Out And Abroad

 

Okay I know my title is a bit of a stereotype, but why are people (especially most boomers I know) so stressed out about going on vacation? What is it about booking flights, finding activities, or making dinner reservations that makes them so anxious. Boomers, I want yall to relax. Please see my letter to you below.

 

Dear Boomer*,

You seem very stressed every time I see you on a vacation or discussion upcoming travel plans. Whether we are in Rome and your private transfer that your travel agent swore would be there waiting for you does not show up (no problem, use uber or a taxi 😊) or you are in Costa Rica, miserable in a small rental apartment wondering why you didn’t stay at a hotel (for a few dollars a night more). Maybe you hate the airport, but then went ahead booking a flight that includes transiting because it saved you five dollars or you find planes uncomfortable, but instead of spending 100 dollars more for extra legroom, you went out for that extra dinner with your friends. Travel doesn’t and should not be stressful. Boomers, now that I have your attention, let me give you some advice.

Boomer Issue 1: Airports are crowded, planes are cramped, and lines are long

I know you all were around pre-9/11 when security was virtually optional and checking bags was easier. But you know now that those days are over. Why not fork over the 350 dollars for a luxury credit card that includes TSA Pre fees (see what I did there) and lounge access? With TSA Pre you get a much shorter line and lounge access keeps you away from the crowds. Easy Peasy! Then spend that extra 100 dollars for economy plus! 450 dollars for one economy plus seat, lounge access for the year with food and drinks, and free TSA Pre for years for free and shorter/quicker lines. 450 sounds expensive but stay home a few more times a month and cook, I assure you it’s also better than those honestly, mediocre restaurants you go to. Plus if you read the fine print of those credit cards, you will easily earn that money back in benefits and credits. OR just get over yourselves, deal with the fact the airport is crowded and just arrive early,

Boomer Issue 2: Vacations are soooo expensive

Weren’t the 70s-90s great? You could stay at a lovely Sheraton somewhere nice for like 90 dollars a night! A lot of things were cheaper back then, and Sheratons weren’t dumps either. It was also 40 years ago….Why are people always looking to save money when going on vacation? I am not advocating you go bankrupt, but you know what saves more money than a cheap vacation? Staying home. There is a delicate balance. Yes, an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere or in a dangerous neighborhood is enticing, but it is also stress inducing. Stay somewhere nice or stay home or don’t complain. :). And please please please do not book with expedia or one of those cheaper sites. Do you think your airline or hotel is going to give two sh*ts about you when something goes wrong?

Boomer Issue 3: Booking flights is stressful!

What is it about booking flights that stresses people out so much? People spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on useless sh*t all the time, but when it comes to flights everyone is so scared to click purchase. I guess in the 80s and 90s calling a travel agent, booking the seats and waiting for the tickets to arrive via snail mail was painful, but now we can do this with 3 clicks and an instant email confirmation emerges. What are you so afraid about? Purchase the tickets! If you are worried you made a mistake you have 24 hours to double check and receive all your money back on every USA based airline. Even afterwards, you will still get a flight credit, so what are we worried about? You don’t need to call your children or travel agent (are we still using those? LOL kidding they have a lot of value, but they would be the first to tell you to book flights directly), just do it!

Boomer Issue 4: What do I pack!

I can assure you that if you are a boomer who stresses about packing, you are not going anywhere you cannot get anything you would need. If you are worried about what to pack, I doubt you are climbing Everest, or riding on the Mongolian Steppe or trekking the Camino de Santiago. My guess is you are on your way to Mexico, a cruise, maybe Europe? All these places sell everything. Just pack what you think you need and be done. You can always buy toiletries or more clothes wherever you are going. Ideally don’t even check luggage as that is stressful too. Did you know other countries also have this thing called LAUNDRY! Mexico has Costco!

Boomer Issue 5: I hate long flights and connecting

So don’t travel far and don’t connect. Choose a destination that is easy to get to if that is important to you. I love the airport and don’t mind connecting, but I also have my criteria for choosing a vacation to ensure I will love it. Hate connecting? Don’t do it! If connecting is your only option to get to X, choose Y instead! 

Boomer Issue 5: What do we do and where do we eat!

