Why Mexico?

After reading an awesome article written by Joseph Hostetler, I decided to replicate his plan to gain elite status with Hyatt.  You should check out that article as he shows his cost breakdown vs the potential value he plans to get from his new status.  The total cost at the Hyatt Place Aguascalientes/Bonaterra made this trip worth it.

In our case, we had some flight credits from American Airlines that we had to burn from cancelling some positioning flights for our Maldives trip last year.  Instead of letting those go to waste, we used them to cover our flights to Aguascalientes.  We found some convenient flights so that we didn’t have to burn any vacation time.  We flew out on a Friday after work to arrive in Aguascalientes that night, then flew back home on Sunday.

COVID Testing

Now one obstacle that we ran into with this mattress run was the fact that the US required a negative COVID test result to enter back into the country.  This was implemented on January 26, 2021 and our short trip started on January 29th.  Since we planned on being there for only a weekend, we needed to find a place where we could get a COVID test and results back fast.  If we couldn’t, this would’ve thrown a wrench into our plans towards elite status with Hyatt.

In comes the American Express Platinum card to the rescue!  I called the concierge to see if they could help.  They definitely pulled through!  They found a number of places where I could get tested, many of them with results within 72 hours.  However I didn’t have 72 hours to wait.  I needed results sooner.  Amex Platinum provided some locations that could have results within 15 minutes!  Mattress run saved!!

Something to keep in mind regarding the Covid testing. Since our trip was short, we tested at home in the US on the day before we departed to Mexico. To be allowed back into the US you need to show a negative test result within 72 hours of departing to the US, so the test we took at home was valid. Another reason why we tested at home prior to our flight was to make sure we were negative. We didn’t want to take the flight if we happened to test positive even though we didn’t have symptoms.

However, we did take another test while in Mexico just to make sure we’d make it back home in case the test taken at home wouldn’t be accepted. I’ll share that experience in another article.

Hotel Review

The Hyatt Place in Aguascalientes is a nice hotel. I find that international Hyatt Place locations seem to be very nice. For being a World of Hyatt member, breakfast was free!  It is on the outskirts of the city and about 15-20 minutes from the airport.

The hotel seemed fairly new and was exceptionally clean. To abide by Covid requirements, your temperature is checked as you enter the building. Also, masks are required at all times unless you are actively eating or drinking.

They have a breakfast area where items are individually wrapped. Hot items are prepared for you and are delivered to your table. They also have a bar that is open until 1am. The front desk clerk serves as your bartender!

What To Do In Aguascalientes

Fun fact, Aguascalientes is one of the cities that lays claim to the geographical center of Mexico. Aguascalientes is largely an industrial city with a population of around 1.5 million people per their latest census. There’s not a lot to do within the city, other than checking out the city center and enjoying the plazas.

Just outside of the city though are a few wineries and vineyards that you could visit. We spent our Saturday at Vinícola Santa Elena. They offer tours of their winery that are about 2 hours long, however we just hung out there and enjoyed some wine and a meat and cheese plate. If we had more time, we would’ve looked into a tour of several wineries along the famous Ruta del Vino.  In hindsight, I wouldn’t have minded staying another couple of days after seeing that there are several wineries we could visit and how easy and cheap it is to get a Covid test.

Conclusion

This is probably one of our craziest mattress runs, as in the past we’ve done them domestically.  Since we had flight credits to burn, stackable Hyatt promotions and the lowest priced Hyatt on the planet, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I wouldn’t mind spending a 4 day weekend here as they have other wineries I’d love to try. Have you been to Aguascalientes?

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The 72 Hour Gap

Since our weekend trip would be quick, we decided to get tested here in the US prior to leaving to Mexico.  At the time of this writing, you’re not required to provide a Covid test to enter Mexico. However we wanted to make sure we were negative prior to traveling.  Also, we wanted to see if our US Covid test result would be valid on our return flight. Our test was taken on Thursday evening, the departing flight to Mexico was Friday afternoon and our return flight to the US was on Sunday morning. The US test was accepted without issues when checking in for our return flight.  Keep in mind that this won’t work if your trip is over 72 hours.

The Verifly App

Prior to our trip, we received an email from American Airlines. It directed us to download the Verifly app. This was supposed to help make the check in process smoother for our return flight.  On Verifly, you’ll be required to take a selfie for your profile picture and upload your negative Covid test results. You’ll also answer a few questions and go through a checklist and you’re set.  Once I uploaded my results, it took about 5 minutes to be verified and my pass was approved.

Throughout our entire journey home, we were never asked to show our pass from Verifly to anyone.  I was expecting to show it to an American Airlines agent at some point.  I voluntarily showed it to them at check in and they didn’t seem to know what it was for. They insisted on seeing the paper copy of my Covid test results.  Things may change as time goes on.  I chalked it up to the requirements being so new. They also wanted to see my confirmation on Vuela Seguro.

Enter Vuela Seguro

A curveball was thrown our way as we arrived at the airport for our return flight. An agent at the entrance directed us to download the “Vuela Seguro” app. Once downloaded, we answered a few Covid related questions. Once verified, then you show the agent and you’re allowed to enter the airport. Luckily, we arrived to the airport early to allow for some hiccups.

At check in, we were asked to show verification from this app. Again we were asked to show it before entering through security. This may change in the future, but as of now Vuela Seguro is used to fly out of Mexico.

Covid Test Locations In Mexico

My wife and I got a second Covid test while in Mexico.  It’s not because we like having our noses poked, but I wanted to avoid any issues at the airport. I wasn’t sure if they’d accept our US test.  Plus, it provides more data points regarding the testing process in Mexico.

Prior to our trip, I reached out to American Express Concierge for help finding rapid testing locations in Aguascalientes.  They provided a list of locations throughout the city, ranging from hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.  The best option for us was to go through a pharmacy.  This is the option I would suggest to most, especially because it’s fairly cheap.

