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Today’s PrideNomad™ Quiz:

In today’s email:

Up Front: My FF Obsession: You Should Have it Too!

Publisher’s Rant: Snooze You Lose!

Nomad Hack: Sometimes You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!

Resources: Two Great Investment Trainings

UP FRONT:

My FF Obsession: Why Frequent Flyer Status is Critical to Your Best PrideNomad Experience

Last year I wasn’t traveling as often as I’d done in the past and I lost my top-tier 1K status with United Airlines.

As a long-distance flyer, that loss has had a devastating impact on my life—and has resulted in a fanatical obsession to ensure I requalify this year and in the years to come. It’s critical that you understand the opportunities/benefits and pitfalls of being a frequent flyer. Today’s the day!

First—why does it matter:

Status is everything.

• You get to board first (which means you don’t have to fight for overhead bin space in the USA).

• You get free food on the plane in economy (with the right status level).

• You get free lounge access on international flights (with proper status).

• You DEFINITELY get better service if you need help.

• You can get free upgrades on domestic flights (prioritized based on status level)

But the BEST part is that one airline gives it’s Top Tier (1K) Frequent Flyers something even more important.

They provide FREE SYSTEM-WIDE upgrades. That means international flights, baby!

This is why I’m fanatically loyal to United Airlines. When you qualify for 1K status, they give you credits (“PlusPoints”) that allow you to upgrade from Economy to Business Class on EIGHT international trips!

Let’s explore what that means:

As you can see above, this trip from Sydney to London is over 29 hours. You can pay $17,788 for a business class seat…or…if you have 1K “PlusPoints”, you can pay the economy price and use 40 of them to score a seat in business at no additional cost!

Yes—that’s a benefit of $16,231!

If you did 8 of those trips, that would equal $129,848 in value!

If you’re doing a lot of international travel, this is a HUGE deal for you.

Last year, my PlusPoints allowed me to treat my mom to a business class trip to Sydney. The flight from Houston is one of the world’s longest flights—over 17 hours. If you want to buy your mother’s love, this is a great way to do it!

So how do you qualify to get that status level?

On United, it takes 24,000 “Premier Qualifying Points” (PQP’s).

That may sound simple, but let me tell you right now—they’ve made it so confusing that in order to effectively qualify (if you’re traveling on optional trips), you’ll need a spreadsheet, attention to detail, a sense of humor and a lot of patience!

For example. United gives you credit based on the dollars you spend with them. But when you fly partner airlines, you can earn credit based on the miles you fly.

This Sunday, I’m flying to Los Angeles from Sydney. If I flew United, I’d earn about 608 PQP’s. But if I fly Air Canada, I’ll fly through Vancouver and score 912 PQP’s (about 50% more!).

Racking up the points takes focus and determination.

In order to requalify 2 years ago, I took 2 consecutive roundtrip flights in business class from Jakarta to New York to score over 6,000 points at a cost of $5,000. As insane as my friends thought I was, it was a terrific investment (I’m looking to find similar deals all the time!).

Rather than go into it all here and make your eyes bleed, I shot a video for you and we’ll be posting it on our new YouTube channel in the next day or so.

We’re also posting all the details in our new PrideNomad Blog. It may be a day or two before it goes live.

Frequent Flyer programs are big business for the airlines. And when you do it right, they can be highly profitable for YOU, too!

SPONSORED MESSAGE

🌟 Recreate Priscilla’s Journey! 🌟

It’s the 30th Anniversary of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and you’re invited to follow in those iconic footsteps on the “Prissy Silly Tour”.

It will be an epic 14-day adventure through Australia’s heartland. Yes, you’ll follow the legendary route taken by the characters in the movie “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” From Erskineville, Sydney, and everything in between to Alice Springs, you’ll experience the same iconic locations and vibrant outback culture that made the film a classic.

The highlight will be the Broken Heel Festival, Australia’s version of Burning Man, which celebrates the spirit of Priscilla. This fabulous five-day festival should be even more over the top as it celebrates the film’s 30th year anniversary at its spiritual home, The Palace Hotel. You’ll enjoy comedy, cabaret, live music, and social activities, all paying homage to one of our favorite iconic cult movies. And yes, PrideNomad will be there!

📅 Dates: September 5 - 18, 2024 (other dates available as well)

🚍 Route: Sydney to Alice Springs, including Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings Canyon, and more.