How do you find restaurants or activities in Phoenix or South Florida? Google that sh*t, ask your hotel, ask your travel agent, post on Facebook! While it is totally not my thing, book an overnight tour or cruise if you don’t want to do the research. I assure you if you go overseas, any restaurant you eat at will be better than anything near your retirement community or suburban home.

Boomers, I want you to shift your mindset. When you decide you are ready for a vacation or to travel, focus on what excites you. Choose a destination that you are enthusiastic about, you always wanted to see or you have some kind of connection with. You don’t need to go on the new cruise because your neighbors raved about it or go to Cancun because your MAGA friends love it. Go where you want!

Vacation is exciting, and if it isn’t something you are looking forward to due to various stress points, don’t go! There are other ways to spent money. Vacation isn’t meant to be a way to save or pinch your pennies. Sure, make choices that help manage your budget, but please ensure those choices don’t impact your excitement level. If you feel uneasy about your destination or finances, Always remember, it’s okay to cancel your vacation.

 

Your favorite Millennial,

Andrew 

 

 

*Boomers who have disposable income who choose to travel

In a shocking turn of events, it actually gets a little chilly and snows in the state of Maine. Andrew and Matt shocked the world when they decided to sell their sunny Florida condo in the middle of the winter and are now stuck in the hellscape, known as Maine! Below is an interview with the blog’s founder to see how they survived the epic, long lasting and horrifying BLIZZARD!

Thank you for taking the time to today, my first question is, how did you stay warm during the BLIZZARD?

We sat in our heated house.

But my goodness, I saw that movie with Jack Nicholson, didn’t you all lose your minds after months being inside during the blizzard?

It lasted 12 hours and we slept through most of it.

But what about groceries and supplies, did you run out?

No, we got a few things the night before and as I said, it lasted 12 hours so we went out after and got more.

Were you bored?

No, we watched tv, played with our dogs, did chores around the house and made dinner. We even had friends over!

But it’s so much warmer in Florida!

Donald Trump thinks so too!

Like in Florida, you can go outside in the winter.

I went outside 5x during the blizzard, walked the babies, went into the hot tub and looked at the pretty scenery.

But like Palm Trees!

I literally live in the woods

Fine, but the ocean in Florida!

Did you know we have ocean in Maine?

But it is so cold!

It was literally 90 degrees in Florida in February, gross

Do you have any regrets about living in Maine in the winter? It is cold!

Wish we did it sooner. Our Governor is looking to expand rights here while the following headline is in the front page of the 3/5/2023 Washington Post

 

Florida bills would ban gender studies, transgender pronouns, tenure perks

Any final thoughts?

Nope, nice and sunny here today after our 12-hour blizzard. Probably going to play with my babies, do some chores, go into the hot tub and make dinner…. like my blizzard day

Isn’t this a travel blog?

Yup! And We go to Barcelona in less than a month!!!! More to come 😊

 

In a shocking turn of events, it actually gets a little chilly and snows in the state of Maine. Andrew and Matt shocked the world when they decided to sell their sunny Florida condo in the middle of the winter and are now stuck in the hellscape, known as Maine! Below is an interview with the blog’s founder to see how they survived the epic, long lasting and horrifying BLIZZARD!

Thank you for taking the time to today, my first question is, how did you stay warm during the BLIZZARD?

We sat in our heated house.

But my goodness, I saw that movie with Jack Nicholson, didn’t you all lose your minds after months being inside during the blizzard?

It lasted 12 hours and we slept through most of it.

But what about groceries and supplies, did you run out?

No, we got a few things the night before and as I said, it lasted 12 hours so we went out after and got more.

Were you bored?

No, we watched tv, played with our dogs, did chores around the house and made dinner. We even had friends over!

But it’s so much warmer in Florida!

Donald Trump thinks so too!

Like in Florida, you can go outside in the winter.

I went outside 5x during the blizzard, walked the babies, went into the hot tub and looked at the pretty scenery.

But like Palm Trees!

I literally live in the woods

Fine, but the ocean in Florida!

Did you know we have ocean in Maine?

But it is so cold!

