Take a Vacation

[Copelius]

The Mrs and I are planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand in March. First time for us to either country.

For Australia we're planning to stay on the Victoria/NSW side of the country, flying between major cities. For New Zealand we haven't figured out what we're going to do yet but we're planning on 1 to 1.5 weeks in each country. We generally like arts/history/cultural stuff, and staying in nice hotels while taking day trips to hiking/scenic spots. We're not really the "trek around on a cross-country adventure living in hostels" type of travelers.

Anyone have any particular recommendations of places to visit, or past experiences vacationing there, they would be willing to share?

It has been a while, 1996 to be exact, but in NZ what most impressed me was just the countryside as we traveled from Aukland to Wellington with a stopover in Hamilton. The green rolling hils are just different. I assume you will spend some time in Sydney. While the outside of the opera house is impressive, the inside is just like any other concert hall. I was only on the concert hall side not the opera theater side. More impressive inside from a musical perspective is the pipe organ in the Sydney town hall. It is one of only two organs in the world with a full rank 64' stops. (The conference center has 64' pipes but not a full rank. The military museum in Canberra could take a couple days if you wanted to. I have always been partial to those though. The area just below the harbour bridge on the opera house side has some great local fish and chip shops with fresh catches. I also enjoyed Hyde Park.

[Pelado]

Legit question: what’s a good deal on a flight to Paris? We’re looking at going next year, and I have honestly no idea what’s a good deal for fights to Europe.

My plan has been to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to an airline and pay with miles. My initial plan was United (60k miles round trip per person), but am still open to other carriers. I've accumulated enough UR points now that we may be able to bump it up to business class (for a lot more than 60k each way).

[Bo Diddley]

My plan has been to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to an airline and pay with miles. My initial plan was United (60k miles round trip per person), but am still open to other carriers. I've accumulated enough UR points now that we may be able to bump it up to business class (for a lot more than 60k each way).

If you're looking for business class, Virgin Atlantic can be a good option to transfer your points to.

It's also worth noting that if you have Chase Sapphire Preferred, and you book through Chase directly, you might get a better value for your points. They are then worth 1.25 cents each. Even better, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and book through Chase, they're worth 1.5 cents each. I would look into using them on both flights and hotels, just to see where you can get the most bang for your buck.

[Pelado]

If you're looking for business class, Virgin Atlantic can be a good option to transfer your points to.

It's also worth noting that if you have Chase Sapphire Preferred, and you book through Chase directly, you might get a better value for your points. They are then worth 1.25 cents each. Even better, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and book through Chase, they're worth 1.5 cents each. I would look into using them on both flights and hotels, just to see where you can get the most bang for your buck.

I've got the Ink Business Preferred, which gets me 1.25, just like the Sapphire Preferred. When I've looked before, the Chase travel portal didn't seem to be as good a value as transferring points to an airline. Plus, if I book with points directly with the airline, it would be easier to make changes to the itinerary later just in case something pops up (as is wont to occur in our family), typically without incurring any change fees.

For hotels, I was planning to stay in Hyatts where available since they provide the biggest bang for the UR buck. They have rooms in London and Paris for as little as 8k points per night. Where Hyatts are not available, I was thinking to use the Chase portal, if possible. The current plan includes travel to the UK, where we'd like to stay at one or more bed & breakfast places in the countryside. Not sure how many of those would be available to book through the portal.

[Bo Diddley]

For hotels, I was planning to stay in Hyatts where available since they provide the biggest bang for the UR buck. They have rooms in London and Paris for as little as 8k points per night. Where Hyatts are not available, I was thinking to use the Chase portal, if possible. The current plan includes travel to the UK, where we'd like to stay at one or more bed & breakfast places in the countryside. Not sure how many of those would be available to book through the portal.

If you want to stay in the countryside, you might look at the Cotswolds west of London. I haven't been there yet, but we're spending some time there this next trip. I'll let you know how it goes. We've used Hilton a lot in the UK.

[Northwestcoug]

If you want to stay in the countryside, you might look at the Cotswolds west of London. I haven't been there yet, but we're spending some time there this next trip. I'll let you know how it goes. We've used Hilton a lot in the UK.

I enthusiastically endorse this sentiment. The Cotswolds are beautiful. I’m not sure what the hotel situation is like there, but anywhere you want to stay won’t have a huge hotel. Airbnb is the way to go there.

[BigFatMeanie]

AUSTRALIA:

I would recommend a few days in Sydney. Go to the Circular Quay, the Opera House, and especially the botanical gardens which are adjacent to the opera house. Lots of good food. Best Thai food I have ever had. They also have some great beaches around the city and an amazing zoo.

I would DEFINITELY recommend a trip to Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. Fly into Cairns. Many people stay in Cairns but you are better off renting a car and staying Port Douglas. They have many charters for day trips out to the reef (about 1:45 hr boat ride each way). You can also spend time at the Daintree National Park - lots of fun trails into the rain forest. You can visit a croc farm and a butterfly preserve. But don't you dare miss a chance to see the reef. You can dive if you want, but snorkeling is plenty. The water is only 5-8 ft deep in most places so you are right there with the coral, fish, etc. We did 2 trips out to the reef and 2-3 days on land and had a blast. One of our all-time favorite trips.

