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Had a cup of coffee today? If yes, you are part of the world’s 4.83 billion coffee drinkers. That’s approximately 60% of our entire adult population.

Coffee is virtually everywhere, in various different forms. A dark roast americano at the press of a button at home. Fancy lattes at the nearest coffee shop, of which there are two more across the street. The cheap, diluted stuff from the gas station. The possibilities are endless.

Coffee is so commonplace now that it’s almost hard to fathom a time before it…a time when people had to either take a nap or surrender to being tired all day (those were the real dark times).

But just like every modern day convenience, coffee has an origin story. And a pretty interesting one at that.

As a video from Ted-Ed explains, coffee is said to have been discovered by a goat herder.

So sayeth the Ethiopian legend: A goat herder named Kaldi noticed that when members of his flock began to eat the berries off of a certain tree, they’d get bursts of energy. When Kaldi decided to try the berries himself, he too got a jolt.

Considering Ethiopia is where most agree that coffee originated, why not go with their legend? Coffee was being foraged here by the 1400s, but instead of roasting the beans, the leaves would be brewed just like tea. Or the berries would be combined with butter and salt for a quick energy snack. (I’ll stick to my chocolate covered espresso beans, thank you very much.)

Eventually the berries would be made into an “energizing elixir” and traded along the route to the Middle East. By the 1450s, coffee was already popular in Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Yemen and Persia.

By this time, coffee was also used for ritual worship in Yemen, which brought about the new brewing methods of roasting and grinding the beans. Dark roast lovers…you can thank the Ottoman Empire.

There was even a period in the 1500s when authorities tried to ban coffee, for fear that it was too much of an intoxicating drug (which, scientifically speaking, isn’t too inaccurate). But eventually that concern was ruled out, and coffee houses began popping up all over the map, spreading to Istanbul, Damascus, and beyond.

Not only more coffee shops, but coffee bean farms. And this is where we got certain names for coffee drinks, like Mocha and Java.

By the 1650s, at the dawn of the Enlightenment Period, coffee shops were opened in Europe. This had an especially powerful effect on London culture, as tavern-going was replaced by attending coffee houses, dubbed “penny universities.” For just one penny (the price of a cup of coffee), customers could not only get a burst of energy, but exposure to new ideas from academics, artists, and intellectuals.

Of course, new ways of thinking didn’t really sit well with King Charles II at the time. Fearing that it might become a threat to his throne, he attempted to “close coffee-houses altogether,” an order which he went back on two days before it would go into effect, as Brian Cowan writes in “The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse.”

By 1906, when the world’s first commercial espresso machine and industrial roasting machine were introduced, we began getting our first coffee brands, which would slowly make their way into many homes around the globe. Only a few short years later, coffee breaks were introduced to a majority of workplaces. And here we are today, in a land where PSLs (pumpkin spice lattes, for the uninitiated) are an expected annual delight and you can take your cup of joe with a zillion different kinds of alternative milks. What a time to be alive.

Luckily, the ways of creating and consuming coffee continue to evolve in ways that are more ethical and sustainable. It’s no secret that, historically, slave labor was used to harvest the product, and Indigenous peoples have been displaced to secure more growing land. Today, there are certification efforts being made to right those wrongs, including livable wages and incorporating different farming techniques like agroforestry. There’s certainly more progress to be made here, but progress is being made nonetheless.

There you have it, folks. Next time you’re enjoying a nice cuppa joe, savor all the history that goes into every single sip.

Watch the full video below:

Pets make amazing companions. They not only keep you company but it’s been proven that they are great emotional support. Many senior citizens take comfort in having a furry friend around when they’re living alone or caregiving for an ailing partner.

But having a pet can become a financial burden that not all elderly people can afford. Instead of doing the unimaginable, giving up their pet, some elderly people will go without eating to make sure their pets have food. Many senior citizens are on a fixed income, causing them to make difficult financial decisions including forgoing important medications and feeding their pets.

Programs like Meals on Wheels make sure that elderly individuals are eating at least one hot meal a day, and it’s free of charge. Meals on Wheels is a national program that reduces elderly hunger while also helping to provide elderly people living alone with human contact.

Recently, Meals on Wheels in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, started including an addition to their program–pet food. Elder Services of Berkshire County, which has been providing meals for seniors, teamed up with Berkshire Humane Society and Berkshire Family & Individual Resources (BFAIR) to start a pet assistance program for meal recipients according to iBerkshires.com.

