Out And Abroad

No, I am definitely not suggesting you pay for business class on credit cards and go into debt. Please don’t do that as it is not worth it. However, credit card rewards and bonuses are a ticket to luxurious travel on a budget.

Readers, friends and family often say things like ‘I wish I flew as much as you and Matt so I can collect miles like you.’ The truth is we don’t travel like we used to, and most of our miles/points come from credit card spending and signing bonuses. For example, our anniversary trip flights to Thailand and Tel Aviv were paid with miles that few were acquired with travel history. Let me show you how.

Disclaimer

Out and Abroad is not providing any financial advice in this post and we are not responsible for any personal decisions or purchases. We are just providing a framework on how to collect miles. It is highly recommended that credit card purchases are paid off at the end of each billing cycle to ensure you are not paying high interest. We assure you credit card points are not worth the high interest. I am purposely not providing links to these credit cards as I would rather y’all truly consider your needs and goals before signing up for a credit card as your credit history will be pulled lowering your credit score. It isn’t worth the referral bonus to me without you truly considering it. You can google and find these cards.[i]

Flights to Thailand

In a previous post I discussed how we transferred 150,000 Capital One Points to Cathay Pacific to redeem our 2 business class flights to Bangkok on Japan Airlines. We have the Capital One Venture X Card. The card is 375 dollars a year, but provides 300 dollars in statement credits each year for travel, lounge access and a host of other perks making the 375 fee easily worth it. It also comes with a one time 75,000 signup bonus which if you cash in is worth 750 dollars in the Capital One Travel Portal. However, you will get more bang for your buck if you use your Capital One points by transferring them to an airline partner, but nice to know that the sign up bonus pays for the credit card fee for two years alone.

As I said we booked 2 business class seats to Thailand with 150,000 Capital Ones points so we were half way there just with the initial bonus. Otherwise you receive 10 points per dollar spent on hotels/rental cars through their travel portal and 2 points per one dollar spent on all purchases on the card and within 6 months we purchased our way to the other 75,000 points. We now had enough Cathay Pacific miles without ever flying Cathay Pacific to fly to the other side of the world in business class.

Flights to Tel Aviv

The flight time between Bangkok and Tel Aviv is about 7 hours or in other words a flight to Europe from the east coast of the United States. We booked our Etihad Flights using American Airlines miles as they are partners. American Airlines miles are typically acquired by flying American Airlines (😉), or you can just sign up for one of their credit cards. It cost us 80,000 AA miles for our two business class seats.

Two months ago I signed up for the American Airlines Aviator card through Barclays. I was flying home from a business trip and the flight attendant went on the mic and announced a promotion that anyone who signed up for the card on the flight would get 75,000 AA miles with any single purchase on the card.[ii] Literally a cup of coffee charged to the Aviator card would net me 75,000 miles. Even though I wasn’t really looking for a new credit card, I got excited because I already had quite a few AA miles and this would top them off. I signed up and Matt made fun of me, and now he gets to go to Tel Aviv in style. I should leave him home and bring Peanut 😊.

The card does have a 95 dollar annual fee, but that’s fine as I will cancel it before it hits next year. It comes with some decent perks if you fly American frequently, otherwise take the bonus, spend it, and cancel the card. The way I see it I purchased 75,000 miles for 95 bucks. Go on AA.com website and see how much 75,000 miles would cost if you just tried to by them…😱! Anyway the 75,000 miles came in, I had 5,000 miles already and we booked!

Lessons Learned

If you do the math, I paid less than 500 dollars in credit card fees for 4 business class tickets around the world worth approximately 15,000 dollars if I paid for the same seats outright. That is quite a bargain. Not to mention the Capital One Card’s additional benefits easily pays for their fee and the Aviator card was only 95 dollars and while the benefits are meh, I’ll cancel it before paying it again.

Besides 5,000 AA miles I already had, none of the additional miles were acquired by previous travel. Anyone can do this, but it requires a strategy and careful planning. I cannot stress enough if you plan on using credit cards to acquire miles please please please pay them off each billing statement as the interest is a killer.

What do you think? Am I crazy?

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

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[i] If you are dying to apply for these cards due to this post, feel free to message me separately and I can provide a referral link, but I would like you to think about it first! Referral link would net us a few additional miles but rather y’all think about it first.

[ii] Unfortunately, this promotion has expired but currently you can get 65,000miles with the annual fee being waived the first year. Grab those miles and cancel the card and you get them for free! Don’t worry promotion come and go, but keep your eyes open for a good one like I got with the Aviator card.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how we leveraged partner rewards to book flights to Asia. This was part of a larger upcoming vacation. Matt and I are somehow celebrating our tenth anniversary in July. We have discussed going on a special overseas trip to celebrate for years. We wanted to go somewhere new and far while we were still young enough to enjoy it. Well, we have booked it! In July 2024, Matt and I will be traveling to Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.

 

How Did We Choose Thailand?

