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The Obamas arrived in Ireland on Monday, and while the president attended the G8 summit in Belfast, the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha were able to fit in a 2-day whirlwind tour of Dublin, exploring their Irish roots.

“There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama,” says the web-hit Irish folk song that went viral back in November 2008.  The president’s great-great-grandfather was born in the Irish village of Moneygall, and Ireland celebrates this connection by always extending a warm Irish welcome to the president and his family.

Michelle Obama and daughters learned more about their Irish ancestry with a special tour of Trinity College, where they viewed archives documenting their family’s Irish origins and saw the Book of Kells, a 9th-century illustrated gospel manuscript.

Other highlights of the first family’s trip included a private tour of Glendalough, one of the most famous monastic ruins in Ireland, and a special Riverdance performance at the Gaity Theatre, where Michelle Obama addressed an excited audience.

And talk about a power lunch … the first lady dined on fish and chips in Dublin with the “first rock star of Ireland,” U2 frontman and world humanitarian Bono.

This wasn’t Obamas’ first visit to Ireland. Back in 2001, the president visited his ancestral hometown Moneygall searching for his “missing apostrophe.” On this visit, the president met his 8th cousin, Henry Healy, now known as “Henry the Eighth.”

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On an all-new episode of Airport 24/7: Miami tonight at 9|8c, find out what happens when bags are left unattended at Miami International Airport. It might not seem like a big deal if you leave your bag behind, but when the employees at MIA find it, they have to take extreme precautions.

If you’re planning a trip to Miami, make sure to keep your bags with you … but also, check out our Miami Airport Guide to get to know all of the ins and outs of MIA, from tips on transportation from the airport to details on MIA’s onsite hotel. Did you know you can even get a 10-minute manicure while waiting for your flight?

And don’t miss the gorgeous works of art that surround you while you wait in the terminal — MIA is home to many pieces from the Miami-Dade Art in Public Places project.

Tune in tonight to see firsthand what happens when a suspicious bag is left at the terminal!

Tonight at 9|8c, on an all-new episode of Burger Land, George Motz visits the birthplace of the hamburger: Connecticut. The oldest hamburger restaurant in America, Louis’ Lunch has been serving hamburgers since 1900 when Louis Lassen created the American staple by putting ground steak scraps between 2 pieces of bread. Today, people (like George!) make the pilgrimage to Louis’ Lunch for a taste of this historic burger.

Then after the episode, at 9:30|8:30c, chat live on TravelChannel.com with George! Now is your chance to ask him all of your burning burger questions: How does George make his own burgers? How did he become a burger expert? Join the chat tonight to learn all this and more when George talks burgers with YOU!

“There is something bad here that’s not human.” – Amy Allan

In an all-new episode of The Dead Files, Steve and Amy head to Fort Wayne, IN, to investigate numerous reports of abusive paranormal activity at a family home.

Their client, Mark, bought his home in hopes that he and his family could grow old there — until frightening unexplained occurrences made him quickly realize that they weren’t welcome in their once quaint fixer-upper.

During Steve’s factual investigation, he discovers that the property was once the site of a terrible domestic dispute that brought a man’s life to a tragic end, while Amy encounters a ferocious male entity that she believes is torturing the living.  Steve and Amy’s disturbing findings are finally exposed to their clients during this case’s gut-wrenching conclusion.

Will the shocking reveal force Mark and his family to move from their home? Find out on an all-new episode, tonight @ 10|9c.

Then, head over to TravelChannel.com after the episode premieres to chat live with Steve and Amy at 11|10c.

Plus, don’t miss these exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos from tonight’s harrowing investigation.

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Golf fans, rejoice, it’s that time of year again! The US Open starts tomorrow and for the first time in 32 years it will return to the legendary Merion Golf Club, a private golf club located just outside Philadelphia in Ardmore, PA. Designed by golf course architect Hugh Wilson, this club’s courses have hosted the US Open 5 times, with the last in 1981 when David Graham won.