It was literally 90 degrees in Florida in February, gross

Do you have any regrets about living in Maine in the winter? It is cold!

Wish we did it sooner. Our Governor is looking to expand rights here while the following headline is in the front page of the 3/5/2023 Washington Post

 

Florida bills would ban gender studies, transgender pronouns, tenure perks

Any final thoughts?

Nope, nice and sunny here today after our 12-hour blizzard. Probably going to play with my babies, do some chores, go into the hot tub and make dinner…. like my blizzard day

Isn’t this a travel blog?

Yup! And We go to Barcelona in less than a month!!!! More to come 😊

 

Our travel has been limited over the last few months as we have sold our Florida condo and have settled in our retreat/home in Maine. Hot tub arrived, generator is on its way and more Restoration Hardware purchases are envisioned. Since we are still in a travel lull, I have been researching properties around the world I would love to visit one day. Let me walk you through my criteria on how I chose my top 5.

Balancing Luxury and Cost

It would not take much searching to find properties that are more expensive than the ones below. Don’t worry these aren’t cheap either, but believe it or not, one is actually a **** star hotel, no turn-down service! While none of the properties I list below are cheap, they are realistic at some point and realistic for us in the next few years. All these properties are luxury hotels. Rentals, campgrounds, safari lodges etc. are not in play for this post as those are hard to compare.

Locations I Want to Visit

All of these properties are in countries I already love or have always wanted to visit. They all belong to Categories 1-3 in Gay Welcomeness. As my earlier post suggested, we also would travel to category 4s as well, but for my top 5 aspirational hotels, I kept it within categories’ 1-3.

My Vacation Values

In a previous post I discussed how Matt and I choose our destinations. To save you some time, let me summarize

• Less People: We are both introverts (me more) and we both relax better in quieter settings. Being crammed onto a cruise or a mega resort doesn’t do that.
• Excellent Food and Wine: We do write a cooking blog too…. this one is a no brainer for us.
• Unplug: We find going far overseas makes it easier to get off our phones and ignore work.

• Flexible: Don’t need to worry about reservations ahead of time for restaurants or activities. Gives you time to explore and check things out before making a commitment
• Minimal Children

With the context out of the way, let’s explore my top 5 aspirational properties in no particular order. All the photos are from each of the hotels’ websites, so I assume it is kosher if I post them here. Please send this post to my husband 😊.

1. Adler Ritten

Location: South Tyrol, Italy (Dolomites)

What is it: An All-Inclusive Spa Retreat in the Dolomites Mountains

Why? The Adler Hotel Group owns Spa hotels across much of Italy. We have never stayed overnight in one, but we have visited the Adler Thermae in Tuscany to use their spa and it is fabulous. We have always wanted to stay at one and this is highest on my list. Each guest gets their own luxurious cabin. There is a full spa with an amazing selection of treatments, with breakfast and dinner included. Do not be alarmed that dinner is included, this is no mediocre all-inclusive as the food at their Tuscany property was amazing. I just love the idea of my own cabin in the woods surrounded by mountains with the Alder Spa and food accessible.

How Can We Afford This? Part of what makes the Adler hotel group special is all their locations are hard to get to. Few are found anywhere near a decent sized airport. The closest major airport from the Dolomites is Venice which is not close. As a result, room rates are not outrageous. 

Why May Never Happen: This one might at some point, but likely paired with a Venice, Italy or Austria trip as otherwise it is too difficult to get to.

2.     St. Regis Bora Bora

Location: Bora Bora, French Polynesia 

What is it: A Luxurious Hotel in the Marriott Group

Why? This one is easy to explain. The overwater bungalow experience and we have a passion for the St. Regis brand. We love the butler service and attention to detail. Bora Bora also represents the only Overwater bungalow experience in a category 1-3 when it comes to welcoming gays.

How Can We Afford This? Earn those Marriott Points!

Why May Never Happen: Look at the cost of the nightly BASE room….do Mathew and I seem like base room kinds of people?

3. Botanique (the four star hotel, because it is tiny not lack of service or price)

Location: Bairro dos Mellos, SP, Brazil (few hours outside São Paulo)

What is it: A small boutique hotel surrounded my hills and the Brazilian forest.