The Berkshire County Meals on Wheels program will deliver pet food once a month to elderly program members who cannot get to the store. Since many of the people that receive meals from the food program are on a fixed income, it’s also a probability that some of the members cannot afford pet food even if they could get to the store.

Elder Services Community Services Director Kayla Brown-Wood tells iBerkshire, “I think most people would feed their pets before they feed themselves. So, this helps minimize that from happening. It’s just a really great collaboration and the idea is to be able to help those people that might not have the means to come here and visit the emergency pet food bank at Berkshire Humane Society. So, it’s just another way to help bridge that gap and that need in the community.”

The national Meals on Wheels organization also helps elderly people keep their pets in the home by partnering with PetSmart Charities. The partnership has “helped more than 25,000 Meals on Wheels clients remain at home and together with their beloved companions,” according to the Meals on Wheels website.

They don’t stop with helping to provide meals for humans and their pets. Meals on Wheels helps support local programs that provide pet food, grooming services as well as veterinary services to the animals of elderly people who may not be able to afford it otherwise.

Meals on Wheels says, “97% of clients receiving pet assistance say that Meals on Wheels has made it possible for them to keep their loving companion, according to our research with partner PetSmart Charities.”

The partnership between Meals on Wheels and PetSmart Charities ensures that the pets of seniors have the things they need, like cat litter, nail trims, free boarding and even transportation to the veterinarian. Pets become part of your family, and with seniors that are homebound, their Meals on Wheels delivery person and their pet may be the only interaction they receive. It’s amazing to see that this essential program is not forgetting about the animal companions living with the seniors they serve.

Yaya Bey defies everything — from gender norms, to genre, to expectations. Today (March 7), the genderqueer artist dropped her new single, “Sir Princess Bad B*tch,” which is a principled celebration of who she is.

The song opens with her preceding what sounds like a performance in a ballroom. She seems to be certain that the mayor is going to show up to the ball, but make no mistake — she doesn’t give a single f*ck. Over a groovy house-inspired beat, Bey reiterates that she wouldn’t trade the love she has for herself for anything else.

“No other thing but the thing I am / No other thing but the thing I can / Do from the heart ‘cause I know I am / That f*ckin’ girl just ‘cause I am,” she raps on the chorus.

The accompanying music video features Bey taking charge of the dancefloor in lavish fashions, leading a group of other norm-defying individuals into a dance revolution.

The song and video arrive just shortly before Bey is set to perform three SXSW shows next week in Austin, TX.

In the meantime, you can see the video for “Sir Princess Bad B*tch” above.

Ten Fold is out 5/10 via Big Dada. Find more information here.

There’s always that one wedding guest, isn’t there?

For Amy and Harry, their problematic wedding guest wasn’t even technically invited…or human.

As seen in a hilarious now-viral video posted to Instagram by Something Borrowed Films, Amy and Harry’s wedding photographer, the bride and groom stand before the officiant, surrounded by loved ones and the picturesque green fields of their outdoor ceremony venue.

All seems straight out of a fairytale as the officiant begins to ask if anyone has any objections to the partnership. When out of nowhere, a loud “MOOOOOOOOOOO” rings through the air.

Laughter ensues as the officiant tries again if there are any objections, which begets another moo from the “local” cow visible in the video’s background. Understandably, nobody could really keep it together at that point.

“This cow definitely has a sense of comedic timing 😂,” Borrowed Films wrote in the caption of the post.

The clip has racked up over 12 million views and 830,000 likes so far, and gotten some jokes in the comments that were just as funny as the incident itself.

“That has to be an ancestor trying to send a message,”

“You need to hear me out, they said ‘speak cow.’”

“The cow literally spoke at the point the officiant was asking ‘does any person here object?’ When they were done laughing the cow spoke a second time as the officiant asked who may object. That was a sign and they ignored it.”

“A few years later during a fight- “I knew I shouldn’t have married you!!!! I should have listened to that cow!!!” 😂😂😂😂”

“Cow didn’t care about them getting married… they lied to her and said it was a vegan wedding but she saw beef on the menu 😂😂”

Watch below:

See on Instagram

All bovine antics aside, Borrowed Films assured everyone that it did not ruin Amy and Harry’s big day. In a follow-up video, we can see how the happy couple’s ceremony was “amazing from start to finish.”

But still, we have the local cow to thank for truly giving them an unforgettable moo-ment.