Truthfully, we were struggling to pick a destination as we have been to Europe and South America many times together. We wanted something new and did not know where to start. Good news is I wrote a blog post about how we choose our destinations and used it as a guide! We threw things out like the Maldives, Dubai, Thailand, Vietnam and Bora Bora. We narrowed it down to Thailand as it is in Asia, on the water and gay friendly for that part of the world. As discussed, we used 150,000 Capital One points to book business class seats on Cathay Pacific, operated by Japanese airlines to get to Bangkok. However how would we get home without going bankrupt as we wanted to go somewhere else while on the other side of the world.

Tel Aviv

Originally the plan was to fly from Thailand to Singapore and spend a few days there. However flights between Koh Samui (where we are staying) to Singapore were about 1200 dollars for the two of us. Just to give you an idea, flights between Bangkok and Koh Samui are less than a 100 dollars. Hotels in Singapore are quite expensive. I could not find any good mileage redemptions to get us back to Boston from there. We concluded it wasn’t worth thousands of dollars for a few nights in Singapore. 

I thought about our objectives and thought, where else can we go that is far, but also easier to get home from? Then I thought about the Middle East. Being gay limited our options to Israel, Lebanon (sort of) and the UAE if we are quite about it. I realized that Etihad Airlines is a partner of American Airlines and they put aside two business class seats per flight for American Airlines Award redemptions. I also noticed despite Israel being almost 7 hours from Bangkok, it was only 40,000 miles a ticket to fly Etihad Business via Abu Dhabi. The only drawback was an overnight connection there, but that’s okay as it allows us to briefly see a new place. Because Etihad only holds two business seats for AA airlines I watched it like a hawk on a daily basis for the airline to release those seats. 80,000 miles for the two of us to fly in Pods for 7 hours is a steal. Go on AA.com right now and search award space between two US cities and I guarantee you it is quite close to 80,000 miles.

How Will We Get Home

Flying home from Tel Aviv is much easier than Singapore as every American and European airline flies there. Competition means cheaper prices or award redemptions. United Mileage plus points came to the rescue. If we booked ourselves on a United Flight via Newark, it would have cost us 400,000 miles ☹. However, we scrolled down on United.com and saw for 80,000 miles we can fly Lufthansa. Better airlines for a fraction of the miles? Yes, thank you!

Why Am I Posting This Now

I learned several valuable lessons through this booking process that I will share in future posts to help you plan similar luxurious trips on a budget. 

How Much Would These Same Flights Cost in Dollars?

$26,000 ☹, or free with miles/points 😊

Flights (all business class and pods)

Japan Airlines from Boston to Bangkok via Tokyo

Bangkok Airlines roundtrip from Bangkok to Samui (we just paid for this as it was cheap, business class, but not pods due it only being a 45 minute flight)

Etihad Airlines from Bangkok to Tel Aviv via Abu Dhabi

Austrian/Lufthansa from Tel Aviv to Boston via Vienna

Hotels

St Regis-Bangkok

Vana Belle a Luxury Collection Hotel-Koh Samui

W Hotel Abu Dhabi 

Sheraton Tel Aviv (Don’t judge, much nicer than most Sheratons)

 

I cannot wait to celebrate our 10^thanniversary with Matt! 

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

Matt and I are in the early stages of planning our 10^th wedding anniversary next summer. We have always discussed going on a special vacation together to celebrate. Somewhere in Asia has caught our eye as we want something on the water, a new location and good food to eat. We circled Thailand as our top choice as the country is more gay friendly than most around those parts. However, Thailand is far and business class is a must otherwise we will do something closer to home.

Flights to Asia Are Expensive

Due to the pandemic and political issues, airlines based in China have dramatically decreased their flights to the United States. What does that have to do with a flight between Boston and Thailand? Glad you asked, there are no flights to Thailand from the United states, which means you need a transit in another country. With China no longer a key player, the options to get to Thailand are minimal, however the demand to travel to Thailand has never been higher.

Think of it like this, imagine if you lived in Lima, Peru and you wanted to fly to Ottawa, Canada, but Air Canada doesn’t fly to Peru and due to political reasons,  the US-based airlines stopped flying to Peru. What do you think Aeromexico does with its ticket prices? Certainly, doesn’t lower them!

Spending Bank Points

For the purposes of this post, I am taking about points you collect with a bank credit card. Think the Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture or the Amex Gold/Platinum cards. Airline credit cards will not allow you to do what I am about to suggest.

 To spend bank points on a flight, you would book through the bank’s trave portal, choose your flight and your points convert into dollars, 100,000 points usually is 1,000 dollars in flight costs. Not bad, but you are leaving SO much money on the counter by doing it this way.

Introduction to Bank Transfer Partners

Another (better) way to use your bank points is to transfer them to an airline miles partner program. Usually (not always check with your back) bank point transfer 1:1 to a miles program. So if you have 100,000 Capital One Points, that becomes 100,000 miles on a partner airline. Are you starting to see how this can be quite more lucrative then by just spending your bank points on the travel portal where 100,000 points turns into 1,000 dollars? 100,000 miles in an airline program can easily get one person in business class to Europe….or if you are creative two people to Thailand!