Why? We love Brazil (yes, we are aware of the politics there, but have you been to the USA?) and I have had my eye on this place for a long time. It is located on a working organic farm, with just a few rooms, beautiful spa and an excellent restaurant. A great place to escape. Have you seen how beautiful everyone from Brazil is?

How Can We Afford This? It is a little pricey, but not crazy. We would likely stay for just a few nights as there isn’t much to do besides unwind and relax. 

Why May Never Happen: We usually go to Buzios which is not very close (4-5 hours from this property),which makes pairing the two quite challenging as driving in Brazil is terrifying.

4.       Ice Hotel

Location: North As Fuck, Sweden

What is it: Literally what the name says. You stay in an Ice Hotel north of the Arctic Circle.

Why? How cool is sleeping in an ice hotel? What an experience!

How Can We Afford This? It is very expensive per night, BUT likely only 1 night in the ice room and otherwise a few nights in a regular room to explore the area and go dog sledding!

Why May Never Happen: Not sure this is truly for us, but fun to think about! 

5. Les Sources De hCaudalie

Location: Bordeaux-Martillac, France

What is it: A Hotel built on top of a vineyard and local farm.

Why? French wine, food, spa, countryside…. does this need more explanation?

How Can We Afford This? This one is pricey but not completely outrageous. I imagine we would stay for 5ish nights and take a train to/from Paris.  

Why May Never Happen: I am confident this one will happen.

These are the top 5 hotels on my aspiration list. Notice these are all quite remote, all about wellness and relaxation and in gay friendly countries? Notice none are a packed cruise or a crowded hotel in Hawaii? Hey if you like those kinds of things, great, but not me! 

Let’s see if any ever materialize but I have my eyes on them! What do you think? What are your aspirational hotels? Why?

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

You might have noticed that my posts have lately been minmal. Until the other day I have not been able to put my finger as to why that was, but my first thought was we haven’t traveled much over the last six months, so it would make sense that I would post less. However, I scanned my previous blog posts and noticed most are about travel tips anyway. Less travel should not impact those kinds of posts right?

So why did my travel posts decline, well, I fell in love!

I Fell In Love With Maine

I have been searching for home my entire adult life. Houston will always be my adult hometown and a large piece of my heart will remain there, but it wasn’t home. It certainly wasn’t childhood home, New York, as I got out of that hellhole the moment I could. I loved being close to my family in Florida, but I really hated living there (love our friends though!). Florida was too hectic, the politics are getting worse, and our immediate neighborhood was fun, but not very ‘homey’

When we told people we were moving to Maine, outside my immediate family who knows me best, everyone made fun of us. We heard things like.

o   It’s boring-          have you met me?

o   It’s cold-              I work from home so can avoid the cold and besides going to the store,   restaurants, or gym, what’s the difference? Also Florida/Texas summers are just as long and brutal

o   Old people live there-                    I go to bed at 9, also, have you been to Florida?

o   There are no gays there-               It is gayer here than I thought, plus Ogunquit is just lovely

o   It’s conservative-             it’s a blue state, is Florida?

o   What do you do on weekends?                This isn’t the Gobi desert, gay/straight bars, restaurants, shopping (including outlet shopping) within 10-15 minutes

o   Snow!   Not as much as you think, plus Hurricanes destroy and snow is pretty, especially if you don’t have to commute

Now that I dispelled some commonly held beliefs/myths about Maine, let’s discuss why I love it here so much.

Our House

I love our house and more importantly our babies love the house. There is something special about building and I just love how we face the Maine woods on all sides. The trees, fireplace, kitchen etc make’s it feel like a vacation home which minimizes the need for travel. I love that we are in the woods, but within 15 minutes of the Maine coast with everything that offers. We get peace and quiet, but easy access to tourist traps!

Ogunquit/Wells/York

These are my immediate towns where we go to eat, luxury shop or drink. There is a reason why these are some of the most desirable summer vacation destinations in the country, but don’t sleep on the winter either as I get to access these places within a 15 minute drive from my house with none of the people!

Portsmouth/Portland Are 25 Minutes Away, Guaranteed!

