How do you all search flights to see if its more worth it to pay for the flight or to use points on the flight? I know there are all the ideas of moving points around, and I don't mind doing that, but how do you all even search to see if that is a good idea/deal or not? Trying to fly to Glasgow, UK in mid July and fly back at the end of July. Big golf trip with friends.
If I can get about 1.5-2 cents per mile value I book with points. If its 1 cent or less I’d usually pay cash. I also save my points exclusively to use for international business class. I just pay for tickets if its economy.
I usually go with the high grade nylon, the aluminum / hard shells get pretty beat up looking pretty fast IMO. Have a Briggs and Reilly, last one lasted me for 13 years of heavy flying (600-700 segments). Getting the same exact model for Christmas this year
don't know if you've been, but I think you'd like Hawaii. I am the same as you, there is only so long I can sit still.
I know it's a result of their economy being in shambles, but Buenos Aires is maybe the cheapest place I've been in the past 5+ years. If you bring cash and get the blue dollar exchange rate, you're looking at $1-2 beers, $4-5 breakfast + coffee, everything the like. Had a bomb steak + salads/veggies + bottle of vino last night, with two friends, and our combined bill was under $50.
I felt extremely guilty when I was there. We kept going to Strange Brewing and getting six 4 packs of beer for like $12-13
Here is our basic itinerary on beach trips out of the country: -Get up -Go get breakfast and coffee at the resort -Work out and sweat out the booze from the day before -Go to the beach or pool and starting drinking -Snorkel and swim -Lunch -More laying around at pool or beach boozing and swimming -Dinner -After dinner cocktails then bed Rinse and repeat. But by like day 3 it's starting to get a bit old. Also you feel pretty worthless and fat and disgusting. Getting off property and exploring, see whatever the locale has to offer etc helps break out of the old routine.
It's glorious. I recently went to South Africa and it is the same way. Both incredible countries you can do for extremely cheap, especially in the first world. Both would be a good spot to retire, though I have no idea about the laws each have about that.
best US airline imo. sadly isn’t an option for me logistically I actually just got an invite to this new Chrome plugin called Points Path. it overlays the cost in miles onto google flights so you can compare. works with DL, AA, and UA so far. works really well, sounds like there’s an app coming too. you have to join the waitlist rn, took a few weeks for me https://pointspath.com/ I realize this doesn’t help you today but points are generally tied to cash rates most of the time, so you can use google flights to find the cheapest days and airline, then check their points prices from there
Might have to check that out tonight. Went here before dinner last night, it was pretty good: https://www.cerveceriafederal.com.ar/ Fly to Patagonia tomorrow morning, leave for our first trek on Friday. Weather looks pretty perfect: Spoiler Then another 1-2 nighter in El Chalten, then start the O-trek on December 11.
I know everyone's different and completely understand people prioritizing resort life to chill, but one thing I love to do in international metropolises (London, Paris, Buenos Aires, CDMX, Bangkok, etc.) is just fucking walk. It's a great way to get acquainted to a new city. We got off the plane yesterday, dropped our bags at the Airbnb, and toured most of Palermo over 3-4 hours. Don't feel nearly as guilty about boozing + eating poor.
Love just walking around big cities. Did study abroad in law school in Berlin and we walked all over that town. Loved it.
Wandering is by far my number one recommendation for new travelers. Trying to break the over manicured check box trip planning reflexes.
if you’re a planner and going to Europe, my personal hero Rick Steves has routes to walk that let you see the city and also a bunch of highlights. we follow it basically everywhere we go on the first day. gives you a combo of a pre planned efficient route plus the option to wander around
If you like craft beer, I would put Strange up against most US brewerys. I have no clue how they can afford to produce that good of beer down there.
The wife and I used to do a big trip every year for our anniversary. We have a 6 year old and 1 year old so that's been hard to do the last few years obviously. The youngest is easy enough now for the grandparents to do a long watch so next May, would really like to do a big 1-2 week trip. Pretty open to anything and anywhere. Some of the bigger places we have already been are: London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Prague, Budapest, Munich, Salzburg, Aruba, Tulum. Budget isn't a huge concern. Some of my early thoughts are Spain/Portugal, but also this recent talk has me looking at Buenos Aires and Cape Town Flights. RDU has a non stop to Iceland I was looking at as well. I'm all over the place. Anyone want to make some suggestions?
Seems like you've been all over Europe so I'd look somewhere you haven't been like SA, Asia or Africa. A 1 week trip might not be long enough to fly all the way to Asia but I know people who have done it before. I just went to Cape Town and did a safari in South Africa earlier this year which was awesome. Brazil is great and cheap. Never been to Buenos Aires but it also sounds great and super cheap.
