How 2 Go There: Albania

Welcome to the very first entry into the How 2 Go There country-by-country guide!

The first country on the list: Albania!

While Albania is not the first country alphabetically in the world, Afghanistan is not a recommended place to travel at the moment or foreseeable future. So, Albania is first up.

In terms of organization, first I’ll cover some flight options (from the United States). Then I’ll let you know the footprint of the major hotel chains (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Accor). Finally, when the best times to visit are and what to see.

Flights:

From the United States, there are no direct flights to Albania, so you will be connecting somewhere in Europe. British Airways, Lufthansa, and Austrian airlines are the main carriers flying into the capital city of Tirana. British Airways is a Oneworld alliance member, so you can use Avios or American Airlines miles to book a flight through London to Tirana. However, there are significant surcharges on award bookings (over $1,000) for business/first class seats. Economy and Premium economy awards through London will run about $200-$300 in each direction in charges (this is in addition to the miles used).

Lufthansa and Austrian are both Star Alliance members, which means economy and business tickets can be booked using United miles, Avianca Lifemiles, Aeroplan (Air Canada), and other Star Alliance partners with significantly less fuel surcharges than what British Airways charges.

For Delta or Skyteam folks, there are very few options. Neither Air France nor KLM fly from a hub to Albania, so you’ll have at least 2 connections to get there. Based on timings, going via British Airways or Lufthansa are the best bets.

In terms of cash prices, there is wide range depending on the month. For April or early May, right now out of the DC area, tickets round trip in economy are below $600. In the more popular summer months, prices double to around $1200 round trip. Premium economy is $2300+ and business is $4,600+, which are some of the more expensive tickets for flying from the US to Europe. Prices looked about the same out of NYC and LAX as well. ITA Airlines shows up, but operationally I’ve not read great things. They used to be Alitalia (national Airline of Italy), went bankrupt, and rebranded. Lufthansa recently purchased a majority stake in them I believe so they should be part of the Star Alliance network soon. Hopefully that will improve the operations side of things for them as other reviewers have enjoyed their in-flight experiences with them.

Fun aside, if you are flying out of the New York City area, you can hop on the Emirates fifth-freedom flight from Newark to Athens, then take Aegean to Tirana. Fifth-freedom is a term for when an airline flies between two countries unrelated to its hub (Dubai in this case for Emirates). Another fun fifth-freedom route unrelated to Albania is on KLM from Singapore to Bali, or from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile. Emirates has a few others as well like from Christchurch, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia (which is also one of the least expensive ways to experience Emirates First Class).

For using miles, American is going to charge 30k plus $285.60 for economy, 40k plus $285.60 in premium economy, and 57.5 plus $785.60 in business flying through London on partner British Airways (on a random day next May from DC). United will charge 43.9k plus $24.70 for economy and 88k plus $54.60 for business. Premium economy awards were pricing out twice the business rate using United. However, availability is very spotty for using United miles.

Benefit is, if you find availability on the United website, you could use Avianca Lifemiles or Aeroplan miles to book, which are transferable from major credit card point currencies. You could also purchase points from Avianca or Aeroplan where they both have regular mile purchase sales/promotions/bonuses. For Lufthansa, they release award space pretty close to the travel dates for partners (like United, Aviana, or Aeroplan), so if you are willing to wait until the last minute to book a business or first class flight, you could go that route flying Lufthansa.

Hotels:

There are no Hyatt or IHG properties in Albania. There is one Marriott property in Tirana, and it is well reviewed. The cost will run depending on the season but a random day in May was about $170 per night or about 18,000 Bonvoy (Marriott) points per night. For Hilton, there is also only one property in the entire country and also in Tirana (a well reviewed Hilton Garden Inn running about $100 per night or 27k Hilton points per night). Accor says there is a Movenpick hotel in Albania, but I couldn’t find any availability in the next 10 months, so it may be closed.

Most hotel options in Albania would be independent hotels. Your best bet is to search a particular town/city you are interested in staying, check the Google and TripAdvisor reviews, and book through an OTA like Expedia, Orbitz or if you want to convert your credit card points (like Chase or Amex), you can use their travel websites. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, each ultimate reward point is worth 1.5 cents on their travel portal (10,000 chase points=$150 towards a hotel).