We have two lovely large towns/small cities that are always 25 minutes away as traffic really isn’t a thing here. BJs, Trader Joe’s, amazing restaurants, etc are all within easy reach. When we lived in Suburban Houston, everything was at least 25 minutes away but also only 10 miles away, if you catch my drift. Driving is a joy here with the woods as a backdrop 😊

Sanford

I want to give my local blue-collard town some love. Sanford is just 10 minutes west from us. It is not the wealthiest town in the world and has seen some better days (but signs of coming back), but the people are lovely, my gym is there, and the supermarkets are mostly empty. Easy living and a great place to visit for a dinner out during the summer when the beach towns are packed.

The People

Everyone is just so nice here. In the short time we have lived in Maine we have made wonderful friends and neighbors. What I like most is we are all on the same page, we like having fun, but we also like going home after! Neighbors have delivered pies and gifts, friends we have only known for a short time have checked on our house, invited us for dinners at their place, and people just seem to accept/like us for who we are! I also forgot that straight friends are nice to have for balance! 

My Babies Are Happy

They love it here so nothing else matters

No More Travel

Oh no no no, don’t worry, travel porn will return soon. It is almost summer here in Maine which means people will be back, which means we must depart! But our itch to travel just isn’t the same here as it was in Florida and Texas. 

Moral of the Story

It would be easy for me to suggest to my readers to live where you feel at home, but Matt and I work remotely and have that luxury and know many do not. However at the very least think of characteristics your perfect location would have and perhaps make a plan to achieve it sooner!

Welcome Home,

Andrew

A Guide to Airline Alliances and Codeshares

Much to my surprise, not everyone knows that most airlines are connected to a larger alliance. It is how I can book a flight on United/Delta/AA between Portland ME and Hanoi. I can assure you none of the American based airlines fly to Hanoi and especially don’t from Portland, ME, but alas I can book it on United! How?

Alliances and Codeshares Background

Airlines partner with one another around the world to make it easy to book from point A to B regardless of if your preferred carrier even flies there. This way I can book on my preferred airline’s website (and collect those miles) but potentially fly on a different one. For example, if I wanted to fly from Detroit to Lyon, I would go on Delta.com and punch in those cities. When I am ready to book, I will likely notice that my flight from Detroit to Paris was operated by Delta, but the second flight between Paris and Lyon would be operated by Air France. But wait I booked through Delta, wtf is happening!

Delta and Air France are partners. The idea is if I am French I can book my flight between Paris and Bismarck (why?), check in at the Air France Counter in Paris. Check my luggage with Air France. Fly my Air France flight to Minneapolis and then move to a Delta flight to Bismarck. What is nice is my checked luggage will also be transferred over. What is even nicer is my status would be honored on both airlines.

What are the Alliances?

Star Alliance

OneWorld

SkyTeam

What Airlines Make up Each Alliance?

Click on each hyperlink above to see all the different airlines😊, but for US based airlines and a few of the larger partners, please see below.

               Star Alliance: United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airways, ANA

               SkyTeam: Delta Airlines, Air France/KLM, Korean Air

               OneWorld: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airways, Qatar Airways

How Do These Alliances Benefit Me?

They don’t lol. Clearly they are set up to benefit the airlines as in a lot of ways now there are only 3 major airlines…..Kidding (sort of)! The alliances benefit the passenger mostly in two ways.

1. Seamlessness: It is quite lovely that I can book a flight to Seville, Spain on American Airlines from Phoenix despite American not flying to Seville. What I would do is book through AA.com and most likely I would fly American Airlines to London, Iberia Airlines to Madrid and Iberia to Seville. I would earn my AA airline miles on all 3, only have to check in once and not worry about my checked bags between Phoenix and Iberia.
2. Consistent Status and Benefits: I currently have status on United Airlines. It is nice that if I want to fly to Hamburg, Germany from New York I would likely fly United Airlines to Frankfurt and connect to Hamburg via Lufthansa. Lufthansa would also recognize my United Status and allow me to use their lounge and board first.

But Wait, What are Codeshares?

