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Category: Case Study

Ethiopian Airlines plane

Flying Ethiopian Airlines Business Class: NA → Addis Ababa → South Africa

Posted on by Roberta Hill

A practical, comfortable route with a few surprises—and real savings. Long-haul flights don’t usually fall into the “pleasant surprise” category, but Ethiopian Airlines managed to land squarely there for me. I took their overnight service from North America to Addis Ababa and connected onward to Cape Town, and the entire experience—schedule, service, food—worked far better than I’d expected. Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa) Using Air Canada Points (and Saving Real Money) Let’s get this out of the way: I booked the trip using Air Canada Aeroplan points. Yes, I did have to buy extra points—100,000 of them—for two one-way Business…

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Airfare Deals

How to Outsmart the Sky and Minimize Flying Costs

Posted on by Roberta Hill

Let’s begin with this: You will never really outsmart airlines, but you can reduce your costs. There’s a special kind of joy that comes with booking a flight at a price that makes your friends raise their eyebrows and mutter, “How did you manage that?” Truth is, it’s less about secret tricks and more about shifting your travel mindset—equal parts patience, timing, and a dash of creativity. After all, flying is rarely the highlight of the trip. Why not let it sting your wallet a little less? Recent Example: I spend a lot of time looking for the best flights….

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Slow Money: Earn a little while still living a rich life

Posted on by Roberta Hill

A few years into my self-employment as an organizational development specialist and leadership coach, I began receiving questions from colleagues. They wanted to know how I managed to shape my work into the lifestyle I wanted. I’d smile and tell them the truth: the real secret wasn’t about hustling harder, or chasing bigger contracts—it was about asking one deceptively simple question: How much do I actually need to live the life I want? Not “how much do I think I need,” but the real number. In my first year as a self-employed solopreneur, I did exceptionally well. I earned more…

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Trustedhousesitters

TrustedHousesitters Revisited – Location, Location, Location

Posted on by Roberta Hill

I think TrustedHouseSitters is an excellent way to travel and be budget-friendly. My original review: Real TrustedHousesitters Review outlines why I think this is so and gives some great pointers on how to set up your profile and build a reputation. We’re not nomads, so we’re not interested in long-term stays. We look for settings that are a week or less, and we also prefer to just sit for cats. If you’re interested in looking at the pros and cons of long-term stays, I highly recommend this article by Brent and Michael, The Pros and Cons of House-Sitting Generally, we’re driven…

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The Points Game Got Me: Confessions of a Travel Rewards Addict

Posted on by Roberta Hill

About two years ago, I fell down the rabbit hole of travel credit cards. What started as a harmless curiosity…“How can I collect more points for flights and hotels?”—has turned into a full-blown obsession. We’ve been longtime RBC users and got great value there, but then I got interested. You know that moment when interest tips into addiction? Yeah, that. Now I’m juggling annual fees, blackout dates, bonus categories, expiry dates, and wondering whether I’ll get the points I think I’m getting—or if I’m collecting chaos. It’s a logistical nightmare disguised as a game. I’ve been using AwardWallet for over…

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The Toilet Chronicles: Adventures in Travel and Toilet Paper!

Posted on by Roberta Hill

Suppose you’ve been following me for a while. In that case, you might have noticed my somewhat quirky obsession with toilets—and more specifically, the often-overlooked hero of every bathroom break: toilet paper. So, when I came across an interesting article from Approach Tours about the types of toilets you might encounter while travelling, I was naturally curious. The article does a solid job (no pun intended) of preparing travellers for various toilet experiences around the world (spoiler: not every toilet comes with a heated seat and soothing sounds). However, it doesn’t address the toilet paper situation, which is something you…

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Smart Travel Money Three Big Travel Questions Best Credit Cards Best Travel Credit Cards

The Benefits of Carrying a Zero-Balance Credit Card on Your Trip

Posted on by Roberta Hill

My partner and I always carried one different bank credit card each whenever we travelled. Before we became partners, we had two from our previous bank, so we were all set. We used only one of the cards, and I kept the other in case the first didn’t work. I can’t tell you how many times either our debit cards or our credit cards didn’t work. We have discovered that credit cards may work well in stores, but rarely to get cash from bank machines. In Cinque Terre, we didn’t find an ATM at a bank that worked for us…

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