When and What should you see:

Weather-wise, May through October are the best months to visit Albania. Interior Albania is rugged in places with scenic parks, but there are historical sites with ancient Greek and Roman ruins (Butrint Archaeological park) closer to the coast, to more recent structures of the Ottoman Empire. There are beaches as well that are a fraction of the cost of Italy or Greece. Tirana is more centrally located in Albania, so it is a 4+ hour drive from the main airport to the coast. Other travel sites recommend flying into Corfu, Greece and taking a ferry to what are considered the best beaches of the Southern Albanian coast (which will also put you closer to Butrint). The less expensive months would be early May to September/October in terms of hotel and flight costs. Once you are there, everyday meals and drinks look affordable.

Safety-wise, the US State Department lists Albania as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution as of July 26, 2023 due to crime in more remote regions.

Summary:

First country on the board! Albania seems like a cool and affordable European destination, especially in comparison to other Adriatic and Mediterranean destinations. Based on the geography and financially, it would seem combining Albania with a Greece trip would make sense. Time permitting, Albania would also be a solid stop on a tour of the region if you were interested in Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Greece.

Hope you enjoyed How 2 Go There: Albania!

Flight deal to Athens

It’s the weekend! According to AARP, Sunday is the best day for buying an airline ticket. So…here’s a flight deal in business class from Washington DC (IAD) to Athens, Greece. Flights are as low as $2,367 per person roundtrip on British Airways/American/Iberia.

Even better if you are an AARP member and booked directly through the AARP travel link with British Airways, you’ll save $200 per ticket. Even even better, if you have a Chase Visa card, use the promo code CHASEBA10 on the British airways booking site and save 10% off the total cost!! That will bring each ticket under $2000. For business class cash tickets to Europe, this is about as good as it gets.

Eligible dates start in September, so check Google Flights to see what dates work for you and how it prices out. Be aware some resorts in the Greek Isles close starting in the Fall until late Spring, so keep that in mind.

This isn’t as official sale, so it could end today, tomorrow or in a month. If you take advantage of the deal, enjoy!

How 2 Go There: A Country by Country Guide

One thing I’ve done over the past 10+ years is research how to go to a lot of different countries. Some of that research has led to trips to those places, but most times I move on to a different search. However, why let those minutes (hours?) be for naught?

Soon, I plan to start a post about every week or so, time permitting, explaining the different ways to visit a specific country. For example, on the home page right now is kind of a test of that plan: Maldives. I’ll likely expand that entry into a first official “How 2 Go There” advice post here on the blog.

My goal is to show someone who didn’t think there was any chance they could afford to travel to a country or place like the Maldives, they may be surprised at the options available to them. If I’ve been to a country, I’ll outline how I went there beyond what you can scrounge up on the internet. Of course, I will do lots of scrounging and I have years of practice gathering relevant information on travel to different parts of the world.

So gear up, I hope you bought some new suitcases or travel bags on Prime Day(s), and prepare to be excited or at least pleasantly intrigued for the posts to come.

Reimagining The Site

After more than a year, I’ve decided to reimagine How 2 Go There. I think given my schedule and demand for more of a travel advice column than a consultation service, I’m going to move from a service business to a travel industry review site.

I will mainly post here on the blog portion of the website and on the Facebook business page. Whether I expand to instagram depends on the response to these updates and I’m not even sure what Threads is. Pretty much, if spot a deal on flights, a great credit/travel card sign up bonus, or anything else I think is worthwhile related to travel, I’ll post it. Further, I’ll give general advice posts, my thoughts on different airlines or hotel groups, and reviews of my travels.

Anyone that has met me probably knows I bring up my love of travel within 15 minutes, maybe even sooner if the other person says something first. It brings me joy to talk about where I have been, what I saw, and encourage others to travel as well. Over time, with family and work, I’m more concerned about time over cost when planning, so direct flight sales are something I will certainly highlight. Always good to save on travel too, as that means more for regular expenses and savings for retirement/tuition/etc.

If I post anything regarding credit/charge cards, I will heavily caveat the post that you should always maintain your current spending habits. Don’t spend more money because you get a new card! Americans have nearly $1 Trillion in credit card debt. Travel is not worth jeopardizing your financial future.

In sum, I’m retooling How 2 Go There to be more of a travel blog than a consultation service. I look forward to sharing what I know with everyone!

How 2 plan a trip

Over the years I have planned out numerous trips for myself and my family. I’ve put together itineraries using an assortment of booking websites. Sometimes I booked directly with a hotel, airline, or rental agency, and other times I used third party websites like Expedia or Booking.com. I’ve also stayed at Airbnbs around the world from Reykjavik, Sydney, to Hawaii and more local destinations.