Your Exclusive PrideNomad Deal

🎁 Early bird bookings get a free $250 Prissy Silly Merchandise Pack! Use promo code NOMAD at checkout.

Visit prissysilly.com to book your spot now! 🌈✨

PUBLISHER’S RANT:

Snooze and You Lose: Why Showing Up Matters

Picture this:

You have a meeting tonight with your local LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce. You don’t have to go, but you know it's good for your business.

One problem—you’re exhausted. All you want is to crawl into bed and drift off to dreamland. Sleep sounds justified. But then, what if you went and met someone amazing—a potential business contact, a new friend, or even Mr./Ms. Wonderful who could change your life forever?

So, do you attend the meeting or blow it off?

We've all been in similar situations. If you've attended in the past, was it worth it? Share your thoughts with us.

Here’s my lesson for you: Get off your ass and go!

Last week, I was recovering from a nasty bug I caught on my last trans-pacific trip. I was exhausted and took an afternoon nap (one of the perks of being a PrideNomad is being able to nap whenever you want!).

When I woke up, I felt like I was coming out of a coma—I just wanted to go back to sleep. But I had the monthly Sydney Gay Chamber meeting on my calendar (I love attending local meetups wherever I visit).

Despite wanting to stay in bed, I dragged myself to the meeting.

At each meeting, there's a drawing for door prizes from local businesses. I've previously won theatre tickets and amazing handmade chocolates. This time, the grand prize was a 5-day trip to the Broken Heel Festival, Australia’s annual celebration of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (and this year it’s going to be epic—it’s the movie’s 30th anniversary!).

I was told that the Broken Heel Festival is Australia’s version of Burning Man for the LGBTQ+ community. The winner would receive a $2,000 package for 2 including a stay in a “Glamping Tent.”

Long story short, I won it!

Of course, had I stayed in bed, Broken Heel might have remained a dream.

But by shaking off the slumber, magic was allowed to happen.

The lesson: Get out there! The universe is conspiring in your favor.

Here at PrideNomad, we're always cheering you on. If you're considering nomadic trips, try them! If you're on the road and considering new places, explore them!

Remember this:

When you open yourself to new experiences, magic happens.

Oh, and I AM going to the Broken Heel Festival, and I WILL be reporting back to you. It would be even better if you joined us! Check out their website at http://bhfestival.com.

As a McDonald's advertisement once stated:

You Can’t Win if You Don’t Play!

NOMAD HACK:

If you’re running your own business, or in any management position, be mindful that in many cases you may be too close to your situation to see all the possibilities in front of you.

We learned that recently with our own PrideNomad promotions. We knew it was a newsletter, but our marketing did not make that clear, and conversions suffered.

It was only by seeking the feedback of others, and by listening in to a focus group that we discovered what was painfully obvious.

Where do YOU have blind spots? Where are you performing less than you’ve planned?

Those are the areas where feedback from others may have value. Note that the feedback only matters if it’s coming from people who are part of your target audience.

You may be shocked to discover (as we were) that what you thought was totally obvious was as clear as mud to your audience!

The big lesson here: Check Your Ego at the Door. Encourage (and reward) feedback and remember that it doesn’t matter who’s right—what matters are the results that you achieve.

RESOURCES:

We’re big believers in diversified income generation, and as PrideNomads, we want to work less and play more…so we enthusiastically advocate that you consider investing (wisely) in a variety of areas.

Two of our favorites are below (with deals just for us!)

The Crypto Mastermind. This program, by long-term friend John Limbocker is a gift to us. John wants to get you educated about the right, safe way to invest in the crypto markets. He’s making an irresistible offer to the PrideNomad community.

Access the Crypto Mastermind here»

The Surprising Real Estate Strategy. We mentioned this one recently, and it’s a unique and timeless strategy to help you create significant income streams.

Watch the presentation here »

Coming Soon

As PrideNomads, choosing destinations that align with our values and offer security is crucial for a fulfilling and enriching travel experience. Whether you’re exploring the top-ranked nations or considering travel within the U.S. or Asia, be aware of any potential risks. We’re developing some travel tools that will help you “know before you go” and craft incredible itineraries in some of the most welcoming LGBTQ+ countries on the planet.

It’s coming soon!

Quiz Answer

NOTE: Some of the links we provide may be affiliate links, which may potentially generate a referral fee to us. That’s one way we’re able to keep PrideNomad available to you at no cost. Rest assured that we only recommend providers who we feel can deliver great value to you.