The Process Of Getting A Covid Test At A Pharmacy In Mexico

The pharmacy recommended was Farmacias Del Ahorro.  They’re everywhere throughout the city, and country for that matter, much like CVS/Walgreens here in the US.  Not all locations provided Covid testing though, so make sure to look for a location where testing is provided.  Another thing to note is that you must schedule a time to take your test.  From our experience, they had a morning slot and an afternoon slot and each slot held around 15-20 people.  When we went, the morning slot was already full so they signed us up for the afternoon slot.  They told us to show up around 3:15pm and not to be late or we would lose our spot.

We showed up around 3pm just to play it safe and there were a couple of others waiting before us.  We waited and waited and waited….. It wasn’t until around 4pm when the doctor arrived. His hours posted on the door showed 9am-2pm, then 4pm-9pm.  

Anyway, at 4pm a pharmacy clerk showed up to hand out ticket numbers and they were in the order in which you signed up for your slot.  My wife and I were 12 and 13.  We weren’t seen until 6:10pm!  My wife and I went in together.  We were given the same test as in the US and our results were back in about 15 minutes.  While we waited for the test results, the doctor filled out the forms with our information.  Make sure to take your passport with you so that the name on the test results match to your passport.  We got a paper copy of our test results and they were also emailed to us in PDF format.  We were out of there by 6:30pm.

My Suggestions

If you plan on staying over 72 hours in Mexico and need to get tested in Mexico, here are my suggestions.

• Prior to your trip, find a location to get a rapid test.  You can get assistance through your hotel concierge or if you have the Amex Platinum, through American Express concierge
• Show up early at your desired location to set up a preferred time for your test.  Try to be the first in your time slot to avoid further waiting.  Your hotel may be able to arrange this appointment for you.  The actual test and consultation are quick!
• Take a copy of your passport with you for identification purposes.  This also helps to make sure that the name on the Covid test result matches your passport.
• In Mexico, the major pharmacies (Farmacias Benavides, Farmacias Similares, Farmacias Del Ahorro, etc) offer rapid Covid tests and the price ranges from $15-$25.  The lowest price we saw was $15 per test at Farmacias Del Ahorro.  
• As a bonus, if you’re not fluent in Spanish, either take a translator with you or have Google translate with you.  The conversation with the doctor is minimal, but you will have to answer a few questions.

Conclusion

This may be the norm going forward as far as international travel is concerned, so it doesn’t hurt to learn how to handle testing.  While it is a minor inconvenience to go get tested, if it allows for international travel, then I’m all for it.  Have you travelled to Mexico and back after this new requirement was imposed?  What was your experience?

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Are hotel credit cards useful?  Can you really get out sized value from hotel points?  Should I have a preferred hotel loyalty program or should it matter? Out of all the available credit cards and hotel brands, which one should I focus on?  Or should I get them all?

With travel, there are 2 main components of your trip…. How you get to your destination and where you will stay while you’re there.  I recently discussed how we used airline miles to book our flights to the Maldives and hotel points to book our resort stay while there.  Those two components could be the most expensive part of your trip.

THE DIFFERENT HOTEL BRANDS

There are several popular hotel brands out there and each of them offer their own loyalty program and co-branded credit card.  The popular ones are IHG, Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton. There are others, but these are the largest and more popular hotel loyalty programs.  While that’s great and I use them from time to time, I’ll explain why they’re not my favorite. Another thing that I want to mention is that a great way to show your support for this blog is by using my referral links down below, or through the referral links tab.

IHG REWARDS CLUB HOTEL LOYALTY PROGRAM

IHG:  This is the parent company of hotel brands that you may know of, such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental.  While they have a large worldwide footprint and great properties, I’m not a big fan of their hotel loyalty program. To qualify for their top status, you need to stay 75 nights a year at their properties.

That’s a lot of stays to earn their best status.  Yet is it worth it? You don’t really get any worthwhile perks for having elite status.  While you do get priority check in, late check out and possible room upgrades, you don’t get free breakfast at their higher end properties, which is a very useful perk that can save you some money.

While you could earn Platinum Elite status just by having their IHG Rewards credit card, again it doesn’t offer any perks that get me excited.  Plus on top of that, they require too many points for their aspirational properties and earning those required points requires a lot of spending on their credit card.  IHG is a transfer partner with Chase and transfer at a 1:1 ratio, however Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth around $.02 per point while IHG points are only worth around $.005 per point.

MARRIOTT BONVOY HOTEL LOYALTY PROGRAM

Marriott:  Marriott recently purchased the SPG hotel group and dramatically increased their presence around the world.  Aside from the Marriott brand, they own brands such as Sheraton, St. Regis, Ritz Carlton and many others. Their loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, is very appealing because not only can you use their hotel points for free nights at their properties, BUT you can also transfer those points to over 40 airline partners.  This was a feature that SPG had and that people loved about the program.  Marriott did well to keep that in place.

There are things I don’t like about the loyalty program though.  The first is that it’s difficult to earn elite status. It requires a lot of nights to earn elite status.  Although award stays count towards status and having a Marriott credit card gives you a 15 night boost, it’s still out of reach for us. We don’t have a lot of paid stays per year, so this is out of the question for us. This is more suitable for business travelers, or full-time travelers that have the opportunity and means to earn elite status.

Although earning Platinum Elite status and above is more appealing.  They offer lounge access, breakfast and confirmed suite upgrades. Also with the higher the status, the higher your point earning potential when spending at Marriott properties.  Again, elite status with Marriott is rewarding, but tough to achieve for folks like me. 

EARNING POINTS WITH MARRIOTT 

Another thing that doesn’t appeal to me is that points are difficult to earn.  Aside from big sign up bonuses, there are not a lot of options to earn a lot of points.  With points transferring to airlines at a 3:1 ratio, you need a considerable amount of points to book award flights for you and your family.