More recently I’ve booked directly more often than using third party sites. I have done so because for hotels, we’ve earned points that way, which you only typically earn when you book directly through them. If you book through Expedia, you will not earn loyalty points with that hotel chain (like Hilton or Hyatt). Through a variety of means, I’ve had mid-level status with Marriott, Hyatt, and top level status with IHG in the past few years. Further, through promotions, I’ve also held status with American Airlines. This certainly, in these times of seat selection fees even in business class, has helped save money on flights. Hotel statuses have netted room upgrades even when they were not an advertised benefit.

So what does that mean for planning a trip? I like to come up with three different options of well-reviewed hotels. Typically I’ll link to the TripAdvisor reviews just to get a general overview of the hotel. I’ll look at Google reviews as well and the reviews any travel/points blogger may have written as well. I’ll price out a “luxury” option, a “mid-range” option, and a “budget” option. I would consider each option a solid place.

For airfare, I generally search Google Flights first. My family has some flexibility, but dates are usually pretty concrete on when and for long we can travel. In Google Flights you can set price alerts for the dates and place(s) you want to fly to. Therefore, if there is a price drop, you’ll get an email about it. If local, I’ll also take a look at what Southwest is charging, especially as a family their 2 free checked bags per person benefit is helpful.

Airfare is a bit simpler, the luxury option is business (or first class domestically), mid-range is premium economy, and budget is economy. Super luxury is international first class, but there are only a couple airlines that still even offer that option. Sometimes, like with Qatar and British Airways, the first class seats might not be even as good as the business class seats. A Google search is your friend when it comes to reviews of different airline seats. Like Emirates, the A380 has an excellent business class, but they mainly fly Boeing 777s that have a completely different, and less-liked, seat. Before spending a bundle, do your research on business class flights.

Rental cars I typically use a third party site like Expedia or Orbitz. I haven’t found an advantage to booking direct and I rarely rent a car, so loyalty benefits are not much use to me. Even so, premium credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum offer rental car statuses as a cardholder benefit (other cards as well). These might get you a one-car type upgrade, but really won’t save you much I’ve found.

In sum, you should give yourself some options when planning a trip. Especially if you are traveling with family, you can run the costs of each option by them to see who is comfortable with what price point. Come up with a budget and remember some of these costs are pre-paid (like airfare) and others you may pay at check-out (hotels) or at car pickup. Some costs are spread out, but that also means you need to make sure you can afford the trip when you take it.

Enjoy your travel planning.

How 2 Lounge?

Nearly every airport have lounges for flyers to hang out in prior to a flight, but how do you get in them and enjoy those perks?

Well, it isn’t nearly as restricted to the upper crust of society as one might think or in days past. Today, there are many options that can get you past that check-in desk. So many options in fact, lounges are suffering from overcrowding issues! If you see a line to get in to a lounge, you may be better off finding a restaurant or open gate area to hang out at instead.

First, if you are flying internationally, you will nearly always get lounge access with a business or first class ticket. When you are spending the big bucks or a large number of frequent flyer miles, you kind of expect some freebies at the airport. However, many airlines are now “unbundling” business class tickets and removing lounge access (looking at you Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, and even Air France/KLM now!). On the other side, some airlines offer lounge access with a premium economy ticket like SAS, JAL and ANA. Just check the information on an airlines website when purchasing a ticket. At Dulles, my wife and I were at the Air France lounge prior to an Emirates flight, and several customers were surprised to find their business class tickets did not include lounge access.

Another option is to have a credit card that grants lounge access. These are typically premium cards like the AMEX Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Capital One Venture X card. All three (and several other premium cards) offer Priory Pass lounge access. This is an international lounge network typically found in most larger airports as well as some unexpected smaller airports (like Charleston SC!). As a note, the Sapphire Reserve priority pass members also get money towards certain restaurants at select airports, which has been pretty awesome for my family at Dulles, Heathrow (T5), and JFK. AMEX Platinum also grants access to Centurian lounges and if flying delta, Delta Skyclubs. However, both of those lounge options have been very crowded as of late based on internet posts.

A third option is that some lounges allow you to buy your way in for a flat fee. I’ve seen anywhere from $15 to over $200. Usually you can only do this 3 hours or less before your departure time. You could also buy a yearly membership for American Airlines admiral clubs, United Clubs or Delta Skyclubs, or get an airline credit card that provides that membership as a perk (typically those credit cards have a $450+ annual fee).

