The Brass Ring Archives - Tagging Miles

Asiana A380 First Class – My First World Problems

July 21, 2016 By Trevor 1 Comment

I just ended a whirlwind round the world trip with my father and brother, which was awesome. Our last long haul flight was in Asiana A380 First Class, a flight I was very much looking forward to. Unfortunately, I encountered some of those pesky first world problems.

In Flight Entertainment (IFE)

Asiana In Flight Entertainment – when it worked.

Of the three of us traveling, my father in 1E got the worst experience. In the first 3 hours of the flight, the crew attempted to reset his IFE system ~20 times. My brother, sitting next to him in 1F had his system reset a number of times as collateral damage.

The crew, trying their hardest, even resetting the entire plane wide IFE system multiple times.

Asiana In Flight Entertainment when it wasn’t working

As far as the usability of the system itself, it was nice to have a touch screen controller however it didn’t have the functionality to do two things at once, e.g. Watch the airshow on the handset and a movie on the beautiful 32″ screen.

Service

Maybe I’ve been lucky, but this trip and most recently have for the most part had fast post-departure service.

My Asiana A380 First Class flight on the other hand didn’t follow suit. It was a half hour or longer before I had my first beverage in the air. Lunch took more than 2.5 hours, and I only had 4 courses. Part of this was no doubt due to the fact that I didn’t have the opportunity to order my entrée until at least a half hour in.

Later in the flight, I requested a refill of Ice Wine, the flight attendant first came with an empty bottle, disappeared and returned 5-8 minutes later with an alternative bottle. Apparently 7 hours in, Asiana had run out of the first class ice wine. I didn’t ask how many bottles they had been provisioned with. In general, however I found the white wine and champagne to be not as chilled as I would have like.

My father–you’ll recall that his IFE didn’t work quite well–had a different but similarly lackluster experience. You see, since the flight attendant call button is on the IFE controller, that didn’t work either. As a result, he made a handful of trips to the galley to request coffee and other beverages. You would think, the crew–who tried what they could to fix the issue–would realize the lack of a call button and check in with him every so often. But alas, they did not.

Galley Noise

Asiana’s first class cabin is 3 rows. I was seated in 3E, and thus closest to the galley. Multiple times I was awoken with rather loud clanging of dishes.

Perhaps providing on-ear (not over ear) Bose Noise-cancelling headphones means that you don’t have to attempt to be quiet, perhaps not. But I just felt the overall noise level in the cabin was quite high. I think this was primarily because of the location of the galley, which was right behind First Class — and it was a pretty big galley. I didn’t want to impose, so I only got a small snap of it.

Asiana Galley aft of First Class

Wrapping up – First World Problems

I realize these are true first world problems, and in reality, only one of these might have been acceptable, but the collection of them together is unacceptable for a world class first class product. We did post request a gesture of goodwill from Asiana, given the inconvenience of the non-functional In Flight Entertainment. The initial offer was 5,000 miles, either Asiana miles or United miles. This was double what they offered for economy. I kindly informed the agent I spoke with that had I paid market value ($4,700 US), I would have been much less pleased, and asked her to go back for additional consideration. She returned with an offer for 7,000 miles. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but is 7,000 miles really a sufficient compensation when a major component of the hard product is nonfunctional?

Again, this was a bit of a rant, but I want to stress: these are small things in the big scheme of life. Of course, writing trip reports means that you highlight the minutiae at times. The fact remains, this trip — which I’ll get around to writing soon — was truly special for all of us. But I could not go without sharing our experience, for fear of others redeeming 130,000 or more of their miles for a product that lacks some of the refinement that you would find on other airlines.

The power of a Retention Specialist – Verizon Wireless Edition

November 16, 2015 By Trevor 2 Comments

I’ve written before that I see Big Wins as integral in all aspects of my life. Ok, maybe that’s an overstatement, but they really are important.

One area that I think a lot of us are finding Big Wins in, are retention offers on credit cards. But there are others! I mentioned in the past, that I call my cable provider roughly every 6 months to ensure that I have the latest promotion, which keeps my cable bill at a constant or slight increase, vs. the 10-25% increases that others might see after an initial sign up promotion.

Well, another area, that I don’t think has been talked about much, is cell phones. Especially lately, with the wireless carriers moving away from subsidizing cell phones, in exchange for signing a two year contract, it is harder and harder to get any sort of “retention bonus” out of them. But fear not, it is still possible.