Marriott is unique in that it has credit cards from two banks, Chase and American Express.  There are a number of credit cards offered by both banks, from the basic, no annual fee option to the premium, high annual fee option.  We currently have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card from American Express.  We used those points to transfer them to Alaska Airlines for our recent Asia trip.  Another card that doesn’t have as high of an annual fee is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card.

Marriott is also a transfer partner of Chase and transfers are at a 1:1 ratio.  This isn’t a good deal since Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $.02 per point while Marriott Bonvoy points are worth $.008 per point.

WORLD OF HYATT HOTEL LOYALTY PROGRAM

Hyatt:  The Hyatt loyalty program is a fan favorite for a few reasons.  They offer very nice properties, a great customer experience and points needed for award nights are very reasonable.  Hyatt has some of the swankiest properties around the world that you can stay at with just points. They don’t have as large a worldwide footprint as the other brands mentioned earlier, which is a drawback.  There may not be a Hyatt property available at your chosen destination.

Achieving Hyatt elite status again requires a high number of paid stays.  For their top tier status, you have to have stayed 60 nights at Hyatt properties.  However, notice that I didn’t say they had to be paid stays.

Free night awards count towards earning status with Hyatt, which is awesome.  With your paid stays and Hyatt card credit card spend, you can earn a bunch of points.  Then when you use your points for award nights, those nights count towards your elite status.

EARNING POINTS WITH HYATT

I mentioned the Hyatt credit card to earn points.  Chase offers a co-branded Hyatt credit card that is a good card to use as it offers 4x points for every dollar spent at Hyatt properties, 2x points for every dollar spent at restaurants, airlines, local transit/commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships.  I mainly use this card while at Hyatt properties and to pay for our monthly gym membership. Hyatt points have a pretty good value of about 1.5-1.7 cents per point and free nights start at 5,000 points per night for their lower end properties.  Hyatt also has some all-inclusive properties that you can stay at for 20,000 points per night! You could also transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, which could be an excellent option if you get great value out of your award redemption.

HILTON HONORS HOTEL LOYALTY PROGRAM

Hilton:  This is my favorite hotel loyalty program!  Much like IHG and Marriott, they have a large footprint worldwide so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a Hilton property to stay at.  

Their properties range from your basic hotels such as the Hampton Inn to the fancy Conrad or Waldorf Astoria.  

Again, like the other properties, it requires a considerable amount of nights or stays to earn their top status, HOWEVER there is another way to get Diamond status without having to pay for 60 nights a year.  I’ll share that with you momentarily.

The Hilton loyalty program is very generous in my opinion because it doesn’t charge you resort fees on award stays while other programs do.  They also offer your 5th night free on award stays. This allows you to save a considerable amount of points as well.  

With elite status, you also earn bonus points on paid stays which will boost your points balance.  Couple this with using the right card for your Hilton stays and you will be much closer to your next award stay in not time!

AUTOMATIC DIAMOND STATUS

Just by owning the Hilton Aspire card by American Express, you have AUTOMATIC Diamond status.  This is amazing as it opens the door to free breakfast, lounge access, room upgrades and more!  Aside from having Diamond status, the card gives you: 

• $250 annual resort credit
• $250 annual airline incidental credit (used the same as the Amex Platinum discussed in this video above)
• Annual free weekend award night
• Priority Pass Membership
• $100 on-property credit with 2 night paid stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad
• 14x per dollar spent at Hilton properties
• 7x per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• 7x per dollar spent on car rentals booked directly with the car rental company
• 7x per dollar at US restaurants
• 3x per dollar on everything else
• $450 annual fee

Just by maxing out the $250 annual resort credit and the $250 airline incidental credit, you make a $50 profit vs the annual fee.  This is why I absolutely love this card and prefer to stay at Hilton properties.

AUTOMATIC GOLD STATUS

If you’re still put off by the annual fee, there are other options that don’t require the hefty annual fee.  You can get AUTOMATIC Hilton Gold Status by having the Hilton Honors Surpass Card by American Express.  Gold status is just under Diamond status, yet it still gives you free breakfast and room upgrades.  Hilton Gold is arguably better than elite status from other hotel chains because of these perks, and you get it just by holding this card.  This card comes with a $95 annual fee, which is more more doable than $450.

With the Surpass card, you earn 12x points for every dollar that you spend at Hilton properties.  You also earn 6x points for every dollar spent at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations.  If you read in a previous article, you could rack up a considerable amount of points at supermarkets.  You can earn 3x points for every other purchase.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, Hilton makes a strong case for why it can be YOUR preferred hotel loyalty program.  By having elite status just for holding either the Hilton Aspire or Hilton Surpass cards, you can enjoy some amazing perks that could be out of reach with other hotel loyalty programs.  What are your thoughts about the Hilton loyalty program? What is your preferred hotel brand? Comment down below! Thanks again for watching guys, I really appreciate it. If you haven’t already, please like, subscribe and hit that notification bell for more travel hacking related content.  We’ll see you in the next one!

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The best travel DEBIT cards???  Why would you even need a debit card if there’s plenty of attractive credit cards out there?  Isn’t using a debit card while traveling risky?

So the travel hacking hobby involves earning a bunch of points and miles in order to book flights and hotels instead of spending cash.  Where does having a travel debit card fit into the equation? Well sometimes you just need cash while you’re out on vacation. Whether it’s to tip, or if you’re at a market that only accepts cash, you’ll need a convenient and inexpensive way to pull cash.

TYPICAL DEBIT CARDS

More than likely you already have a debit card from your bank.  The problem with using that debit card abroad is that most banks will charge you an out of network fee and a foreign transaction fee.  The out of network fee is where you’re not using an ATM associated with that bank. So let’s say that you have a debit card from Wells Fargo, you’ll be charged for using that debit card at an ATM that doesn’t belong to Wells Fargo.  Good luck trying to find a Wells Fargo ATM in Southeast Asia.  

