Airline/Hotel Loyalty Programs

[Bo Diddley]

I love the flexibility of AMEX points. It pays to keep a bunch of them on hand to cover shortages for rewards from other travel partners for a given redemption. You'll find that occasionally there's a transfer bonus that gets you more points than the normal exchange rate with a particular partner. I try to hold most of my points for those windows of opportunity to get more value out of the points.

I like to spend a little time seeing how much things cost from time to time so I can recognize a good value ticket or hotel option when I see them.

[Pelado]

virgin atlantic has a new tool that makes it much easier to find delta award seats (edit the url to find domestic airports --> intl):

https://travelplus.virginatlantic.co...-flight-finder

Gracias.

[old_gregg]

virgin atlantic has a new tool that makes it much easier to find delta award seats (edit the url to find domestic airports --> intl):

https://travelplus.virginatlantic.co...-flight-finder

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK, I decided to jump back the credit card game-the-system crowd. I signed up for a SkyMiles Amex where I get 75K miles if I spend $3K in the first few months (already done). Then today I got a SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex where I get 95K miles if I spend $4K in the first 3 months. A cool 170K miles to play with.

I will have well over 300K miles. I need to plan some trips.

[Moliere]

We spent 8 days in France as a family last June. It was an absolutely incredible vacation. Our kids were 16, 19, and 21, so they were mobile and low maintenance. We stayed 4 days in Paris between the Arc d'Triomphe and the Trocadero. It was a great little apartment near a metro station and some fun restaurants and boulangeries. We got there in the afternoon, and, after a dinner at a nice little place near our apartment, we spent the evening at the Trocodero and the Eiffel Tower. Hanging out there after sunset was really cool. Tons of people milling around the area, and the lights on the tower were a lot of fun. We ended up leaving at about 1:00am and there were still hundreds of people hanging around.

Our first full day in Paris, we actually took a guided bike tour of the Grand Monuments in the city. It was about 3 hours long and was a great introduction to the city. We also did the Louvre the same day, and 3 hours was more than enough for us. The only other museum we visited was a lesser known place called the Musee Marmatton Monet. They have the largest monet collection in the world, I believe, and my son's favorite painting is Monet's Sunrise, so he insisted we check it out. it was worth the 2 hour visit, even if it was a little out of the way.

We also did the Arc d'Triomphe (take the stairs to the top) Luxemburg Gardens, Tuleries, and hit a few of the big chapels in the St Germain des Pres area. There was also an artisans faire in the Latin Quarter that my daughter and I walked around for a couple of hours and loved. And, of course, watching the sunset on the Seine from a bench on Pont Neuf was pretty magical.

On Molier's recommendation, we spent a day in the Montmartre district and loved it there! Sacre Coeur is amazing, especially taking the stairs to the top for a great view of the city. The Place du tertre was such a cool place to have lunch and people watch. We also spent four hours there doing a baking class there, making Choux bread and eclairs. This was one of our favorite activities. We wished that we had more time in this part of town. Really cool vibe there.

After our four day stay in Paris, we took a bullet train to the Loire Valley and stayed in a little town near Tours called Amboise. It was such a cool little village that looked straight out of the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast. We loved the Loire Valley! The castles were incredible and little towns were really quaint. A lot of people use Tours as a launching point for day trips, but I wasn't all that impressed with Tours and would recommend settling in a smaller town, like Amboise or Blois. We rented a car and drove all around the countryside. The roads there were about six inches wider than our tiny car, making for a somewhat terrifying experience at times.

Right after we got home from Paris, my parents were called on a mission to the Paris temple. So of course I need to be a good son and go visit them, which is what we are doing next week for the kids February break. Spending three days in Versailles , and then four days in the Latin Quarter. Its going to be a little chilly, but I suppose I'd rather be chilly in Paris than chilly here at home.

[Bo Diddley]

Getting back to the theme of the thread, I noticed something - by accident - about using airline miles to book flights. While going through the many iterations of my seach for flights, on one attempt I didn't notice that the travel dates in the system had reverted back to the current day (rather than April-May). There were suddenly a lot more opportunities for business class travel - including directly from Boise - for close to the minimum charge of 60k miles per person each way. Those deals seemed to extend out for about three weeks.