Other things to know about this year’s Open? Merion will be the shortest US Open course in the past 9 years. Also, it has been 5 years since Tiger Woods has won a major; he won his 14th major in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines. Even though Woods returned to No. 1 this year, the world is waiting to see if he will stay on top at this year’s Open.

If you don’t have tickets to this year’s Open, plan your next golf getaway with our picks for the World’s Best Golf Courses, from Scotland to Dubai. Don’t want to leave the country to tee off? Check out our Best US Golf Courses.

And don’t forget about this Sunday… if Dad’s a golf fanatic, there’s nothing he’d like more than a little Father’s Day bonding on the green.

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“$5000. Take it or leave it.”

“I can’t go above $3500.”

“Split the difference, and make it an even $4000.”

“Deal!”

On an all-new Toy Hunter, Jordan and his amateur toy collecting pal, Travis, head to Massachusetts in search of big ticket items to sell at one of the biggest pop culture events in the country: Chicago’s C2E2.

During his journey in New England, Jordan comes away with a bunch of classic toys he thinks will sell at C2E2, but no toy is more crucial then the GI USS Flagg Aircraft Carrier he picks up for $4,000 while haggling with Rob. In order to reach his goal of selling $20,000 in toys, Jordan must sell the USS Flagg for nearly double what he paid for it.

Will Jordan find someone to take the GI Joe aircraft carrier off his hands? Will he reach his lofty goal of making $20,000? Find out on an all-new episode, tonight at 9|8c.

Plus, don’t forget to check out Jordan’s thoughts on the episode with these exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos of “Toy Tycoon.”

Tonight at 10|9c, catch back-to-back premieres of Travel Channel’s all-new series Dig Wars, where 3 teams of America’s best relic hunters compete head-to-head to find the most valuable artifacts at different historic locations across the country. Once on site, the teams have from sun-up to sundown to apply all of their knowledge, resources and hustle to ensure a victory.

First, the relic hunters head to Louisiana to explore Fort Saint Phillip — an abandoned military outpost that has been closed to visitors since Hurricane Katrina. Will they find artifacts uncovered by the disastrous storm?

Then at 10:30|9:30c the teams head to Eastover Plantation in southeastern Virginia — land that was settled in the mid-1600s — in an attempt to find relics that predate the United States.

What will the 3 teams find, and how much will it be worth? Find out tonight on Dig Wars!

Total Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM): 29,043
Total Redeemable Miles (RDM): 58,086
Flying Time to/from Moscow: 23h 13m
Flying Time to/from Paris and Johannesburg: 37h 40m

Photography by Arthur Hsu

This year, I’m hoping to earn 150,000 SkyMiles in order to book a round-trip business-class award ticket to Australia — a ticket that would normally cost approximately $16,000 (yes, you read right). I was inspired to book both of my recent “vacation runs” after I saw posts about cheap tickets on FlyerTalk. Another great site to follow is The Flight Deal, which gathers airfare deals that make the most of your miles and money.

When booking mileage runs, be sure to check your fare class.  Some fare classes don’t earn miles or only earn a reduced number of miles. For my trips, I flew Delta T class and KLM/Air France R class, both of which earn full Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM). Both trips also had a low cost per mile (CPM), which is important for a great mileage run. Typically, you want the CPM to be under 5 cents per mile.

Moscow Cost per Mile: $0.0347
Johannesburg Cost per Mile: $0.0420

A mileage run is a trip solely for earning EQM, so oftentimes you never even leave the airport. But in this case, I turned them into vacations.

My trip to Moscow was the first time I used Global Entry, a Customs and Border Patrol program that expedites the immigration process when returning to America, which I was approved for the week before leaving for Russia. Thanks to this program, it literally takes less than 1 minute to clear customs. If you don’t have it, I recommend you apply since it also includes TSA Pre-Check, which gets you through security quicker and with fewer hassles.

Overall, Moscow is a beautiful city with many activities, but in my experience, it is also very expensive. I stayed at the Hotel National, where Lenin stayed while the Kremlin was under construction. It’s also a Starwood property, with which I have Gold elite status, and so I earned 8,852 SPG points thanks to my stay.

