Trek the Planet with Kyle

1. Starwood Hotels has a giveaway on Facebook here called the "Tote-ally Luxurious Resorts Giveaway." You must first "like" the Starwood (SPG) page and then proceed to fill out the entries to be entered and then answer the question: Picture sample of the contest from facebook.com/spg "where is kate spade new york exclusively for SPG tote is hanging out at for your chance to win the tote (over 100!) and be entered for the Grand Prize trip for two to any Member Favorite resort." If you answer correctly you could win a tote bag and be entered into winning a resort getaway. You also must be a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program and you can sign up by going here. It is fast and easy. Image from mybanktracker.com 2. Also if you want to earn a flurry of bonus SPG points and have a credit score of over 700, you can apply for the American Express SPG card  here . You will earn 10,000 points after first purchase and an additio

Southwest is having another one of its awesome sales on fares. It is the same as always with one way fares under 500 miles for $49, 501-1,250 miles for $99, 1,251-1,750 for $129 and 1,751+ for $149. There are other airlines matching these prices and I'm sure most of them will match before it's all said and done. Book by this Thursday and travel is valid from August 26-December 18 with a few exclusions. You can search for fares here . Hilton is also having a Great Getaway Giveaway ! You can vote for a hotel location for all four categories of Relaxation, Adventure, Culture and Food & Wine. The location with the most votes in each category will be awarded to a four winners. So go vote and enter for a chance at a great getaway. Winners will receive five nights accommodation and two free round trip flights. The first category of Relaxation is open now, and every two weeks a new category will open for voting. You can also win a trip to Australia through American Airlines

I recently took a mini road trip with my wife and mother-in-law to the Texas capital city of Austin. It is the 34th largest city in the country and has close to 850,000 people living in the city limits. The main things known to this part of Texas is the music scene and the food. They know how to do it right here in this neck of the woods! There is some great eating, including some of the best BBQ joints in the country. Also, Austin is home to one of the best schools around, the University of Texas. Texas State Capitol Upon arriving in Austin, we went straight to the capitol for a tour. They are free are leave around every 15 minutes from the lobby. This capitol was modeled after our U.S. Capitol, but since everything is bigger in Texas, they went ahead and made this one 11ft taller! Go figure. The tour was quite informative, as one would expect. They took us to both the Senate and House of Reps chambers as well as the annex part of the capitol which goes four floors underground a