Asia Miles

Asia Miles is Cathay Pacific’s mileage program and a partner of Capital One. I had about 200,000 Capital One points and over the last few months I have been scanning all the airlines that fly to Bangkok to see if I can use them for this trip. Cathay Pacific does not fly to Boston, but they are members of the Oneworld Alliance. Alliance members often sell tickets on their partners flights. Japan Airlines is also a Oneword member and they do fly to Boston. I noticed on our date that Cathay Pacific had tickets to Bangkok from Boston via Japan Airlines for only 90,000 miles. I immediately texted Matt (yes we live together but this is what we do) and told him I can get us to Bangkok in business for free next July, and he told me to book.

Best Booking Ever

Before I booked, I checked out of curiosity how much it would cost for the two of us just to pay for the same flights. Two business class tickets on Japan Airlines would cost 10,000 dollars. If I cashed in my Capital One Points and booked through their portal I would have saved 2,000 dollars and still spent 8,000 of my own cash to complete the booking. Do you see how nuts that is? I would have used the same amount of points AND spend 8,000 dollars.  Instead I transferred 180,000 Capital One Points into my brand new Asia Miles account and immediately booked my flights for 180,000 Asia Miles costing me nothing besides taxes and fees. 

Lessons Learned

Transfer Don’t Spend

If we spent our capital one tickets directly on the cost of the ticket we would have used 200,000 points to save 2,000 dollars while spending 8,000 dollars more. By transferring to Asia Miles, I used less Capital One points (180,000) and my flights were free free free (all my Houston friends will know this reference 😊). 

Check Award Availability First

Remember it is crucial to check award availability on your bank’s airline partners first. I saw on Cathay Pacific’s website the award cost for my flights before I transferred my Capital One points as once points transfer you cannot get them back and the downside then would be all my points I have collected would be stuck in an airline program I do not frequently use. 

Check All Airlines

Remember airlines have their friends. Ironically Japan Airlines has their own miles program and is also a transfer partner of Capital One. However, they required significantly more points. Cathay Pacific (a mutual Oneworld member with Japan Airlines) charged dramatically less miles for the same flights.

Patience

I have been checking these flights every day to see if I can get a good miles redemption rate. By being patient I used significantly less miles, no money and now get to go to Thailand in style. 

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in an Airline Credit Card’s Basket

Airline credit cards have their uses between lounge access, priority boarding and free checked bags. However, the currency is tough because you can only spend your miles on that specific airline. 1 ticket to Bangkok from Boston in business is typically 300,000 United miles….

How are we Getting Home?

We have a year to figure that out, until then, I will keep checking for good mile redemption rates on partners of Capital One 😊.

 

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

It is summertime so we are all subjected to persistent social media posts regarding how crowded Venice is, or how the lines to access Santorini from the ferry in 95 degree weather are nuts, or airports are packed, etc. While these images do look like Hell on earth, are we shocked some of the most popular summer destinations in the world are in fact popular?

Look, I totally understand your desire to see the Mona Lisa in an empty room, but that is not going to happen at 2pm on a Saturday in July. I am not going to try and talk you out of summer travel as I understand the weather is desirable (besides the European heatwaves and wildfires but I digress), children are off from school and usually work is a little more laid back in the summer.

However, all those factors above are true for everyone which is why popular destinations are packed. Below is a list of ways you can make summer travel a little more bearable. 

Stay Out of the Cities

Every summer we hear how Italy is packed with tourists from around the world. However, there are many wonderful parts of Italy that aren’t nearly as crowded. No, I am not telling you to skip Tuscany in favor of Calabria. Not a knock on Calabria, but tourists want Tuscany for the vineyards, Renaissance stuff and the food. However, you do not need to stay in the city of Florence with everyone else to experience these things. There are lovely quiet villas all around Italy you can rent each located near small towns with some of the best wines you will ever have. Stay at a villa that is quiet, get all the selfies of open scenery for Instagram and enjoy yourself. This solution would work in other parts of Italy, France, Spain Etc.

Don’t Go Inside!

I have a secret to tell you. You can see the Eiffel Tower without waiting in line to go to the top, you can see the Acropolis without waiting in line to get inside, and the Sagrada Familia is stunning from the outside too. I know it is ‘sacrilegious’ to not go inside any of these places, but really, come back in the winter at 8am to do that. Do you really want to wait in line for hours to go inside and be crammed with other tourists in the summer heat?

Skip the Tours

You don’t need to go on walking tours in 90-degree heat. I have 2 history degrees and don’t care enough to do that.

Do a Tour

Wait, what? I know I am contradicting myself, but if you must go inside every church you have never heard of or cared about until you landed somewhere in Europe, do one of those skip the line day tours you can easily book on viator.com. It will still be crowded, but at least you won’t be waiting outside in the sun all day.

