Episode 44: Show Notes.

Lufthansa’s First Class is revered as one of the more aspirational airline products to flight; Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal (FCT) is among the top 3 airline lounge experiences, and Trevor and Thomas both agree. Miles and Points expert and writer JT Genter joins us to share about himself, and to discuss his first Lufthansa First Class experience. JT and his wife, Katie, are digital nomads, and our conversation begins with a brief look at their recent jam-packed travel schedule. After JT details his approach to living as a digital nomad, he offers some advice, recommendations, and strategies for life on the road. JT's retelling of his LH F experience begins with how he met Trevor at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, before moving on to his arrival and overall impressions of the Lufthansa FCT. He then describes how he felt about the food, drinks, and service aboard Lufthansa’s Retro livery, and why he can’t wait for his next LH F experience. Somewhere in between, we discuss the degradation of travel apps like ExpertFlyer and why this loss of value is a common industry trend, and to end, JT describes his roles and responsibilities as a travel blogger and as the Editor-In-Chief at AwardWallet, and how he would fix common industry pain points to give miles and points a better future. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• [01:20] JT Genter details his professional history and how he entered travel. 
• [04:03] A quick look at his recent (and extensive!) travel log.  
• [05:26] JT’s approach to living as a digital nomad. 
• [10:03] His experience of traveling to Calala Island, and where Hyatt and Hilton fit in. 
• [11:05] JT’s advice and recommendations for life as a digital nomad. 
• [14:42] How Trevor and JT ran into each other in Germany.   
• [17:02] JT’s first-ever Lufthansa First Class (drinking game trigger word!) experience.
• [20:50] Why many flight apps like ExpertFlyer are rapidly decreasing in value.  
• [25:18] Getting back to JT’s first-class experience as he walks us through his airport arrival.  
• [26:57] His thoughts on the lounge in Frankfurt.
• [33:25] Lufthansa’s unique first-class terminal adventure. 
• [36:30] Unpacking JT’s in-flight experience aboard Lufthansa’s Retro livery.  
• [39:40] How he felt about the food, drinks, and onboard service.  
• [43:18] His final thoughts on flying Lufthansa First Class for the first time. 
• [44:33] Shifting gears as JT explains his role and responsibilities at AwardWallet. 
• [45:42] Our guest shares his perspective on the future of miles and points, with some suggestions for fixing common industry pain points. 
• [53:02] How to connect with JT. 

Quotes:

“It’s now been seven years [that] we’ve been full-time digital nomads. – We want to slow down, but we’re not anywhere close to settling down.” — @JTGenter [03:51]

“The crew was very welcoming once we got on board. We had an incredible crew, probably some of the nicest flight attendants we’ve ever had, which seems to be par for the course with Lufthansa.” — @JTGenter [37:25]

“The whole Park Hyatt motto of ‘luxury is personal’ is so true. Not one size fits all.” — @JTGenter [39:04]

“I can’t wait to [fly Lufthansa First Class] again!” — @JTGenter [43:27]

Longer Quotes:

“The people who are writing about points and miles choose not to write about [the best travel hacks] because they don’t want to kill it off, or they don’t go through the experience themselves. There are a lot of people in the miles and points community who write about it but don’t really live it.” — @JTGenter [47:32]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

JT Genter

JT Genter on X

JT Genter on LinkedIn

JT Genter on Instagram 

JT Genter on Threads 

Katie Genter on X 

Adventures of JT and Katie 

JT and Katie's Travel Schedule

AwardWallet 

Lufthansa 

ZorkFest 

Calala Island

Hyatt

Hilton

ExpertFlyer 

SeatGuru

AeroLOPA 

Chicago Seminars 

AwardHacker 

ITA Matrix 

Seats.aero 

EasyPASS 

Park Hyatt

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X

Episode 43: Show Notes.

As we wave goodbye to summer, Thomas and Trevor walk us through their most recent end-of-season trips: A Carnival cruise and a forgettable Cap Cana experience. We begin with Thomas and his trip aboard the Carnival Mardi Gras, where he explains why he chose Carnival over his trusted Royal Caribbean. Thomas details his itinerary and vacation experience, why the casual dining options were better than expected, how the floating casino and overall entertainment could be improved, and the perils of getting sick on the open sea. Next, Trevor picks up the baton and explains why his most recent Cap Cana trip may be his last. We discover how his previous visits to the resort influenced his most recent one and the stress of traveling out of Punta Cana. To end, Thomas unpacks his experience at the 14th Annual Chicago Seminars for miles and points. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:00] How Thomas cheated on Royal Caribbean with Carnival Cruise Lines.
• [04:30] Diving deeper into his itinerary and vacation experience aboard Carnival Mardi Gras. 
• [07:45] Exploring the food, cabin layout, and onboard entertainment on Carnival Mardi Gras.
• [13:55] The value of having great casual dining options on a cruise ship.
• [15:43] Floating gambling on Labor Day and some tips for a better experience.
• [21:32] Getting sick on the open sea.
• [22:50] What Thomas thinks about Carnival overall after his experience.
• [23:59] Why Trevor’s Cap Cana days may be coming to an end.
• [29:08] Dining gems that give Cap Cana a lifeline and make it a destination worth returning to. 
• [32:04] How Trevor’s previous trips to Cap Cana influenced his most recent experience.
• [34:18] Why it’s rare to find high-quality all-inclusive land packages.
• [35:45] Trevor details the challenges of traveling from Punta Cana.  
• [38:10] The ins and outs of the 14th Annual Chicago Seminars attended by Thomas.
• [43:04] Why big travel events are on the decline to make room for smaller ones.

