Hi Everyone,

Hi Everyone,

This month, I rebuilt my website from the ground up. New content, new photos, updated guides, and a full audit of every restaurant and hotel mentioned across the site.

What I did not expect was the learning curve that came with it. I love to learn. But Google Analytics, URL slugs, and figuring out how to build and use Claude Skills nearly broke me. For anyone who actually knows this stuff, it is probably basic. For me, it was a genuine battle on multiple fronts. Learning how to create Claude Skills turned out to be worth every minute of frustration. They made auditing hundreds of restaurant and hotel mentions across the site manageable rather than impossible, checking names, verifying that places were still open, and flagging what had changed. When I finally had it all working, I felt like I had climbed a mountain. A very small, very nerdy mountain. But a mountain. The site is sharper now, and I am genuinely happy with where it landed.

We spent the first part of the month in Paris, and this time we made a point of getting off the beaten path. Instead of returning to the usual neighborhoods, we went out of our way to discover new ones, which led us to some of the best coffee shops and bakeries we have ever found in the city. The 11th and the 3rd both delivered, but so did streets we had never walked before. Paris keeps rewarding curiosity.

I also spent a wonderful morning at Parc Monceau, did some street photography, and continued my ongoing quest for the best croissant and baguette in the city. I have been searching for years. Every trip gets me closer. Or at least that is what I tell myself. I found several new spots worth adding to my Paris Travel and Photography Guide, which I updated with fresh content and photos when I got home.

I sent my book to an editor. After all the writing, rewriting, and staring at the same pages until the words stopped making sense, it is now in someone else's hands. That is both a relief and terrifying. We will see what happens.

Back in Washington, May turned out to be one of the more varied months I can remember. I led photography workshops with a long-time client and a great guy who came down from Ohio. Then came an invitation I did not see coming: a school in upstate New York asked me to speak to their students about travel photography. They prepared excellent questions, and I loved their curiosity and their enthusiasm, which was more than most professional audiences I have stood in front of.

Our good friends A and M came down for Memorial Day weekend. It rained the entire time. Not a little. The entire time. We ate well, found some new restaurants we had somehow missed, and proved once again that good company beats good weather. Every travel photographer learns this eventually. Some of your best trips have nothing to do with light.

Now I am off to New York City. Camera ready. Hoping the light cooperates.

Keep shooting.

My Best, Vito

Travel Tips

What is the difference between Credit Card Miles vs. Points?

Airline Miles

Miles are earned directly with an airline or its loyalty program.

Examples:

• United MileagePlus miles

• American Airlines AAdvantage miles

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles

• Alaska Mileage Plan miles

You typically earn these by:

• Flying the airline

• Using a co-branded credit card

• Shopping through airline portals

• Promotions

Once miles are in that airline account, they generally stay there.

Example:

You earn 70,000 United miles. Those miles can only be used within MileagePlus and its partners. You cannot move them to American Airlines.

Credit Card Points

Points are earned from bank programs.

Examples:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards points

• American Express Membership Rewards points

• Capital One Rewards points

• Citi ThankYou Rewards points

The magic of points is flexibility.

For example, Chase points can transfer to:

• United MileagePlus

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

• World of Hyatt

So 100,000 Chase points could become 100,000 United miles today, or 100,000 Flying Blue miles tomorrow, depending on which award ticket you find.

Why Points Are Usually More Valuable

Think of points as cash in your wallet.

Think of miles as gift cards.

If I give you:

• 100,000 Chase points

• 100,000 United miles

The Chase points are usually more valuable because you can decide later where to send them.

Once you transfer Chase points to United, the transfer is almost always irreversible.

Example Using Your Travel Style

Let's say you're flying from Washington Dulles to Paris in business class.

You might find:

• United wants 155,000 miles one way.

• Flying Blue wants 50,000 to 70,000 miles one way.

• Virgin Atlantic wants 48,500 miles on certain dates.

If you only have United miles, you're stuck with United pricing.

If you have Chase or Amex points, you can transfer to whichever program offers the best deal that day.

That's why experienced travelers like Monkey Miles focus heavily on earning transferable points first and airline miles second.