A final option is by having elite status with an airline. At certain frequent flyer levels, you will get lounge access as a perk (with some restrictions, looking at you Delta!). Say if you have the second level of American Airlines frequent flyer status (Platinum), you get their global alliance (OneWorld) status of sapphire. This status will get you into partner business class lounges around the world (with some exceptions).

So, if you see folks in the lounge enjoying some relative peace and quiet, there might have been a number of different ways of getting in and perhaps not as expensive or as difficult as you might think.

Japan reopening (with few restrictions)

Japan is an amazing country. The travel restrictions through the pandemic have been very tough there even after some easing. However, starting October 11th, Japan is essentially open for US tourists with few restrictions (depends on vaccination status).

It is expensive to fly to Japan right now or in the next 9 months. Look for saver fares on United or American to fly economy for 70k round trip potentially. Virgin Atlantic miles are good for booking on ANA but award availability is very sparse right now.

Hopefully with the opening up, flight frequencies will increase and deals will pop up.

Deal: Business Class to Germany for under $2k

Interested in a December trip to the Christmas markets in Germany? I’d love to go some time but here’s your chance to go in comfort!

TAP Portugal has a flight sale from DC to Frankfurt for under $2000 round trip in business class. There is a connection in Lisbon so you have a flat bed seat from Dulles to there and then regular seating from Lisbon to Frankfurt.

TAP has a stop over program so you could play around on their website to see if that works for you to spend a few nights in Lisbon on the way there or back. TAP’s website isn’t great, so just a heads up.

Here’s a google flight link as an example for dates and price: HERE

Positioning, what does it mean?

Positioning doesn’t mean adjusting your seat so your back doesn’t hurt on a long flight or drive. Although, it can mean that too. Here, I’m talking about positioning yourself in a different city for a flight deal. If you only look at your airport closest to you, you may be missing out!

For example, there is a great flight deal out of Montreal to Lisbon. The airports closest to you are in or around Washington, D.C. If you are checking google flights, Expedia, or the airline websites, the great deal from Montreal to Lisbon won’t pop up. That flight might be $3,500 roundtrip in business class, but flying from Montreal to Lisbon is $1200. What you would do is book a separate round trip flight from D.C. to Montreal either in economy or domestic first/business. That might cost anywhere between $200 and $800 depending on the class of service you book. Either way, at a maximum, your trip is running $2,000 roundtrip and saving you $1,500!

This is the benefit of positioning. This works as well with award flights where space might not be available from D.C., but Chicago and NYC could have wide open award space to use your airline miles. Those searches on United or American might come up empty from D.C., but switch the city, and the awards at the lowest costs pop up. You will still have to cover the cost of the flight from D.C. to the other city, but mix in a Southwest Flight or a basic economy flight to save money/points, and you still get that trip at reduced cost.

So, in sum, positioning can certainly help save you points, miles, and cash. You just have to be on the lookout for flights outside of your home airport.

Southwest Airlines, lots of pros for family travel

When I was growing up, I dreaded flying on Southwest Airlines. Why? Well, things were a bit different back in the 90s and early 00s flying Southwest. It was by far the cheapest tickets out there, at least out on the west coast. You got a ticket, but then you had to stand in line to get another ticket. First come, first serve so that meant getting to the airport early. Then standing in line, then standing in line again at the gate. It was no fun, especially as a kid. That is probably the root of my mild travel anxiety. Of course, benefits of lounge access with premium credit cards is that even if you get to the airport early, there is a place to relax and grab a drink.

Anyways, I had no desire to fly Southwest as an adult with those memories. However, times change and so has Southwest. It still has open seating, but with online check in, the cattle calls of the past have evolved into orderly A/B/C 1-60 boarding groups. It works, and it works well. Families within children under 5 (I think) board between A and B groups. Traveling with our toddler, this has been extremely helpful when we miss that 24 hour check-in window and don’t do early bird.

Added benefit, two free check bags per ticket! My wife and I hardly checked bags domestically before our son was born. Now, we check at least one bag, if not two to three. Southwest also has more legroom than economy on other airlines and, as a family, you are almost guaranteed to sit together.

