For example when looking at a lounge I saw this under Conditions on the priority pass site:
Of course VX says that only the cardholder gets access and guests cost $35 per guest.
Does this mean this particular lounge allows guests without charge or unlimited guests that will be charged per cardholder? I'm kind of confused.
I’m in the process of a hard taper (still need to be somewhat functional in the next week or two) and have noticeable withdrawal symptoms as I have tapered about just as much as I can handle.
My resting heart rate was significantly lower last night, and this evening I’m eating food at a usual spot but it is so so so so so good. Like insanely good. I’m eating the usual.
Erm… is this like a side effect of withdrawal? Like this is so delicious it’s insane. I always liked it but I am ordering even more than normal…
FWIW this is a good thing. I would like to eat more protein and bulk up a bit. I constantly struggle to eat enough especially on adventure weeks.
Edit: also quite thirsty for water too…
Tapering off a bit fast so I’ve got a bit of withdrawal. I need to get some stuff done etc hence no cold turkey.
I love to adventure. Hiking, riding, cave exploring, climbing, I love getting out in nature doing things.
Part of the reason I want to quit is I theorize caffeine is causing early dehydration, masking hunger, and reducing my mindbody connection making me prone to falls etc.
Plus I’m in general agitated, excited, and sometimes even panicky.
The activities I love are typically endurance based, such as a long hike or enduro ride. You need to conserve energy but also fuel regularly. I feel like coffee burns excessive energy on the front end, which causes worse fatigue later on.
So are there any adventurers or endurance athletes here that noticed performance benefits?
Thank you all so much for the feedback & discussion on the carabiner post. Sometimes it's obvious when to retire gear, but sometimes it's hard to tell normal wear from "replacement time" and I appreciate the info. If it's alright I'd like to share some more "probably okay's" and confirm them with the community- do feel free to let me know if anything needs replacing.
Harness- slight fold/compression noted on the white thing, and minor fraying, but no orange (apparently the white thing just covers the orange buckle). Likely totally fine right?
Hand ascender- a tiny bit of rough (not sharp) wear where the cam hits the aluminum. Teeth on the top are slightly worn, but still visible. Looking at Petzl's guide I reckon this is still "okay but monitor" zone? Function is normal. I just don't like that dot thing but mine and my girlfriend's and yet another set I observed all has it, and just seems to be the spot where the cam hits the metal when you "snap" it from open to closed. Croll has that spot too.
Chest ascender- same thing, a weird rough dot where the cam hits the area next to the part that takes the rope. Teeth are fine so not shown. The bottom though almost looks like it "melted" off a bit, likely from years of rubbing against the D carabiner. I reckon it's still fine right?
D carabiner- definitely not smooth anymore, perhaps it's very minor surface oxidation? Not sharp, but noticeably rough. Auto-lock mostly good, sometimes a bit sticky and likely needs a more thorough wash.
Cowstail- this I will just change, it's about 3.5 years old, extensively used, almost entirely left in a hitch knot and feels very resistant to wanting to act "normal" in the knot area. The photo with two loops is the mid-section of the cowstail (right) next to the long-term knot section that connected to the D ring which seems to be a bit more V-like. Perhaps safe? However I have already ordered a replacement. Minor fraying but that doesn't really concern me.
I'd be curious in any other discussion about gear wear/replacement too. I know that Petzl says "1mm depth," but obviously that's harder to measure than "1cm" of depth. For example I THINK the marks in my previous post's carabiner were <1mm, but I'm not 100% sure, and it was close enough that I did decide to replace that carabiner. The question now is when to retire the rest of this gear- will it last the next year going 1-2x a week, multiple years, or are we looking at final 10 trips kind of thing?
Edit: not sure if it matters, but the gear was stored slightly warm as I live in Southeast Asia. No UV in storage of course, but a fair bit of outside hiking & practice which is also why I'm doing the cowstails immediately, but I'm still sharing in case someone wants to say, "nah that looks fine," or "definitely replace."
The general smooth wear doesn’t concern me, just that little noticeable lime that my fingernail fits into. It’s not sharp, but noticeable.
According to Petzl 1mm depth = retire but I feel like that’s hard to tell because the natural design has this section of carabiner a bit recessed.
Where I travel regularly is Taipei, Taiwan. I'll also likely be in Malasyia this year too. The hotels have ridiculous markups.
I got the Chase Sapphire Preferred thinking it would "pay for itself" or close enough since the refresh like the Venture X but very disappointed nearly to the point of wanting to close the account or downgrade ASAP that this doesn't seem to be the case at all?
