The all encompassing travel thread (for your tips, tricks, recs, questions, help).

[TheGoodBits]

15 minutes ago, Darrell Green Fan said:

I have always envisioned a trip to a beautiful coastal town in New England. A quick search found hotels in Nantucket go for $500/night in summer. Any cheaper suggestions?  

The drive is much further and I’ll admit I don’t know much about summer rates, but we’ve been to Maine a number of times in early fall. Some towns we love (no order, just south to north, with a * besides ones we’d prioritize a return to): 

 

-York/kittery (or Portsmouth NH)

-Portland (going to be $$$) 

-boothbay harbor*

-Rockland (likely cheapest on this list)

-Camden* 

-Bar Harbor/Southwest Harbor on Mt Desert Island 

 

All of these places will be overrun by tourists during the summer fwiw. 

15 minutes ago, Darrell Green Fan said:

(double post sorry)

Edited May 2 by TheGoodBits

[Warhead36]

1 hour ago, ixcuincle said:

 

Next year!! 

 

There already is one in universal Hollywood but this one is bigger 

That'll be hype. I really enjoyed the one in Hollywood but it is a wee bit smaller than I thought.

[China]

1 hour ago, TheGoodBits said:

The drive is much further and I’ll admit I don’t know much about summer rates, but we’ve been to Maine a number of times in early fall. Some towns we love (no order, just south to north, with a * besides ones we’d prioritize a return to): 

 

-York/kittery (or Portsmouth NH)

-Portland (going to be $$$) 

-boothbay harbor*

-Rockland (likely cheapest on this list)

-Camden* 

-Bar Harbor/Southwest Harbor on Mt Desert Island 

 

All of these places will be overrun by tourists during the summer fwiw. 

(double post sorry)

 

Yeah, I would recommend driving up coastal Route 1 in Maine.  A lot of scenic small towns like mentioned above.

 

Don't forget to stop at the Maine State Correctional Facility Gift Shop to get some genuine prison made woodworking items.

[Darrell Green Fan]

2 hours ago, TheGoodBits said:

The drive is much further and I’ll admit I don’t know much about summer rates, but we’ve been to Maine a number of times in early fall. Some towns we love (no order, just south to north, with a * besides ones we’d prioritize a return to): 

 

-York/kittery (or Portsmouth NH)

-Portland (going to be $$$) 

-boothbay harbor*

-Rockland (likely cheapest on this list)

-Camden* 

-Bar Harbor/Southwest Harbor on Mt Desert Island 

 

All of these places will be overrun by tourists during the summer fwiw. 

(double post sorry)

Thanks for this.  We have been to Maine and a number of towns you mentioned. We loved Bar Harbor, reminded us of Annapolis. It was like going back in time with restaurants proudly advertising they have air conditioning!   I really want to go in summer, I'm a hot weather guy and love taking an evening bike ride without putting on a jacket.  I'll look into Portsmouth NH and am open to other suggestions. 

 

 

[The Evil Genius]

On 4/12/2024 at 12:48 AM, PleaseBlitz said:

I’d much rather go to the British Museum than the Louvre. 
 

Also, please report back on the status of Notre Dame. 

 

 

Notre Dame this afternoon.

 

 

Btw..there is an amazing patisserie across the street from it, A. LaCroix. 

 

https://www.alacroixparis.com/shoponline/gteaux-individuels

[TheGoodBits]

Anyone been to Santorini? My wife and I will be there for two days in a couple weeks. We've got a spare afternoon and would love a "make sure you do this one thing while you're there" recommendation.

Edited May 8 by TheGoodBits

[PleaseBlitz]

View from dinner. 
 

 

[Koolblue13]

I can't walk into a hotel room without thinking about putting my legs up on the AC and letting it blow on my junk thanks to ES.

[ixcuincle]

I have not been to Paris since 2018 nice

 

I am looking over airfare now to California and they offer basic economy on united and economy which allows a free carry on bag. do you prefer carrying on the bag or checking it in? I just check it in for like 50 dollars the last few times

[purbeast]

I always check in a bag.  I usually have a lot of clothes to bring and my fins don't fit in carry on, so I need to check in a big piece of luggage.  All of my other SCUBA gear goes into a carry on which ends up weighing probably like 30-40lbs lol.

[The Evil Genius]

After an 2 hour flight from Paris to London and then an almost 11 hour flight from Dublin to SFO today...I finally 💯 can confirm that people who recline their seats on airlines are assholes. 