A Japanese concept known as kaizen is based on making small, continuous improvements daily that eventually result in tremendous growth. The basic idea is that tiny changes can amount to big ones over time.

It’s an interesting concept to put into practice because it’s a lot less overwhelming to make small changes each day than trying to move mountains overnight. Plus, it’s probably easier to stay disciplined.

Blogger David Cain, creator of Raptitude, made three small changes in his life and says they’ve improved his overall sense of well-being by 20%. He admits that it only took about 2% more effort to get results that were 10 times greater.

He started his tiny change routine during Lent, the Christian period of fasting and reflection before Easter. During Lent, Christians are asked to give up something as a form of self-discipline and spiritual reflection, echoing Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert.

“On a whim, I decided to commit to three small changes for the remainder of Lent, not because I’m religious, but because I like the idea of temporarily renouncing things,” Cain joked.

The three tiny changes he implemented for Lent were deleting Twitter and Reddit from his phone, drinking more water and getting to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier.

When it comes to significantly improving your well-being overnight, low-hanging fruit isn’t rare.nnhttps://t.co/PUqezt5ENp

— (@)

“I kept the changes small because small is easy, and might still be worthwhile. First, I renounced the scrolling of Twitter and Reddit, because I kind of got into that again over the winter. I just took five minutes to block them on my phone, and I don’t miss them,” Cain wrote.

“I also started drinking more water again,” he continued. “I’m not sure when I got away from actively drinking water, but now that I’m doing it again, I feel more energetic. Lastly, I stopped pushing my bedtime past my old bedtime by 15 or 20 minutes.”

Cain’s experiment wasn’t about becoming a new person or reaching perfection; he just wanted to make a few small changes. He assumed the changes wouldn’t have a huge impact because they were so easy. Boy, was he wrong.

“How I’ve felt since reminds me of how I felt when I was a bit younger,” he wrote. “I’m sharper, more patient, more inclined to do things. The body moves more easily, the mind finds words more easily, intentions form more easily. It’s not quite an amazing change, but it really is significant.”

Cain’s story should inspire all of us who would like to improve our lives but don’t know where to start. If you don’t have a problem with hydration, scrolling through Twitter, or getting to bed on time, he has a list of over 25 more small changes you can make as well.

As the great Taoist sage Lao Tzu famously said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

“It’s not much of a gamble—to test whether life would get immediately better after quitting some small thing you know is bad for you, or committing to some small thing you know is good for you,” he wrote. “Give it even a week of really doing it, and see.”

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Love Is Blind episode will be found below.)

Clay is the talk of the town after the Love Is Blind season six. It’s mostly because he opted to not say “I do” to AD during their wedding. “I just don’t think it’s responsible for me to say I do at this point when I still need work,” he said to AD who was shocked by his response. “I still need to get to the point where I’m 100 percent in.” Afterward, AD deemed their relationship as over, but whether that is still the case remains to be seen.

Another reason that Clay is the talk of the town came moments before his wedding. After hearing about him for a few episodes in season six, Love Is Blind viewers were finally introduced to Clay’s father Trevor Gravesande who made quite the impression during his few moments on TV.

Who Is Clay’s Dad From Love Is Blind Season 6? What We Know About Trevor Gravesande

We first meet Trevor Gravesande when he arrives at Clay’s dressing room before the wedding. For reasons unbeknownst to most viewers, Trevor dives into a story of Clay’s early days in track & field. “When I took you out running the first time, I beat you,” he said. “Then, one day, you beat me so bad. You were way before me. I couldn’t believe it.” Trevor then veered a highlight reel of achievements, noting that he nearly reached the Olympics after being an All-American athlete in high school and college. Lastly, he added that he “came as close as the Millrose Games,” but a hamstring injury hindered his promising track career.

The issue here is proof of Trevor’s success as a track star is practically impossible to find, something that both Distractify and We Got This Covered have also noted. Evidence of his participation in the Milrose Games is nonexistent as is his almost-inclusion in the Olympics. So, from the looks of it, it seems like Trevor took advantage of a room full of cameras to boost himself. That, or his name during his track days was not Trevor Gravesande.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Trevor was left to eat his own words and remain in silence after a conversation with his ex-wife and Clay’s mother Rita towards the end of the season six finale. During this scene, Rita and Trevor spoke about how their marriage and Trevor’s cheating within it affected Clay’s view of marriage. Trevor tries to add some charm to the conversation by telling Rita that Clay will soon meet a woman like her. Unfortunately, Trevor’s charm falls flat as Rita replies, “Yeah, you met me but you weren’t good to me.”