South America is Underrated

Our summer is their winter, except in most places down there the temperature is still mild. The beaches are just as pretty (if not prettier) than their Mediterranean counterparts with significantly less people.

Shoulder Season

If you want to enjoy Europe for the summer climate, try going in May or September. It is still warm in the warm places and while there are still crowds, they are quite smaller than peak July or August.

 

Summer travel is necessary, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Manage those expectations and if you are seeking a quiet and relaxing holiday than perhaps Rome in July is not for you? Think about your goals for your trip. If quiet and serenity is what you seek, summer travel to popular destinations may not be ideal.

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

I love living in Maine, but the problem with relying on a small regional airport for your travel is you are dealing with a small maintenance crew. Unfortunately, a broken plane at a small regional airport means you are stuck until the plane is fixed or the flight is cancelled. There is no rescue plane, or spare part or much of any hope. Fortunately, about 2.5 hours later the issue was fixed and we left and landed in Philadelphia 3 hours late…. or 5 minutes after the last flight to Cincinnati for 9 hours!

Sounds like Hell, right? Truthfully while it was physically exhausting my brain kind of enjoyed it. I had a pleasant day and arrived in Cincinnati a little tired, but in fairly decent shape and not smelling! I also did not spend too much money at the airport. Let me explain how one can turn a 9-hour delay into a decent day!

 

Don’t be in a Rush and Stay Calm

9 hours is a long time, but if a plane is broken…a plane is broken. Would you prefer it to crash? The customer service reps in Portland, ME were genuinely nice and kept us updated which helped. I knew yelling at them would not magically fix the plane or motivate American Airlines to add an additional late morning flight to Cincinnati. It was what it was. What was the worst-case scenario, I miss work? 😊. Being angry wastes a lot of energy and it wasn’t necessary.

Worst Case Scenario: Your Vacation is Ruined!

Fair point! I still prefer a day less wherever I am going than a crashed plane. However, many credit cards provide trip interruption/delay insurance. While that doesn’t give you back your time, I knew anything I purchased at the airport today will likely be reimbursed as my delay was over 6 hours (a common minimum requirement for delay insurance). While time might be loss, your money can easily be recovered.

59 Dollars for All You Can Eat (Shitty) Food and Drinks

This might shock you, but I don’t always have lounge access. Currently I only have a Priority Pass Lounge membership which is a network of private lounges. They do not have a location in Philadelphia. American Airlines has several and while I do not have a membership or the right credit card for the AA Admirals Lounge, I did have 59 dollars for a one-day pass. Fifty-nine dollars sounds like a lot, but 9 hours of comfort, food, coffee and a place to work sounded nice. That works out to 12(ish) dollars an hour for all of that, which was a worthwhile investment as I got work done and was very comfortable for a good part of the day.

Shower

Do your research in these situations. One of the worst parts of a long travel day is the body can only handle so much before it develops an abhorrent odor. This would cause anxiety, particularly to us gay men as what if a flight attendant is cute or we have a handsome seatmate? No one wants a stinker! Sometimes lounges have showers. Unfortunately, mine did not. However, Philadelphia Airport has a thing called Minute Suites. It is a lounge of sorts, but instead of your standard shared open space with food and drinks it is a series of private rooms with couches to relax in. They also have shower suites. It cost 10 dollars for a shower. It was lovely and easily worth it. (If you are counting, I have spent 69 dollars so far)

Dinner

After my shower I decided to walk to the other side of the airport as my (eventual) flight to Cincinnati would be leaving from the far terminal F. The airport provides a shuttle between terminals, but what was my rush? American Airlines has a lounge in F as well and I was hoping the food options would be superior to that of the Terminal C lounge. Unfortunately, that was not the case as lounges in the United States offer food that only survivors of a zombie apocalypse would call tasty or nourishing. However, at that point I realized I had not received any meal vouchers despite being delayed all day over a mechanical issue. Another benefit of the lounge is there is easier access to airline customer service representatives, and I asked them about a voucher. She smiled and printed out a 12-dollar meal voucher I could use at the airport…. imagine if I wasn’t in the lounge all day, 12-dollars would not get me very far and I easily would have spent more money purchasing coffee, water and meals. I used the 12 bucks to get a pizza and a drink before my flight.

Lessons Learned

Airline delays happen and while I know it is stressful, there are ways to mitigate the negative experience while waiting for your flight to depart. I spent a grand total of 69 dollars for 9 hours of lounge access and a shower. Imagine how much I would have spent if I just sat in the terminal all day ordering Starbucks coffee and having lunch and dinner at the restaurants. Lunch was free in the lounge and because I snacked all day, the 12-dollar voucher was enough for a small diner. I finally arrived in Cincinnati 15 hours after I left my house in the morning feeling fairly decent due to my shower. I am also weird and actually enjoyed my day, I love the airport! An entire day where there were no expectations from me, no chores to be completed and everyone left me alone.