And as of today, travel credits no longer expire. Before, if you had to cancel a flight, you could do so at no charge but you had 12 months from the date you booked the ticket (not the date of the flight) to use the credit. Still better than the other US airlines (or really any airline worldwide), the credits now don’t expire. That means if a family situation comes up, a kiddo gets a bit of a cold, or you just need to postpone a trip, you can use those flight credits anytime in the future. I wish this was around the past year or so, but, hey, it’s here now and I’m thankful.

It also helps that my family lives near a Southwest hub, so we can pretty much fly anywhere in the country (outside of connecting in California to fly to Hawaii) and the Caribbean directly.

Southwest isn’t quite the budget carrier it was 20 or 30 years ago. Typically, I’ve found them more expensive than Spirit or Frontier, and even the Big 3 (American, Delta and United). However, those checked bags and travel flexibility end up tipping the scale to Southwest for my family.

However, Southwest Airlines does not have power outlets. It has solid WIFI in my experience, but the seat comfort isn’t great for flights over 2 hours. Meals are chips and snack mix, even on a 5 hour flight, so bring your own food/snacks. Also, flights tend to be sold to capacity, so don’t expect open seats very often next to or within a few rows of you.

In sum, if you are traveling as a family domestically or to the Caribbean/Mexico, Southwest has just gotten a bit better for you.

Flexibility

A post about flexibility. Not in physical terms, but more in terms of your schedule. One of the keys to getting a great deal on, say, a business class international flight, is flexibility in your schedule.

A great deal pops up, but it is only from November through March, but not traditional holidays. Well, if you have school age, or even daycare age kiddos, you probably won’t be able to take more than a weekend or a few additional days off. Your flexibility will be during winter, spring, or summer breaks. Unfortunately, airlines and hotels know this, so pricing will likely be higher.

However, that doesn’t mean there is no deal out there for folks traveling with family. You may need to plan a trip, but not know exactly your flights details until a week or even a few days before. Why!? Some airlines like Emirates and Lufthansa don’t open up award seat availability until then and you’ll be looking for 3+ seats without splitting up the family. You don’t want to be in that story of the parents in business and the kiddos in economy.

If you are single, married, or you have someone to watch your kids, then you’ll have lots of options. Travel during off-season or shoulder season (like Spring or Fall in Europe) to score more award availability or lower flight/hotel prices. This applies just as much to domestic travel, if not more so with so many traveling during the usual school breaks. You don’t want to be paying $600 a night for Hampton Inn in the middle of Delaware (not even near a beach) when that same money could get you two nights at a Park Hyatt.

So, schedule flexibility and, in cases, waiting out a deal (obviously not without risk of potentially not having a flight) can help you travel business class with the entire family without breaking the bank.

Sign-up Credit Card Bonuses

I’ve found the best way to build up a bank of credit card points, hotel points, or airlines miles are through credit/charge card sign-up bonuses. By far, it is the fastest and simplest method to obtain the points/miles necessary to book a dream trip.

There are promotions every month for the vast number of credit/charge cards out there. Typically they’ll be anywhere from spending $500 in the first three months of having a card, all the way up to $10,000+ in spending in six months. Business credit cards typically will have even higher spending requirements to meet the bonus requirements.

For example, if Chase bank advertises that you’ll get 100,000 points as a sign-up bonus for a credit card, you would have to spend the required amount (say $5,000) in the first three months of having the card. These bonuses typically do not post right away and the terms and conditions will say like 6-8 weeks. I’ve found they post much sooner, but there is potential for delays. Further, you have to make sure you meet the spending requirements and not have any refunds that could take you below that spending threshold. I would read ALL of the terms and conditions with a card sign-up so you aren’t spending above your means to meet a sign-up bonus or you fall short and miss out on the bonus.

I have been able to plan and book vacations to Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia based on points earned through sign-up bonuses while maintaining less than five credit cards. Another added strategy is that if you are married, or have other adult family members in your household, you can combine points with certain issuers (like Chase). Even better, after the first person opens a card, they can refer that card to others and get additional points as a reward (for example, Marriott cards with Chase offer 40,000 points per referral up to 200,000 points per year as of now). You can see how a household can build up a large amount of points with this strategy.

Again, you have to live within your means. If you have a big purchase you know is coming up, such as moving expenses, buying furniture, putting in a fence, etc., then applying for a credit card beforehand and using that card for the purchase is an express way to meet that spending bonus requirement. No vacation is worth going into debt for, so only open a card if you have the budget to pay for your purchases at the end of the month. Always pay off your card. Credit card companies rely on folks not paying as a source of revenue. A disciplined financial strategy is incredibly important.