Quotes:

“If I were doing my fun-match again, I would definitely recommend that you pick one of these newer ships, because I think that’s going to give you your best foot forward for Carnival.” — @TktweetsKim [06:02]

“This was the only cruise I’ve ever been on where I’ve been woken up at 1:30 in the morning with an abandon ship alarm. — We did actually have a false alarm go off in the middle of the night, people were quite distressed.” — @TktweetsKim [19:58]

“It’s hard to go on vacation and have it be so frictionless on your way home. You do your best in planning to make that happen, but I think the reality is you’re always going to have some grating experience trying to get from the resort back to your home.” — @TktweetsKim [37:42]

“There’s always something nice about being able to get up in front of a bunch of people and talk about something that you love.” — @tmount [39:52]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Carnival Cruise Line 

Royal Caribbean 

Princess Cruises

Virgin Voyages 

Cap Cana 

Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana 

Hyatt Regency Chicago

The 14th Annual Chicago Seminars

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X

0:22 Q4 5x Bonus Categories

• Chase Freedom: PayPal, Pet Stores, McDonalds
• Discover: Amazon, Target
• Don’t Forget: BofA Cash Rewards, US Bank Cash+

03:19 JetBlue News

• Lounges coming to JFK and BOS late 2025
• Premium credit card (from Barclays, ha!) coming “soon” that enables lounge access
• Markets themselves as having “The East Coast’s Best Leisure Network”

07:34 Southwest News (link)

• New seating options. 
• Assigned seats (80% want then)
• More space seats (why?)
• Less space seats
• Free bags to continue
• Cattle call to continue 
• International partners. Iceland air first up
• Vacation packages

11:36 Alaska/Hawaiian News

• Direct Link
• These guys are moving swiftly
• Hawaiian <-> Alaska point transfers now live
• Link accounts/status matching between programs in 2024
• Combined single loyalty program in 2025
• Hawaiian set to join OneWorld some time 2026

15:06 Chase UR 30% Transfer Bonus to Avios

• British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus
• Expires 10/31/2024

19:34 Delta: More Routes to Europe in Summer 2025

• OMAAT
• Boston to Milan
• Minneapolis to Rome
• Atlanta to Naples
• Detroit to Dublin
• Boston to Barcelona
• Atlanta to Brussels
• New York to Catania
• Also: Delta cancels JFK-Munich route after one season

Episode 42: Show Notes

We Welcome Richrd Kerr, VP of Travel at Bilt Rewards. Richard is a miles, points, and travel enthusiast whose vast experience has led him to lead a prominent facebook group (now Award Travel 101), write for The Points Guy, and ultimately to Bilt Rewards – the loyalty program for where you live. Richard is kind enough to share about Bilt; its some of its metrics; its unique value proposition. Richard carefully dissects common public misconceptions about miles and points. We discuss devaluations, the technological evolution of miles and points and the rise of social media, how Bilt members earn and redeem points, and what the industry looks like five years after the COVID disruption. Richard also shares details about his favorite family trips, how he and his wife homeschool their kids while on vacation, an unforgettable Aman Resort experience, and the eyewatering price of modern hotels. To end, our guest gives us his view of the future of miles and points as he shares helpful advice for finding big savings and great-value deals, and we discuss why Summer travel has been more chaotic than usual in 2024. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:00] Welcoming Richard Kerr as he relives an incredible family trip with his wife and son.
• [06:23] The ins and outs of Bilt Rewards and its unique value proposition. 
• [12:05] Bilt’s metrics and data points that help give insight on how the company operates. 
• [16:12] How the company’s airline, hotel, and other partners share their data with Bilt. 
• [19:50] Richard debunks common miles and points misconceptions. 
• [22:55] Unpacking points devaluations and in particular, having Alaska as a partner. 
• [26:18] The technological evolution of miles and points, and the role of social media. 
• [31:15] How Bilt’s members redeem their points.
• [33:41] Assessing the state of the industry five years after COVID. 
• [36:57] The ridiculous price of modern hotels. 
• [39:53] Richard’s predictions of the immediate future of miles and points.  
• [42:56] He and his wife’s Aman Resort experience. 
• [50:41] Their trip to Europe, and how they incorporate homeschooling in their travels. 
• [55:20] Why travel seems more chaotic than usual this Summer. 
• [57:42] Richard’s tips and tricks for big savings and great-value deals. 