How would you spend 9 hours at the airport?

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

Flying international business class can be fun, but also very expensive. Several months ago, Matt and I took a trip to Barcelona, and we flew Business class on American Airlines one way and Air France on the other. Both flights were identical in that they offer (so they say) the same business class experience. Let’s compare so we can see who offers a better experience so that you get the most bang for your buck.

Business Class Lounge

We flew from JFK International Airport in NYC to Barcelona on American Airlines (AA). The lounge situation at JFK is a bit confusing for AA passengers. There are FOUR different lounges. 

o   Standard Admirals club that the airline credit card gets you into-typical mediocre airline lounge.

o   The Greenwich Lounge-Business class lounge for international flights-better food, booze, amenities and showers

o   Soho Lounge for OneWorld Emerald or AA Platinum Pro status or higher -prettier than Greenwich with basically the same food with a few al carte items that Greenwich doesn’t offer

o   The Chelsea Lounge-fancy dining Only for AA or British Airlines First Class (not business)

Normally we would have been placed in the Greenwich Lounge, but for some reason it was closed that day and AA invited us to the better Soho Lounge. It was beautiful with great views, pretty good food, lovely showers and generally quieter than most lounges….also a wonderful ice cream cookie sandwich!

We flew home on Air France (AF) out of their Western Hemisphere bound flights terminal in CDG Airport in Paris and only had a few minutes to check their lounge. Compared to typical Admirals Club or United Club it was great, but the Soho Lounge AA provided access to was much nicer and their amenities were accessible (we wanted to shower in Paris, but there was a waiting list). We were not very hungry, but the food options were solid and comparable to the Soho Lounge.

Winner: AA Airlines (believe it or not, but not a fair comparison as we were upgraded to a superior lounge)

Business Class Seat

The actual seats themselves were basically the same, although the AA plane was older, and the material was tired. Air France also offered more cubby space for your belongings in your seat and the seat itself was newer and cleaner.

Winner: AF

Food

Not even close, AF. AA tasted like cafeteria food.

Service

I don’t mean to pick on the flight attendants on AA, but they were just checking the boxes, which means the service was absolutely fine, but just fine. It was missing that extra oomph I would expect in Business class. They served the two meals, but otherwise they were missing, and one would have to either call them (which only a jerk would do) or walk to the galley and ask for something. I did that a few times and they were more than happy to get me a drink or a snack.

However, the attendants on AF were just lovely. Someone was walking down the business aisle at least once every 20 minutes to see if anyone needed anything or to pick up trash. They even have an espresso machine and made me a yummy cappuccino. During the dinner service they also proudly described the wines they were offering. Another nice touch was the pilot coming around business class prior to departing to say hello to each passenger. It is amazing how wonderful service takes so much of the tension on an aircraft away.

Winner: AF

Amenities

Both airlines offered a similar amenity pack with toiletries, socks for sleeping, lotion etc. Both also offered comparable noise cancellation headphones. AA partners with Casper for their bedding and it is quite wonderful. AF’s bedding and pillow were also great, but AA was better. However, AA’s bathroom has more amenities including facial cleansing spray which is delightful on a long flight. Flight attendants on AA also cleaned the bathroom frequently while on AA they did not (per union rules, funny enough AF is also unionized 😊).

Winner: AF

Conclusion

AA was fine and provided everything as advertised, but AF Business class goes the extra mile due to their service and food. If prices are comparable, it is a no brainer, however I find the European airlines are often quite a bit cheaper, and offer more! We booked our AA flight on miles.

Stay tuned for information on our next international business trip this fall!

Bon Voyage,

Andrew–

Some time ago Matt and I had an early flight out of Boston Logan Airport. I decided to book us a hotel in Boston since we live just under an hour and a half away and Matt has never spent any time in the city outside of the airport. Logan is convenient because it is literally minutes away from downtown Boston so there was no real reason to stay at an airport hotel. Capital One has a Premier Luxury Collection of hotels and the XV Beacon was on the list so I chose it.

What is the XV Beacon Hotel

The XV Beacon is a small boutique 5-star hotel in (shockingly) Beacon Hill Boston. Beacon Hill is a wonderful location as you are in short walking distance away from Quincy Market, and just a few minutes’ drive from the airport. The XV Beacon is independently owned, but by booking through Capital One I received the following perks.

Ø  Free Breakfast

Ø  100 Dining Credit

Ø  Early Check In and Late Check Out

Ø  Room Upgrade

Booking through the hotel directly would have been the same cost, so going through Capital One was a no brainer.

The Room

It is an old city hotel so the rooms aren’t gigantic, but they were quite charming. Every room comes with a gas fire place which was really cool. Bathrooms were very nice and the bed was quite comfortable. I booked the cheapest room they have knowing we would get some kind of upgrade and I was not too concerned as we were only there for a night to sleep. We were upgraded to a larger standard room.