 

Aer Lingus, fwiw, was an older and more comfortable plane than the British Airways plane we flew from SFO to London. But holy hell they were lacking in customer service tofay. British Airways cabin crew/staff was a million times more customer oriented. Probably why they charge more. 😆

 

 

 

[The Evil Genius]

Also jet lag is a real ****. 9 hr time difference between Paris and PST, so after a 33 hour Sunday , of which I was awake for 28 of them...I slept all of 4 hours in bed tonight. Wtf.  

[PleaseBlitz]

5 hours ago, The Evil Genius said:

Also jet lag is a real ****. 9 hr time difference between Paris and PST, so after a 33 hour Sunday , of which I was awake for 28 of them...I slept all of 4 hours in bed tonight. Wtf.  

 

I had a decent case coming back to DC from Cali.  I have amazing sleeping drugs, so that helped a lot.  

 

I'm heading to Atlanta on Wednesday just for the day.  Quick work trip.  

[purbeast]

Anyone been to St. Martin before?  It's one island I have never been to before and in August there are some cheap (with points) flights going there.  I'm just curious to hear if anyone's been there and what they thought about it. 

[EmirOfShmo]

21 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Anyone been to St. Martin before?  It's one island I have never been to before and in August there are some cheap (with points) flights going there.  I'm just curious to hear if anyone's been there and what they thought about it. 

 

I haven't been to St. Martin but I've been to Anguilla. I'm guessing SXM is similar to AXA - most places start shutting down for the season mid-July through mid-August. Some places shut down end of June. It's hurricane season & starts to get really hot in August & September. They re-open during mid-late October.

 

[purbeast]

Just now, EmirOfShmo said:

 

I haven't been to St. Martin but I've been to Anguilla. I'm guessing SXM is similar to AXA - most places start shutting down for the season mid-July through mid-August. Some places shut down end of June. It's hurricane season & starts to get really hot in August & September. They re-open during mid-late October.

 

That is good to know thanks. That could explain why the flights are so cheap around August too.  I'll have to look into that before I decide if we go there or not.

 

How did you like Anguilla?  That is another place I am interested in and haven't been.

[EmirOfShmo]

On 3/26/2024 at 8:58 AM, EmirOfShmo said:

 

Anguilla - We went August 2022 right before things started closing up for the season. We pretty much had all of Meads Bay beach to ourselves. It was awesome. White beaches with great water. There are plenty of things to do, BUT it's very expensive. Restaurants are very good. We stayed in a condo on Meads Bay so we ate a lot of meals there. AA flies direct from MIA/CLT. Some peeps fly to St. Martin & either fly or take a boat to Anguilla (sounds like a pain in the ass). Also, Hilton has a nice hotel there. I would definately go back.

 

Anguilla pics - 1st one is from the condo balcony looking NW towards the Four Seasons.

 

 

 

 

35 minutes ago, purbeast said:

That is good to know thanks. That could explain why the flights are so cheap around August too.  I'll have to look into that before I decide if we go there or not.

 

How did you like Anguilla?  That is another place I am interested in and haven't been.

 

😀

[purbeast]

Haha thanks I forgot we had this conversation already.

 

Would you say Curacao is as expensive as Aruba or is more expensive than Aruba? 

[EmirOfShmo]

4 hours ago, purbeast said:

Haha thanks I forgot we had this conversation already.

 

Would you say Curacao is as expensive as Aruba or is more expensive than Aruba? 

 

Probably about the same. Definitely a different vibe in Curacao - more Dutch & Venezuela influence. You'll see some US but not much. 

[Skinsfan1311]

6 hours ago, purbeast said:

Anyone been to St. Martin before?  It's one island I have never been to before and in August there are some cheap (with points) flights going there.  I'm just curious to hear if anyone's been there and what they thought about it. 

We've been there a couple times, pre-Covid.  We stay on the Dutch Side, (St. Maarten), at a small timeshare hotel called the Belair Beach Hotel.

The beach at our resort was nice, but we liked exploring the different beaches, (there are a ****-ton of them), which is easy to do because it's a small island.

There is pretty much every type of beach, from touristy and crowded, to secluded and everything in between.

 

I don't dive anymore, so I can't speak to that, but they had decent snorkeling on a small tour that we took to see turtles. Our thing is hopping in the car and finding a beach to chill. Make sure to check the cruise ship calendar to see what days ships are in port, and the # of ships, so you can plan accordingly to avoid the cruise ship crowds.

We went in early September both times and had another trip booked, (at a different resort), but it was canceled because of Covid.

We've been to a ton of islands, and we really like St Maarten, and would go back.