Now you might be thinking, “I can just take cash from home and exchange it at my destination…” or “I can just buy foreign currency from my bank…”.  While that is true, I wouldn’t advise doing that for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not wise to carry a bunch of cash on you while you’re on vacation.  It could easily get lost or stolen. The second reason is that you get poor exchange rates at your bank or at your destination. You may also get charged an exchange fee on top of that.  If you pull cash from an ATM at your destination, you get top exchange rates from Visa, Mastercard or American Express, depending on who your debit card goes through.

Typical debit cards will also charge you a foreign transaction fee for using the card outside of the US.  Whether it’s at an ATM or making a purchase at a store, you may get hit with these fees and they really add up.  A travel debit card can help you avoid the foreign transaction fees and the out of network fees.

RECOMMENDED TRAVEL DEBIT CARD

These cards aren’t necessarily advertised as travel debit cards, but many people use them while traveling because they don’t charge you foreign transaction fees and you’re reimbursed any ATM fees you incur.

The first one I recommend is the SoFi Money Account.  By using this link, you’ll get $25 by funding your new account with $100.  I get $25 too. You don’t have to use this link, but it’s greatly appreciated if you do.  This cash management account is basically like a checking account and currently earns 1.60% interest.  

I enjoy this account as it’s very convenient and helps save me money when using it abroad.  This isn’t my primary bank account. I use a local bank for my everyday finances. When we’re getting ready for a trip, I transfer cash from my primary account to my SoFi account to use while on vacation.  This way if my SoFi debit card is lost or stolen, thieves don’t have access to my primary funds. You can do the same if you open up an account.

UPDATE: SoFi recently changed their promotion for SoFi Invest. They now require you to fund your account with $5K instead of $1K to earn the bonus.

SoFi also offers other products that are very appealing as well, such as their investing platforms.  They offer active investing and automatic investing with fractional shares. Their SoFi Invest account doesn’t charge you trade commissions when buying stocks and etfs.  If you choose to open an investment account with this link, you’ll get $100 in stock and so will I if you fund your account with $1000.  In my opinion this is a better promotional offer than what is offered by Robinhood or WeBull because you get $100 worth of your favorite stock, as opposed to getting free random stocks.

ANOTHER GREAT OPTION

The other debit card that I recommend is from Charles Schwab.  This account has been around for a while and like the SoFi account, it doesn’t charge you foreign transaction fees and reimburses you ATM fees.  I’ve had this account for years and I’m happy with it, but I’ve been using my SoFi account more lately because it earns 1.60% interest, while Charles Schwab offers only .15% interest.

With Charles Schwab you also have access to a brokerage account for active investing with zero commission trades on stocks and etfs.  Soon they will be offering fractional investing as well.  

Like I said, I’ve used this account for years and have been happy with it.  I give the slight edge to SoFi due to the more favorable interest rates and promotional offers.

CONCLUSION

While you may already have your preferred bank for everyday needs, getting one of these travel debit cards certainly doesn’t hurt.  By transferring your vacation money to either your SoFi or Charles Schwab account, you’ll have fee free access to cash while you’re on vacation.  I’m sure you can find better use for that money instead of paying fees. Do you have a preferred account to use while you travel? If so, post your referral links below. 

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What are you bucket list travel destinations? There are so many places on this beautiful earth and I would love to visit each and every one of them. I’m sure it’s possible to do so with the help of points and miles, however for the purpose of this story, I’ll narrow it down to 5 bucket list destinations that I want to visit. On top of that, I’ll mention what currencies I would use to get there with points and miles. Of course, that could change from the time of this writing to when I actually go, but let’s pretend I can go to these destinations now!

ICELAND

I really want to visit Iceland! Of course, Instagram has helped fuel the interest with pictures of black beaches, wild horses, amazing waterfalls and unique landscapes. Ideally, I would like to visit during the summer months to increase the possibility of driving around as much of the country as possible. Also, we would definitely have to throw in a few workouts at Crossfit Reykjavik.

To get from the US to Reykjavik, I would probably consider a cash ticket if the price was low enough in economy. The flight isn’t terribly long, especially if you fly out of the East coast. If I find saver availability, I would consider the Denver to Reykjavik route on Icelandair and book with either AA or Alaska miles for 22.5K miles one way per person. You must consider the taxes and surcharges though, which is why I would check for a cheap cash ticket first.

SOUTH AFRICA

A safari is one of those experiences that would be once in a lifetime for us. By leveraging points and miles for flights and hotels, affording a safari becomes much easier. Also visiting Cape Town and Johannesburg are a must. South Africa has some nice wine country too that is not to be missed!

If I’m short on miles and want to “tough” it out in economy, I would consider either AA or United. AA charges 37.5K miles one way and United charges 40K one way. But, if I do have the extra miles and would like a very comfortable way to get to South Africa, I would gladly pay 75K AA miles to fly in business class on Qatar Airways!

PORTUGAL

The charm and the affordability of Portugal is very appealing. It’s one of the most affordable Western European countries which is important to us. Many travel bloggers rave about the cuisine and of course they have some amazing wine too. Catching a Benfica or Porto soccer match would be awesome. I learned some Portuguese when we’ve visited Brazil, so I’d love the opportunity to practice it some more in Lisbon and Porto.

TAP Portugal is expanding their US routes and often offer some great economy and business class sales to Lisbon. If a great sale isn’t available, I would still consider flying TAP Portugal with miles. You can spend 55K Aeroplan miles for a one way flight in business class or 27.5 Singapore miles in economy. My preferred way would be to use 35K Asiana miles one way in business class!

ARGENTINA

This enormous country would require 2 visits I’m sure. One visit would be to check out Buenos Aires and the Mendoza wine country. We could enjoy as much beef as our hearts desired and experience some of the best soccer the world has to offer. During the second visit we would have to visit Patagonia. Checking out the beautiful scenery and hiking some glaciers would be on the agenda for sure!

Asiana is also the way to go with this route in my opinion. For 35K Asiana miles you can fly business class one way on Star Alliance and arrive ready to feast on some steak! ANA is also a winner for this route but you need to find award space round trip. If so, it will cost you 88K ANA miles round trip in biz!!