Codeshares are similar in concept to the alliances, but are just direct partnerships between two airlines. For example, Air Canada and Bamboo Airways (Vietnam) have a codeshare. Air Canada is in the Star Alliance, but Bamboo is not. However because the two have a partnership I can book a trip to Hanoi on Air Canada and connect in Bangkok via Bamboo Airways to Hanoi with the same seamlessness as the alliances.

Anything Else I Should Know?

If you are booking an international flight somewhere less obvious than London or Paris, I would always double check and see who is operating your flight. My brother told me he was flying on Delta to Santiago from Miami and I immediately knew he wasn’t as Miami is not a Delta Hub and they do not fly internationally from there. However, due to a codeshare with LATAM, Delta can sell flights to South America from Miami.

The biggest reason it is important to know who is operating your flight is if a partner airline is fulfilling your first flight, you have to check in with them at the airport. My brother would be royally screwed if he tried to check in with Delta as they would not be able to and LATAM is in a different terminal. That would suck!

In Conclusion

Codeshares and Alliances provide seamless connectivity around the world. However it is a bit more complicating than this brief blog post can provide. If this is something you want to dive more into, please refer to the hyperlinks above.

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

If domestic connections stresses you out, than I cannot imagine what an international one will make you feel like! Yesterday my brother asked me what I thought about a trip to South America which required transiting in a major Hub known to have a lot of delays and other issues. I hope this post provides you things you should consider before booking international travel that includes a connection.

Why Not Just Book Direct

Before we dive into key considerations for transiting, let’s first address flying direct. For the purposes of this post we are discussing long-haul international flights. Miami to Cancun is not what we are discussing. Think more like Boston to Tokyo or San Francisco to Paris. The reality is outside of New York, LA and a few others, direct long-haul international flights are hard to come by in the United States. When you do find a direct flight it can often be outrageously expensive (as the airline knows they are the only direct option). For example, a direct flight on United Airlines between Houston and Rio is over 1,000 each way in Economy. I can fly to Lisbon from Newark on TAP Portugal in Business for that price!

Why are International Connections Risky

International connections are risky for precisely the same reasons as domestic ones,

• Short connections = missed connections
• Dealing with 2 aircrafts which means more potential for mechanical and staffing issues
• More chances for bad weather
• 2 OPPORTUNITIES OF SITTING NEXT TO A PASSENGER WITH A BABY, THE HORROR!
• Etc.

However what makes international connections more ‘fun’ is if you do end up missing a connection or deal with a cancellation your next flight is likely on a different day which means you are now staying in this foreign country.

Key Considerations

When looking at flights and I determine an international connection makes sense I factor in the following (in no particular order);

• Price
• Location of connection
• Length of connection
• Airline
• Airport
• Same Reservation

Price

It goes without saying that if a direct flight costs less than a few hundred dollars more than connecting than I am flying direct. A few hundred dollars is worth convenience of one flight and reduced risk. However if a connection is dramatically cheaper than of course I will connect.

Location of Connection

This one may seem obvious, but you would be surprised. Did you know Istanbul is not very close to Zurich or Bogota is VERY far from Sao Paulo? Please look at a map before booking anything as you don’t want to add countless hours on a plane just to save a quick buck. Make sure your connection is on the path or near your destination to ensure your flights are equal length OR one leg is very short. For example we are flying through Paris on our way home from Barcelona in a few months which is technically out of the way, but the flight is less than an hour so it’s fine!

Another key consideration here is make sure you are connecting somewhere you would be willing to stay the night in with easy entry. If it requires a visa, don’t transit there. If it is a country that you have political or social reasons to stay away from,  please don’t transfer there. I would not fly Air Saudia even if it is much cheaper since they are a dry airline….and I like men. I would rather not spend the night in Saudi Arabia if there was an issue.

Finally, if it makes sense, always fly through the EU. They have much stricter consumer protections for stranded passengers that includes hotel accommodations AND 600 dollars in reimbursement per passanger.

Length of Connection

Please do not book an international connection with a transit time of less than I 90 minutes. Remember you still have to go through customs and a lot of times you are dealing with massive airports where the shorter flights can be quite a long walk or bus ride away. However sometimes connections can also be well over 12 hours so keep an eye out for that too as that can potentially be way too long, unless you wanted to use the long connection to see another city, but than airport location comes back into play as we all know JFK doesn’t provide much access to Manhattan.