Quotes:

“Our pitch [for Bilt] from the beginning was, ‘Look, this is not the standard. You can’t throw what you’ve always done before; you can’t use the same playbook; you’ve got to do something different to get our members interested.’” — @KerrPoints [0:08:50]

“We’re literally spreading the wealth elsewhere so that the vast majority of our members can win, not just die-hard points and miles people. And I get it, it’s not a message that die-hard points and mile people want to hear, but we’re still doing really cool stuff [for them].” — @KerrPoints [0:15:09]

“A loyalty program—as I have learned over the last three years—is as much of an art as it is a science.” — @KerrPoints [0:16:12]

“There’s nobody writing anymore, because the next generation of folks, 10 years later, has come into Instagram and TikTok, and that’s where they think they’re going to make money.” — @KerrPoints [0:28:27]

 “I’ve been commuting from Atlanta to New York for five years now so I knew what hotels cost. What I’ve seen in 2024 for hotel rates in New York City is just mind-boggling. I cannot comprehend who these people are who are paying for these hotels.” — @KerrPoints [0:37:22]

“To everybody who’s followed my story; followed me; wished me well; were supporters when I was in the Facebook days; at The Points Guy read my stuff, I really appreciate it, and it’s just led to this dream job that I’ve somehow landed in.” — @KerrPoints [1:02:25]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Richard Kerr on LinkedIn

Richard Kerr on Instagram

Richard Kerr on X 

Bilt 

Bilt on YouTube

The Points Guy 

Etihad Airways 

David Canty on LinkedIn

Chase Ultimate Rewards 

Alaska Airlines 

Hyatt Grand Central New York 

Aman Resorts  

Spirit

Frontier 

United

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X 

The Milenomics Podcast Network

I've long been intrigued by the luxury hotel timeshare market, where you get the quality and amenities of a five star hotel combined with the square footage of a residential vacation home.

A prime example of this type of property is Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad, CA. Back in the day, Four Seasons managed both a hotel here along with a collection of 1 and 2 bedroom vacation homes. The hotel is now managed by Hyatt (as a Park Hyatt) but Four Seasons still maintains the Residence Club. The golf, tennis, pools, and restaurants make for a fabulous "no compromises" vacation in my book. The only problem I've had is finding another Aviara.

Turns out there's a level of quality above luxury hotel timeshares, called Luxury Fractionals or Private Residence Clubs. With these you get somewhere around a 1/10th ownership of a fully managed vacation home, usually in a resort setting with access to amenities like a golf course, beach, or skiing. The problem here is cost and commitment as these fractionals typically sell for around $200,000 down and $25,000 per year in maintenance fees.

But there are levels to these things. Properties at the top of the Luxury Hotel Timeshare market can get so nice that they're on par with Luxury Fractionals, so much so that owners are willing to trade time between them. The trick is finding owners at "different but like-quality" properties, across brands we may or may not be familiar with, interested in swapping time.

Enter Elite Alliance.

In Ep 236 of our podcast (subscription required) I detailed how we stayed at the Harbor Court Residence Club at the Rosewood Bermuda, booked through Elite Alliance. The stay was fantastic from beginning to end but I was just as intrigued by Elite Alliance's part in this because if I understand how they operate it has the potential to unlock this type of vacation experience at locations all over the world.

This episode is a discussion with Elite Alliance President and Partner Rob Goodyear. We discuss what Elite Alliance is and how they got started, how they vette properties in their portfolio to ensure a consistent quality of experience, what it takes to participate in Elite Exchange, and more.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Thanks to Rob for coming on the show!

Episode 41: Show Notes.

Note: The video of this podcast can be viewed on Youtube, find it here.

Family travel can be just as affordable and rewarding as a solo one. To help us gain a better perspective of traveling the world with kids in tow, we are joined today by the renowned travel expert, author, and Senior Editor at Fortune Recommends, Dia Adams, who begins our conversation by highlighting the importance of travel conferences in building community. We discuss Dia’s hit column, What’s in Dia’s Wallet, and what her role at Fortune entails before learning about her affinity for less-lavish hotels, how vendoming has evolved since she first coined the term, how she developed Camp Mom as the perfect family travel hack, and how she’s cultivated travel hacking in her kids. We also unpack the power of perspective, how to have a Disney experience without going to Disney World; what Dia thinks about miles and points devaluations, and how to connect with today’s remarkable guest!

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:49] Welcoming Dia Adams as she highlights the importance of travel conferences.
• [05:51] What’s in Dia’s Wallet: Exploring her role at Fortune Recommends.
• [11:30] Why she loves Choice Hotels but tries to steer clear from Hyatt.
• [14:40] How she coined ‘vendoming’ and how the term has evolved.
• [17:57] The ins and outs of Dia’s family travel hack, Camp Mom.
• [27:36] Why it’s important to immerse yourself in the experience of each destination.
• [32:40] How Dia has cultivated travel hacking in her kids, and the pros and cons thereof.
• [38:30] The undeniable power of perspective! 
• [44:28] How to make the most of Disney as seen in Dia’s book, Disney World Hacks. 
• [49:01] What our guest thinks about the latest wave of miles and points devaluations. 
• [56:01] How to connect with Dia and her work.

