For those that just love gazing at pictures of hotel rooms they could never afford (at least that’s the case for me), take a look at Elite Traveler’s 101 Top Hotel Suites of the Year list. Some pretty impressive suites there which really make me wonder where they finally draw the line when it comes to “enough being ’nuff.”
OK, here’s a slightly off topic (since I’ve mostly been covering my travels lately) post about the question that I’m asked most often. I’ve inferred it throughout my posts and in general most that have been reading my blog for a while could probably figure it out, but I’ll spell out the answer in one post.
The question is along the lines of “how do you find the time/resources to fly 200,000 miles a year as a student?”
The answer is pretty simple.
Several years ago I got an email from the chief auditor of the Nigerian National Bank. As it turned out a well off government official had passed away, and it was determined that I was the next of kin. After doing some paperwork and simple wire transfers I was awarded a lump sum of $17,350,000.00 (seventeen million three hundred and fifty thousand dollars). It was that easy. Ever since I’ve been traveling whenever I have time, because with $17mil+, how can I afford not to?
OK, maybe that’s not the whole truth. Fine, maybe that couldn’t be further from the truth and is just an email sitting in my blog inbox right now. Would be nice if it was true, but the reality is a bit different.
The truth is that I wasn’t born into money and am far from rich. A majority of my travel is self funded, although I think most would be surprised by how little I spend. I’ll avoid going into exact figures, but ultimately my mileage runs make my “real” trips cheaper. So basically the amount I fly (and thereby spend) in order to earn enough miles for a premium cabin international award is substantially less than I’d pay for a coach ticket on the same route.
I’m very creative. On this past trip, for example, we stayed at several five star hotels, none of which were fully paid for (in $$$). I would NEVER pay a premium airfare to sit up front (I just don’t think it’s worth it), and I’d never actually pay full price for a very nice five star hotel (unless it’s ridiculously cheap, as is the case in many parts of the world).
My mileage runs are also partially funded by my parents, but there’s something in it for them. Most of our relatives live in Germany, so we visit them frequently. Ultimately I’ll use my miles to get my family first and business class award tickets, and they’re paying less for my mileage runs (those that they actually pay for) than they’d pay for a simple, cheap coach ticket to Europe. It really is that straightforward, and works out for both of us.
As to how I find the time to fly that much, that’s more of a toughie which I can’t really give a good answer to. I guess I just find the time somehow. I still go to school fulltime, work, and have a semi-social life (as much as one can have anyway doing as much traveling as I do). Much of my travel is on weekends and holidays, so I never miss class for my hobby.
Somehow it all works out in the end, and I’m pretty damn happy with it.
If anyone would like clarification or has more questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I’m all for openness and sharing my experiences, or else I wouldn’t have started a blog.
Check it out here. No clue what freakbag they’re quoting, although the guy makes a lot of sense to me.;)
I have to get to the gate pretty soon, so I’ll keep this update short.
I had an amazing flight on Air Canada. Ya wanna know something scary? I would take them anyday over Singapore, ANA, Thai, Asiana, Lufthansa, etc.
For one, their food is fantastic in my book. I’m a very simple eater and prefer to stick to chicken/beef/veggies, so AC was perfect. The appetizer was feta cheese and veggies, the main course was beef, and the dessert was ice cream. Before arrival was a great breakfast as well.
The one thing that really sets AC apart is the bed, which is similar to NZ, VS, etc. I slept like a baby for eight hours, and am now extremely well rested. The service was also excellent for the most part. The flight attendants were both nice to look at and friendly for the most part, yet still “real.”
The best part of the flight? Without a doubt the approach. As we were descending (I’d estimate through 20,000 feet), the first officer came to my seat. As he approached I started laughing since I had a clue of what was going on. He said “So, you have a friend that does ATC at Toronto?” We talked for a few minutes and he said “He told us some stories, hopefully they’re not too embarrassing.” He then invited me up to the cockpit after landing and said if he had known earlier he could have shown me the crew rest. So THANKS to Mr. YYZ ATC, and I’d like to know what you told the guys up front. 