I'm not sure if in U.S. it's not marked up but in Taipei + Kuala Lumpur we're talking $13-$15 per night MORE typically. At least. Not to mention the selection isn't as ideal and the portal is pretty annoying to use... I rather just book direct on IHG website...
Ermm even with the travel credit can I earn those portal points + IHG points to make the $13-$15 extra spend worth it?
Got many project caves that are massive and continue, but getting in/out without bolts is hard. Glue-ins are exhausting and time-consuming, but obviously best long-term and my preferred solution. Just the problem is the sheer amount of effort.
I'd much rather expansion bolts but a mentor really emphasized how bad they can be because they can be hard to remove, use up critical rock space, prevent other holes nearby, etc.
Time is flying and I want to spend my time pushing leads not working endlessly on glue-ins, so surely there has to be a better middle ground? Are there expansion bolts we can leave in for 1-2 years and they can slowly be replaced with glue-ins in the same hole or right next to the same hole?
I don't want to spend the next dry season just slaving away at the glue ins...
I wanted to ping the community again to see what thoughts the community might have about CT Removables vs. the Pulses.
My only hesitation for the CT Removables is the lack of official EN959 certification, however Hownot2 seems to support them along with other independent testers.
While the Petzl Pulses are rated, and the extra cost not a problem (I want to be as sure as possible of my and my team's safety underground so I'm willing to pay for a EN959 rated bolt), I have some frustrations that are making me more seriously re-consider getting the CT Removables:
The 8mm pulses are wonderful for short drops in perfect rock, but otherwise have a very short shaft length and also feature an aluminum hangar which requires them to be removed on the same day.
I've jammed a few 12mm pulses permanently in rock now. I have various theories why, but am quite frustrated with their performance. Just 3 12mm pulses is a lot of money to have jammed in a cave. At least the whole thing is 316l so it can effectively be a permanent wedge anchor now.
Also I am drilling the hole deeper than necessary, extensively cleaning, SDS bit, etc. all that stuff. I theorize the 12mm's are way more sensitive to even the tiniest amount of dust, or water entering the hole. The plunger mechanism + removal technique is not always easy, and I've had a few act stuck that I was able to get out with a light tap on the plunger (effectively pushing the bolt deeper in allowing more play of the mechanism). In any case, I'm not too keen on jamming more pulses in the rock, so I am having an every so slightly tiny amount of space between the hangar and rock when placing the 12's.
The main pain point here is that the pulses are not appropriate for "extended temporary rigging," for example a cave that will be visited multiple times over a week or month(s). In many of these cases, rock real estate is limited so we don't want to use wedge bolts, but it's not always practical to put epoxy bolts immediately. Even for our glue-in projects, they can take multiple days to complete, and it would be MUCH nicer to leave the pulses IN along with the ropes and then return later. However, due to my experiences having them seize & jam ridiculously easy, I'm not keen on leaving them in.
Presumably due to the screw-lock method of the Climbing Taiwan bolts, they should be better for "extended temporary rigging," for example being left in a cave for 1-2 months and slowly replaced with glue-ins, etc. (this allows us to not have to re-haul the rope/bolts/re-rig/etc.).
My inital pain point with the CT bolts were first and primarily the lack of EN959 rating, and also the drilling diameter being a weird 10mm. 8mm is optimal for exploring, 12mm optimal for glue-in bolting. However, after a recent experience of a friend using CT bolts to explore and me re-drilling them to 12mm for glue-ins, I realized that it's silly because re-drilling to 12 is no problem. Furthermore if drilling 10 at start (instead of 8) allows us to leave gear in the expedition cave for future pushes (as opposed to de-rigging then re-rigging), then the extra upfront work is well worth it.
My friend has extensively used the CT bolts and he's still here, but that's not always a good metric for "should you do the same." It lacks the EN959 rating, but I'm seriously reconsidering how "necessary" that is?
I don't want my expeditions to end up on some horror story having been the person that trusted non-rated Chinese gear, but in this case it seems to be reputable people (and from Taiwan, not mainland) and Americans (the Hownot2 people) seem to like it.
So am I just being a weirdo for obsessing over EN959 and sticking to Petzl, or are times changing and it's time to get some Climbing Taiwan bolts? My #1 concern is how legitimate the steel grades are of the Climbing Taiwan bolts, particularly regarding consistency. Why else wouldn't they have the EN959 rating?
Not sure if this is a synthete-only thing, or if I'm just so used to using headphones for so long. Maybe a mix of both?
It's just that all the other sounds really bother me and it is giving me a headache playing the same game with speakers instead of headphones.