Airline

This goes without saying but a sh*ty airline probably provides sh*ty transit services. Make sure the airline has a good reputation. For example Aeromexico provides a lot of connection opportunities to Latin America through Mexico City, but due to their current safety reputation I would avoid.

Many airlines also have business models that are all about connections. Did you know the following airlines operate in pretty easy airports, provide free stopovers if you want to check out for free another country and are generally cheaper than the competition because their business model is all about easy connections for their passengers,

• TAP Portugal
• Copa Airlines
• Iceland Air
• Azores Air
• Turkish Airlines
• Korean Airways

Airport

While airports like Heathrow can connect you literally anywhere….do a quick google search and avoid airports known to be a nightmare for connections. You may also want to check and see what the lounge situation, hotel choice and general neighborhood of a potential international connection airport in case you have to stay the night.

Same Reservation

DO NOT BOOK CONNECTIONS UNDER TWO DIFFERENT RESERVATIONS. Two different airlines under the same reservation is totally fine, but do not go on delta.com and book Atlanta to London and then Luftansa.com to book London to Frankfurt. You will have to check in twice, check luggage twice and if you miss a connection, it is your problem as the airlines will not recognize it as a connection. Delta was flying you to London remember, they don’t care about your flight to Frankfurt. 

In Conclusion

Hopefully this guide will be helpful as you assess whether an international connection makes sense. If you follow these guidelines, you should have a pretty good experience, even if complications arise. What are some of your tips for connections?

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

PS Try not to check bags for international connections.

Traveling during the holidays generally enhances the forces that make travel miserable while minimizing what makes it joyful. Airports are packed, delays are rampant, and prices are astronomical. While the best tip I have is to avoid holiday travel altogether, I also know that is not logical for most. Below are a few suggestions to make your holiday travel more enjoyable and less stressful.

Travel on the Actual Holiday

Not the day before or the day after, but literally try traveling on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, as I assure you the airport will be empty. Is there a good reason you can’t have your Christmas meal at lunchtime and board a 10pm flight to Rio? Matt and I have done it and it was wonderful. If Thanksgiving dinner starts at 4pm, why not take a 7:00am flight that morning? Be sure to be very friendly to the airport/airline workers. Traveling on the actual holiday removes cost and crowd issues for holiday travel.

Avoid Sundays

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is known to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. Save some money and stress and think about returning on Saturday or even Monday. Everyone travels on a Sunday!

Hide in the Lounge

Crowded airports are a wonderful use-case for the lounge. Remember many lounges offer day passes and several credit cards provide access. Consider how expensive a few drinks and entrees at an airport restaurant are. However, the lounges will also be crowded, but at least the booze and food are free.

Long Layovers

The Hubs will be delayed and backed up. How about a two our O’Hare connection instead of 30 minutes!

Leave the Kids Home

Everyone will be happier 😊. In all seriousness though, traveling during the holidays is madness and kids will just make it more miserable. Make the folks come to you if they are expecting to see the grandchildren as they are retired and can fly back on an off-peak day. If the grandparents can no longer travel, maybe celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with them instead or pick a random weekend and make turkey then.

Go to the Airport Early

Arrive at the airport 2.5 hours in advance. Why worry about lines?

Get Clear

TSA Pre-Check works too, but you need to sign up for that well in advance. Clear (if your airport has it) can be had literally same day.

Stay Home

If you must travel during peak times and cannot abide by my suggestions above, maybe stay home? Remember a stress-free staycation is much better and superior to an expensive vacation

Don’t Check Bags

This one should be obvious, but you would be surprised. Unless you are going to a remote location, anything you need can easily be purchased. Bags are much more likely to go missing during the holidays plus just more lines you have to deal with. Skip it all, bring a carry on and worst case do laundry!

Make Sure You Save Time for Yourself

Whenever Matt and I travel to visit family, we always plan alone time. There is a lot of pressure to spend every waken moment with you families, but let’s be honest, that is no fun. Make sure you have time for yourself and your partner. Matt and I are off to Calgary next week to visit family and while we are very excited to see everyone, we have a date night planned to the Calgary Tower.