Thanks to a Retention Specialist at Verizon Wireless, I was able to switch between the Verizon Plan (which I had only switched to a month ago), which has a $20 per line fee, back to a 2 year contract, which has a $40 per line fee, because the net result was getting two free phones.

You see, the way the new Verizon Plan works, is, they lower your per line fee, but then they charge you the full market cost of the phone you decide you want. In most cases, these are $600+ phones, and rather than paying all at once, Verizon is happy to break that out over 24 months, and just add it to your bill. So, imagine you want a $600 iPhone, you’d have to pay an additional $25 per month (plus the taxes). So, while, with the Verizon Plan, you’re saving $20 on per line fees, you’re actually paying $5 more per month for your phone. Over 24 months, you are paying a net $120 more! Now, there are some promotions that come and go, like the current one, which offers $300 for trading in an old phone, when you buy a Droid Turbo 2 by Motorola.

$300 credit when buy LG Droid Turbo

With the old 2 year contract approach, which folks who have had Verizon Wireless before the switch over, seem to be able to be grandfathered back into, you get up to a $200 credit for a new phone when signing up for a new contract. Sometimes you can get even more by asking nicely for something to “sweeten the pot.” In my case, I was ok with the $200 credit, since the phones I wanted were less than that (the Galaxy S5, which if you did the Verizon Plan, wouldn’t be less than $200, see below):

My new phone!

I also asked for the “upgrade charges” of $40 per line to be waived. The retention specialist could only waive one, but at this point I was kind’ve worn down, so I accepted it. Overall, I’m still saving money.

The Elephant in the Room

Many (but not everyone) that work the miles and points hobby, like to travel overseas. So I would be remiss not to mention Verizon Wireless’ new International plan.

Candidly, Verizon’s option sucks. It got released to a fair bit of fanfare, even covered by other bloggers, but, it just plain sucks. It sucks so much, that I’ll be keeping my $20 per month T-Mobile Data plan. The T-Mobile plan gives you 100MB’s of international 3G roaming at no cost. It’s good enough for me, and since I’ve started, I’ve found the freedom offered to be amazing. There’s no way I’m going to pay $10 per day, per device to Verizon, because I’m not sure I could get sufficient value to justify the cost.

Bottom Line

If you’ve shown loyalty to a wireless carrier, always talk to a Retention Specialist To do that, you’ll want to tell the automated system or person who answers, that you want to either change/reduce, or terminate your service to get to one. This is especially beneficial if your carrier has moved away from subsidizing phones, as sometimes a retention specialist can “grandfather” you in to a 2 year contract and subsidized phone arrangement, vs. the monthly payment plan for a new phone.

But above all, remember, the skills that we learn and exercise in the pursuit of miles and points can, and should be used in other aspects of life, and through them, we can all achieve Big Wins.

Conclusion: Last Minute Singapore F1 Weekend aka Our New Craziest Trip

November 10, 2015 By Trevor 1 Comment

Our weekend trip was very hastily planned. In fact, from decision to plane, we had just over 12 hours, when all was said and done. We changed our flight once, for an even earlier flight, which proved to be a very wise move.

In hindsight, I’m not really sure that I could say there was a single goal of the trip. We wanted (in no particularly order) to (1) fly Cathay Pacific First, (2) return to Singapore, (3) see Sentosa Island, (4) experience the atmosphere of the Singapore Night Grand Prix, and overall, we really wanted to get away and focus on ourselves and our relationship. All of those wants were achieved.

Racking and Stacking the Costs

I’m not an accountant or bean counter, but, I do still like to know what I’ve spent for things (because award travel isn’t free!), and thought this would be a good way to lay things out:

Roll-up of costs:

$288.90 per person, one way DCA-BOS (last minute) – will earn AA miles on this at least.
55k AA miles and $33.80 per person outbound
5k AA miles and $75.50 per person return
25k SPG Points for the W Sentosa (1 night) – Ouch! We had seen ~$250US a few hours before, but focused more on optimizing our flights, and in that time it more than doubled in cost to $561. Ultimately, we felt that we got good value out of burning those SPG points.
80k Marriott Rewards Points for the Marriott Singapore (2 nights)
$7.55 for a one way rental (tax on a reward day) – originally BWI-JFK, changed to BWI-DCA
~$18.00 for Uber from BWI to home.

