Big News for Wander Simply!

Hi everyone,

I am excited to share a big update with you all today. A few weeks ago, I left my office job of 7 years. Today, I left my home of Seattle and will be traveling the world full time and writing about my adventures on Wander Simply.

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Which Miles Should I Use? Part 4: American Airlines AAdvantage

This is the fourth post in our series titled, “Which Miles Should I Use?” Here I will go over details of American Airlines’ award program, AAdvantage, as well as the best uses of American Airlines miles and how to earn them with credit card sign up bonuses.

American Airlines

American Airlines miles are easy to accumulate, and can be used to fly all over the world at reasonable rates! The plane pictured here has American Airlines’ old logo before it was changed in 2013.

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Which Miles Should I Use? Part 2: United Airlines MileagePlus

Today I will cover the upsides and downsides to using United Airlines miles to fly for free, and will go over which credit card bonus offers are best for earning United miles.

United Airlines 747

United Airlines has an extensive partner network for redeeming flights, and never charges fuel surcharges on award tickets! Pictured here is one of United’s Boeing 747 planes, which they are planning to retire by the end of the year.

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Which Miles Should I Use? Part 1: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

One of the most frequent questions I get about flying for free is,

“I’m going to ______, which miles should I use?”

Over the next few weeks, I am going to write posts covering the pros and cons of some of the most commonly used airline award programs so you know which miles will work best for your next trip!

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737

Alaska Airlines is a great airline, and it has an amazing award program!

I’ll go over which airlines you can book with each program (hint: sometimes it is better to use miles from one airline to book an award on a different airline!), the best places to go with each program, any fees associated with redeeming miles, and other quirks that each program might have. I will also list which credit card bonus offers you can sign up for to earn miles in each program and fly for free. This week I am starting with Alaska Airlines, my hometown airline.

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Wandering Simplified: How to Travel Around the World on a Limited Budget

(This article is edited by Sara Bruestle and was originally published in the New Years edition of the Everett Herald)

Josh Smith on the Great Wall of China

Visiting China to see the Great Wall in 2014.

I was awash in wonder as I climbed close to 1,000 steps to the top of the Great Wall of China. When I reached the top of the wall at Badaling — a tourist hotspot because it is the most magnificent section of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty — I realized I was alone. No other tourists were hiking the wall as far as I could see in either direction. It was eerily quiet.

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Official Launch

Today is our big day- the official launch of Wander Simply! Explore the menu above to get an idea of the types of content we will be posting, and find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram via the links at the top of the page. We hope that this site will help you find the best methods to make travel affordable and easy, so you can get out and explore the world. If you have any questions, just leave a comment on any of the pages and we will get back to you! Happy travels!

-Josh