I considered just waiting to book until 2-3 weeks out but decided I didn't want to risk not getting flights at all. So my plan is to reevaluate the flights as I get within that three-week window of time. There's no fee for changing flights, so if I see a good deal that flies from and/or into Boise, I'll make the change. That could save me from having to fetch and re-check luggage in Chicago each way. And, if I can fly from and back to Boise on United for the same price as from and into Chicago, I can save my Southwest miles for another day.

That's a good find. I try to keep an eye on how flights are priced at different time intervals to places on my travel radar.

[bluegoose]

Where do you typically stay in Normandy? Paris? Anywhere to avoid?

Considering checking out the Loire valley, but I'm thinking combining that with Paris and Normandy might be too ambitious. Current plan is to be in France for almost exact 1 week.

We spent 8 days in France as a family last June. It was an absolutely incredible vacation. Our kids were 16, 19, and 21, so they were mobile and low maintenance. We stayed 4 days in Paris between the Arc d'Triomphe and the Trocadero. It was a great little apartment near a metro station and some fun restaurants and boulangeries. We got there in the afternoon, and, after a dinner at a nice little place near our apartment, we spent the evening at the Trocodero and the Eiffel Tower. Hanging out there after sunset was really cool. Tons of people milling around the area, and the lights on the tower were a lot of fun. We ended up leaving at about 1:00am and there were still hundreds of people hanging around.

Our first full day in Paris, we actually took a guided bike tour of the Grand Monuments in the city. It was about 3 hours long and was a great introduction to the city. We also did the Louvre the same day, and 3 hours was more than enough for us. The only other museum we visited was a lesser known place called the Musee Marmatton Monet. They have the largest monet collection in the world, I believe, and my son's favorite painting is Monet's Sunrise, so he insisted we check it out. it was worth the 2 hour visit, even if it was a little out of the way.

We also did the Arc d'Triomphe (take the stairs to the top) Luxemburg Gardens, Tuleries, and hit a few of the big chapels in the St Germain des Pres area. There was also an artisans faire in the Latin Quarter that my daughter and I walked around for a couple of hours and loved. And, of course, watching the sunset on the Seine from a bench on Pont Neuf was pretty magical.

On Molier's recommendation, we spent a day in the Montmartre district and loved it there! Sacre Coeur is amazing, especially taking the stairs to the top for a great view of the city. The Place du tertre was such a cool place to have lunch and people watch. We also spent four hours there doing a baking class there, making Choux bread and eclairs. This was one of our favorite activities. We wished that we had more time in this part of town. Really cool vibe there.

After our four day stay in Paris, we took a bullet train to the Loire Valley and stayed in a little town near Tours called Amboise. It was such a cool little village that looked straight out of the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast. We loved the Loire Valley! The castles were incredible and little towns were really quaint. A lot of people use Tours as a launching point for day trips, but I wasn't all that impressed with Tours and would recommend settling in a smaller town, like Amboise or Blois. We rented a car and drove all around the countryside. The roads there were about six inches wider than our tiny car, making for a somewhat terrifying experience at times.

Right after we got home from Paris, my parents were called on a mission to the Paris temple. So of course I need to be a good son and go visit them, which is what we are doing next week for the kids February break. Spending three days in Versailles , and then four days in the Latin Quarter. Its going to be a little chilly, but I suppose I'd rather be chilly in Paris than chilly here at home.

[Pelado]

Getting back to the theme of the thread, I noticed something - by accident - about using airline miles to book flights. While going through the many iterations of my seach for flights, on one attempt I didn't notice that the travel dates in the system had reverted back to the current day (rather than April-May). There were suddenly a lot more opportunities for business class travel - including directly from Boise - for close to the minimum charge of 60k miles per person each way. Those deals seemed to extend out for about three weeks.