AITUTAKI

We’ve been to Bora Bora and we’re planning on heading to the Maldives in March 2020. Aitutaki would be another one of those exotic, tropical destinations that will leave you in awe with its beauty. The plan here is pretty much to eat and be beach bums!

This one is tough, but possible if you’re willing to spend the time to find award space, or spend the money to have someone find award space for you. Air New Zealand is the only airline to get you there from Los Angeles and they’re super stingy with award space. If you’re fortunate enough to find award space, take advantage of it. 80K United or Aeroplan miles will get you there in business class.

BONUS BUCKET LIST DESTINATION: The Northern/Southern Lights

I’ve wanted to see the Northern/Southern lights for quite some time and I hope to make that dream a reality soon. There are several destinations where one could witness this spectacle, but I think Alaska is going to be our best bet. Due to when the increased chances of seeing the Northern lights are and when we could get some vacation time to see them, we may burn a spring break week to do this.

If Alaska is the chosen destination, I’d look for flights to Fairbanks. Again if cash prices are cheap, that would be my preferred option. If cash prices are too expensive, then I’d burn some Singapore Airline miles to fly there in economy. From Dallas to Fairbanks, it would cost 25K Singapore Airline miles per person, each way.

CONCLUSION

As mentioned before, there are a number of places we would love to visit and this hobby makes getting there so much more affordable. I’m hoping to cross off at least one of these destinations from the list in 2020. What are some of your bucket list destinations?

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In the previous article, we discussed how we booked our $21K business class flights to and from the Maldives.  In today’s article I want to show you how we booked our “free” hotel stay in the Maldives. Hotel stays in the Maldives can be crazy expensive so some have asked how we booked our Maldives stay.  Considering that many of the resorts are the only property on the island they’re on, you’re only dining options are at the resort so dining costs can be outrageous.  Luckily there are ways to hack the hotel stay and part of the dining costs to dramatically reduce your overall expenses to the Maldives. Here’s how!

HOW WE BOOKED OUR MALDIVES STAY

Adriana and I booked our stay at the Conrad Rangali Island.  Many top travel bloggers rave about this property and for good reason. Spacious overwater bungalows with amazing views of the crystal blue water provide a super relaxing place to stay.  All of this luxurious pampering comes at a price though. Nightly rates here come out to over $1000 per night plus resort fees for the dates we’re staying.

We’re not paying anywhere close to that though since we booked our stay with points.  We had accumulated a healthy balance of Hilton points and decided that this property was a good place to burn them.  Each award night at this property comes out to 95,000 Hilton points per night.  

Time only allowed us to stay 4 nights in paradise.  Ideally we would’ve loved to have stayed one more night because Hilton offers the 5th night free on award stays.  Had we stayed 5 nights, our nightly rate would’ve come out to 76,000 points! This would’ve taken the value of our Hilton points to the next level!

HOW TO SEARCH FOR AWARD NIGHTS

First go to the Hilton homepage.  From there, enter in your search criteria, check the “Use Points” box, then click “FIND IT”

Next your search results will appear.  There are currently three properties showing for the dates chosen in this example.  When you find the property you like, click “Select”. In this case, we chose the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.

At this point, you’ll be prompted to sign into your Hilton account to proceed with booking with points.

For 95,000 points per night, you can book either a Beach Villa or a Water Villa.  We chose the Water Villa. We stayed in the overwater bungalows in Bora Bora and they were amazing, so we wanted to compare them to the ones in the Maldives.

Here is the price for our stay if we would’ve paid with cash.  Our 380,000 Hilton points yielded us 1.3 cents in value. Again, had we booked a 5th free night, it still would’ve cost just 380,000 Hilton points and our value would’ve jumped up considerably!

WHY WE LIKE HILTON SO MUCH

We are huge Hilton fans for two reasons.  One is their large global footprint. It’s not hard to find a Hilton property at your destination.  They’re practically everywhere! Second, it’s easy to earn elite status with Hilton. All you have to do is carry the right credit card.  With the right credit card, you can save money with free breakfast for you and your guests. This is probably the most valuable perk one can get with elite status.  With elite status, you can also score free room upgrades. At some of the high end resorts, they offer happy hour where drinks and snacks are free for those with elite status.  Other properties offer lounge areas accessible to those with elite status. The card that we carry is the Hilton Aspire from American Express.

This card does come with a $450 annual fee which may initially scare you, but the value that you get from this card far outweighs the annual fee.  Aside from the perks that I just mentioned, you also get an annual $250 Hilton resort credit and a $250 airline incidental credit. With these 2 perks alone, you actually make $50 in profit!

By having this card, it gives us Diamond status with Hilton, which allows us to get free breakfast and room upgrades.  This saves us a considerable amount of money since breakfast could easily run at least $30 per person daily. By having drinks during their Happy Hour, we could save some additional money there since this would be free with Diamond status.  Also the $250 resort credit could be used here to cover charges from dining or the spa.

CONCLUSION

We haven’t taken this trip yet, but we’re super excited about it.  The cost of this trip in cash would’ve been close to $25K, but we’re paying pennies on the dollar, just by leveraging our miles and points earned from regular spending.  Once we take this trip, we can show you the exact costs and provide further guidance on prices. Thanks for reading and supporting the blog!

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Do you want to learn how to book award flights to the Maldives?  Those specs you see on the map off the coast of India is a bucket list destination for many.  It’s typically out of reach for many of us 9-5 folks because it’s SO expensive to get there and to stay there.  With flights well into the thousands of dollars flying out of a small town, and hotel stays well over $500 a night in desirable parts of the Maldives, it’s no wonder that destinations like this are more suited for the rich and famous.

But by leveraging your points and miles you can shave off a lot of the costs associated with hotel and airfare. Award flights to the Maldives are a great option.