Photography by Arthur Hsu

While in Moscow, I enjoyed the various sites such as Saint Basil’s Cathedral and a day trip outside the city to Troitse-Sergiev Monastery. If you find yourself in Moscow, be sure to explore the metro system — the various stations are truly beautiful, each with a different design. I also enjoyed proper meals, including a 10-course omakase meal at Nobu Moscow. Don’t worry, I also sampled iconic Russian cuisine such as caviar and borscht.

Photography by Arthur Hsu

My trip to Johannesburg was a much shorter and farther excursion, with a 12-hour layover in Paris and about 37 hours in Johannesburg. With such a short amount of time in Paris, I made my way into the city and used a hop-on/hop-off tour bus to see the major sites before I returned to CDG and grabbed some food and Scotch whisky in the Air France Salon to await my flight to Johannesburg.

Once in Johannesburg, I took the Gautrain, Africa’s first rapid rail system, to the Radisson Blu Gautrain hotel, and shortly after, my guide arrived to take me on a tour of Joburg. I liked the sound of Cashan Private Day Tours, which offered custom city tours, and I was able to book a half-day tour with Penny Cashan. Our first stop — and most surprising and enjoyable element of the tour –  was the Market on Main, which occurs every Sunday at the Arts on Main in the Maboneng Precinct, with great food and various art galleries. I had no idea that Joburg has such a thriving art community.

The next and last day in Joburg, I booked a 1-day safari with Felleng Tours to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. This turned out to be a great experience, since we were able to take the time to find 2 of the Big Five– the white rhino and the African elephant — along with many other amazing animals and sights. Fortunately, the daytime temperatures were low, so the animals weren’t hiding in the shade.

Photography by Arthur Hsu

Back at O.R. Tambo Airport, I headed to the Air France Salon before deciding to check out other lounges in the airport thanks to my Priority Pass membership, which gives me access to lounges around the world where I do not have elite status. Properly hydrated and nourished, I headed to the gate to catch 2 flights home — just short of 22 hours with a connection in Amsterdam. Now I need to start thinking about my next mileage run.

Watch Mommy Points‘ tips to earn airline elite status.

Next time you’re in Miami, don’t stop your cultural education at the Art Deco architecture; seek out the county’s public art installations with the help of this map before hitting the party scene.

Can’t make it to Miami? Then tune in next Tuesday at 9|8c when Airport 24/7 returns with a new episode, and maybe you’ll get a peek at some of the art in the airport.

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This past weekend marked another royal wedding: the nuptials of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and American financier Christopher O’Neill. The much-buzzed-about royal wedding took place at the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Stockholm, followed by a reception at Drottingholm Palace, where the Princess was born.

Princess Madeline met her husband-to-be while living in New York, and Mr. O’Neill has declined a royal title so he can keep his US citizenship and continue his banking career.

Well-wishers lined the cobblestoned streets in Stockholm on Saturday as the royal couple traveled in a horse-drawn carriage through Gamia Stan, the medieval old town. The newly wed couple then set sail from Stockholm Harbor on a royal barge to Drottingham Palace for a lavish reception, with royals and celebrities from all over the world in attendance.

A royal wedding isn’t the only reason Stockholm is on our radar this month. Weather-wise this Scandinavian gem shines in June … quite literally. On June 21, thousands of tourists will flock to Sweden to see the midnight sun, a natural phenomenon when the sun shines for a full 24 hours around the summer solstice.

If you’re more of royal watcher than a sun gazer, there’s another big event to look forward to this summer: the much-anticipated arrival of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge’s baby. Kate’s 8-month baby bump is getting bigger and bigger every day, as seen at the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation last week. The royal baby is due mid-July and the world is abuzz with speculation, rumors and bets: Will the royal heir be a boy or a girl? And what will be the baby’s name and title?

Our bets are on Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth’s middle name. What do you think?

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