There were other costs involved, such as eating, drinking, transportation around Singapore, but, I tend to think those things are budgeted for by the very nature of traveling, and probably add little value to the trip report, because how my wife and I do things may be very different than how you or another may do things. I will say though, that we did spend ~72.50 SGD for a round of Singapore Slings at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. That was our biggest splurge, and one that I’m not sure I’ll do again, but the rest of the costs fit into my $20 rule.

Conclusion

Overall, this trip proved to be exactly what we needed. Yes, it was 3 days off of work, which is more than I usually like to take, but, the fact is, for everything we were able to see and do, it was an incredible value. Flying Cathay Pacific was just as I’d imagined it, if not better. Seeing Singapore all done up for the Singapore Night Grand Prix was quite nice as well. I’ll call it a win, and hope also that this trip report helps others do something crazy, like booking a trip less than 12 hours before you’re on a plane!

Thoughts after an amazing Family Travel for Real Life #FT4RL

October 25, 2015 By Trevor 2 Comments

This past weekend, I had the privilege to speak at Dia’s 3rd Family Travel for Real Life #FT4RL conference.

I will be upfront. My wife and I are DINKS, Double Income, No Kids. But we still have Family!

I shared the below graphic in my presentation, partnered with Kenny, of travel that we were able to facilitate, because my wife and I play the miles game.

The red lines, were travel we were able to help facilitate for my mother in law (including a round the world trip with us, where we climbed the Great Wall ). The gold lines are those that my parents enjoyed. They like cruising, so for them, it was more about being in a particular port city at the right time. The blue lines is an upcoming trip to the Christmas markets, which was so nice last year, I’m taking my brother and father this year.

For my wife and I, it is huge, for us to be able to share travel with our family. My parents took my brother and I on more trips than I could ever document, in fact, after my brother (who’s 7.5 years older than me, and yes, I break it down by the half year, because, I’m that guy), moved to college and onward in his life, my parents still took me on cool trips. Heck, I have some of my fondest memories traveling to revolutionary war sites in Virginia and North Carolina, and attempting to sleep in the back of our Ford Explorer on trips from New England (no lay flats there unfortunately). They took me to many more places, but that’s not my point.

My point, rather, is giving back.

As someone who is not a parent, I can only guess what goes through a parents mind, when they try to show their kids the world. I mean, Kenny, shared in our presentation that his goal is to show his kids as much of the world as possible. I can understand the sentiment, and based on what my parents did for me, I totally get it.

I would argue, that same feeling is just as real for any child. Again, not speaking as a parent, but speaking as a child who has parents, there is a statement that I think any parent believes: They (the parent) want their child to live in a world better than they did. Further, they (the parent), want their child to be better off than they were. This is completely logical, and truly noble.

But as a child, I feel like it would be absolutely huge, to be able to facilitate travel, or experiences, for my parents, that they wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s kind’ve poetic. Parents want more for their kids. But kids want to do the same for their parents. I want to spoil my parents. I want to do that despite the fact that I was not an easy child. Hopefully, that means that fewer people learn just how difficult of a child I was, but, lets be honest, I’m doing this more for my parents, and not because I want to silence them. If anything, my parents taught me to grab the Brass Ring, and I’d love to be able to facilitate them getting some more Brass Rings, too.

And really, attempting to get back to brass tacks. Travel is so much more meaningful when it is shared. I’ll fly 159,000 butt in seat miles, this year. There are some trips that I’ll do that will be truly meaningful. Examples include:

– Bali for my wife’s birthday

– Bermuda for my father’s birthday

– A Formula 1 Singapore Weekend

– The Christmas Markets with my father and brother

There are others, but, this post is really to point out that, there is so much opportunity for travel out there, and that while many of us traveled in different ways 20-30 years ago, there are new ways to travel. Even better, we should be sharing those new ways of travel with the folks that sacrificed so much so that we could see the country, see the world, and grow up to meaningful participants in society–aka our family.

Wrapping Up

Dia is awesome, and she truly put on an amazing event with FT4RL3. I am truly appreciative to attend and present, despite not having kids myself. But FT4RL reminded me of why I play in the travel game. It is because not only do I want to see the world, but I want to share the world with others. My wife enjoys it for the most part, but, really she has to deal with me for the most part. But I’ve been able to share the world with my parents, my mother in law, my brother–reference Christmas Markets trip–and my wife and I are still looking to drag my father in law on a trip somewhere.