Suddenly I hear all kinds of other sounds, etc. and also the bass of the speakers is quite over-stimulating. I find myself nearly having to close my eyes because it's just too much (oh I forgot to mention my synthesia is "seeing" sounds). It's exceptionally difficult to focus on the game. Or rather I can, but I get a headache, because it's like all these other sounds (colors?) keep poping up all over the place. It's so stimulating!
I'm only using the speakers because my headphones were temporarily not working, and also so I can use the speakers to watch movies with my girlfriend. I have not had issues in the past watching movies with speakers, etc. but in today's case gaming for some reason is way too hard. Maybe also because girlfriend was doing things in the house nearby and it's raining, and normally headphones would suppress all that.
So we get Presidential Status, but I find it strange that Hertz isn't showing on C1 travel?
Hertz is in the city that I'm going to. In this case, are ya'll just booking Hertz direct?
And furthermore, how "valuable" would you say presidential status is? I'm finding that with say Sixt via C1 travel I'm saving $4 a day when including the valuation of miles through C1 travel at 1cpp, which is a small amount but adds up over multiple weeks of course.
I'm sorry if this is a bit of a ramble, but I'm looking for genuine insights and perspective.
I've been a "digital nomad" for about 10 years now, though more like an expat for the last 6 (remote working from USA). I was in such a hurry to "get out and live." It's been truly amazing, but after 2020 I went 3.5 years without visiting family. It was incredible visiting in 2023. I then visited in 2024, but I skipped 2025 going for early 2026 instead.
My plan was to visit again in early 2027, but I'm considering visiting in 1.5-2 months, AND still visiting in early 2027.
The problem is the flights fucking wreck me, especially on the return trip. I'm based in Southeast Asia, and there's no easy or cheap way "getting back home." Due to extensive local projects, staying months at once in the U.S. is not ideal either.
Initially I was thinking to visit once per year, 3.5 weeks in March/April, but I'm having this whiplash sensation that I'm no longer a "young adult" but I'm truthfully moving into a more of "middle age man" territory. Likewise, I'm having this sudden realization that my time left with my parents is truthfully finite. Years go by in what felt like months. My Mom just got diagnosed with cancer too- it's beatable, but it's also a wake up call. My Dad's health is stable, but not great. I would bet on their health to be better in 10 years, which is actually very hard for me to write out and fills me with emotion. Twice I've deleted this previous sentence, not wanting to admit it. A part of me wants to hold on to some magical health that my parents will start living healthier, and save another decade of their life. They don't have "bad habits," but I wouldn't describe them as "living healthy."
For my March '26 visit I flew with premium economy AND broke up the travel with a layover in Taiwan for at least 1 night, which did help the jet lag a fair bit, but I still had problems returning to Asia, like I have had EVERY single time. I often get sick returning to Asia, and my Garmin watch confirms all of this data. My body just doesn't do good with jet lag America->Asia, but I seem to be able to handle Asia-> America. With my online work too, I can't really afford the brain fog/fatigue like 8 years ago when my projects were less important.
So I'm feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. There is NOWHERE in Asia that I'm very interested to travel to, besides where I live where I have incredible local projects. I'd only want to go to Europe or America to visit family, both of which incur heavy jet lag penalties.
Does this mean it's time to "invest" in business class flights? It feels like such a waste of money that it's hard to justify. I'm not interested in the "experience" of business class, I can sit cramped for 12-14 hours no problem. The bigger problem is that I literally can't sleep even on premium economy, and the sleep deprivation ON TOP of jet lag seems to really fuck me up. Being extremely busy locally and back home doesn't seem to help either. With all that in mind, I'm genuinely considering doing business class flights. Does anyone here think it meaningfully reduces fatigue/helps with jet lag?
Finally, getting family out here isn't an option. My Mom wanted to visit but a year of chemo will ensure she doesn't. My Dad DID visit this year, which was incredible, but there is no doubt a toll it takes on my Dad. It was pretty huge just getting him out of the State!
It's just so hard to visit, financially and physically. Besides the flights there's also the need for a car rental, etc. but I do want to visit more often. Also, visiting more often might require local projects to slow down, but I'm seriously considering letting it be. I am having this sudden realization that I'm not some early 20's young adult with endless time and as I age my parents are too...
Edit: another reason for the sudden desire to visit again this year is seeing that a band both me and my Dad mutually love is playing in my Dad's city in a couple of months. Personally, I'm not really much of a concert person. However, I cherish the childood memories when I did go to concerts with my Dad, and my Dad LOVES concerts and music. So there's a part of me saying, "hey this is a concert you'd actually enjoy + I haven't been to a concert with my Dad over 10 years, and who knows how much longer such an opportunity will EVER exist where your Dad is healthy enough to go to a concert." Financially, it's ridiculous to fly across the world to AMERICA to see a band that I'd hardly consider flying $50 USD to a nearby Asian city to see. But when it's my Dad...