Quotes:

“I just want people to be a little bit more – I don’t know if you’re following this TikTok trend – a little more mindful, a little more demure about their miles choices.” — @TheDiaAdams [09:24]

“Almost every success I’ve ever had in my career has been due to a rant.” — @TheDiaAdams [14:59]

“I tend to base trips on a vibe these days. Like, how do I want to feel during this trip? Everything else kind of goes from that.” — @TheDiaAdams [32:30]

“One time, there was a last-minute ferry sale to Hawaii, and I asked the kids if they wanted to go to Hawaii, and they’re like, ‘Nah, we’re good. We went last year, we’re good.’ One of the kids actually said to me once, ‘One private island a year is enough for me.’” — @TheDiaAdams [36:57]

“A family of four — for a Spring Break-type vacation — from New York, could fly to Paris and spend a week in Paris and three days at Paris Disneyland for the same price as a week in Orlando at Disney.” — @TheDiaAdams [45:58]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dia Adams

Dia Adams on LinkedIn

Dia Adams on X

Dia Adams on Instagram 

Fortune 

‘What’s in Dia’s Wallet: The art of destination dupes’ 

Disney World Hacks

Choice Hotels 

Hyatt 

IHG Hotels and Resorts 

Sky 

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts 

Delta 

Disney Experiences

Universal Studio Theme Parks 

Dutch Wonderland

Hershey’s Chocolate World 

Lifemiles

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X 

The Milenomics Podcast Network

Episode 40: Show Notes.

We’re heading back to the high seas! During this episode, Tom shares all the details of his recent trip with Virgin Voyages cruise line, from costs, to rooms, drinking, dining, entertainment, and more. Join us as he gets candid about what he loved, tolerated, and disliked during the trip along with tips for you to get the most out of your booking with them. We discuss the differences between the Virgin Voyages experience and what you would have on Royal Caribbean; from the points-based redemption system to the egalitarian nature of your booking. He even goes into the perks included in your stay! You’ll also hear us touch on the trend of choosing style over comfort or plating over flavor as more businesses start to cater to an Instagram generation. Tom talks about everything from embarking and disembarking to the room service system, configuring his accommodation to suit him and his friend, and more. Don’t miss this informative conversation! Thanks for tuning in.

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:37] The topic of this episode: Virgin Voyages and Symphony of the Seas.
• [01:04] Tom’s recent experience on the adults-only cruise line, Virgin Voyages.
• [02:48] Points-based redemption using Virgin Atlantic miles.
• [03:19] Costing of the all-inclusive cruise and how it compares to hotel experiences.
• [05:02] Additional costs and inclusions.
• [06:54] The egalitarian nature of the cruise line experience.
• [08:47] Where the five-night cruise started and the ports where it stopped. 
• [09:41] Considering whether or not embarkation and disembarkation have been optimized on this line. 
• [12:21] Details of the cabin and bathroom that Tom stayed at. 
• [13:30] Why the hammocks are such a highlight on the cruise. 
• [12:18] Changing the configuration of the room in order to accommodate changes.
• [17:59] The trend of choosing style over comfort on the cruise. 
• [19:22] Food on the cruise and how it reflects catering to an Instagram generation.
• [23:35] Communal dining and Korean Barbecue on the cruise.
• [25:09] Why Tom recommends making dining reservations.
• [26:45] Details on the plant-based restaurant, Razzle Dazzle, on board the cruise. 
• [28:13] Their best dining experience: the Italian restaurant, Extra Virgin.
• [30:35] The steakhouse which is the most popular option. 
• [32:54] Eating at the fusion restaurant, Agave.
• [33:54] How Virgin’s Test Kitchen compares to Wonderland on Royal Caribbean. 
• [34:54] Buffet and culinary options on the cruise (including an ice cream shop!)
• [39:54] The room service system and how it enabled Tom and his friend to load up on supplies.
• [42:34] What the Bimini Beach Club experience was like for him.
• [44:02] Stopping in the Dominican Republic.
• [45:44] Why opportunities to add spend and get points are limited at Virgin Voyages. 
• [48:14] CocoCay and why it is considered the jewel of the experience.