If anything, I want to stress. Family is important, and not just the family you live with. Miles and points offer a lot of opportunities to do things that normally would be impossible. So what do I say? Leverage them! Whisk your loved ones away on whirlwind trips (if they are ok with that, otherwise, it could be awkward), and make dreams come true. Why? Because Miles and Points really can make some dreams come true. Besides, if you have a too many points (if that’s possible), travel is a great gift.

I’ve got a couple of more things I want to share from FT4RL, so I’ll put together another post or two on them, but if you want the play by play, Dan, who writes Points with a Crew live-blogged it. I have to say, while I was speaking, he seemed engaged, so I have no idea how he managed to do it, but, worth a read!

Miles and Points helping us to come full circle

September 7, 2015 By Trevor 2 Comments

This weekend, my wife and I returned to Bermuda. It is the place that has significance importance within my family.

My parents met in Bermuda. I’ll spare you my father’s story, although if we ever meet in person over a beverage, you may be able to get it out of me. I remember traveling to Bermuda as my earliest travel memories. In fact, we had a friend of the family, Jack, who was a pilot, who would occasionally change his schedule to fly the shorter route from New York to Bermuda. One flight, he left the cockpit to say hi, as you’d imagine, as a child, I made the obvious faux pas, but luckily those were different times.

Furthering the significance of Bermuda to my family though, it was a family tradition (or I suppose became a family tradition?) to honeymoon in Bermuda, so when my wife and I got married, my father had a small gift for me at our Rehearsal Dinner. It was a fusion of–at the time–my most recent address, and perhaps my first address.

So, all that said, in early summer, I had this wacky idea that maybe Labor Day weekend could be a fun time for my wife, and my parents to return to Bermuda. At first it was just pie in the sky, my folks said that it’d be outside of their budget, my wife said the same.

But then I thought to our hobby. I soon advised my father (and wife) to apply for the Chase Fairmont Credit Card. After meeting minimum spend, you get a 2 free night stay. For my wife and I, who have less vacation time than my folks, that was our entire stay. Next, it was a ~$300 American Airlines flight, and a drive to Philadelphia. My folks had to make a longer flight, but alas, they were able to make it work.

That Chase Fairmont Signature Visa saved my wife and I more than $1,000 bucks, and it got even better because you get a collection of vouchers that can be used at whichever stay you want, for breakfast, dining, spa, golf, etc. Yes, there is always an opportunity cost, but, when you incorporate emotion into it, the real value is when you can make something that you really want to work, work. The Fairmont Southampton Princess in Bermuda may be the only Fairmont I’ve ever stayed at, and I’m sure there may be more expensive Fairmonts, or better values for the 2 free nights, but, I would argue that if you get what you really want, the opportunity cost is minimal. Points are, after all, only a path to achieving your dreams, besides, it left more resources for the Rum Swizzles.

In this case, they have helped me achieve my dream, and helped me spend a weekend with my wife and parents. To steal from Mastarcard’s marketing campaign, I’d call that Priceless.

Review: Etihad Airways From Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi

February 16, 2015 By Trevor 2 Comments

This trip was 50% vacation and 50% mileage run. My wife and I had wanted to make it to Egypt, in fact, we had wanted to visit Egypt on our honeymoon, many moons ago, although that didn’t pan out. No regrets there, the honeymoon was perfect, and in line with family tradition–in Bermuda–I highly recommend it! That said, this trip availed us the opportunity to see the Pyramids, visit a new country, fly Etihad first class again, and see Doha’s new Hamad International Airport.

Starting Out

We leveraged Etihad’s complimentary car service from our home to Dulles International Airport (IAD). Once at the airport we checked in with Etihad, and admittedly were a bit surprised by some of the luggage (not the most I’ve ever seen).

Etihad check-in

Of course, once through check-in and security we made our way to the Etihad Lounge

Etihad Airways Lounge

Once in the lounge, we learned the flight was delayed. The next thing we learned was that the lounge wifi on par with a third world country. I tried to get it better, in fact I even traded messages with Boingo, hoping to get things resolved, but, no luck. Thankfully, we could leverage our Verizon phones.