Thanks for the info. The only problem with the reef is that the Mrs. doesn't enjoy snorkeling. While we were snorkeling in Hawaii (on the west side of Oahu where the power plant pushes out warm water) she was super afraid, irrationally so, of being swept out to sea even though there were probably 30 other people around us, current was minimal, and the sea was mild. I would tread water and keep my hand on her just to give her reassurance that she wasn't floating out to sea while she put her face into the water, and she still hated it. Lasted about 10 minutes then was back on the boat. She probably wouldn't mind just sitting on the boat and I could snorkel with others in a group, but the fact that she's not into snorkeling (and forget about SCUBA - that ain't happening) kind of diminishes the appeal of the reef somewhat.

[BigFatMeanie]

It has been a while, 1996 to be exact, but in NZ what most impressed me was just the countryside as we traveled from Aukland to Wellington with a stopover in Hamilton. The green rolling hils are just different. I assume you will spend some time in Sydney. While the outside of the opera house is impressive, the inside is just like any other concert hall. I was only on the concert hall side not the opera theater side. More impressive inside from a musical perspective is the pipe organ in the Sydney town hall. It is one of only two organs in the world with a full rank 64' stops. (The conference center has 64' pipes but not a full rank. The military museum in Canberra could take a couple days if you wanted to. I have always been partial to those though. The area just below the harbour bridge on the opera house side has some great local fish and chip shops with fresh catches. I also enjoyed Hyde Park.

You had me at "pipe organ". I checked the website and it says they allow organists to play occasionally when the town hall is not in use. With most famous organs, usually only professional organists are typically allowed these opportunities, not amateur hacks like me, but I'm going to contact them and see if I can get lucky.

The Mrs. and I also enjoy museums including military museums - we'll put that on our short list.

[Goatnapper'96]

We fly to London in a week & a half. Going to enjoy the Platinum Jubilee.

Not to burst your bubble but it rains a lot there.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thanks for the info. The only problem with the reef is that the Mrs. doesn't enjoy snorkeling. While we were snorkeling in Hawaii (on the west side of Oahu where the power plant pushes out warm water) she was super afraid, irrationally so, of being swept out to sea even though there were probably 30 other people around us, current was minimal, and the sea was mild. I would tread water and keep my hand on her just to give her reassurance that she wasn't floating out to sea while she put her face into the water, and she still hated it. Lasted about 10 minutes then was back on the boat. She probably wouldn't mind just sitting on the boat and I could snorkel with others in a group, but the fact that she's not into snorkeling (and forget about SCUBA - that ain't happening) kind of diminishes the appeal of the reef somewhat.

That's a shame.

Does she like to hike?

[BigFatMeanie]

That's a shame.

Does she like to hike?

We both enjoy hiking and are relatively experienced hikers.

[Jeff Lebowski]

We both enjoy hiking and are relatively experienced hikers.

OK, we haven't done it yet, but the wife and I want to go to NZ and do a trek. For example, they have a trail through a national park where they shuttle your bags between lodges and you hike every day from lodge to lodge. Typical is 4-5 days but I think there might be a 3 day option. Example:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...milford-track/

https://newzealandtrails.com/news/hiking-milford-track/

A list of hikes in NZ:

https://www.newzealand.com/us/featur...f-new-zealand/

[bluegoose]

Legit question: what’s a good deal on a flight to Paris? We’re looking at going next year, and I have honestly no idea what’s a good deal for fights to Europe.

We bought our tickets in November for about $800. We paid a little extra for more foot and elbow room, since we paid with some vouchers from a cancelled 2020 flight. French Bee Airline.

[bluegoose]

HMU when you book your flights and I'll send over my latest "Paris Guide" document. Plan at least two days to go to Normandy/Mont Saint Michel. It's worth it.

I'll endorse this offer. His guide has been helpful with planning our trip.

[Northwestcoug]

Thanks for the info. The only problem with the reef is that the Mrs. doesn't enjoy snorkeling. While we were snorkeling in Hawaii (on the west side of Oahu where the power plant pushes out warm water) she was super afraid, irrationally so, of being swept out to sea even though there were probably 30 other people around us, current was minimal, and the sea was mild. I would tread water and keep my hand on her just to give her reassurance that she wasn't floating out to sea while she put her face into the water, and she still hated it. Lasted about 10 minutes then was back on the boat. She probably wouldn't mind just sitting on the boat and I could snorkel with others in a group, but the fact that she's not into snorkeling (and forget about SCUBA - that ain't happening) kind of diminishes the appeal of the reef somewhat.

Sounds like my youngest daughter. We took her to see manta rays at night when she was about 8 years old, and it freaked her out. I went back with her to the boat while everyone else enjoyed a sublime experience . A couple of years later we went back to Hana and snorkled in about the calmest bay you can find. But that initial experience scarred her. Once she saw fish she freaked out again. Her baseline anxiety level is such that I wouldn't be surprised if she never snorkled again.