Welp.

‘Love Is Blind’ season 6, episode 12 is now available to stream on Netflix.

When it comes to The Takeover — the two-day event series produced by Just Blaze, PaulSellsTX, and Uproxx and hosted on March 13-14 in Austin — you can expect one thing: surprise. Last year’s event brought legends to the stage as Just Blaze was joined by State Property, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Bun B, Redman, and a young upstart comedian by the name of Dave Chappelle, all vibing with the crowd, caught in the moment, and toasting the good life.

The next night, Anderson .Paak took the stage as DJ Pee .Wee. What other party can consistently pull off these kinds of feats? Seriously?

For 2024’s Takeover, Just Blaze, PaulSellsTX, and Uproxx are taking over the Summit Rooftop and Lounge for a two-day party (night one is dubbed “Open House” and night two is “Soul in the Horn”). The two nights (plus daytime programming on the 13th) are supported by Rabbit Hole and Farmer’s Gin — with both brands creating exclusive cocktails and tasting experiences on-site.

The current lineup is already awesome but with The Takeover, you always have to bank on unannounced guests. Ticket info below.

Tickets for the Open House and Soul In The Horn takeover are on sale now, with proceeds for the event going directly to charity.

Everyone is entitled to a few nice words at their funeral, as the adage goes. Normally, this is a non-issue. Flaws can be ignored or overlooked for the sake of harmony and a peaceful, optimistic send-off.

But what if the flaws created too much damage and heartache to go without saying?

Sheila Smith made headlines last week with an obituary that was as honest in what can only be described as a brutal sense. Brutal for the departed, her father Leslie Ray Charping, and brutal for the family that had to endure his life and death.

Here’s the obituary in its entirety, taken from the website of Carnes Funeral Home:

Leslie Ray “Popeye” Charping was born in Galveston, Texas on November 20, 1942 and passed away January 30, 2017, which was 29 years longer than expected and much longer than he deserved. Leslie battled with cancer in his latter years and lost his battle, ultimately due to being the horses ass he was known for. He leaves behind 2 relieved children; a son Leslie Roy Charping and daughter, Shiela Smith along with six grandchildren and countless other victims including an ex wife, relatives, friends, neighbors, doctors, nurses and random strangers.

At a young age, Leslie quickly became a model example of bad parenting combined with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive. Leslie enlisted to serve in the Navy, but not so much in a brave & patriotic way but more as part of a plea deal to escape sentencing on criminal charges. While enlisted, Leslie was the Navy boxing champion and went on to sufficiently embarrass his family and country by spending the remainder of his service in the Balboa Mental Health Hospital receiving much needed mental healthcare services.

Leslie was surprisingly intelligent, however he lacked ambition and motivation to do anything more than being reckless, wasteful, squandering the family savings and fantasizing about get rich quick schemes. Leslie’s hobbies included being abusive to his family, expediting trips to heaven for the beloved family pets and fishing, which he was less skilled with than the previously mentioned. Leslie’s life served no other obvious purpose, he did not contribute to society or serve his community and he possessed no redeeming qualities besides quick whited sarcasm which was amusing during his sober days.

With Leslie’s passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend. No services will be held, there will be no prayers for eternal peace and no apologizes to the family he tortured. Leslie’s remains will be cremated and kept in the barn until “Ray”, the family donkey’s wood shavings run out. Leslie’s passing proves that evil does in fact die and hopefully marks a time of healing and safety for all.

The obituary walks a fine line between uncloaked honesty and mean-spiritedness, repeatedly falling on either side. If this obituary is to be believed (no person or account has publicly questioned or denounced this characterization), his family has a right to be both angry for his life and happy for his death. However, the controversy surrounding this obituary isn’t the survivors’ feelings, but their expression of them.

Sheila, speaking to The Michael Berry Show, a radio program, stood by the obituary she wrote, claiming it was an effort to heal, forget, and minimize the residual impact his death would have on their lives. To realize this, and to fulfill her late father’s wishes, the obituary needed to be honest. She said to the show’s host, ” A week after he passed I sat down and began working on it. I was somewhat blocked and everything I was going to write was going to be a lie,” she said. “He hated a liar and he would appreciate this.”