All 3 of the places you've named are some of my favorite trips. Can't go wrong with either, but I will say 2 weeks in Iceland is probably a week too long. It's a smaller island and you can see and do all you need in a week, so maybe do a shorter trip there. It's also so much closer that it is probably much easier for you to an extended long weekend there. Iceland is also not crazy expensive, but substantially more than the other two options after you pay for the flight. Amazing place though, I'd make sure to get there before too long. I'd also throw New Zealand in the mix. Not nearly as cheap as SA or Argentina but if you're going to take a long 2 week vacation, you can go somewhere really far and it's amazing. I'm dying to go to Japan and I've heard nothing but incredible things from those who've visited, but I can't offer first hand knowledge there. But I think it's on the short list of places I'd want to go if I had two weeks again. Patagonia is also one that is probably #1 on my list rn if I was looking locations worthy of a two week trip, looking forward to Nug 's recap of his visit there. Really wanting to get there in 24 or 25. When I went to Buenos Aires I lumped in a Rio trip since I was in the neighborhood-ish, and I really enjoyed it. Kicking myself I didn't lump Iguazu Falls into that trip, though, and if you do that BA-Rio combo maybe save a day or two for that trip too. That's my steam of consciousness dump for now
biased as I just got back two weeks ago, but yes, incredible place and a two week trip would be excellent also if you buy your flight at the right time, the trip isn’t crazy pricey, and the exchange rate is favorable right now, .60 USD to NZD
If you've never been south of Mexico, one week in Rio -- Iguazu -- one week in Buenos Aires is the absolute perfect first trip.
See what a flight would cost in points and multiple by 0.15 or .2 and compare to what I can find that flight for in cash. So if a flight is $5k rt for example for business class but I can get it for less than 333k points I'll go the points route. If its $1000 but I can get it for less than 66K points, again points. The hardest part of using points is finding availability. I would generally search award hacker for what loyalty programs fly a route then go directly to their website to search for availability. It can be time consuming but the hunt of it is fun for me. I've been hearing a lot about Roame lately though as a great website that saves you from having to search a bunch of airline sites and it can search routes and availability, so maybe try that, but generally the best deals you're going to get are by transferring to non-american based airlines.
This also depends on your own tolerance for spending points, DL and UA are on average worth 1.2 cents per mile, AA 1.7, SWA 1.5, etc. there’s calculators out there. Some may value booking an average fare value to a destination they really want to go to, others may prefer to chose their destination based on the best points value. Really depends on who you are. And yeah the hunt is part of the fun
I have Chromecast scroll my photos on the TV when we aren't watching anything Iceland has and I imagine will never lose for being the most beautiful place on earth. Want to get a ton blown up and framed
I'll be spending almost the entire trip on the coast but due to flight timing I'll arrive to CDMX the day before I fly out. I know the airport isn't super convenient to town, any advice for best place to stay where I'd really just want ot spend that evening/the next morning and lunch walking around and eating?
We were talking last night and I think settled in on Iceland. Nonstop and only 6 hours is just too clutch right now. While the grandparents can and would do a 2 week stretch with the youngest it's pushing it a little bit so probably fly out on a Friday night and then have Saturday - Saturday to do as much as we can. Our anniversary is in May and that times up well for PTO and everything so probably do it over Memorial week.
Flight time is definitely nice. Deals pop up all the time for Iceland as well. We flew Saga Premium on Iceland Air for like $700 roundtrip out of Orlando.
You’ll have plenty of time to do whatever you’d like with 8 days. Shoot me a PM if you’re looking for ideas. Been a couple times over the years and spent several weeks. You’ll love it.
Anyone here done longer stays in Europe on Digital Nomad Visas? We are planning to do 2-3 months between a few Shengen countries next Summer & wanted to tack on a few more months in Spain via a Nomad Visa. My question is... if I exhaust my 90 days (within 180) am I granted some kind of waiver by holding a Nomad Visa? Or will that only let me stay longer in the country the visa is from? If that doesn't make sense let me know
don’t take this as advice but decent chance Spain wouldn’t give af. I lived and worked in Spain for a year when I was younger without a visa. Even got picked up by cops when they were doing an immigration sweep. When they asked what I was doing I pretended like I didn’t know Spanish and said I was just traveling. They gave me a ride home, apologized profusely and told me to enjoy Spain. one caveat, they were definitely doing some racial profiling and were looking for South Americans and my buddy who was black was a little more truthful and had to deal with some legal headaches but didn’t end up getting in any trouble