Food

One of Beacon Hill’s premier steak restaurants, MOOO is located in the XV Beacon Hotel. MOOO is definitely not the cheapest restaurant in the world, but the food was excellent and the bill was manageable with the 100 dining credit. One of the best steak’s Matt has ever had, but it was pricey!

As for our free breakfast we had the option to have it in MOOO or in our room with room service. Obviously, room service was our choice as we had to get moving for the airport. It was lovely.

Service

Check-In was easy and I was worried I would have to initiate the conversation regarding my Capital One benefits which would be awkward, but as soon as we arrived the lovely receptionist brought them up and told us about our breakfast options. We were only there for a night so we did not experience housekeeping, but they did do turn down service which is always a treat. Speaking of treat, no chocolate with the turn down service ☹. 

Concierge

The hotel has a wonderful concierge who booked us our car for the airport. We also ended up needing a few things from the pharmacy and the concierge literally walked me to CVS around the corner.

Children

I did not see any!!!!!!! This property more caters to adults and business travelers as amenities for children are limited. There is a small gym and a rooftop bar, but it was too cold for us to experience.

Overall

The XV Beacon Hotel is a wonderful boutique property with nice rooms, excellent service in a great location. I have the highest status with Marriott and am often treated like a number at their hotels while at the Beacon there was more of a personal touch. It is not the cheapest property in Boston, you certainly get what you pay for and we would absolutely return…booking through Capital One 😊.

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

Sorry in advance for the long post.

A while ago Matt and I took a weeklong vacation to one of our favorite cities in Europe. Yet you wouldn’t know that as there were no blog posts, no Instagram photos or Facebook ‘check in’s.’ We flew business class both ways, stayed in a location known for its Gay nightlife in a city where café/wine culture is everywhere. Along with no social media posts we also decided not to drink any alcohol including at the airport and on the plane. What did we learn from this experience?

Context

Historically Matt and I generally do the same thing on every vacation. Whether we are in a remote town in Brazil, in the middle of Paris, or chilling in South Florida; the common denominator is drinking almost all day. We wake up and have a mimosa or two with breakfast. Then we will move to the beach or a café for a glass of rose’. Lunch would include of a bottle of wine or at the very least a cocktail.  We would then crash until it was time to get ready for dinner which includes more wine. Afterwards we would typically go to a bar for a few drinks until it was time to go to sleep. Sleeping would be quite miserable as we transitioned from intoxication to hangover.

While we were drinking, we would often take lots of selfies and post them on social media and our only ‘working out’ would consist of walking to restaurants or shopping.

Why Our Typical Vacation Approach was Flawed

The problem was while I had a lot of fun and told myself I was coming home relaxed; the reality was I usually came home feeling like shit. It was not just the alcohol, it was the lack of sleep, eating like a pig, not exercising, and focusing more on social media than spending time with my husband. Time away when we should be focused on our wellness was anything but. I would get home and get on the weight scale and regret the entire week(s) of vacation. But hey I got 100 likes on Instagram!

Our Secret Trip

It’s bizarre to run a travel blog and not post about our vacation. That was my exact reaction when Matt suggested we not drink alcohol and not post about pictures from the trip! But then I thought more about it and grew excited. A vacation focused on wellness and spending time together while in Europe. No booze, time together, no social media and lots of exercise.  How bad can that be! 

Part 1: The Challenges of Not Drinking

4 Lounges and 4 Business Class Flights

Ironically, I found this to be the most challenging part of our trip. What is the fun of traveling in luxury without drinking? How is my vacation official if people don’t see the Facebook check in? Actually I quite enjoyed our lounge experiences and business class flights without the booze. We had some nice meals, quality conversations and even a showered. On the way we transited in NY from Boston before our overnight flight. Without the booze we arrived fully refreshed and ready to go. In fact, our room wasn’t ready so we found a locally gay owned gym to shower and went for a 6 mile walk. By the time we were done our room was ready, we napped for 2 hours and had a lovely dinner out.

I would say though it was a little challenging to decline the pre-flight cocktail or the nice flight attendants asking repeatedly if they could get me a glass of wine, but it was totally worth it.

Meals Out

I am not going to lie; it was initially little disappointing going to Europe and not having excellent (and cheap) wine with dinner. We were pleasantly surprised though that a few restaurants offered mocktails, but it’s not the same. However, not feeling drunk or hungover or just miserable made it easily worth it!

Evenings Out

The city we visited has an evening atmosphere and we were staying in the heart of the gay area so bars were everywhere. We did not really participate in nights out. Good news is we are also not evening people so this wasn’t a huge deal. The lovey rooftop bar at our hotel made us a nice mocktail for us to sip on before bedtime.

Afternoons

In all honesty, I found afternoons more challenging than evenings. This was particularly the case when we moved to a small beach town and had a beautiful balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. A glass of rose would have been lovely….However, we were pleasantly surprised that non-alcholic wine was available in the small wine shops. We had a few bottles of those and they were perfect for patio drinks.