Quotes:

“The balcony cabins all come with a hammock and normally I would say this is a gimmick and nobody would use it, but I found it to be very comfortable.” — @TktweetsKim [13:28]

“I have to make [a] shout out to [a] venue I spent quite a lot of time at called the Social Club which was this area with bar games [like] snooker, a bunch of board games, and a bar selling bar food.” — @TktweetsKim [38:33]

“[If] you enjoy white sand and blue water, it’s hard to do better than what the Bimini Beach Club provides.” — @TktweetsKim [43:06]

“CocoCay is constantly evolving, constructing, and innovating.” — @TktweetsKim [48:18]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Symphony of the Seas Virgin Voyages

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X

Episode 39: Show Notes

Are you bored of the usual tourist travel tropes and looking for more? Have you ever wondered how to turn a simple trip into an unforgettable adventure? In this episode, we dive into the art of ‘sightDOING’ with travel expert Becky Pokora, who transforms ordinary travel experiences into extraordinary, hands-on journeys. Becky is a seasoned travel expert and writer passionate about adventure and exploration. As the founder of the travel blog sightDOING, she shares her experiences and tips on active travel and immersive adventures. Becky has a knack for discovering unique destinations and engaging activities, encouraging her readers to dive deeper into their travel experiences. In our conversation, we explore the secret behind authentic travel, why first-hand travel recommendations are superior, and the benefits of going with the flow. Discover strategies for finding the best experience while traveling and helpful resources to get you started. Becky recounts some of her most memorable travel moments, including seeing a volcano erupt, attending an ice festival in China, and experiencing the wonders of Antarctica. She also shares advice for communicating when you don’t speak the local language and red flags to watch out for when looking for accommodation. Join us as we journey into the world of authentic travel with Becky Pokora. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:45] Background about Becky, her travel blog, and the concept of ‘sightDOING.’
• [04:12] Strategies she uses to uncover special and authentic travel experiences.
• [08:35] Hear about some of the unconventional travel experiences she has had.
• [13:03] Rigid travel planning versus taking a more unstructured approach.
• [16:38] An example of a top non-traditional travel experience she had in Mexico.
• [20:57] She shares the most underrated travel options available in Mexico. 
• [25:40] Why knowing the local language is not a prerequisite for authentic travel.
• [29:38] The Harbin Ice Festival and her New Zealand and Australia travel highlights.
• [38:45] Her approach to finding accommodation and why hotels are not always an option.
• [44:00] SightDOING in Antarctica and recommendations for those considering the trip. 
• [52:51] Final takeaways for listeners and how to contact Becky.

Quotes:

“That first-hand touch from someone that you trust and from someone where you understand their frame of reference is a great way to filter [travel ideas].” — @sightDOING [7:20]

“Sometimes taking what is easy is a legitimate way to plan a trip or plan an activity.” — @sightDOING [10:33]

“Sometimes even when you have fantastic plans, they just get rearranged based on conditions or things you never expected.” — @sightDOING [20:00]

“I like hotels but a lot of places I go don’t have a lot of hotels which means you have to get a little bit more creative.” — @sightDOING [39:01]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

sightDOING

sightDOING on X

sightDOING on Instagram

sightDOING on Facebook

sightDOING on Pinterest

Becky Pokora on LinkedIn

Airbnb

Reddit

Meetup

Facebook Events

Harbin Ice Festival

Vrbo

Booking.com

Quark Expeditions

The Milenomics Podcast Network

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X

0:21 Transfer Bonuses

• Chase UR to Marriott Bonvoy: 70% (through Aug 14, 2024) EXPIRES SOON
• Amex MR to Avios: 30% (through Sept 30, 2024)
• Amex MR to Hawaiian: 20% (through Aug 31, 2024)
• CapOne to Qantas: 20% (through Aug 31, 2024)

08:24 United Premium Cabin Awards (on United Metal) Gets Even More Expensive (Live and Lets Fly)

• We’ve talked a lot the past year or two about this being a bail out maneuver when there are no partner awards
• 200k pp one-way to Europe now as good as it seems to get for “anytime” awards (was 155k)
• Discuss: The current state of AA, Delta, and United miles

15:21 JetBlue Plus 80,000

• Direct Link
• Found on jetblue.com
• $99 AF not waived first year
• $1k min spend in 3 months
• Regularly 50k

16:14 Heightened Amex Bonvoy Welcome Bonuses

• Bonvoy Bevy
• 155k for $5k in 6 months
• $250 AF not waived first year
• Bonvoy Brilliant
• 185k for $6k in 6 months
• $650 AF not waived first year
• Available through referral
• Better offers said to end Oct 2, 2024

Main Topic: Partner Award Bookings

17:59 Qantas As An Alternative to British Airways for Domestic AA Partners Awards

• Saw one-way flights from State College to Boston through PHL on AA for around 10k/12.5k
• Flights were $300 pp one-way
• Thought I might have to use some precious AA miles, but noticed there was partner availability!
• BA wants 24k pp one-way in Economy
• But Qantas wants just 8k, and what a pleasure of a site to work with…
• They allow you to enter the FF # of AA/Alaska at the time of booking
• They clearly lay out the change and cancellation terms at the time of booking
• The record locator can be discovered (for seat selection) by checking your AA account (it just works!)
• So much better than booking with BA ever was. Why did BA get so much press back in the day?

