How to Get Started

I'm often asked how to get started with this hobby.  Many people are intimidated by the vast amounts of knowledge (often times conflicting) and advice on the internet.  While I don't have any earth shattering advice, I do think the most important step in starting in this hobby (or any other hobby for that matter) is just to start.

Start learning, start reading, start asking questions, start experimenting.  The same advice could be said about a new workout, a new sport, a new skill, a new job, etc...

If you are interested in reading about how I got started, you can check out part one and part two or click on the "About Me" tab on any page of the blog.

Beyond just starting to read/learn/question, this is a hobby in which having a goal is very important.  It's key to understand how you want to travel, when, with how many people, your dream destinations, etc...

Once you have a handle on the answers to these questions, you can start to craft a strategy before you begin accumulating points.

One challenge in this hobby is the accumulation of points in disparate accounts without a goal.  This can lead to hundreds of thousands of "orphaned points" in which you have a lot of points but not enough to redeem any of them for anything cool.  Thus the need to have a goal and a strategy before you start applying for credit cards, maximizing spend bonus categories, dining out, or shopping online.

I don't believe this is a "10,000 hours" type hobby.  After a year of effort, I knew a lot,  After two years even more.  After four years of concerted effort, I'm pretty much an expert in a lot of the basic strategies so maybe more like a 1,000 hour hobby.  I've earned and burned more than 6,000,000 miles and points for my own travel and helped others earn and burn millions more to help them make their travel dreams come true.

So get started today by reading more on this blog (and others) and drop me a line if you have any specific questions.

What is Wrong with United's Math?

United's pretty good about offering paid upgrades to first class and I've taken advantage of a handful this year.  We're headed to Orange County later this month and I upgraded the outbound for $109 each which was credited back to Emily's Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card.

I was looking at the reservation yesterday and noticed this:

$74?  That's the lowest upgrade price I've seen on United in recent years.  I remember taking advantage of a $59 upgrade on United to Las Vegas but that was a few years ago and this flight is nearly 50% longer.

I clicked through to see if it was real.  It was not...

$1,429 per person for a one-way upgrade!  Somehow United's banner add not the reservation screen is showing the upgrade "savings" price vs. the actual upgrade fee.  Not sure how that makes any sense or what is wrong with their IT/Math.  We're both back in the United elite ranks (Emily Premier Silver and I will cross with my next flight) so perhaps we'll be upgraded for $0!

Review: Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car KIX to Kyoto Station

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330-300 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Osaka (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Haruka Express Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

After clearing immigration, we followed the signs (in English) to the Haruka Express train.  I had read a fair amount about taking the train from Kansai Airport to Kyoto but the ticket situation was somewhat baffling.  We didn't need a JR pass and while there were discount options, I couldn't figure out how to purchase a discounted green car (first class) ticket in advance.  We certainly didn't need the first class experience but figured it would be worth reviewing.

We made it to the train station and headed to one of the green automated ticket kiosks.  I've had a fair amount of experience purchasing train tickets in other countries but this was a whole new level.  I finally managed to figure it out with a lot of help from Emily and a return from the station entrance gate to the ticket kiosk to get another ticket.  You need the ticket as well as the "express" surcharge ticket.  I should note that you need a chip and PIN card to make a purchase at the kiosk.  I was able to use my Barclays Arrival card with no issues - it's the only chip and PIN (that I know of) enabled card in my fairly large portfolio.  I imagine you could make a purchase with cash or a credit card at the staffed ticket counter but that would certainly take a bit more time and be less fun.

Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card Comes Through Again

We're headed to Montreal over the summer and while we had planned to stay at the newly renovated Fairmont, it doesn't look like the hotel will be open in time for our trip.  I had speculatively booked a cash rate at the W which was running around $600 USD for both nights.

I posted a few weeks ago about the drama in securing the sign-up bonus on the Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards card.  We completed the minimum spend and the free nights posted a few days ago.

Fortunately, there was still avialability at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal and I was able to book our free nights.  Look at these cash rates!  That's nearly $1,500 USD for two nights with tax.

While I would never pay anywhere near that for a city hotel, I'm excited to check out the original Ritz-Carlton.  We are making our way through many of the great Ritz properties this year with stays in Georgetown, Kyoto, Hong Kong, and now Montreal.

The $450 annual fee for this card is steep but when you factor in the two $300 credits, 10,000 Marriott Rewards points, two free nights, and the ability to leverage the Visa Discount Air program to save on airfare, the card is a no brainer.

Save 10% on British Airways Flights

I've had the British Airways Chase credit card off and on for a few years.  The card proved to be valuable last year when I finally redeemed a Travel Together Ticket for a 2-for-1 ticket in first class to  Dubai.

Another benefit of the card is 10% discount on British Airways flights.  While not earth shattering, you only have to book one flight a year to make the $95 annual fee worth it.

I was working on flights to London for a couple family members and BA ended up being the best flight option.  I was able to use the 10% discount which ended up being better (in this case) than the AARP discount.

Booking with the discount was a breeze.  Here's the landing page to get started.  Note that the purchase must be put on the BA card.  The 10% discount was automatically added to my cart by clicking through from this page.  Good news is that you'll receive 3x Avios points for paying with the Chase BA card - a nice rebate on top of the 10% and the miles earned from the flight.

Here's a hypothetical booking showing an upcoming first class flight with the 10%

My strategy has been to acquire this card, earn the bonus, and then cancel.  It's not subject to Chase's 5/24 rule meaning you can get the card every 24 months.  With the year hold period after sign-up, that effectively means you can get the card (and the bonus) every 3 years.  I set things up such that Emily and I are 18 months off cycle so one of us should always have the card active.  You never know when you need 10% off a BA flight!

Review: Asiana A330-300 Business Class Seoul to Osaka

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330-300 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Osaka (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

Asiana OZ 112
Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
May 22, 2017
Aircraft: A330-300
Seats: 2H/2K

Seoul to Osaka is a similar distance as San Diego to San Francisco yet we were boarding a wide body A330 for the 90 minute flight.  We flew Asiana business class in 2014 and the experience was relatively similar.  The seats on this aircraft are nothing special - fixed shell backs and angled lie-flight.  But they are perfectly comfortable for such a short flight.  Unfortunately that means no storage  under the seat for takeoff and landing.

Review: Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

After a great flight from LAX in Asiana First Class, we headed over to the first class lounge near gate 42.  At this point, it was around 6:15AM local time so we would only have an hour in the lounge before boarding commenced for our flight to Osaka.

We've both visited the lounge before so this visit was very utilitarian - drink water, shower, and catch up on work.  We were welcomed into the lounge which was basically empty at this hour.