Besides, getting past the wi-fi, we were able to truly enjoy the found. Just take a look, I think the photos express at how great it really was. I had the lamb.

Light Lamb snack in the Lounge

Dessert in the lounge

Before long, it was time to board our flight. Etihad’s lounge is great in that you can board the plane from the lounge. Even better, you make the first left to the First Class jetway. The flight ended up leaving full in F. We even saw 1 upgrade clear in the lounge.

Pre Flight champagne

The onboard chef served us champagne, and we noticed the first vestiges of the changes that Etihad instituted from the introduction of their new A380, namely the trays. I’m not going to mince words – the tray didn’t do a whole lot for me itself, but it certainly looked cool. In addition to the tray, we had upgraded pillows, an upgraded amenity kit (which I’ll get to in a moment), as well as a really super soft blanket/throw, which my wife fell in love with. I dare say it’s the nicest throw in the air.

A word about the amenities: amenity kits consistent with last trip (May), perhaps slightly upgraded. Pajamas very much improved. To early to tell if they move to second best (behind LH). Depends on how they wash–but so far they’ve proven to shrink a little–I will request XL next time. All that said, I’d put them as my second favorite pajamas in the sky (behind Lufthansa).

Once we got in the air, the cabin manager warned us that we’d have turbulent skies soon. In fact, he worked with the onboard chef to ensure that we had our meal–which my wife was kind enough to join me in my suite for–before we started encountering the really bad turbulence. The cabin manager was so good, that as we were enjoying our entree (below), he let us know roughly how long we had before it would start to get bumpy. He pretty much coordinated the speed of our meal to allow us to finish before the really strong turbulence started. He did so perfectly.

Well cooked steak

Ice Cream

Ultimately, the cabin crew and chef were amazing. They worked as a solid team and did whatever was necessary. Chef – Donagon (sp?) Irish, grew up just outside of Dublin, Ireland was very personable and a great cook (with the tools he had available)

After the wonderful meal, we had a slight issue with my seat going to/from bed mode. Cabin manager resolved in moments. It was for me, more pronounced going from bed to seat later in the flight, although my wife was sure to inform me that they had an issue going from seat to bed while I was changing into my comfy pajamas.

A few words about the bed: the bedding was ok, not great. A second full sized bed pillow would have been appreciated. About the seat: I usually prefer to sit in 1 or 2K. This flight I was in 1A. I definitely noticed more noise from the galley. Still much better than 1K would’ve been as the larger of the two lavs is right in front of it. A very popular place with a full F cabin.

One rather interesting experience of this particular flight was that we took a rather different route. I don’t have a photo of the larger airshow, but suffice it to say that we cut across the Atlantic along the most southern route I’ve ever taken. So much so that we passed over Madrid, flew over the Mediterranean, then hung a right at Egypt, a left over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and made it right into Abu Dhabi. The tailwinds clearly did us much good, and offered the flight crew flexibility–I dare say they made significant time up in the air too, perhaps to our detriment (because the flight was so enjoyable).

Air Show

As we approached Abu Dhabi, I opted for an afternoon tea–even though it was approaching 8pm local time, but really, what does local time mean?.

High Tea

My wife also enjoyed the tea as well. Ultimately I have to say the crew was phenomenal on the flight.

Summarizing the flight, I’d say this: The food was good, if not great, but not top-rate–I’ve had better, such as on my Swiss flight last year–the quality of their service was top rate. The bed was comfortable, it would’ve been better with another pillow. All that said, I can’t wait to fly Etihad again.

Novelty is great isn’t it? Hello from 31,000ft over the Pacific

November 10, 2014 By Trevor 1 Comment

This’ll be a quick post – But I just couldn’t refrain. I’m on my way back on American Airlines from Hong Kong, essentially a 43 hour “boots on the ground” trip, that was a mix of mileage run and a chance to go barbecue with friends. You can check out some of my tweets on twitter by checking #43hoursinHKG. I’m not the best at twitter, but I’m trying this whole hashtag thing, I’d love for you to weigh in on if there is value add or not with the hashtags.

