kits they’ve been distributing on flights. BUT Have you ever tried to light hand sanitizer on fire? Turns out it’s classified as a flammable liquid, which is WHY (as pointed out on Boarding Area partner One Mile at a Time), airlines need special permission from the FAA to distribute it to passengers. Delta was ahead of the curve in asking by proving they’d only keep fairly harmless amounts packaged and stored safely. The other airlines

Antony and Jake barrel through kid interruptions (at Jake's house) with ease while catching up on grocery delivery strategies. We also talk about countries plans to restart tourism from a June 1 plan for Greece to Australia and New Zealand's "bubble" strategy. All that and the latest travel credit card Jake just got rid of...Listen:

Beyond our weekly grocery delivery chat, we peek into possible new solutions for social distancing on airplanes what it might be like to be a middle seat passenger post Covid 19. Plus, Anthony delivers his virtual-vacations online and we find some unusual beds at Tokyo Narita. Listen:

The guys dial up for another check on each other's health and mental well-being. We skim a few stories including what some airlines are doing to keep their money and what hotels are doing to help in the Covid 19 crisis. Plus, Anthony's got some good ideas for passing the time on YouTube that we look forward to chatting about next time. Listen:

Jake and Anthony dial in from their lock-down spots to talk about airlines extending elite status, the struggle to get groceries and what travel might look like in after-times. While Jake continues to build his emergency basement doomsday studio, his 800 square foot “home studio” brings the noise (dishes, kids playing) but we do our best to make a podcast out of it. Listen:

We're working on our connection but are getting some old AM Stereo-style static, so apologies for the fuzz. If you can handle that part, we get caught up on how each of us order groceries and how often we're going outside during the Covid 19 crisis. Plus, we talk about the Chase Sapphire Reserve $100 statement credit for existing members and Spirit Airlines sudden cancellation of flights to/from the New York metro. Listen here...

Our quickly evolving advice on upcoming travel is at a stand-still, much like most of our lives. Anthony is hunkered-down in Jersey City while we figure out how to do this remotely but Jake’s got some ideas for when you might want to start cancelling flights and takes an optimistic (and wild) guess at when we can start post Covid 19 travel-planning again.

The guys talk about old photos before diving into this week's  travel headlines. Airlines get new guidance on cleaning planes in wake of Covid 19 fears while AirBnB now recognizes "extenuating circumstances" in it's change and cancellation policy. Good deals are found in Delta SkyMiles deals and why it's better to call to make hotel reservations. Plus, Will Anthony's Dad make it back home?

Jake rambles on about getting a few birthday parties in over the weekend before diving into a refresher course in pre-pandemic hygiene. Skip ahead of if you're already skilled at covering your mouth when you sneeze to hear about something new aboard Delta flights. Plus, Jake is further convinced to keep his IHG card.

Jake and Anthony get to quite a bit of rambling on subjects like outlet shopping, golden birthdays, tax time and more. Somewhere, we work in some sweet Bonvoy redemptions at luxury-level hotels, the new Centurion Lounge at CLT and side-eye an opinion piece from USA today about "free" travel.

Southwest leads the news with an unfortunately needed pre-flight announcement addition. Plus we share speculation about potential pitfalls in Alaska Airline's entry into oneworld alliance and debate the pros of solo travel. Also, I think Anthony is sick.

Jake and Anthony talk alternatives for NY flyers now that Global Entry is suspended by the feds. Plus we're excited about a possible Delta One business class lounge and curious as to why neither of us has flown on Southwest Airlines. Also, Anthony buys BTS tickets.

Jake and Anthony chat about flight cancellations, the extended Lunar New Year and we  dig into new rules for "emotional support" animals on planes. Plus, Black Tomato's Tom Marchant stops by to talk about elevating your travel in 2020 and beyond.

Jake tries (and fails) to make his new battle with shingles sound not gross. Once we get past it, there’s news about a pretty fantastic IHG/Chase signup bonus. Plus, United restricts window shade usage and loses those pesky bag sizers at the gate. Listen:

Jake and Anthony go over the newly added Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits to determine if they're worth paying an extra $100 a month for. Plus we give new reasons to love Delta, talk about an out-of-the-ordinary culinary experience in Southern Spain and we check in on the price of shrimp in Chinatown. Listen:

Anthony knew better than to go anywhere near Times Square on New Years Eve so Jake is solo from the SiriusXM Pandora tower in NYC. It’s just a 4+ minute roundup highlighting a favorite year end tradition of someone else’s blog and a peek into some popular travel spots for 2020.

Jake and Anthony get feels for a new (and very temporary) Virgin Atlantic promotion before turning sad about lost bags in Seattle and floods in Ft. Lauderdale. Plus, a quick look back at our favorite travel moments of 2020.

We're both recovering nicely from the SiriusXM Pandora holiday party the night before. Listen as we sleepily slur news on American's new menu partnership, Delta's new anti-upgrade and an IHG hotel booking trick we learned from a Boarding Area partner...