Edited May 13 by Skinsfan1311

[ixcuincle]

I have set up several rewards programs with multiple companies. What are the ones people recommend for traveling?

 

I have an IHG and Hilton points account. I also have a United frequent flyer account which is where all my miles are, don't book any other airline

[purbeast]

46 minutes ago, ixcuincle said:

I have set up several rewards programs with multiple companies. What are the ones people recommend for traveling?

 

I have an IHG and Hilton points account. I also have a United frequent flyer account which is where all my miles are, don't book any other airline

From the DMV area, I recommend getting the United card, any Chase Ultimate Rewards card, and the Southwest cards.  I recommend getting them for the intro bonuses and then opening a new one to get another bonus, etc.  You just have to remember Chase has the 5/24 rule which means you can only get 5 intro bonuses in a 24 month period.  And then on top of that, most cards you can't get the intro bonus again for 24 months after you open that account.

 

The CUR points transfer 1:1 to United miles, and IAD is a United hub so you can find flights basically anywhere from there.  If your dates are somewhat flexible too, you can find the United Saver fares with the points that make the flights even cheaper.  A couple years ago in August some friends asked us if we want to go to St. Thomas when they go and then I checked United's site, and 3 tickets cost 60k total (2nd kid was lap baby at the time) and I had 61k points so that was a no brainer for a last minute trip to St. Thomas.  I also flew to Colombia last year in first class all paid for with United points.  That was actually from BWI through a partnered flight with Copa, but it was booked on the United site with points.

 

Then BWI is a Southwest hub so you can get a lot of very cheap flights from there.  Also if you game the system enough, you can get a companion pass after opening 2 SW cards which means someone can fly with you for free for the rest of that calendar year and the following year.  So not only do you haver 125k+ SW points to book free flights with (well you pay taxes), but you also get ANOTHER ticket for someone else for up to almost 2 years.  It's a win win.

 

My wife and I alternate getting 2 SW cards every other year so that the 24 month period is always hit.  And then our 2 kids fly free with us as well.  Right now I'm in a weird state with it though in that next month I can open 2 more cards, but if I do, then the companion pass will only go through 2025.  I'm debating if I should just wait until Jan next year to open them so that I can get the companion pass through 2026.

 

I've been doing this since like 2010 and have saved probably $50k in flights.  There have been years where I saved like $8k alone on flights.

[purbeast]

Oh one more thing.

 

Generally speaking, you are going to get way more bang for your buck with points if you use them on flights.

 

Like you mention you have some hilton points and stuff to use for hotels.  The effort it takes to get hilton points or marriot points, etc, is not worth the rewards you get out of them at all compared to flights.

 

Like 100k points to get you a hotel room will not save you nearly as much as money as 100k points to book a flight on United or Southwest would.  

[EmirOfShmo]

 

2 hours ago, purbeast said:

Oh one more thing.

 

Generally speaking, you are going to get way more bang for your buck with points if you use them on flights.

 

Like you mention you have some hilton points and stuff to use for hotels.  The effort it takes to get hilton points or marriot points, etc, is not worth the rewards you get out of them at all compared to flights.

 

Like 100k points to get you a hotel room will not save you nearly as much as money as 100k points to book a flight on United or Southwest would.  

 

I live in Richmond so flights are different. However, I agree with you on using points for airline tickets. I just saw SW is going to start flying from RIC to BWI, That really changes things for me. I need to look into getting some SW credit cards. 

 

I'm a longtime Marriott customer - lifetime Platinum level. I highly recommend joining their club. Their credit cards give you a free hotel certificate worth 35k points each year. You can use that and up to 15k points to book a room. Their resorts in the US & Caribbean are good - most are a solid C+/B. The Ritz & St. Regis hotels I've stayed at are all 9s as are their resorts (St.Thomas USVI is very nice). Pricey with points but well worth it. When I traveled for work, I would mostly stay at Marriott & Hilton hotels with those chains (i.e., Courtyard, Hampton Inn, full-service hotels, etc.) While Hilton have decent high-end hotels they don't have a lot of hotels where we like to go - the Caribbean. Yes, they have a few but their points per room are awful. I'm using the last of my Hilton points next February at the Embassy Suites in Aruba - 80k/night - not a deal. It seems most of their hotels are all a lot of points anytime I try to book a room. 