 

You might be thinking, this sounds like the vacation from Hell. Andrew and Matt went to Europe, sat on patios, in restaurants and visited bars without drinking….wtf did they do?

Sleep

This was the biggest win for me on vacation. Our beds were not that comfortable in Europe, but it did not matter because I slept like a baby without the alcohol and its accompanying headache every night. I slept great on the plane too. I came home feeling refreshed and not exhausted. Business class without the booze is actually more comfortable. 

Exercise

I have done a fitness photoshoot, I have ran a half marathon. I have lost 40 lbs of fat and gained muscle. I have NEVER exercised on vacation before this trip. Why would I exercise. Relaxing on vacation was all about drinking and eating, the last thing I wanted to do was work my body. On this trip we ran almost every day and I have to tell you, this was the highlight of the trip. Running is an amazing way to see a new place. I felt great after each run and was able to recover easily by eating nutritious foods and not drink. It was far more relaxing than being drunk.

Walked

We don’t typically do guided tours on vacation since they are staged and we can google anything we see. But Matt and I must have walked almost 8 miles a day. We saw some cool buildings, ate some good food and browsed through many stores.

Shopped and Saved Money

We bought a lot of clothes and yet we still saved money…..because we didn’t buy any alcohol. Have you ever stopped and looked how much you spend on booze while on vacation?

Spent Time Together

This one goes without saying, but alcohol truly limited the quality time together on vacation. It was lovely exploring Europe completely sober and not worrying about taking social media photos with my husband.

 

Overall, Was it Worth It?

Absolutely! We got to experience one of our favorite destinations together, we returned home refreshed and feeling physically and mentally great. I didn’t have to go home to ‘start a diet’ after vacation because the lack of booze and increase in exercise enabled me to return home at my same weight. 

Does this mean I will never drink on vacation again? Who knows, but I did not miss it and the benefits clearly outweighed the negatives, and if you stop and think…the negatives of not drinking aren’t actually negatives. More money, more energy, more quality time, less headaches and feeling much healthier.  While it was a different way to travel, it was also an excellent experience and will absolutely make me rethink where we travel to and the kinds of hotels we stay at.

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

 

PS I will post a few reviews from the trip soon.

Part 1 of this series explained the importance of balancing luxury with cost. You want to be able to kick back and enjoy a wonderful vacation while not having to worry about your bank account. Part 2 (this post) will provide you with some concrete suggestions of pulling that off.

 

Flexible Dates, Off Peak Times and Definitely Not Holidays

Flight cost will fluctuate. But one thing that is guaranteed is peak times and holidays are a fortune. I am not suggesting you need to visit Alaska in February, but I guarantee you September is much cheaper than July. Europe is always packed and expensive in the summer, so we like to go the week of labor day, less kids too and still warm!

Flights are More Important than the Destination.

Matt and I are already brainstorming big vacation ideas for our 10^th wedding anniversary July 2024. Thailand, Vietnam, Santorini, Maldives, Bora Bora, etc. have all come up. However the reality is we will likely decide based on flight cost as we will not be sitting in Economy. I am sure the water in Santorini is nice, I am sure the sea off of Thailand is lovely, I am sure the ocean off Bora Bora is stunning. You know what is tragic though? Traveling to any of those places in Economy (extra tragic if there is a baby nearby!). We will see what the costs are and decide on the destination off of flight cost. Besides, saving money on flights pays for a nicer hotel in one of those places 😊.

DIY Activities

You do not need to go on a Globus tour to see Italy, France or truthfully most places. You are spending so much additional money on activities and mediocre meals for no reason. Pick a country, do some googling and find activities and much better restaurants yourself. You do not need a tour guide telling you everything about everything, do you really care? Take a picture of the name of the building and google it.

Hurricane Season is Your Friend

Pay a little more for refundable tickets or book an airline you would fly again (so a travel credit is fine) and check out Cancun, the Caribbean or South Florida in the fall. Prices are dramatically cheaper and less people (including children)!

You Can Fly into a Different City

I live in Southern Maine which means I have about 4-5 airports within two hours of me. If it is dramatically cheaper to drive a little (and use the savings to fly business), why not?

Instead of X Go To Y

Paris/London/San Francisco/Singapore are all very expensive. Barcelona/Lisbon/Portland, OR/Bangkok are quite cheaper alternatives. But Paris has the Louvre! Yes, and can you name one other painting or work of art at the Louvre besides Lisa? Do you frequent museums in your lackluster suburban hometown? Did you know every city has museums? Be open minded and save some money while seeing something wonderful.

Quality over Quantity

Prior to Covid, Matt and I traveled pretty frequently. Since then, we have had a much harder time leaving the babies. We also love Maine and don’t need to leave as often as Houston or Garbage (Florida). By limiting ourselves to 1-2 vacations a year, we can increase the budget instead of 3-4 medium trips.