My wife and I recently booked our business class flights to and from the Maldives using American Airline miles.  A big shout out to Spencer Howard for this booking. Due to his award availability alerts, we were able to jump on this deal as the dates worked out perfectly for us. Consider signing up for his newsletter! We like to book long haul flights in business class because it’s way more comfortable and because we get a lot of value out of our miles.  In this post I’ll show you how we booked our flights.

MILES WE USED

Adriana and I used our American Airline miles to book these flights.  For business class, AA charges 70K miles per person for flights from the US to the Maldives one way.  While that sounds like a lot of miles, both Barclays and Citi offer credit cards with 50K-70K sign up bonuses which will get you most of miles needed for these trips.  The Barclaycard in particular is very appealing since all you have to do is make 1 purchase with the card and pay the annual fee to earn the bonus.  

AWARD FLIGHTS TO THE MALDIVES

Using the American Airlines website to search for award space is pretty easy to do.  FINDING award space on these routes can be a challenge since they are highly sought after.  Being flexible with your travel dates and routes is key to finding award space. Again, Spencer’s newsletter was essential to finding the award space that we used. To start your search, just follow these steps.

First go to the American Airlines website. Then on the homepage, enter in your search criteria.  Make sure to select “One way” and “Redeem miles” when you start your search.  After you enter in your search information, click “Search”

Here you’ll notice the color coded award calendar showing saver award space in economy, business class and first class.  Click on the cabin that you are searching for. In this case I searched for business class. Once you click on your desired cabin, notice how the days with saver award availability are shown in blue.  These are the days that I’ll look at to see if there are any routes that I’m interested in. Once you pick a day, click “Continue”

Then the search results will appear.  When you find your desired route, select it.  You’ll be required to log in to your AA account at this point to continue

Once you log in, you’ll see your price breakdown.  At the time of this writing, AA is adding on a $75 Award Processing Fee.  This fee wasn’t charged to me when I made this booking back in April 2019.  Even with the fee though, $90.70 for a one way business class flight to paradise is an amazing deal.  

At this point, you just enter in your passenger information and follow the prompts to complete your booking.  If you plan to use your AA miles to book your flights back home, you’ll follow the exact same steps, just change your departing and arriving destinations.

OUR FLIGHT COSTS

Adriana and I tag teamed our award flights with our AA miles.  I had enough miles in my AA account to book 1 one way flight to the Maldives, while Adriana had enough miles to book 3 one way flights.  For each of us, our flights to the Maldives from the US cost 63K AA miles and $19.30 in fees.

Now may be wondering why the award flight cost 63K miles instead of 70K miles.  That’s because the Barclays Aviator cardmembers used to receive a 10% miles rebate on award bookings, up to 10K miles per year.  I believe this is no longer offered.

The cash price for these flights would’ve been $13,546 for 2 people.  Qatar Airways Q-Suites are arguably the best business class seats out there!

This award booking yielded us a value of 11 cents per mile!!  Here’s the math

($13,546 cash price / 126,000 AA miles = 11 cents per mile)

We booked our return flights with a mix of Sri Lankan and Etihad business class flights.  We had a fixed date to fly back home which dramatically reduced our options. This was the best option we found for our date.  Ideally we would’ve loved to have booked Qatar Airways business class back home, or Etihad the entire way back home, but I’m content with our booking.  Our flights home cost us 70K AA miles each and a total of $155.26 in fees.

The cash price for these flights would’ve come out to $7,472.  The flights include segments to Colombo and Abu Dhabi on Sri Lankan Airlines business class, then from Abu Dhabi to the US on Etihad business class.

This award redemption yielded us a value of 5.3 cents per mile.  Here’s the math

($7,472 cash price / 140,000 miles = 5 cents per mile)

CONCLUSION

A trip to the Maldives always seemed out of reach for us but with some planning and having the right miles, we were able to book some very comfortable flights to and from the Maldives.  As you can see, searching for award space is incredibly easy. You just have to be flexible with your travel dates. Keep in mind that you could book these flights in economy for 40K AA miles each way per person. In our next article, I’ll show you how we booked our hotel stay in the Maldives with points!

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Welcome to our Tokyo trip report. Tokyo is a MASSIVE city!  The largest city in the world by population in fact.  They will be hosting the 2020 Olympics and spectators are in for a treat.  Their rich culture, amazing food, modern technology will no doubt amaze all visitors.  We had the pleasure to visit this awesome city on the way back home from our Thailand trip by utilizing our free stopover from our award flight.  This is our Tokyo trip report that is loaded with pics and tips!

OUR TOKYO TRIP REPORT BEGINS WITH: THE AIRPORT

From Bangkok, we arrived to Tokyo Haneda airport.  It’s a large airport that is closer to Tokyo than Narita.  After arriving, you immediately get the sense of how efficient the Japanese are when it comes to their work.  This was apparent while waiting in immigration. It seemed as if a number of international flights arrived around the same time ours did as the immigration line was long when we first got there.  Once in line we noticed how quickly the line moved. There were a couple of immigration officers directing visitors to open booths which kept things flowing. Also while at the booths, the officers were quick with their process.  It was one of the quickest immigration lines I’ve gone through.

GETTING AROUND

After immigration, we pulled some cash from the ATM and got in line to get our JR Pass.  The JR Pass is a transportation pass available to tourists only, which allows you to take advantage of multiple modes of public transportation while in Japan.  You can take their trains throughout the city, some bus lines and even their bullet trains across the country. It’s a great way to get around Tokyo and the country and you easily get your money’s worth.  

With the JR Pass, we took the train from Haneda Airport to Shinjuku, which is where our hotel was.  I’ll admit, the train and metro maps are pretty intimidating at first glance, but after a while they were pretty easy to navigate.  Because Tokyo is such a large city, they not only have a subway system, but they have a city train system. With the JR Pass, you have access to the city train system.  It’s easy to use and provides you access to the majority of the city. If you couple that with a metro pass, you can get around the vast majority of Tokyo for pretty cheap!