So anyway, here’s the novelty. For $19 (which isn’t cheap, but still amazingly priced for what it is), I’ve purchased wifi for the entire flight. Granted this is a short – 14+ hour flight, but still, less than $1.25 an hour is pretty good… and this is first time I’ve ever bought wifi onboard. I figure – why not go big or go home… I suppose I could’ve bought it on the way out which was 16.5 hours, but, I ended up sleeping for 10+ hours of that flight, which was amazing…. a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

Ok, so yeah, this was just a quick post to highlight how far we as a people have come, that we can connect to wifi and share information with the world (or at least, the very smartest of them – aka our blog readers), for an affordable rate, from 31,000 feet, over the middle of the Pacific ocean. I think this a great example of grabbing the brass ring.

On Going Home Again

September 28, 2014 By Joe Cortez 2 Comments

You leave home, you move on, you do the best you can
I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am…

–Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me“

My dear friend Trevor gave me some very interesting advice after his last trip to Thailand: “It’s very difficult to go home again.” On my Oktoberfest trip (that I will detail more in the near future), I wanted to put this advice to the test by, very literally, going home again. Much like Miranda Lambert (in the song quoted above), I had to try one last time.

A Quick Background on The Purpose of This Adventure

13 years ago, just months before 9/11, I was introduced to the joy of travel. At 17, I became an exchange student on a trip chartered by the American Association of Teachers of German. By doing so, I was the first member of my family who willingly ended up in Europe – my mother was stationed in Germany during her service in the Army, but her auspices were much different than mine.

For one month, I was an exchange student at the Langraf-Leuchtenberg-Gymnasium in Grafenau, and stayed with a host family in Schönberg, just outside of town. During my month there, I learned a lot about myself and my passions for learning about other cultures. For the first time ever, I didn’t feel like I was alone in the world. I felt like I finally found a group of people who were just like me, and placed value on the same things that I did.

One month as an exchange student was just enough to open my eyes to how big this world truly is, and how much I have left to see. I vowed to myself that I’d come back to the little town of Schönberg, on the edge of the Bavarian forest. And my return would be sooner rather than later.

But at 17, you have no idea what troubles and trials lie ahead. I soon found myself thrown into a number of tribulations that would demand my attention. Attending college half a nation away, finding and navigating my first real jobs, and learning life’s lessons the hard way all soon took precedence over my dreams of traveling the world.

Thirteen Years Later

Anyone who has been close to me knows that this past year has been full of personal struggles and challenges. But one of the points of light amongst the fog was the fact that I was going back to Germany after 13 years of being away.

Remember the whole Wideroe mistake fare event last year? During that sale, Trevor planted the idea that I could, in fact, go back to Germany. For about half-price of a full-fare ticket (fuel and all), I made my booking. The hotel stays were all on points, meaning this was going to be a frugal trip. This allowed me to book a car at an unreasonably high fare, and make my plans to drive back to the little town I was an exchange student in.

It was a two-hour drive from Munich to Grafenau, the city I was a student in. During this time, I had no idea what to expect. Would everything have changed? Would the city have grown at all? Would the people be any different? Would there be any other students I’d run into? I think “nervous” would be the polite way to describe the way I was feeling. The fact that high-powered cars were passing me on the Autobahn at over 100 miles per hour wasn’t helping.

Two hours, a drive through the Bavarian Forest, and a couple of roundabouts later, I came back to my German home. And much to my surprise…nothing had changed. Thirteen years later, and very little had changed, if at all. The Marktplatz was exactly as I left it. My favorite cafe was still standing – and, for the most part, was serving the same exact menu. And the high school, with some alteration, was exactly as it was 13 years ago.

After a spot of lunch, it was time for me to go home again – albeit a little reluctantly. I made the 10-minute drive from Grafenau to Schönberg, where I physically rested my head at every night. There, I sat at the ice cream cafe around the corner from my guest family’s house, sipping on a cappuccino and debating my options. After 13 years – about 10 of which I’d lost touch with my guest family – would I really have the audacity to knock on their door? If I did, I had no idea what to expect. And whatever I got, I figured I was pretty lucky to have.

What really ended up happening truly surprised me.

I walked up to their house, and knocked on the door. It took my guest mother a moment to realize who I was…but once she did, my greeting was warm and immediate. You would never have known that 13 years had passed between us. In fact, once her husband (my guest father) came down, we spent the rest of the day catching up on everything that had passed in thirteen years.