Immigration was a breeze at YYZ, and I was shocked not to be questioned about having gone to Indonesia, since I’m usually asked questions when going to places as simple as Germany. Basically everyone in the immigration line around me was coming off a cruise, and I was getting ready to sock someone in the face. We were in line at 7PM (the line was five minutes), and their flights were all at around 8:30PM. I’ve never heard so much concentrated bitching or moaning within five minutes. Almost everyone thought they were going to miss the flight, and was angry that they had to clear US immigration in Canada. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I love not having to clear customs when arriving in the US.
That’s all for now, off to the gate! Thanks again to everyone that has followed along, and my trip report is coming right along…
I know this is old news, but since I’ve been pretty disconnected for the past week other than my daily updates, I figured I’d make a quick post on the subject.
The International Herald Tribune reports:
Frankfurt and Hamburg airports will be the hardest hit on Monday when 52,000 employees of Lufthansa AG go on strike, a union official said Sunday.
All other German airports served by Germany’s biggest airline will also be affected by the massive walkout, Harald Reutter, a Ver.di spokesman, said.
The union, which represents workers of Lufthansa ground crews and service personnel, sought a pay increase of 9.8 percent early this year. The union rejected a Lufthansa offer of 6.7 percent spread through February 2010, plus a one-time bonus payment, and the dispute has not been resolved.
The union and the airline were not in discussions over the weekend.
Ver.di has calculated that the strike will cost Lufthansa €5 million, or $7.8 million, per day, according to Bild newspaper. The strike is scheduled to begin at midnight.
Damn, 52,000, that’s a lot of people! I’m flying Lufthansa next week to Frankfurt and then to Malta, so I’m hoping it’s over by then. Can this really last that long?
This will obviously have a big impact on the operations of other airlines flying into Germany as well. Considering how many airlines contract with LH in one form or another in FRA, this’ll get really messy in my opinion.
I just got to the lounge here in Shanghai after my SIN-PVG flight. I had a semi-”matron” for the first time ever on SQ. She wasn’t rude (actually she was sort of nice), but she had zero facial expressions (and it wasn’t because of botox as far as I could tell), and never said “you’re welcome” or addressed anyone by name. Sadly she was also the lead stewardess. Hard to describe, but she just wasn’t the usual “Singapore Girl.”
I figured the transfer here at PVG would be pretty easy (after all no visa is required for international transit), but sadly it wasn’t. I had to clear customs/immigration, go to the check-in counter, re-enter the secure area, and am now in the lounge, which is actually kind of nice. For a moment I was a bit concerned that I had misinterpreted the visa requirements for transit and was totally screwed, but in the end all was fine. I asked whether or not they had wifi in the lounge, and the agent responded “Not right now, they shut it off during the Olympics.” Is there some “security issue” I’m missing here, or what?
Anyway, I’m quite excited to be trying out Air Canada’s new(ish) Executive First, as it’s my first time, and also to experience the quality ATC at YYZ. I’ll likely sleep most of the flight, but for me that’s the nicest thing about premium cabins on longhaul flights.
My connection in Toronto this evening is somewhat short so I’m hoping everything works out as planned, as I really want to get home at this point.
I’m working hard to upload all the photos and write a report, and promise it’s coming ASAP.
Wow, what a night! As soon as we boarded the DPS-SIN flight we felt as if we were boarding a redeye. Neither of us were totally adjusted to Bali time, so were quite tired by the time the flight rolled around.
Anyway, we had the genius idea of not getting a transit hotel and instead staying in the lounge, as stated above. At first it sounded dreadful, but it turned out to be one of the coolest parts of the trip!
We got to the lounge at 11:15PM and were able to catch up on the world (although AJ was much more connected than I was while gone), which was nice. Surprisingly enough the tired state we were in quickly went away, and we were up at the same time as our counterparts on the east coast of the US.
We had a lot of tea with sugar (a recommendation AJ made) in order to stay awake, and I have to admit it was damn good!
We even had free entertainment in the lounge. The SIN-LHR redeye was cancelled (I believe the A380), and eventually got downgraded to a 747. The passengers were furious like no other, and some of the stuff we heard was bordering on laughable.