Uber and taxis are readily available as well, but are pricier.  On a few occasions, we used Uber to get to some sushi restaurants and they were about $40 for a 10-15 minute ride.  While expensive, I was amazed with how professional Uber drivers are in Tokyo. It’s almost as if you hired a professional chauffeur service.  All of the drivers we had wore suits and wore white gloves while driving. Their cars were impeccably clean and they opened and closed the doors for you.  We were definitely pampered while riding with them!

ACCOMMODATIONS

For our stay in Tokyo, we chose the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku.  We chose it because of its location, distance from the train station and this property’s “points + cash” option.  It was a nice hotel and the staff was very welcoming. By using the points + cash option, it made our stay a lot more affordable, as accommodations in Tokyo can be crazy expensive.  Since we don’t have elite status with Hyatt, we didn’t get free breakfast at this property. It was a drawback to our stay. Since it’s so easy to get elite status with Hilton, we try to stay there more often.

THE FOOD

WOW!!!  Our Tokyo trip report would not be complete without talking about the food! The food in Tokyo was delish.  While I don’t consider myself or Adriana to be official “foodies”, we make a strong case to be accepted into the club!  We’re willing to try all food at least once, and more often than not we end up trying it multiple times! Here are a few dishes that you must try while in Tokyo

Udon Noodles:  if you’re looking for yummy filling food that won’t kill your budget, Udon noodles are the way to go.  The noodles taste a lot different than what you normally have at home and you have several ways of eating them.  We ate them at Tokyo Mentsudan Udon and it was delish!

Sushi:  Obviously sushi had to be on the list, and it’s hard to go wrong where you go in Tokyo for sushi.  Even 7-Eleven has good sushi!!! When planning our trip we wanted to splurge on some fancy sushi at a couple of highly rated restaurants and it didn’t disappoint!  

Tsugu Sushimasa was outstanding!  It’s a small intimate place and the Sushi Master doesn’t speak English, however the server attending us did and she translated for us.  It was quite the experience and the pride he had in serving each delicious morsel was something to admire.

Ichibancho Teruya was the other nice sushi place that we went to and it was equally amazing to Tsugu Sushimasa.  While the rice used was different, you appreciate their different approaches to their art, and you REALLY appreciate the yumminess of his sushi.  The chef speaks English so you’re able to chat him up during your omakase experience.

Street Food:  As with other places that you visit, you must try the street food stalls and dives as you’ll find some of the yummiest grub around.  We stopped at several places that served Yakitori, Takoyaki and other Japanese favorites. While many of these snacks are hard to pronounce, it’s easy to say “yummy” while you’re enjoying them.

THINGS TO DO

Since Tokyo is a gigantic city, a few days is not enough time to see and enjoy everything that it has to offer.  We made our best effort, but there are a lot of sights left to see for when we return. Here are some of the highlights

Electric Town:  Located in Akihabara, Electric Town is a video game/anime paradise.  While I’m not a gamer, this part of Tokyo was such a cool place to see.  I’m sure those who are heavily involved with video games would’ve appreciated this place as much as I did, if not more.  There are arcades at every corner and you can find any accessory for your gaming system here. You could probably find things here that you’ve never even heard of back home.

Asakusa:  This is the old part of Tokyo and still retains that vibe from ancient times.  While not as flashy as Shinjuku or Ginza, this side of Tokyo is not to be missed.  In fact, it’s one of the most visited districts of Tokyo. You can easily explore this district on foot but I recommend taking a guided tour on a rickshaw.

Tokyo Tower:  Day or night you should check this place out for some spectacular views of Tokyo.  We went at night and the city lights were mesmerizing. The lines can be long so make sure to give yourself enough time while there.

Shinjuku:  Home of the world’s busiest station, there’s a lot to do and see for everyone.  From department stores, electronics, cameras, all night eateries and bars, I’m sure you can find something that you’ll enjoy.  There is also a famous redlight district that I don’t recommend you to visit, but to each their own. 

CONCLUSION

I’m really tempted to search flight options to go back to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics as Japan left an everlasting impression on both Adriana and I.  The world can learn a lot from the Japanese people, the culture and the respect for one another among other things. Have you been to Japan? If so, what did you enjoy?

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WOW!!!  Kyoto is such an amazing city.  Maybe it was a mistake coming here because it was a last minute day trip from Tokyo and it left Adriana and I wanting more, but at the same time we’re grateful to have had the opportunity to visit.  Our JR Pass came in super handy for this day trip since we could hop on to the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and be there by 8:45am ish. It’s such a magical city! Enjoy our Kyoto trip report and pictures.

KYOTO TRIP REPORT BEGINS: ARRIVING TO KYOTO

As mentioned, we took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and it was a very cool experience.  I can’t recommend the JR Pass enough if you’re going to visit Japan and explore the country for a few days.  It includes some of the bullet trains, city trains and buses in the major cities of Japan. We used it extensively getting around in Tokyo, but really got our money’s worth when taking it to Kyoto.  

It’s about a 2.5 hour train ride from Tokyo station to Kyoto station.  It’s also convenient because you’re right in the middle of the city when you arrive, so there’s no long drive to get to where you want to go.  Once you head out of Kyoto station, you can grab a taxi as there’s a line waiting for passengers, or take an Uber like we did.

THE FOOD

As mentioned, this was a day trip, so we didn’t have much time but we managed to munch on as many food items as possible.  For lunch we ate at Saga Ryori Yoshiya to try their traditional hot pots. It was a cool experience where we cooked some of the food in the hot pot and at it alongside some rice and veggies.

For dinner we ate at Gion Tanto, which is in the Gion district.  It’s a tiny place but was so yummy! If you’ve been to a Japanese steakhouse in the states, then you’ll be familiar with the hot plate theme.  Instead of having steak though, we enjoyed some Okonomiyaki. It’s very tasty and filling. Combine that with some cold draft beers and you have an amazing cheap dinner.  By cheap, I mean even for Western standards! 