I'm sorry if this is a bit of a ramble, but I'm looking for genuine insights and perspective.
I've been a "digital nomad" for about 10 years now, though more like an expat for the last 6 (remote working from USA). I was in such a hurry to "get out and live." It's been truly amazing, but after 2020 I went 3.5 years without visiting family. It was incredible visiting in 2023. I then visited in 2024, but I skipped 2025 going for early 2026 instead.
My plan was to visit again in early 2027, but I'm considering visiting in 1.5-2 months, AND still visiting in early 2027.
The problem is the flights fucking wreck me, especially on the return trip. I'm based in Southeast Asia, and there's no easy or cheap way "getting back home." Due to extensive local projects, staying months at once in the U.S. is not ideal either.
Initially I was thinking to visit once per year, 3.5 weeks in March/April, but I'm having this whiplash sensation that I'm no longer a "young adult" but I'm truthfully moving into a more of "middle age man" territory. Likewise, I'm having this sudden realization that my time left with my parents is truthfully finite. Years go by in what felt like months. My Mom just got diagnosed with cancer too- it's beatable, but it's also a wake up call. My Dad's health is stable, but not great. I would not bet on their health to be better in 10 years, which is actually very hard for me to write out and fills me with emotion. Twice I've deleted this previous sentence, not wanting to admit it. A part of me wants to hold on to some magical health that my parents will start living healthier, and save another decade of their life. They don't have "bad habits," but I wouldn't describe them as "living healthy."
For my March '26 visit I flew with premium economy AND broke up the travel with a layover in Taiwan for at least 1 night, which did help the jet lag a fair bit, but I still had problems returning to Asia, like I have had EVERY single time. I often get sick returning to Asia, and my Garmin watch confirms all of this data. My body just doesn't do good with jet lag America->Asia, but I seem to be able to handle Asia-> America. With my online work too, I can't really afford the brain fog/fatigue like 8 years ago when my projects were less important.
So I'm feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. There is NOWHERE in Asia that I'm very interested to travel to, besides where I live where I have incredible local projects. I'd only want to go to Europe or America to visit family, both of which incur heavy jet lag penalties.
Does this mean it's time to "invest" in business class flights? It feels like such a waste of money that it's hard to justify. I'm not interested in the "experience" of business class, I can sit cramped for 12-14 hours no problem. The bigger problem is that I literally can't sleep even on premium economy, and the sleep deprivation ON TOP of jet lag seems to really fuck me up. Being extremely busy locally and back home doesn't seem to help either. With all that in mind, I'm genuinely considering doing business class flights. Does anyone here think it meaningfully reduces fatigue/helps with jet lag?
Finally, getting family out here isn't an option. My Mom wanted to visit but a year of chemo will ensure she doesn't. My Dad DID visit this year, which was incredible, but there is no doubt a toll it takes on my Dad. It was pretty huge just getting him out of the State!
It's just so hard to visit, financially and physically. Besides the flights there's also the need for a car rental, etc. but I do want to visit more often. Also, visiting more often might require local projects to slow down, but I'm seriously considering letting it be. I am having this sudden realization that I'm not some early 20's young adult with endless time and as I age my parents are too...
Edit: another reason for the sudden desire to visit again this year is seeing that a band both me and my Dad mutually love is playing in my Dad's city in a couple of months. Personally, I'm not really much of a concert person. However, I cherish the childood memories when I did go to concerts with my Dad, and my Dad LOVES concerts and music. So there's a part of me saying, "hey this is a concert you'd actually enjoy + I haven't been to a concert with my Dad over 10 years, and who knows how much longer such an opportunity will EVER exist where your Dad is healthy enough to go to a concert."
The Gemini Mastercard is interesting to me because I wouldn't mind investing/gambling small amounts into BTC, and some of the earning categories are great.
The only thing I'm concerned about is cost basis tracking. Basically, the BTC itself should be free and thsu not taxed, but you should still be hit with capital gains if you sell at a profit.
From my research so far it seems not very clear that Gemini does a great job of tracking this? Wouldn't it then be an accounting MESS to try and calculate this, requiring lots of exports into spreadsheets to then calculate first in first out to figure out your capital gains when you do sell?
Has anyone here done this, and can you say is it simple or automatic to calculate your capital gains taxes, or is it kind of messy and thus not even worth it (even assuming upside + good categories) due to the accounting/tax mess it creates later?