Speaking earlier to KTRK, Sheila said that those who are bothered by this or the notion of speaking ill of the dead, are fortunate to not understand. “I am happy for those that simply do not understand, this means you had good parent(s) — please treasure what you have.”

She continued to say that whitewashing transgressions that are so endemic and undiscussed in the world, such as her father’s issues with domestic violence and alcoholism, serves no greater good.

She concluded, “I apologize to anyone that my father hurt and I felt it would have been offensive to portray him as anything other than who he was,” she also said. “This obituary was intended to help bring closure because not talking about domestic violence doesn’t make it go away!”

This article originally appeared on 05.22.19

Texas Representative Ronny Jackson has reportedly been misrepresenting his rank as a U.S. naval officer. At the time of this writing, Jackson’s congressional website claims he “retired from the United States Navy as a Rear Admiral.” However, Jackson was apparently quietly demoted to captain after an investigation into his behavior as the White House physician for Donald Trump.

For years, Trump officials have attempted to bat down claims that Jackson was the White House “Candyman” who routinely doled out drugs to staffers like your favorite drunk neighbor hands out treats at Halloween. According to a new Rolling Stone report, Trump’s White House was allegedly awash with speed and Xanax because of Jackson. However, his misbehavior didn’t stop there.

According to The Washington Post, a 2021 inspector general report led to Jackson’s demotion after detailing “substantiated allegations” about his conduct in Trump’s White House:

A Navy official confirmed that the service took unspecified action against Jackson in the wake of the 2021 inspector general’s report, which found that Jackson berated subordinates in the White House medical unit, “made sexual and denigrating statements” about a female subordinate, consumed alcohol inappropriately with subordinates and consumed the sleep drug Ambien while on duty as the president’s physician. At the time of the report, Jackson was classified by the Navy as a rear admiral (lower half), a one-star admiral that is distinct from the two-star rear admiral position.

Mediaite reports that Jackson mentioned the inspector general investigation in his July 2022 memoir, but conveniently left out the part where he was demoted from rear admiral to captain.

And, yes, Jackson is the same physician who routinely touted Trump’s incredible health and claimed the former president “could live to 200” if he ate better. Clearly, a trustworthy source if there ever was one.

(Via The Washington Post)

Every Monday, we share with you the best nonstop flight deals of the week from nine major cities in the United States. Every Wednesday, we share a roundup of recommendations of travel destinations from well-versed travel writers and globally touring artists to continuously add to your travel bucket list. But none of this would be beneficial without our weekly Thursday series that taps the best experts in credit card points and rewarding hacking.

If you’re ready to embark on a solo trip to Madrid this Spring or make a last-minute send to SXSW, dive into these plane ticket buying tips and strategies to save yourself more money and earn more points.

Adam Hill (@adamhillyeah): Buy Airline Points

Website

Ticket prices can be absolutely egregious at times. I’m constantly looking for a way around paying any price for tickets if I’m being honest or trying to figure out if I can offset a ticket with an annual travel credit I get with one of my credit cards. My favorite way to buy a ticket without paying for a ticket directly is buying airline points directly from an airline and then using those points to get that ticket.

I recently booked a positioning flight to my home airport with Southwest Airlines. I was able to get my ticket with the Rapid Rewards points I still had left over, however, the price of the ticket in a cash fare was kind of outrageous to buy for my wife — I quickly checked the price to buy the amount of points needed and it turned out I would save $70. Win!

Wanna know an even better redemption?

Many times Lifemiles, Avianca Airlines’ frequent flier program, has bonus promotions when buying miles. You can get up to 165% and recently they had up to 175% bonus miles when purchasing a specific amount of miles. Lifemiles requires 87k miles to fly first class with Lufthansa, depending on the bonus being offered, you may only be paying $1,000-$1,300 for miles which will then be used instead of a typical $8,000-$10,000 cash fare. If you are originating from Munich or Frankfurt, you will get to experience the Lufthansa First Class terminal as well as being driven to your plane in a Porsche.

This is by far my favorite way to hack the normal cash fare of a ticket.

Brighton & Mila (@themilescouple): Use AMEX Platinum To Earn 5x Points On Flights

We most frequently use our Amex Platinum to book our flights — not just for the protections that it offers travelers, but because it earns 5x points on flights. If you don’t have the Amex Platinum, we recommend booking with other high-tier cards that earn bonus points on travel categories. Additionally, if you have status with a particular airline, one of the easiest ways to get the most miles out of a booking is to keep increasing in status tier so as to gain more points per dollar spent.