4 Star Hotels Are Your Friends

While I do love a 5 star, did you know not all 5 star hotels are created equal? Some are fine and check the boxes, but are missing that extra oomph. There are many examples of 4 star hotels being nicer (with better service) than 5. A lot of times it is because the 4 star is a boutique hotel with less services (so it can’t be a 5, remember star ratings are largely about amenities offered) but usually fantastic service. A prime example of this is in Rio. We almost stayed at the 5 star JW Marriott last time, but I compared the price there with the Porto Bay two doors down and the Porto Bay offered free breakfast, wine at check in, and every room includes a balcony offering Copacabana views. JW does not offer breakfast or free wine (unless you have Marriott status) and none of the rooms have a balcony. But they have a spa! Yes, and you should stay at the Porto Bay and have free wine with views and walk over (2 doors down) and get a spa treatment at the JW!

Recap

These are just some of the tips we try to follow to book a beautiful vacation without going bankrupt. Remember we aren’t aiming for a cheap vacation either as we do love our luxuries, but we want to be conscious and have plenty of spending money while we are away. I don’t want to have to worry about anything on vacation so I need something nice and business class, but I also don’t want to return home financially stressed and have regrets over traveling. Do you have any additional tips?

 

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

 

I have had conversations with a few people over the last several weeks regarding how expensive travel is. While I agreed with them, there are some practical things you can do to cut costs, but still enjoy a luxury vacation. This is not to suggest I think you should just travel as cheaply as humanly possible (we discussed that), but there are ways to get luxury without spending $25,000 on a Norwegian cruise (seriously people do this).

 

Don’t Spend a Fortune 

I am targeting my readers who identify as middle class, upper-middle class, or ‘pretty wealthy’ for this conversation. Very few of us can just drop $35,000 for five nights at the White Lotus Hotel in Sicily for their base room. However, that rate does include breakfast!

Now if you are someone that can spend $35,000 on a vacation and not even notice than absolutely you should go, as it looks stunning. Maybe even spend $45,000 on a suite! However even if Matt and I could save for something like that overtime, we would likely not.  Here is why;

Ø Babies and Children

The reality is, unless it is an Adults Only property, you are one vile family or child away from being miserable. Judge me all you want, but I just have this feeling every time you go on vacation and see a loud child nearby or boarding your plane, you immediately pray to every deity you can think that child is sitting or staying nowhere near you. Imagine spending oodles of money to listen to a child all week!

Ø  Adults

In fairness to vile children, there are also vile adults. Matt and I once stayed at the Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale and the room and balcony was lovely. What was not lovely was the white trash in the room next to us smoking on their balcony all night and talking very loudly. That is a lot of money to spent to smell cigarettes all night.

Ø  Unpredictable Weather

Imagine spending what is costs to stay in one of those over-water bungalows in the Maldives or Bora Bora, and it rains the entire time.

Ø  Mediocre Staff and Hotel Services

The more you spend on a hotel, the more perfection you will expect. I guarantee if you spend more than you are comfortable with on a room, you will notice every single imperfection. I wasn’t expecting much when I used to travel to places like Saginaw or Fort Wayne for work. As long as my mediocre corporate hotel had a bed, a clean bathroom and coffee I was good. However if I spent $1100 dollars a night on a room, I will notice things like housekeeping not being done every day, or a long wait to be seated at breakfast or the bellman not being able to get us a taxi or the internet being sh*ty.

Flight Delays and Cancellations

You can even splurge for those Singapore Airways private suites, but if your plane stops working, well you are just as screwed as those in Economy. Matt and I got to experience an emergency landing on our way to Paris once, not fun. We were in Economy, but I assume it wasn’t fun for those up front either.

Ø  Babies and Children 

Just want to reiterate this point. If you must spend a fortune on a vacation, make sure it is at an Adults Only property 😊.

The list goes on, but the point is unless you have the means to fly privately and stay wherever you want for as long as you want, there will be imperfections, and that is okay, that is part of life.

Luxury and Value

Value does not mean cheap. When planning your vacation it is important to think about your finances and goals. How much can you spend without feeling stressed about it? That is a question you should consider on any purchase, but I think it is critical for vacations. While I would love to stay at the White Lotus Sicily Hotel, or an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora, they are likely not in the cards anytime soon. Even if I could swing the points or money, I know me and I know I will not love it or be relaxed due to the cost. That savings could have been invested into early retirement, or a new roof, or finishing the basement. Maybe instead of an overwater Bungalow, you stay on a nice beach villa in Thailand. While not free, those are dramatically cheaper, and you can still get that roof! Maybe instead of the White Lotus Hotel in Sicily, you stay at a four star in Sicily with nice views. You still get the Sicilian towns, the food, view and the ability to put more money away!

In Conclusion

The goal of this post is to get you thinking about travel budgets, why things can still go wrong and why your luxury should be met within reason. Part 2 (next week) will offer you practical solutions and suggestions that will still provide luxury, but for less money!

 

Bon Voyage,

Andrew