Most large airlines are members of an alliance which means you can earn and redeem miles for one airline on any of the other carriers in its group. Star Alliance, Skyteam and oneworld are the main alliance groups. My advice is to pick one in each and only earn on those three airlines. Every time you fly check which group you will be flying with and request to earn miles on your chosen airline. When you accrue enough miles for free travel, you can redeem with your choice or any of its partners.

For example, I choose American as my airline in the oneworld alliance. When I fly Lan, another oneworld member, I tell them I’d like to earn American miles. When I have enough miles for a free ticket, I can redeem them on American, Lan or any of the other oneworld carriers.

Here are the airlines included in each alliance:

Star Alliance:

Adria, Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, BMI, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Egyptair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, Swiss, TAM,TAP Portugal, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United, US Airways

*United and Continental are in the process of merging.

Skyteam:

Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Alitalia, Air France, KLM, China Southern, Delta, Korean Air, Czech Airlines, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines

oneworld:

American Airlines, British Airways, Lan, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, Finnair, Iberia, Malev, Mexicana, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, S7 Airlines

People always say that there is a Starbucks on every corner and nowhere is that more true than in Santa Fe Springs, California. There are 560 Starbucks stores within 25 miles of the town!!

If you want to get as far away from the chain as possible, in the U.S., you’d have to head to Adak, Alaska which is 1,044 miles from the nearest Starbucks.

Source: BusinessInsider.com

Visit My Adventures to read about our trip to Nice, France and see pictures on my Photos page or by clicking into the album through one of the images posted.

Date of trip: March 2011

Will and I have always dreamed of visiting the French Riviera. You might imagine Nice with luxury yachts and glamorous people and I’m sure there is plenty of that during the summer, but on the cusp of spring it was just a beautiful, friendly seaside city.

Highlights:

-Like most cities in Europe, Nice has many pedestrian only areas to stroll. The city center is full of cafes and shops, especially on Avenue Jean Medecin. The Promenade des Anglais is the walkway along the Mediterranean Sea where locals jog and walk their dogs. It’s the most unique and special area in Nice and it’s beautiful to walk along, day or night.

-The main square in the city is the Place Massena and although its fountains and gardens are pretty, the best part of the area is the Ferris Wheel. There is no better way to see the whole city and the view from the top is awesome. There’s also a cool Merry go Round nearby for kids.

-Everyone knows about the Carnival parties in Rio and New Orleans, but Nice also has one of the biggest celebrations in the world. We didn’t know this or plan to be in the city for it but, because of bad weather, the last day of events ended up falling on our first day in Nice. Giant floats filled the streets and children dressed in costumes sang while a paper statue of a King was floated out into the Mediterranean and burned. At night there was a fireworks display and it was the best I have ever seen.

-I was excited to visit the Chagall Museum as Marc Chagall is one of my favorite artists and you don’t often see many of his works in one place. It’s small, but it’s a nice little collection and worth checking out.

This was my second trip to France and I really do love the country. The people were kind, the food was excellent (very Italian as Italy is close by) and the city has a ton of character. It may sound like a silly cliche to say that Nice has the perfect name, but it truly does because it is such a nice, nice city.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Nice Links:
Nice Official Site
Nice Carnival
Chagall Museum – French Only

I love collapsible tote bags for travelling and this one is perfect for kids. When you fold it up, it becomes a cute, lightweight teddy bear! It comes in two sizes and five different colors.

$36 A+R Store