 

My newest - last 5 years - favorite hotel chain is Hyatt. I have 2 cards & my wife has 1. Each year you get a free hotel certificate for a Category 1-4 free night. Points at rooms are reasonable - of course depending on where & when you go. We used to stay at the Hyatt at the Wharf with our free certs for a weekend in DC. But of course they changed that hotel to a Cat 5 hotel last year....booo

 

I'm not sure I agree with you on the Marriott, Hyatt & Hilton points. If you can get 2 of each when they're running a special points offer you can probably get 5 nights free at a decent hotel. If you hold those points for a year & wait for your 2 freet night certs you can make it 7 free nights. Note - Pretty sure the Hilton cards are doing away - or have done away - with free cert night on card anniversary. 

 

I've stayed at IHG hotels but never got any of their credit cards. I might look into it to see if I can get a free week someplace decent with points.

 

You should look at where you think you will travel to see which chain fits your travel. Also, make sure you look at the spend requirements to get the bonus points.

 

I have a question for you: I read  the other day on Flyertalk.com that people with Hyatt cc's will cancel them after a year & re-apply in 30+ days. They get the bonus with the new card. Is that true? Also, which SW cc's do you recommend? Is 1 of the cc you get a business cc?

 

Edit: I've been able to book first class tix on AA to Curacao & return from Aruba this year & next year for 40k total. Awesome deal...

Edited 25 minutes ago by EmirOfShmo

[purbeast]

4 minutes ago, EmirOfShmo said:

 

 

I live in Richmond so flights are different. However, I agree with you on using points for airline tickets. I just saw SW is going to start flying from RIC to BWI, That really changes things for me. I need to look into getting some SW credit cards. 

 

I'm a longtime Marriott customer - lifetime Platinum level. I highly recommend joining their club. Their credit cards give you a free hotel certificate worth 35k points each year. You can use that and up to 15k points to book a room. Their resorts in the US & Caribbean are good - most are a solid C+/B. The Ritz & St. Regis hotels I've stayed at are all 9s as are their resorts (St.Thomas USVI is very nice). Pricey with points but well worth it. When I traveled for work, I would mostly stay at Marriott & Hilton hotels with those chains (i.e., Courtyard, Hampton Inn, full-service hotels, etc.) While Hilton have decent high-end hotels they don't have a lot of hotels where we like to go - the Caribbean. Yes, they have a few but their points per room are awful. I'm using the last of my Hilton points next February at the Embassy Suites in Aruba - 80k/night - not a deal. It seems most of their hotels are all a lot of points anytime I try to book a room. 

 

My newest - last 5 years - favorite hotel chain is Hyatt. I have 2 cards & my wife has 1. Each year you get a free hotel certificate for a Category 1-4 free night. Points at rooms are reasonable - of course depending on where & when you go. We used to stay at the Hyatt at the Wharf with our free certs for a weekend in DC. But of course they changed that hotel to a Cat 5 hotel last year....booo

 

I'm not sure I agree with you on the Marriott, Hyatt & Hilton points. If you can get 2 of each when they're running a special points offer you can probably get 5 nights free at a decent hotel. If you hold those points for a year & wait for your 2 freet night certs you can make it 7 free nights. Note - Pretty sure the Hilton cards are doing away - or have done away - with free cert night on card anniversary. 

 

I've stayed at IHG hotels but never got any of their credit cards. I might look into it to see if I can get a free week someplace decent with points.

 

You should look at where you think you will travel to see which chain fits your travel. Also, make sure you look at the spend requirements to get the bonus points.

 

I have a question for you: I read  the other day on Flyertalk.com that people with Hyatt cc's will cancel them after a year & re-apply in 30+ days. They get the bonus with the new card. Is that true? Also, which SW cc's do you recommend? Is 1 of the cc you get a business cc?

When I looked at using some Marriot Bonvoy points for a hotel we frequent in the Keys, it was like 250k points for a 5 night stay, that would have cost like $1800 if I paid in cash.  So say you get like 80k points for a bonus (which is even high) and that is worth like $600'ish if I were to use those points for the hotel.

 

On the flipside, the flights down there, I got 4 of them for like 50k total on Southwest.  Had I paid for those flights it would have been like $1500 or so.  

 

I've just never seen anything remotely close to being worth it for hotel points which is why I always go for points I can use for flights, and it also doesn't force me to use a certain brand of hotels, especially when going out of the country, which I tend to stay in non-US chain hotels.

 

As for the Hyatt cc, I am not sure what company makes that.  I just know that Chase has the 5/24 rule and that is basically all I get for cards anyways.

 

For the SW ones yeah I get one personal and one business.  I don't own a business or anything either and it's super easy to get one still.  I don't apply at the same time though I will apply for one, get the bonus, then apply for the other.  I tried doing both at once before and I didn't get auto approved for them so I just do em apart since I'm not going to be using them at the same time anyways.