NerdWallet survey

NerdWallet survey

According to NerdWallet’s 2016 Travel Credit Card Study, consumers are leaving an average of 15,338 rewards points on the table by not applying for travel credit cards at the best possible time.

This amount is equal to an average of $177, which could be put toward hotel stays, airfare and other travel expenses.

NerdWallet also found that consumers should give themselves about five months between applying for a card and taking a trip to fully take advantage of a sign-up bonus.

According to the study, five months gives them sufficient time to receive the card, hit the minimum spending requirement to qualify for the sign-up bonus and book their trip 47 days in advance, which is recommended by travel experts.

Grant site to host tours, encampment

GALENA, Ill.

Visitors to the Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site will have the chance to tour the house by lamplight and see what military life was like over two centuries.

The lamplight tours are scheduled for Friday at the site in Galena.

They’re part of a communitywide birthday celebration for the nation’s 18th president.

The community also is hosting a Civil War pub quiz and a Main Street walking tour among other events.

On April 23-24 volunteers will portray soldiers in a military encampment across the street from the Grant Home.

They’ll demonstrate drills and camp life from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam War.

Grant lived in the home during his 1868 campaign for president and at various other points during his presidency and retirement.

Dogs help at Houston airport

HOUSTON

Trained dogs will be making the rounds at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston as a pet-friendly way to help stressed-out travelers relax.

The Houston Airport System recently announced the therapy dog program.

Volunteer dog teams, led by handlers in bright orange shirts, will visit various terminals and gates.

A system statement says passengers will have an opportunity to pet and interact with the four-legged ambassadors.

Airport official Ken Whittaker says the goal is to make traveling less stressful and more pleasant.

The dogs will be wearing blue bandanas.

All volunteer teams are registered with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national therapy dog group with more than 14,000 members.

Such volunteers also provide dog-assisted comfort at hospitals, special-needs centers, schools and nursing homes.

Geography quiz

Q. In which state is Kings Mountain National Military Park located?

A. South Carolina. It’s the site of an important patriot victory during the Revolutionary War.

Combined dispatches