They told me about their children, whom were near the same age as myself, and what they’re doing now. I told them about my career as a travel writer. We exchanged photos, stories, and other anecdotes of our time together thirteen years ago. I broke bread at the same table I ate with them at when I was a teenager. And, as our conversations grew later and later into the night, I ended up staying as their guest in their home once again.

Laying in bed that night, I came to an epiphany. We talk about miles and points as if they are an accomplishment: the first one to a million points wins. When in fact, it is my opinion that points and miles are merely a tool that get us to the next destination. It doesn’t matter how many times you fly first class – what matters is the experience that you took with you. What matters is the people you meet, and the stories you gain as a result. And for me, that night? The most important thing was the perspective that I regained.

It’s been said that you can’t go home again. I beg to differ – because I achieved it. And this time, with a little help from the points and miles I plan on accumulating, it will be a lot sooner than 13 years that I’ll be coming back to the house that built me.

Trying to decide where to visit in Asia

July 29, 2014 By Trevor 14 Comments

Last month I shared my process for preparing for an overseas trip. This month, after having spent all of July off a plane, I’m finding that my plans for next month are up in the air; I suppose, figuratively and literally.

What’s currently booked

This trip essentially began being formed nearly a year ago when ~~my wife gave in~~ we decided to fly Emirates A380 in First for two legs, hopefully getting two showers at 40,000 feet, and visiting Dubai’s A380 terminal. Here’s what we have so far:

Currently booked flight out (Emirates flights in Navy).

For the way back, it was another airline product bucket list thing for me, flying Cathay Pacific in First Class. I know, I know, everybody’s flown that, but, I just haven’t had the opportunity yet and I wanted me some Hong Kong Milk Tea. So we hastily booked a fairly awkward flight home, thinking that flights would open up. A month out, they aren’t.

Currently booked trip home on Cathay Pacific.

The dilemma – how to avoid domestic the transcon.

So, as you can see for the way home, its a pretty rough trip. anytime you have 3 legs, with the last one being domestic (first or economy for that matter), I feel like I return exhausted. I’ve looked, and just can’t seem to find a whole lot of space returning home, except for maybe Korean Airlines to Atlanta on their A380. That would however leave me stuck in Atlanta and needing to get another flight (maybe use my Southwest Companion Pass?).

The bigger dilemma – where to go anyway?

So, other than trying to get home, I still have to decide where we actually want to go.

Options.

The original plan was to visit the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, then go to Phuket (really Khao Lak) for some rest and relaxation. It would require a stop though (in Singapore or Bangkok most likely) to go from Siem Reap to Phuket. Option one: is to visit two new countries, to not just see the Angkor Wat, but also to visit Vietnam. Option two: Would be to visit Angkor Wat, and then head up to Beijing to see some of the sites there before our 1 year visa’s expire.

I’m not entirely sure we’re limited to just those three options, as the way home sort’ve makes a difference, because we need award availability. That said, I’m comfortable limiting the options to those as I try to match up award space home, otherwise it could get overwhelming.

Conclusion

That’s the fun of trip planning, the conclusion isn’t until non-refundable hotels or flights get booked. I think my next step is to see if I can snag some of that Korean Air award space from Asia to Atlanta. Of course, I’m more than open to any suggestions that folks have, I could be missing an awesome alternative (e.g. I could be missing the key to seeing award space on Air China’s new 777-300ER to Dulles).

The True Value of Miles

July 5, 2014 By Trevor 4 Comments

Sometimes I lose perspective of things. I’ll often joke that my Optempo of travel gets in the way of my manufactured spend. This morning I had a bit of a wakeup call. My wife needed to get up to Hartford, CT for the weekend. Short notice, holiday weekend, you’d think – wow, that’s going to cost a pretty penny, right?

It cost $5, and 18,000 miles (and only that because her flight home is in First Class).

Great value, sometimes overlooked

British Airways’ Avios points are sometimes overlooked because of the high fuel surcharge that BA charges on their own awards. For partner awards, especially domestic or short distance awards, they are great, because it’s a distance based program.

How this worked out so well

So, I happened to look the morning of the original flight (due to Hurricane Arthur, best laid plans didn’t work out perfectly, but still well enough), and saw the following availability:

Availability the morning of.

For flights back, there was much more availability but only available up front (which, of course, increases the amount of miles required for the award).

Returning flights, on short notice.

All told, the entire itinerary amounted to:

Total itinerary, booked last minute.

I don’t know how you can beat that.