I considered just waiting to book until 2-3 weeks out but decided I didn't want to risk not getting flights at all. So my plan is to reevaluate the flights as I get within that three-week window of time. There's no fee for changing flights, so if I see a good deal that flies from and/or into Boise, I'll make the change. That could save me from having to fetch and re-check luggage in Chicago each way. And, if I can fly from and back to Boise on United for the same price as from and into Chicago, I can save my Southwest miles for another day.

[Pelado]

Same, I've had good luck wiht AirBNB's in France but I always rent ones that have a very high rating and a lot of reviews.

In Normandy, we usually stay in Bayeux. There are plenty of good Airbnb's in town and the town is small enough that you can rent a home or apartment within easy walking distance of a boulangerie. I've also stayed in Etretat and Rouen. I've stayed on the Mont Saint MIchel several times and it's fun to be there at night when the crowds aren't around. You can walk along the ramparts of the old town and watch the tide come in.

In Paris, my advice is stay close to the majority of things you want to see, however, the nice thing about Paris is you can pretty much get anywhere within 30 minutes by using hte metro. If you are doing mostly touristy stuff, I'd stay somewhere close to Metro Line 1 (the line that runs up and down the Champs Elysees) since you have a lot of stuff along that line plus it connects with a lot of other lines. I always prefer to find a spot reasonably close to an actual metro stop. Last summer we stayed across the street from the TUilerie gardens and right across from a metro stop. I'd say definitely stay within Arrondissements 1-8 (towards the center of the city).

Muchas gracias.

[Moliere]

I’ve had good luck with AIRBNB’s in Paris. You’re close to the Metro wherever you’re at. But if you’re there in the summer, I’d probably try for a hotel with climate control.

Same, I've had good luck wiht AirBNB's in France but I always rent ones that have a very high rating and a lot of reviews.

In Normandy, we usually stay in Bayeux. There are plenty of good Airbnb's in town and the town is small enough that you can rent a home or apartment within easy walking distance of a boulangerie. I've also stayed in Etretat and Rouen. I've stayed on the Mont Saint MIchel several times and it's fun to be there at night when the crowds aren't around. You can walk along the ramparts of the old town and watch the tide come in.

In Paris, my advice is stay close to the majority of things you want to see, however, the nice thing about Paris is you can pretty much get anywhere within 30 minutes by using hte metro. If you are doing mostly touristy stuff, I'd stay somewhere close to Metro Line 1 (the line that runs up and down the Champs Elysees) since you have a lot of stuff along that line plus it connects with a lot of other lines. I always prefer to find a spot reasonably close to an actual metro stop. Last summer we stayed across the street from the TUilerie gardens and right across from a metro stop. I'd say definitely stay within Arrondissements 1-8 (towards the center of the city).

[Green Monstah]

Figures.

When you visit Normandy, where do you typically stay?

What about for Paris? Any places to avoid?

I’ve had good luck with AIRBNB’s in Paris. You’re close to the Metro wherever you’re at. But if you’re there in the summer, I’d probably try for a hotel with climate control.

[Pelado]

I knew all of that without seeing the Rick Steve’s video

Figures.

When you visit Normandy, where do you typically stay?

What about for Paris? Any places to avoid?

[Moliere]

Yeah, I wouldn't have had any idea except for having watched the Rick Steves episode covering Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel. He mentioned that the river that forms the boundary between Normandy and Brittany has shifted, resulting in Mont Saint-Michel being (just barely) part of Normandy. The river used to flow on the other side of the island, putting it in Brittany.

Edit: here's the relevant segment:

I knew all of that without seeing the Rick Steve’s video

[Pelado]

Cool. I wasn’t sure, because the border with the neighboring region is within a stone’s throw.

Yeah, I wouldn't have had any idea except for having watched the Rick Steves episode covering Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel. He mentioned that the river that forms the boundary between Normandy and Brittany has shifted, resulting in Mont Saint-Michel being (just barely) part of Normandy. The river used to flow on the other side of the island, putting it in Brittany.

Edit: here's the relevant segment:

[Green Monstah]

Fify

Cool. I wasn’t sure, because the border with the neighboring region is within a stone’s throw.