Finally, if you ever see award flights going on sale but you already have a flight booked, always check if your flight is included in the sale! In this case, you can call customer service and ask to be rebooked. Often, this will be at no additional (or very little) cost, and you’ll get to save some points for your next trip!

Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): Use A Credit Card Offering Travel Protections

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Whether using cash or points, make sure to pay with a credit card offering travel protections. These travel protections cover baggage delays, flight delays or cancellations, and even rental car coverage. The protections help cover you in the event something happens and you have unplanned out-of-pocket expenses. Take weather delays for example. Airlines don’t have to provide any compensation for hotels, Ubers, or food. But by using the right credit card to pay for travel, you can submit for reimbursement and recoup those costs.

Ryan Horn (@profitsandpoints): Book Southwest Flights As Early As Possible

Website

One of my favorite hacks is booking Southwest flights as early as possible. Southwest Airlines is very generous with their refund process if the price of the flight you booked drops after you book it. If you book a flight with Southwest, and the price of your flight drops, you can rebook that flight and receive a Travel Funds credit for the difference in fare. If you paid with points, the difference in Rapid Rewards points will automatically go back into your account!

All you have to do is sign on to your Rapid Rewards account and use the “Change Flight” option. You’ll then simply change your flight to the flight you were already on.

Serena Stone (@passionforpoints): Use The Correct Credit Card To Lower Your Price

Website / YouTube

I prefer to use points and miles to book flights but sometimes award flights are not the best choice nor readily available. In these cases when you need to pay out of pocket for a flight, here are four options to reduce the ticket price:

1) Capital One: If you hold the Capital One Venture X card, you will get a $300 travel credit each card member year to use toward travel booked through the portal. In addition, you will earn 5x on flights purchased through the portal with the option to use Capital One miles to cover the cost of the flight to erase the charge from your statement. Capital One also comes with a price match guarantee. Additionally, if you have both the consumer and business versions of the Capital One Venture X card, you will get a total of $600 in travel credit, which can be used for one transaction.

2) Chase: Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can book flights through the Chase travel portal and redeem points for 1.5 cents toward flights. In addition, you will have a $300 travel credit each card member year and earn 5x points on airfare booked through the portal.

3) American Express: Business Platinum cardholders can book flights through American Express Travel, use points to pay for the fare, and get a 35% points rebate. This applies to all first/business class tickets and any class of ticket booked with the selected qualifying airline on your American Express account.

4) Direct with the airlines: If booking airfare directly with US airlines, use Google Flights to track prices for your route and dates. You will be notified if the airfare drops so you can contact the carrier for a travel credit.

Angel Trinh (@pennywisetraveler): Use Southwest Airlines & American Airlines For Backup Flights

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I love using Southwest Airlines and American Airlines for backup flights. Both airlines have free cancellation, so if I find a better flight or cheaper cash deal I will cancel my flight that I booked with miles/points. The miles/points will go straight back to my airline account, and then I can take advantage of the cheap cash deal or better flight.

Spencer Howard (@straighttothepoints): Use Positioning Flights For Cheaper International Flights

Sign up for business and first-class flight alerts here.
Website

Positioning flights, hands down. There’s no way around it, sometimes when booking flights with points or cash, the prices out of our home airport will be absurd. For trips abroad, a great way to get around this is to book a separate cheap ticket to an airport that has much better prices for the flight abroad.

This can be even more useful when booking long-haul flights with points as it can sometimes be tough to find a domestic connection for your flight abroad. With a cheap positioning flight, you can open up many more opportunities.

Vivian Tu (@your.richbff): Browse Flights In Private Browser & Use A VPN

Order “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” here.

Believe it or not, buying flights from certain locations can cost more or less. If you have the time, don’t be shy about browsing through a VPN and even from a different country. You can test out different locations to see if the price changes. It might not be a huge difference but if you browse in private or use a VPN, it could end up saving you some money!

Angelo Minella (@paidwithpoints): Consider Booking Flights Through A Travel Portal

When buying a plane ticket be sure to search and compare all sites. Search prices, point requirements, and routing options. Sometimes it makes sense to buy through a travel portal. Sometimes that same flight is cheaper directly with the airline. Sometimes the flight can be cheaper in incognito mode. Also, check for different one ways. If your city has multiple airports sometimes it may be cheaper to fly out of LGA vs round trip to JFK.