What are some of your tips for making holiday travel more bearable?

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

The initial plan was that we were only going to travel internationally (sorry not including Canada, but don’t make me laugh) once in 2023. That didn’t work for me. So, we had a bit of a conundrum. How could we add a luxurious international vacation on a budget? Let the game begin!

The Points Bank

Accruing miles and points is a balancing act as luxury usually requires a lot of them. However, airlines and hotels are constantly devaluating their awards so keeping your points/miles for the long-term is not the best strategy either. I have enough American Airlines miles for two, one-way business class tickets to Europe. That gets us to Spain, but how do we get back? Air France has us covered!

Airline Credit

We were supposed to go to France in October, but as you recall we decided to cancel it. As a result, we had just under 900 dollars of airline credit at our disposal from our Paris to Montpellier flight we never took! To choose our destination I started looking at random European cities we either loved or wanted to visit and see if we could literally travel home (sigh in Coach) for free on Air France. Luck was on our side when literally the only Western European city that met my requirements that we had enough AA miles AND Air France credit (that expires soon) for was one of our favorites, BARCELONA!

What About the Hotel?

Truthfully, we have enough Marriott points to stay in Barcelona for free, but we love the Axel Hotel and it is very reasonably priced. We truly appreciate the Axel is also quite progressive in that they areHeterosexually friendly and now we have Marriott points for a luxury vacation saved for another day.

Barcelona

We love Barcelona. The food, scenery, architecture, and people are all just wonderful. Matt will be so happy we are returning. I will write a blog post discussing my love for Barcelona soon.

Sitges Too

Sitges is a beach town just 30 miles or so away from Barcelona and it is very gay, gayer than Barcelona if that is possible. Unfortunately, the last time we were in Barcelona we tried to spend a day in Sitges and failed (that story for another day). This time I already booked a private car to take us to Sitges with our sea front room at the lovely Hotel Calipolis (Thanks to our awesome friend Eugene for the recommendation!) waiting for us. We will be spending a few nights there too!

I Kind of Lied to My Husband

I had to block time on his work calendar, so he knew he had to take some time off and I called it a New England Bday Activity. Well, we depart from Boston so there you go, no lies!

Full Itinerary

3/31 Boston-JFK/NYC AA Business class flight-spend all day in the American Airlines Flagship Lounge in JFK. I do love the Flagship Lounge!

3/31 JFK-BCN AA Flagship Business Class Flight

4/1-4/6 Axel Hotel Barcelona-Same room as last time @Matt

4/6-4/8 Hotel Calipolis Sitges-Beautiful sea front room with balcony!

4/8 BCN-CDG-BOS AF Coach ☹ but free 😊

Remember Don’t Tell Matt

It is a surprise for his birthday! Shh don’t tell him! But how awesome is this? Our flights are free, our hotels are lovely and because Barcelona is not very expensive, we are spending quite a bit less on hotel for a week than we did in Cancun for 5 days last year for his birthday, and that was with using Marriott miles! Cancun is lovely but way too expensive (for a hotel that meets our standards).

We (well I as Matt doesn’t know yet) are excited to return to one of our favorite cities in the world, with free flights and reasonably priced hotel rooms.

Bon Voyage,

Andrew

PS Dearest, if you accidentally see this blog post could  you please text me your AA Advantage number so we can get you on the reservation? Thanks!

PSS It is just a coincidence I served Matt a Catalonian dinner tonight.

We decided that a late fall trip to the only place in the Western Hemisphere more cold than Maine was in order! Well, no, our lovely sister wanted a Christmas themed wedding and of course we want to FINALLY celebrate her wedding along with her wonderful fiancé.

For those of you who only know Calgary from the early 90s classic, Cool Runnings; your initial thoughts are completely correct.

Calgary (in the summer) though is a lovely city with the Canadian Rockies just down the road. We visit it annually since Matt’s entire family lives there. We are flying Air Canada Business Class on the way to the YYC and United Airlines Business class back to Boston. I will review both along with the Calgary Airport Marriott for those who ever need to transit in Calgary or arrive to the airport early. You might see a few additional posts and reviews pop up too!

Bon Voyage Eh,

Andrew