At around 3:45AM we decided it was time to enter another country for the trip, so we “visited” Singapore. The airport was totally empty (except for the “guards” walking through the airport with machine guns), and we headed to immigration where we filled out our forms.
While the immigration agent was a bit confused about why we were leaving at 3AM and asked AJ a few questions, the agent I had didn’t say anything. This continues my streak with Singapore immigration. The only question they’ve ever asked me is whether I’d like a piece of candy, which I always decline. Gotta love it!
We got some fresh air and at 4:15AM went to UA check-in so that AJ could get his boarding passes. The T3 check-in setup is very impressive and sleek looking.
We then were able to check out the F lounge (don’t worry, I took plenty of pictures of), which we had entirely to ourselves.
AJ is now on his way to NRT and then ORD, while I just took a shower and am waiting for my flight to Shanghai in a bit.
I’m betting I’ll sleep most of the SIN-PVG flight and then again on PVG-YYZ, but we’ll see. I’m still feeling pretty good considering how long I’ve been up.
Let the travels continue!
Hello once again from the SKL in T3 at SIN! After an amazing weekend in Bali we are now waiting for our morning flights back home. It’s not even midnight and my flight is shortly after 8AM, but it’s a good opportunity to get some work done now and sleep on the plane later.
My carry on bags have gotten pretty big. By that I mean that they must weigh north of 80lbs and be too big to even check (OK, maybe a bit overdone, but you get the poin). Surprisingly enough, I’ve gotten away with it, and at this point I’m doing it for entertainment. I’ve counted three eyerolls from others so far and a couple of comments, and that’s only what my non-observant self has noticed. I think my bags require a new term beyond the “kitchen sink” travelers, and I’m pretty sure my bags are bigger than even the worst FA offenders. I won’t ever do it again, but this time it’s just too much fun. Here’s to hoping I don’t get stopped!
The flight back to SIN was excellent, and our overall experience has been great. While I’m flying to Shanghai, then Toronto, then Chicago (where I’ll be overnighting), and then finally back home, AJ is taking a more direct routing, SIN-NRT-ORD. Since he’s Global Services with UA he could upgrade a business class award to first with systemwide upgrades. While I could get my connecting boarding passes, AJ couldn’t since he’s flying UA. When we got to SIN we tried to look for UA agents since we know we’d have serious problems getting into the lounge without a BP (and I know agents usually refuse to issue them in the evening, but AJ’s a GS in F…. come on!), but instead we ran into the SQ “Duty Manager.” As luck would have it he wrote AJ a lounge pass for the Premier lounge, which was better than nothing. We tried our luck with the SKL, and surprisingly enough they let us both in!
I’m now in the process of trip reporting, uploading pictures, etc. I’m excited to try Air Canada Executive First on the new 77L, and will do my best to get everything posted ASAP.
Thanks for sticking along for the ride!
I’m just so impressed with this hotel that I have to write up another quick post. Like I said a full trip report with pictures is coming, so think of this as the teaser.
I forgot to mention earlier that the Royal Ambassador arrival gift was the best I’ve ever seen. It included a bottle of red wine, a massive box of chocolates in a wooden case (seriously, think huge), some local gift (made of wood, can’t tell what exactly it is), a big bowl of fruit, and a handwritten card from the GM.
The service at this hotel is impeccable. From the cleaning people to the butlers, I haven’t come across a single employee that hasn’t greeted me when walking by with a huge smile. Also, I’m addressed by name from people I don’t think I’ve met, and this place is huge. I’m typing this from the “Inspiration Space,” which I visited earlier. When I walked in the second time I told the lady at the desk my room number, and she said “Of course Mr. Lucky,” without even looking anything up.
There are also lots of extra little amenities that add up. When we were lounging at the pool they brought by ice cold bottles of water as well as a bowl of fruit, and constantly replenished them.
If I’m trying to figure out how to get somewhere, they don’t explain it to me, they say “Allow me to escort you there please.”
Damn impressive, that’s all I can say for now.
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