23:42 Booking JetBlue Mint with Qatar Avios

• Space can be confirmed on ITA Matrix or Qatar’s site
• Amex MR -> BA Avios: Instant
• BA Avios -> Qatar Avios: Also instant. I established that link before.
• One gotcha: I haven't been able to link P2's BA Avios to her Qatar Avios account. I suspect it might be because I have my mobile number listed for both of our accounts, and there's a lot of 2FA involved in all of this. Just a hunch.
• Online booking w/Qatar Avios is pretty straightforward. They do ask for passport number and expiration dates, which is unusual for a domestic flight.
• They have a field for adding Known Traveler Number at the time of booking, but it asks for the expiration date of KTN which I don't know so I couldn't add it
• I didn't see a way to select a 3rd party frequent flyer number at the time of booking an award ticket. Non-related Qantas allows this which is really nice.
• Record locator to manage the flights (add KTN and select seats) on JetBlue's side can be found in the individual receipt emails they send each passenger, or by chatting Qatar
• Hardest part is getting JetBlue's IT to behave and recognize that record locator
• When I'm logged in to JetBlue I can't add itineraries to manage. I have to be logged out.
• When I'm logged out it kept telling me my birthday didn't match the record locator. But I'm certain the birthdays are accurate.
• I ended up having to message JetBlue on Twitter DM to select seats and add KTN numbers, whic his annoying
• The flights were $1,200+ pp one-way so with the 30% transfer bonus it made sense to book this way
• I think cancellations can be made online for a $25 fee up to 24 hours prior to departure
• All in all, assuming you've got the accounts established and the links set up this isn't too bad of a booking process (much better terms than Etihad)

A Norway Trip Report...on today’s Milenomics² Podcast

01:00 Scope: 2 weeks in Norway. Oslo, Tromso, Lofoten then back to Oslo for a few days. 

• Wanted to get away from people. 
• Love the coast, and Norway has a LOT of coastline
• Spent most of our time in the arctic Circle (but not considered the arctic)
• Map:

10:12 Outbound: Air France. LAX-CDG Plus a 4hr layover.

• Flight was smooth and the daytime departure was nice
• Got to experience the new LAX Air France lounge. Open 3 weeks ago. New is always better.
• 4hrs in CDG was perfect with kids. Got through immigration, train to the 2F terminal, settled into a lounge, everyone showered and then about 45 minutes later we were off to the gate
• Kids meal was pre-ordered and was great.

• CDG-OSL very basic, service by Amelia (by Air France)

20:10 Getting to Oslo from the airport Fly to vs Vy. 

• Trains run every 10-20 minutes. Travel time is less than 30 minutes. 
• Flytoget calls itself the 'fastest' airport train. This might be true, but only by a minute or two.
• Vy is a few minutes slower. Faster than driving even.

• Flytoget has Kids free vs VY so the prices start to converge when you take this into consideration
• approx $12 - 24 per person one way.
• Taxi was about $125. We had 4 of these one ways to do so we needed to get good at them.
• Vy app is not as good as the Ruter app for buying tickets with US credit cards. Stick to the Ruter app.
• Ruter and VY app cannot buy flytoget tickets, so Ruter + Flytoget app are the ideal combo.
• Tickets can also easily be bought at the ticket machines.

25:20 Clarion hotel the hub (a strawberry hotel)

• Location is great, just off Oslo central station
• 810(!) rooms. Norway's Largest hotel. Did not feel this big.
• Booked family size room for 16000 points
• With a Strata Premier this is 8000 TYP transferred to Choice.
• Included a pull out sofa which was already set up for us.
• Includes full buffet breakfast with omelette and crepe station.
• Nice, newish hotel.  Certainly a great way to spend TYP and appreciate they book family rooms.
• Came back and worked to get connecting rooms. Seemed willing to even give some partial extra credit for the family room vs. 2 regular rooms.

30:58 Oslo:

• World city, really a great feel to the city, full of energy, parks and fantastic amounts of museums.
• 20+ Hours of daylight. People outdoors and a city that is alive.
• Paris and Prague feels. But English is a first or second language in most signs and interaction.

• Summer in Norway is Wildflower season. The landscaping in the cities is beautiful.

• Be Aware of your surroundings at night. There were some sketchy areas we stumbled into. Nothing too rough but still, be aware.
• Food was easy to find and diverse
  • Interesting food halls: Oslo Street Food or Barcode Street Food
  • Most world cuisine was easy to find and well done.
• Getting around is so easy. There are very few people driving cars. Taxis only really.
• Malls. So many malls. Beautiful they way they preserved the facade of the building and then you walk in and find a 3 story mall.
• NeoTokyo Store was stocked with Japanese toys/foods/snacks.
• Normal Store was a favorite of my two kids for candy/gum/interesting small dollar shopping for them.
• Gets rural quickly, leave city center and you're in the forest.
• Everything I saw ahead of visiting said to get out of Oslo -- I really, really enjoyed Oslo, and wish we spent more time there. SO much to explore.

35:24 Food in Norway 

• Solid!
• Nothing like I was expecting 
• Even in Tromso easy to find good options: Sushi, Thai, Fish & Chips, kid friendly food everywhere.