THINGS TO DO

There’s so many things to see in Kyoto and so many Instagram worthy places to take pics.  We didn’t get to see them all, but here’s what we did see.  

Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion:  It’s a famous landmark in Japan and you can catch some amazing pictures showing the reflection in the lake that will for sure get you another 2 likes on Instagram!

Fushimi Inari Taisha:  It’s a very cool place to visit as it is said to have over 5,000 gates.  I lost count at 12 so I couldn’t verify, but there are A LOT of gates. This place can get SUPER CROWDED, so consider coming in the early morning before all those annoying tourists get there!

Togetsukyo Bridge:  We went in July, but rumor has it that the ideal time to check this place out is in the fall to see the foliage.  The Arashiyama Mountain is in the background and offers a pretty epic backdrop for your selfies!

Bamboo Forest:  Although bamboo isn’t native to Japan, checking this forest out is a must.  It’s pretty amazing walking through the forest and yes, it’s Instagram worthy too.  Bring your mosquito bracelets or some kind of repellent because you will be eaten alive!

CONCLUSION

Kyoto was a crazy day trip and it deserved more time, but that’s how we roll sometimes.  When we’re on vacation we always think “what if we don’t ever come back….” so we try to squeeze in as many sites and activities as possible just in case we don’t have the chance to see it again.  Kyoto did not disappoint and it’s one of those cities you could easily fall in love with. With a population of about 1.5 million, it seems like a small town in comparison to Tokyo and Osaka, but it should be on your must sees list when you come to Japan!  I hope you enjoyed our Kyoto trip report. Have you been to Kyoto? If so, what did you like?

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Getting to Hong Kong from New York was a very long flight, but was made much more enjoyable in Cathay Pacific’s business class.  With yummy food and lie flat seats, 16 hours in the air doesn’t seem too bad. My anxiousness to arrive was the worst part of the flight.  As we descended into Hong Kong, I was glued to the window admiring the mega city that we were about to explore. Please enjoy our Hong Kong trip report!

HONG KONG TRIP REPORT BEGINS: ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT

Once we arrived at the airport, we made our way to immigration since we had all of our bags on us.  We usually pack light heading to our destination so arriving is a breeze. The immigration line was pretty long, but there were several agents working so the wait wasn’t terrible.  

After immigration and customs, we looked for an ATM to pull out some cash.  I rarely exchange money at home prior to our trips since we get a poor exchange rate plus fees with our bank.  By using our Charles Schwab debit card at the ATM, we get excellent exchange rates through Visa, zero foreign transaction fees and all ATM fees are reimbursed.  

After pulling out some cash, we bought a train ticket to Kowloon.  In my opinion, it’s the cheapest, most efficient way to get from the airport to Kowloon or Central.  It took about 20 minutes or so and we were in Kowloon where we got off.

GETTING TO THE CITY

Hindsight is always 20/20, but once in Kowloon, I should’ve bought an Octopus card and loaded it with money for our stay in Hong Kong, since we used the metro (MTR) the majority of the time we were there.  From Kowloon we could’ve taken a train to one of the stations near Tsim Sha Tsui, but as mentioned I didn’t plan that part out. We ended up taking an Uber from the Kowloon station to our hotel.

Uber is alive and well in Hong Kong and it’s a very convenient option, but if you’re on a budget like we were, the MTR is your best best to save some money.  Ubers and taxis can get a little pricey. The MTR is very easy to use and can get you to just about any place you want to go to in Hong Kong. There are signs in English everywhere, so navigating the stations and figuring out your route is never a problem.  Plus you can refer to Google Maps as well to know what lines to ride to your destination.

THE FOOD

The food in Hong Kong was amazing!  We definitely needed more time there to enjoy more of it!!  The cool thing about the city is that there are Michelin star restaurants everywhere, but not all of them break the bank!  In fact in a couple of places that we went to, Tim Ho Wan and Yat Lok, were under $30 for both my wife and I!

The dim sum, pork buns, roasted goose, wontons and many more food items were so delicious!  We found that the restaurants were super efficient and designed to get people in and out quickly.  Depending on where you go eat, there’s about a 50/50 chance that only cash is accepted. If you plan to only hit up the fancy restaurants with valet parking, then more than likely your card is accepted.  But if you eat street food like us, then make sure to have cash.

THINGS TO DO

Hong Kong is a mega city with so many things to do.  The only problem we had was not having enough time to do everything.  Enjoying the world famous skyline during the day and night is a must. There’s a cool light show that you can enjoy at 8pm nightly.  The best place to view it is across the street from the famous Peninsula hotel. Get there about 20 minutes before so that you can get a good spot to enjoy the show.  It’s only about 10-15 minutes long, so it won’t take up your entire evening.

Just about everyone going to Hong Kong visits Victoria Peak, and for good reason.  The views there leave you speechless. You can stare at the skyline for hours. The peak offers spectacular views both day and night.  Be ready to fight off some tourists for a good picture, but it’s well worth it.

Another cool place to visit is the Temple Street Market.  You can find some good deals on souvenirs and other “must have” items.  Part of the fun is haggling with the vendors. It’s welcomed and expected.

We got to Hong Kong a day late, as they have horse races at Happy Valley racecourse on Wednesdays.  I would have liked to have checked this out. Another thing I would’ve liked to have experienced was the Hong Kong Museum of History.  As with all vacations, it seems like there’s never enough time to squeeze in all of the things you want to do. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to come back!

CONCLUSION

Hong Kong is a giant city that shouldn’t be missed.  There’s lots to eat and lots to see and can be affordable if you plan it right.  If you leverage your miles and points, you could score award flights to Hong Kong and beyond while saving a lot of cash on your hotel stays.  I can see us visiting Hong Kong again since it’s a convenient stopover into the rest of Asia when flying Cathay Pacific. I hope you enjoyed our Hong Kong trip report! Will you be visiting Hong Kong in the future?

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