Points Rich, Time Poor

Haley

I am not a robot
Sounds like how we feel about Nafplio which is mainland Greece. Not an easy place to get to, but really just a 2 hour drive from Athens, I may be off by an hour (?). We hit a train track funny and got a flat tire so hard to remember how long it should have taken.

We stayed at a B&B that had an amazing location, wonderful people running it, and oh my the breakfast. Best, ever, hands down, been going to B&B's for two decades. Amfrititi.
 

John

Level 2 Member
How funny, I am also a fan of the Hotel Nacional. When I need to think of a place to relax, I think of being at the courtyard at the Nacional. Cuba has basically never let me down as a destination, in spite of all the hassles and problems one encounters there. I just visited Barcelona hoping for some of the original magic I felt in Havana and it was just too groomed, too much of a tourist scene. Cuba gives hotels their own star ratings and has the National at 5 stars. I think most people here would see it as a three star in terms of not being updated but it's a five in terms of location, history and architecture. I'll have to check out Castine, Maine. I used to go to Monhegan Island years ago.
YES! There is no place in the world like the veranda of the Hotel Nacional to kick back and relax. Those big cane and leather arm chairs. I love reading with the feel of the ocean breeze, daiquiri in hand and a Cuban sandwich. The wrap around porch of the Pentagoet Inn in Castine, Me. and the veranda of the Nacional are the only two places where I travel that I never feel I have to do anything----just relax.
Lotta Travel,
if you call/go to the Pentagoet ask for Jack (Burke) tell him you spoke to me, John from Brooklyn (Big Toucan Travels) and mention we talk about Havana. He will take care of you. Jack's Passport Pub is one of the great bars of the world. Jack has traveled everywhere and loves to talk about travel. We keep talking about planning a trip to the 'Stans.
 
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wasabirobot

Level 2 Member
I use the hotel points with mostly when I travel with my wife. I travel alone I like to rough it more, use Lonely Planet type hotels. I do not always like the cookie cutter American Style hotels. I know I am committing a sacrilege by not burning my miles and staying, bragging about the free hotel stays but to me this is a hobby and I enjoy it the way it works for me----no stress, no pressure.
I'm so glad to hear someone say this! I like the idea of getting hotel points for stays in North America but it seems wrong (to me!) to stay in an American hotel somewhere like Thailand. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for my backpacker days but I'm hard pressed to burn points in a place where I can get a really comfortable and lovely room for 15-30 dollars per night.
 

Haley

I am not a robot
I'm so glad to hear someone say this! I like the idea of getting hotel points for stays in North America but it seems wrong (to me!) to stay in an American hotel somewhere like Thailand. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for my backpacker days but I'm hard pressed to burn points in a place where I can get a really comfortable and lovely room for 15-30 dollars per night.
Even in a bigger city like Paris I prefer the small private pensions to Americanized hotels.
Heck, even in N. America I prefer small private hotels or a B&B to hotel stays when possible. We do stay in chain hotels when we travel with the kids, but I'm finding I'd rather stay in a lower end hotel and have two rooms than the nicer places with one. We sleep in our hotel rooms and that is about it, a second bathroom trumps just about everything when you have a 16 yo girl.

Miles get me so much more value for the earning effort, I really only grab the low hanging fruit when it comes to hotel points.
 

John

Level 2 Member
I'm so glad to hear someone say this! I like the idea of getting hotel points for stays in North America but it seems wrong (to me!) to stay in an American hotel somewhere like Thailand. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for my backpacker days but I'm hard pressed to burn points in a place where I can get a really comfortable and lovely room for 15-30 dollars per night.
I see a photos of points bloggers lounging it and bragging about a 50 story behemoth in the sky hotel (and how you can get a credit card from their link so you too can stay there) in a historic city and it feels out of place to me. I love the kind of joint that you find on a side-street, back alley, where you need a map and/or a guide to find your own hotel. The kind of place where people and especially the owners take a personal interest in those that stay in their hotel. Haley, I agree you that especially in historic cities like Paris the rough and tumble pensions or 2-star hotels are wonderful places to hang your hat and explore a city. I can think of so many great places I hung my head...
I am heading to the Balkans in October/November and will see what interesting hotels are on the journey. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it :)

PS: $15-30 a night I like the way you travel wasabirobot
 

AndyL

Level 2 Member
I'm thinking of putting together a Euro trip for 2 from NYC end of May 2015. London and France are musts but we'd like to see Barcelona and maybe Madrid too while we're at it. Not sure if we'll have time for anything else though... My currencies are mostly UR and AA. What are your thoughts on the best ways to maximize value from points? In general I'd prefer to pay more points rather than fuel surcharges/taxes. Business class would also be nice :)

Some of my preliminary thoughts:
-Getting across the pond: United to a *A hub and connect to London (least cash but use more points). Other option is to use AA miles (AA metal or Oneworld?) or Virgin Atlantic.
-Intra-Europe: need some help here! London to Paris/France then France to Barcelona. Avios doesn't seem to make sense with the airport taxes and all. Should I just do trains/Easyjet? Is there a better sequence of cities to visit?
-Back home: Iberia from BCN/MAD w/Avios seems cheaper than United.

What do you guys think? Did I miss anything? Is there an optimal routing to save more miles/money? Thanks in advance!
 

Points With a Crew

Level 2 Member
I am in the same boat with a family of 8. We are actually exploring bartering points for babysitting - if we can find a sitter that we are comfortable with that will accept payment in miles / points rather than cash, then using those to go on more getaway-style trips.
 