• Lofoten: had some meals out, touristy but to be expected.
• Our budget flex was that we had an airbnb in Tromso/Lofoten with a kitchen. Instead you could opt for prepared foods from the grocery.
• Reindeer: not bad. My 9 year old ordered it twice.
• Fruits and veggies are plentiful and easy to find in stores.
• Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry season. Fantastic berries that were easy to find. 

• Had one meal that was Norwegian. It was 'ok.'
• Watermelon, passion fruit, grapes, nectarines, mangoes etc. 

45:36 Travel to Tromso and Lofoten

• 1 quick 2hr flight on Norwegian 
• Fine. Much better than southwest.
• Included 4 checked bags and overhead access.
• Incoming plane had everyone deplane and then boarded us and took off all in less than 35 minutes 
• Pretty views from the plane on the right side as we approached Tromso.

Tromso rental car: Hertz 

• Months out cars were expensive. One way rentals to Lofoten were nearly $2000.
• Originally booked an Alamo rate about $700 for a week. Anything less than 7 days was over $1200. 
• Was told this would be an automated kiosk. That's likely old info. All rental companies at the airport had full manned areas.
• Rented a VW ID.4 ev. Got a VW ID.4 $524 for a week.
• Tolls, ferries and parking meant a $300 pre-authorization. Ended up using about $80 in tolls with 1000 miles driven.
• Tolls are once per hour, regardless of how many you go through. Most tolls were under $2.
• Returned it late and nearly empty. I didn't want to bother charging it. Was quoted about $25 plus the cost of electricity if I returned it under “around 70%”. I decided to leave it as empty as possible and skip a charging stop on the return since I'm paying for the convenience.

Tours: get your guide+ capital one shopping 

• Commodity tours are a great use of capital one. Click through and don't buy, a few days later a good offer comes to email. 
• Clicked through a common tour operator and didn't end up paying for the tour. 
• Used some chase UR
• Received a 38.5% cash back offer from Capital One shopping 
• Which….just worked! Took two tours down from 100 or so per person to 63 or so per person 

51:29 Tromso: where to stay?

• The city is….well, a city. Has a few strawberry hotels and a Radisson Blu
• Parking is about $4/hr in the main tourists area. I don't know if any hotel has parking.
• You could certainly get around on public transit (hard with kids) even to far flung parts of the area. 
• But being away from the city is quick and easy. 15 minutes puts you in an incredibly rural beautiful environment.

• If I had it to do over I'd stay on the island of  Kvaløya near Esterboten or Sommory. You're close to Tromso but with incredible views:

• The best grocery store seemed to be the Eurospar on E862
• No other store matched it for fresh fruits and veggies.
• Grocery prices are reasonable, stores are stocked with plenty of great fresh options and even some ethnic staples.
• Beer and Wine are expensive and wine is only sold at Vinmonopolat stores.

56:52 Low-ish season in Tromso / Lofoten

• Busy time is apparently northern lights and early spring for winter sports
• I thought summer in Tromso was fantastic
• Negatives, whale season is not summer. Did see some porpoise.
• Tours were 10-25% full. Small enough that you got to know the group. 
• Slow pace in Northern Norway. Very Slow.
• 9-10 max

1:00:11 Tromso to Lofoten islands. 

• This was the ultimate “what's the best way to get there” test
• Flying might have worked. Except cars were extremely pricey at Svolvaer, and the closet airport had a tiny runway. There are no direct flights from Tromso to Svolvaer. At some level it meant a full day of travel either by car or air. So we road tripped it. 
• There are high speed Ferries that don't take cars, and drop you in Harstad (still not where we wanted to be).
• There are options that involve busses. But again with mobility issues (little kids) I wanted a car.
• Option 1: over land. 6hrs or so. About 500km. no views, and locals say not worth doing. 
• Option 2: two ferries plus about 300km of driving. 8hrs.

• Option 3: Hurtigruten. Maybe 14 hrs but nearly direct. Not every day. Must prebook. Weird hours.
  • If you're going to book this book it on the Norwegian language site (and maybe with a VPN) for the lowest pricing.
• Needed to decide which to do, booked nothing ahead of time. 
• Originally decided on the south, direct drive. Was swayed by locals to take the ferries. Big mistake.
• Senja was a really beautiful place. 

• Pivoted and made it work, thanks to my wife's quick Google searching and reassuring calming down. 
• Just drive straight. Roads are easy and we did the return in just about 6hrs with a short break in the middle. 
• I think a more standard trip is flying to Lofoten from either Oslo, Bergen or Bodo. Adding in Lofoten pushed the complexity up. I'm very glad we went to Lofoten I loved it, impossible to describe.
• My Final Route looked like this:

1:18:34 Ferries. Interesting for People, Terrible for Cars

• Cars line up early, fit very few cars.
• Tour Busses get to cut the line.
• Arrived about 50 minutes early and was #12 in line. For the second ferry in Gryllfjord I was an hour+ early and #65-70 in line (!)
• Scan license place and auto charge. 
• People without a car are free
• EV pays half price
• Seems like a service to connect islands with last mile service, not as a method of reliable car transport
• Not worth doing. Long waits, no way to pre-book and no guarantee you can get on these ferries.