Like it's one thing to buy BTC once or twice a month and put that into excel, but for frequent transactions it seems awful to have to calculate capital gains taxes on top of hundreds or even thousands of transactions all for some measly gains.
I am interested in resin anchors, so far everything I've found online points to them being legit, only thing I'm iffy about is them being a newer company. I normally prefer Raumer for my bolts but I'm having trouble getting stock whereas Vertical Evolution has similar glue-in bolts available. Thus, I am considering it. Any complaints or points to give here?
I kind of rushed to get the non-premier IHG card without really looking into just how valuable the premier one was with the AF and whatnot. I'm aware now that it would've been MUCH wiser to just get the premier.
Anyways, did anyone else get the non-premier one? Is there any consolation here?
Also, I do have an LLC so I could technically get the business premier one but I almost NEVER travel for business so it would be perhaps breaking the rules to use it for personal use even though I'd have an LLC but I am considering it- thoughts on that, or better not?
I didn't have my stuff organized as a self-employed business owner. So in 2025 I got it together. With a CPA I submitted tax returns for all previous years and paid them. I had to pay additional fees on 2022-2025. However, 2020 and 2021, which I had to submit via mail, have yet to post the fees that I have to pay, etc. (however I did pay the original balance I would've owed).
I sent it in December of 2025. It's been 8 months now, no update. I tried calling the IRS, and just get automated nonsense. My CPA also hasn't been useful.
At this point I don't know what to do. Is it just forgiven, or gone with the wind? Should I just save the estimated penalty amount ($15k USD?) in a savings account in case they ever do get back to me? I can't reach the IRS and they haven't posted it. My CPA, who I will be changing moving forward, said that they HAD called and got to the IRS but that there was a "small issue but they had received it and something is happening."
I don't even know at this point what to do.
How "bad" is it?
I recently got the IHG One Traveler credit card but in hindsight I realized I should've got the premium one. I DO have an LLC... But how "bad" is it to use it for strictly personal use?
I have some nice other cards, so I think I'd only ever use it when staying at IHG properties for the elevated points earnings, as I don't actually need to travel for work and only travel for personal reasons/life.. So the card would be my "stay at IHG" hotels card only.
Also, if I earn the SUB on the IHG One Traveler credit card for personal use, can I still earn the business SUB on the IHG premium card?
Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure if Google AI is being sensible or not, but the AI thing recommended me to get miles or points because cash-back is seen as a rebate, whereas miles can be consumed personally by transferring to your airlines or combining with your personal card points.
I have my business checking account & personal Venture X with C1, so I'm thinking to get the VentureOne (1.5 miles, no AF) or Spark 1.5% cash (also no AF) card.
According to the AI if I had a $100 expense then I'd have to rebate $1.50 with the Spark card, so the expense would effectively only be $98.50.
However, if I earned 150 miles, and then transferred that out, I'd presumably be able to write off $100 entirely as the business expense and combine the miles with my personal account. This allows more "profit" on expenses.
Is this... Right? Or would I also have to deduct 1.5% of the business expense even if I earned in miles?
Edit: and to be clear, I don't usually have required business travel, thus the miles would be consumed personally.
With Chase I currently have the Freedom Flex, Sapphire Preferred, and IHG One Rewards (not premier) credit card.
I do have an American LLC/business but not significant monthly expenses... One idea is the IHG One Rewards PREMIER business card... But I'd be using those hotel stays almost primarily for personal use, and I'm not sure how "bad" it is to put personal spending on a business card?
For me no FTF is a must as I'm more of an expat/immigrant abroad but with significant U.S. ties & businses.
Marriot Bonvoy Bold I was thinking to do to churn for a few free nights at a Marriot property, also it has no AF and no FTF so it's easy to hit...
Any other card I should go for?
Edit: and in case it's relevant, I primarily fly China Airlines / Starlux.
Lesson learned, better to do a bit more research first. Not sure if there's anything can be done here?
I've just got the no AF IHG one rewards credit card and am waiting for it to arrive, which IS nice, but I just realized that the premium version actually pays for itself basically with one free award night per year, and gets WAY more rewards miles, and a WAY better sign-up bonus.
The problem is the Premier one with $99 annual fee has a little disclaimer that you can't currently hold an IHG credit card, and you can't have received a new card member bonus in the last 2 years.
So it actually would've likely been a better idea to just get the Premier, instead of shooting fast on the IHG One Rewards. My mistake was basically just going, "oh nice, no AF, no FTF, I like IHG, cool I'll get a few free nights by getting this card" without researching better options.