There is also the 5/24 rule, meaning you cannot open more than 5 cards w/in a 24 month period, which is applicable for most personal credit cards. I haven’t run into this problem, but there are many in the point collection/enthusiast community that have many more cards than I have that run into this rule preventing them from opening new cards. Further, you need a good to excellent credit score for many of the cards that have big sign up bonuses. Be aware that sometimes credit card issuers will reject an application without any reason whatsoever.

In sum, everyday spending on groceries, gas, and other purchases will slowly build your point and miles collection, but the signup bonuses are where the lump sum of points are found. Referral bonuses are also another way to build up a point balance, but be aware that the IRS is now taxing referral bonuses. Thankfully, they haven’t started taxing sign-up bonuses yet.

My Thoughts on Credit Cards

What’s in your wallet? Remember that commercial with Jennifer Garner and Samuel L. Jackson. Well, it makes a difference when it comes to vacation planning. You could be using a debit card when you could have been earning 1.5%, 2%, 3%, 5% or even 10% back in cash or better, points!

The credit card ecosystems revolve around several companies/banks. I stick with Chase, but others have cards with all the big issuers including AMEX, Capital One, and Citi. There are a few others out there, but they are more niche (if rent/lease your apartment/house, there is a specific credit card you can use to maximize returns).

Remember, credit cards or in the case of AMEX, charge cards, either must be paid in full at the end of the month (a charge card) or you really should be paying in full every month to avoid APR charges (a credit card). Credit cards are a quick path to debt. Always spend within your budget and if you haven’t already, create a monthly budget for yourself. Figure out where you spend your money per month (groceries, gas, rent/utilities, cell phone bill, restaurants, travel, etc.). Some of those expenses will typically come from electronic checks or directly from your bank account, or have a fee to use a credit card.

Once you have a monthly budget, certain cards have great returns on specific categories. Some cards provide 3% points/cash back on grocery purchases or gas stations. Others provide 5% on airline tickets or even restaurants. There are also cards that just provide 1.5% back on all purchases, or even 2% back on all purchases (such as Citi Double Cash card or Capital One’s Venture X).

I’m not going to dive into what card is right for what purchases, because there are a ton of blogs or websites out there that do that very thing, and have apps you can download for that purpose. They make money on credit card/charge card referrals, so they certainly will push having like 8+ cards in your wallet. Most folks really don’t want that many different cards to balance and think about.

If you are thinking of applying for a credit/charge card, do your research. Google is your friend. Nerdwallet and other websites have in depth reviews of these cards and what kind of Credit Score you need to be accepted. Chase will even provide you a review of your credit score at any time.

I keep it simple myself. I know I could be maximizing my point totals, but it would require far more time than I am willing to spend. Only open cards you can pay with your income. Create a budget. Figure out where you spend your money. Do your research. Collect some points and miles.

How 2 Go There, Day 0

My wife started a business and suggested I turn a passion of my own into a little something. Well, my little something is How 2 Go There.com. I’m very excited to get this show on the road and start on some travel advising. I’ll keep looking out for deals for myself as well if I can convince my family to dive in with me.

I designed this page more as a link to contact me, but I wanted to have a blog side to this website as well. Here I’ll post anything I find of interest in the travel world such as a great airfare deal, transfer bonuses from credit card point eco-systems such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or AMEX, or the like.

I hope everyone enjoys this website as it matures from this little start-up to whatever it may become over the days, months, and hopefully years!

Premium Economy to Europe Deal!

Right off the bat, a great flight deal on SAS from the U.S. to Europe in premium economy. Prices are under $800 for a lot of destinations such as Copenhagen (non-stop!), Paris, London, and elsewhere. Since it is SAS, you’ll connect in Copenhagen, but transfers in my experience were not too bad and there are a few Priority Pass access lounges in the airport as well.

Google Flights is a great place to play around with destinations and dates. It looks like they have to start in SAS U.S. gateways such as Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) or Washington Dulles (IAD) beginning in September 2022. Here is a link to the Flyertalk discussion about the deal and requirements.

SAS premium economy is typically 2-3-2 in terms of seat layout or 2-2 if in the A320neo (narrow body plane) out of IAD. You’ll get lounge access in Copenhagen (CPH) and select U.S. gateways (not IAD from my experience).

Reach out to me if you’d like me to tailor a specific itinerary.