1:20:44 Lofoten:

• Need to get beyond Svolvaer for the best of the islands.
• Svolvaer is any other fishing village.
• Past Svolvaer is unlike anywhere I've ever been.
• Islands as far as the eye can see, some of the best driving I've ever done
• Harrowing roads in some places where you need to pass a bus or truck and there isn't enough room

• Peace and quiet. Weather was unusually warm.
• Anyone can take a good picture in Lofoten.
• Surprising numbers of beaches and swimmable areas.

Tours:

• Oslo: brunch on the fjord, nice but nothing overly impressive about the brunch.
• Fram Museum (Fantastic, captivated my two kids for 90+ minutes)
• Tromso: fjord boat tour, arctic fishing. Incredible with the weather we had. 
• Husky cafe tour and training
• Floating sauna and swim 
• Lofoten: silent trollfjord tour, beaches
• Henningsvær, Lofoten: Extremely touristy.

1:33:20 Return to Oslo and Return home.

• By now we're pros getting to/from Oslo Airport
• Back to the hotel for connecting rooms....that were not ready for us
• Let it go a day, fixed it the next day.
• 3 days in Olso: Shopping, city exploration, parks and playgrounds for the kids.
• Could have spent more time and seen even more museums.
• Return home on Air France, overnight in Paris. It all just worked.

1:45:15 Overall impressions 

• Such a laid back country. Almost too laid back (ferry story).
• Food was not an issue at all. A huge misconception is that the food here is not accessible.
• Cigarette smoking is everywhere unfortunately.
• Alcohol laws are not in line with the rest of Europe and can be pricey. 
• Sunday is a big deal. Almost all stores close. Joker groceries are open Sunday.
• Tourist towns like Tromso are….touristy but people also live there. Fun to visit the malls and see their daily lives. 
• Talking to people led us to some of the best surprises of the trip. Nice to be in a country where we could communicate easily.
• Midnight sun was more of a feature than a bug. We packed our days often going 8am to 10pm
• Driving 1000+miles was a mix of very easy and white knuckling. Speed limits make no sense. Lots of Amalfi style 1.5 lane roads in Senja and the Lofoten Islands.

Episode 38: Show Notes

Have you ever wondered what it's like to travel the stunning coastlines and towns of the French and Italian Rivieras? In this episode, we dive into Trevor’s recent adventure to these iconic Mediterranean destinations. From the highs and lows of traveling with family to insightful travel recommendations, Trevor provides his takeaways from his trip. In our conversation, we discuss his reasons for the trip, the logistics and planning aspects behind it, and what he thought of the hotels and Apartment rentals. Explore why multi-generational travel complicates logistics and learn why cruise ships are the best option for older travel partners. Hear about what Europe gets right about children's play parks, Zurich airport’s sky deck, dining in a French vineyard, making an authentic pizza with his family, and a memorable cheese tour. Trevor also shares his thoughts on why one hotel made his list of the worst places to stay, what he enjoyed most about flying home on Swiss Airlines, and much more. Join us and get inspired to plan your own Riviera family adventure! Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• [0:00:36] A catch-up with Thomas and Trevor and an overview of today’s topic.
• [0:03:50] Reasons for the trip, details about his itinerary, and what the trip entailed.
• [0:10:12] Break down of the miles used for flights, hotel stays, and overall cost.
• [0:13:14] The apartments he booked and why they tested his tolerance.
• [0:21:40] Complications of traveling with family and his British Airways lounge experience.
• [0:29:50] Multi-generational travel, finding play parks for your kids, and plane spotting.
• [0:37:35] Hear about the trip's fun and interesting dining experiences.
• [0:48:17] Highlights of the French and Italian Rivieras and what he would do differently.
• [0:58:41] How one hotel on the trip made Trevor’s list of the worst hotels to stay at.
• [1:04:12] Funny and unexpected moments from the trip and driving in France and Italy.
• [1:13:52] Flying home on Swiss Airlines and what he enjoyed most about it.

Quotes:

“I would say don’t split up [at the airport] because you just end up giving yourself more anxiety than you really need.” — @TktweetsKim [25:12]

“[My family and I] tend to do multi-generational travel a lot, but it is usually cruise ship related, and that has a lot of things that help buffer those restriction points.” — @TktweetsKim [30:03]

“When you have to deal with the old, the young, and the in-between, it does complicate the logistics quite a bit.” — @TktweetsKim [30:24]

“My focus of late has been really trying to get more unique [travel] experiences.” — @Tmount [40:45]

“The trip was incredible, everybody was very happy, and everyone was really happy with their seats on the way home too.” — @Tmount [1:16:58]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Château des Demoiselles

List for Travel Play Areas / Parks

Obicà Duomo | A tip from Pat and Mike  @PatMikeL – Go during happy hour (I think 5-8) for Aperativo’s