The Hierarchy Most Miles Experts Use

1. Transferable bank points, most valuable.

2. Hotel points can be useful for hotel stays and some airline transfers.

3. Airline miles, valuable but less flexible.

4. Cash back, simplest but often less lucrative for premium travel.

My Recommendation

Since you're based near Washington Dulles and frequently fly to Europe in business class, the programs I'd focus on are:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards

• American Express Membership Rewards

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

• World of Hyatt

Those five programs consistently offer some of the best value for the kinds of European trips I take.

Photography & Tech Gear I Love

My latest gear and tech recommendations:

Travel Gear I Never Leave Home Without: The AirFly Pro

Every once in a while, I come across a travel gadget that is so useful it earns a permanent place in my backpack. The AirFly Pro from Twelve South is one of those rare items.

If you've ever boarded a long flight with your AirPods or Bluetooth headphones only to realize that the airline entertainment system still requires a headphone cable, you know the frustration. The AirFly Pro solves that problem beautifully. Simply plug it into the airplane's headphone jack, pair your wireless headphones, and enjoy your movies, music, or podcasts without dealing with tangled cords or uncomfortable airline earbuds.

What I love most is that it allows me to use my own noise canceling headphones during long flights. Whether I am crossing the Atlantic to Europe or flying across the United States, being able to block out engine noise and enjoy clear audio makes the journey far more enjoyable.

Another feature that travelers will appreciate is the ability to connect two pairs of headphones at the same time. If you're traveling with a spouse, friend, or family member, you can both watch the same movie without sharing earbuds or wrestling with headphone splitters.

The AirFly Pro is also useful beyond the airplane. I've used it with gym equipment, hotel fitness centers, and older rental cars that still have an auxiliary input but no Bluetooth connectivity.

It is small, lightweight, easy to use, and has become one of those travel accessories I rarely think about until I need it. Then I am incredibly glad I packed it.

If you travel frequently and enjoy using your own headphones, this is one gadget I can confidently recommend.

What I’m Reading

Reading in 2026

1. Reread - The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackay (A)

2. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

3. Theo the Golden by Allen Levi

4. Phosphorescence: A Memoir of Finding Joy by Julia Baird

5. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

6. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson

7. 84 Charing Cross Rd. by Helen Hanff

8. The Frozen River by Arial Lawhon

9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

10. Montaigne by Stefan Zweike

11. Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel

12. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

13. The Peregrine by J.A. Baker (Thank you, Ian, for such a wonderful gift)

14. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

15. The Art of Memoir: A Master Class in the Elements of Great Memoir Writing by Mary Kerr

16. A Thousand Splendid Suns: A Novel by Khaled Hosseini

17. In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man: A Memoir by Tom Junod

18. Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune

19. The Hunters by James Salter

TV/YouTube Videos I Recommend Watching

1. The Japanese Night Routine That Drops Cortisol And Increases Deep Sleep

2. How to Stop Overthinking Your Photography by Sean Tucker

3. Japan Street Photography - One for the Photographers Bucket List by Paul Reid

4. Kase’s New 82 mm Filter Hood & Temper UV Hood by Hudson Henry

Photo of the Month

I never mind spending hours driving the back roads of the Netherlands in search of tulip fields. Captured with my DJI Mini Pro 5 drone, this scene unfolded between Noordwijk and Oude Tonge, where endless ribbons of pink, red, yellow, and white tulips stretched toward the horizon.

From the air, the fields looked almost painted, creating a patchwork of color that seemed too vibrant to be real. Every turn down a country road revealed another spectacular display, proving that some of the best photography opportunities come from simply being willing to explore.

Not every moment in the tulip fields is picture perfect, though. While photographing this scene, a group of tourists wandered into the flowers despite signs asking visitors to stay out. Within minutes, the farmer came racing down the dirt road in his pickup truck, making it very clear that the fields were off limits. It was a reminder that these beautiful landscapes are also someone's livelihood.

Respecting the farmers and their fields ensures that photographers and travelers can continue enjoying these incredible displays for years to come. For me, the search is always worth it. There is something magical about discovering a new field, watching the colors unfold across the landscape, and seeing spring at its most spectacular from above.

📍Location: Oude-Tonge, Netherlands

Final Note

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” — Aristotle

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Thanks for reading,

Vito

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