John

Level 2 Member
I'm thinking of putting together a Euro trip for 2 from NYC end of May 2015. London and France are musts but we'd like to see Barcelona and maybe Madrid too while we're at it. Not sure if we'll have time for anything else though... My currencies are mostly UR and AA. What are your thoughts on the best ways to maximize value from points? In general I'd prefer to pay more points rather than fuel surcharges/taxes. Business class would also be nice :)

Some of my preliminary thoughts:
-Getting across the pond: United to a *A hub and connect to London (least cash but use more points). Other option is to use AA miles (AA metal or Oneworld?) or Virgin Atlantic.
-Intra-Europe: need some help here! London to Paris/France then France to Barcelona. Avios doesn't seem to make sense with the airport taxes and all. Should I just do trains/Easyjet? Is there a better sequence of cities to visit?
-Back home: Iberia from BCN/MAD w/Avios seems cheaper than United.

What do you guys think? Did I miss anything? Is there an optimal routing to save more miles/money? Thanks in advance!
How long is the trip?
 

doink

Level 2 Member
I'm somewhere in the middle. Decent size amount of points and available of time due to being single. Haven't traveled yet but booked nyc to milan/prague/tokyo deal in march 2015. Friends get surprised when they find out I will be traveling alone. Just starting to work on hotel ccs and will go from there. Want to go to cairo next. Beside the military conflict there, the tourist sites are still safe and... no lines! Heard before the mess, it was several hr wait to see monuments in the heat.
 

spirith20

Level 2 Member
Here's a travel idea for anyone willing to go "anywhere". Trying considering Iceland. The country is amazing…truly like being on another planet. It's an easy flight for the East Coast and with the internal problems the country's economy faced several years back it is now pretty affordable. The country is actually easy to navigate and the scenery is out of this world.
 

John

Level 2 Member
Here's a travel idea for anyone willing to go "anywhere". Trying considering Iceland. The country is amazing…truly like being on another planet. It's an easy flight for the East Coast and with the internal problems the country's economy faced several years back it is now pretty affordable. The country is actually easy to navigate and the scenery is out of this world.
I love to use Aer Lingus/Avios from NYC to Dublin. Dublin is a fun, music filled city and makes for an easy jumping off point to the rest of Europe etc
 

TBB

Level 2 Member
Just saw this thread referenced at the new Boarding Area blog titled Thread Tripping. No I am not going to link to it here. Just fyi
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
I would rather that thread tripping does not quote from this forum, the material here is not intended to be shared or duplicated in any other blog or forum.

I left a comment on their site asking for this.
 
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pointsaholic

Level 2 Member
I spent my summers growing up in Spain. It's indescribable to others what it's like to "live" in other cultures. I consider that an education in itself and worth making the extra effort for. Invaluable life experience.
I agree Maria! I lived in England for a year and half in my early 20s and it gave me a great appreciation for others that live among a different culture. It was an amazing experience. You would think the language is the same but its not completely the same - Matt can probably attest to that! In addition, I moved from NYC to rural England so that was a major change. I worked as a programmer for Thomas Cook travel and got great discounts on travel packages( 40% off) It enabled me to see lots of Europe and even Israel during my time there. Now I want to live in either Spain or Italy for a while in retirement (hopefully in the next 5 years) because another one of my passions is romance languages. I am conversational in Spanish and Italian and want to become fluent. Maybe Panama or Costa Rica. I have also visited a language school in Italy and Guanajuato, MX. MX is too dangerous now for me to plan a lengthy stay.
 

Maria Sangria

Level 51
I agree Maria! I lived in England for a year and half in my early 20s and it gave me a great appreciation for others that live among a different culture. It was an amazing experience. You would think the language is the same but its not completely the same - Matt can probably attest to that! In addition, I moved from NYC to rural England so that was a major change. I worked as a programmer for Thomas Cook travel and got great discounts on travel packages( 40% off) It enabled me to see lots of Europe and even Israel during my time there. Now I want to live in either Spain or Italy for a while in retirement (hopefully in the next 5 years) because another one of my passions is romance languages. I am conversational in Spanish and Italian and want to become fluent. Maybe Panama or Costa Rica. I have also visited a language school in Italy and Guanajuato, MX. MX is too dangerous now for me to plan a lengthy stay.
Best way to learn a language. Immerse yourself in it. My cousin's daughter is here now visiting from Spain. I have to stop myself from speaking in Spanish to make it "easy on her." Part of what she wants out of this trip is a better understanding of English and conversing. I told her she should spend a year here studying.
 

BoonDR

Level 2 Member
I would rather that thread tripping does not quote from this forum, the material here is not intended to be shared or duplicated in any other blog or forum.

I left a comment on their site asking for this.
I am not sure how to feel, as it has a feel of "taking it out of context" to it.

Now in this case it wasn't malicious, but in reality I would prefer to be quoted in entirety if I am going to be quoted outside the forum at all. Having someone else paraphrase my "dilemma"(tangent: WTF I have been spelling it wrong) in their own words instead of fully quoting mine.
 

ddavidch

Level 42 Member
Here's a travel idea for anyone willing to go "anywhere". Trying considering Iceland. The country is amazing…truly like being on another planet. It's an easy flight for the East Coast and with the internal problems the country's economy faced several years back it is now pretty affordable. The country is actually easy to navigate and the scenery is out of this world.
I second this... wonderful country and people...
I've only done a long weekend on the way to Europe via Iceland Air (which is a great deal BTW)
I plan to go back with my family and do 2 weeks traveling the ring road around the island in the next few years.

After reading more of this thread in depth, I completely agree about taking you children whenever you can and expose them to travel and other places/cultures.
We've been taking my daughter (now 9) with us since she was an infant and she enjoys planning, packing and dealing with all the good and bad of travel.
I always tell my friends that you aren't really a complete dad until you have changed a diaper at 30,000 feet in those tiny toilets that I can barely fit into alone.
 
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