It’s 2014 and I’m looking forward to another great year of travel. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I wanted to reflect on my top travel moments of 2013.
If you read the blog, you know there’s A LOT of value in rewards travel! And there’s no doubt that I wouldn’t have been able to travel like I did without the help of miles and points earned from rewards credit cards. Here’s what they helped me do…
Chimay & the Champagne Region
On our last trip to Europe, we made a stop in Brussels. From there, we made plans to drive to the Chimay Monestary. Chimay is one of my favorite beers, and it was awesome to see where it was first brewed by the Monks.
After that quick trip, we ended up spending two nights in Northern France in the Champagne Region on our way to Paris. We weren’t expecting much, but this turned out to be a hidden gem for us. It was scenic, secluded, and the education we received on champagne was fascinating.
When we got there, we drove to a random winery, parked our car and walked in. We were greeted by someone who didn’t speak any English, but was very welcoming. She led us through the winery into the tasting room.
Her sister and co-owner came out and fought hard to speak English to us, which was entertaining, because she kept getting frustrated with herself and cursing in French. But she did a great job communicating in spite of the language barrier. We got a champagne education and the most generous tasting I’ve ever received.
It was flowing. And come to find out, we were the only Americans they had seen in over a year. I love that.
After our visit to the first winery, they referred us to their friend’s place across town. No English there. Loved it!
Needless to say, the rest of the day was a blur. But we did see a double rainbow!
Conferences
This may seem weird to have in my top travel moments, but I spent about half of my domestic travel last year going to conferences. This is included in my top 5 since:
I connected with a number of readers and made new friends
Learned by talking with others in the community
Grew the Noob Traveler and Card Watchdog brand
Had an excuse to experience the local cities. Most of them were worth experiencing. Chicago and NYC are hard to complain about!
I hope to spend a little less time going to conferences this year, but I will still definitely attend a few. There are so many choices with Frequent Traveler University, NMX, Chicago Seminars, Tech Pitch Offs, F2B Sessions, and Fin Con, just to name a few.
Singapore Suites – Thailand
One of the Holy Grail flights is Singapore Suites on the A-380. Suite class is beyond First Class, and I was only able to fly it because of a glitch. It’s now more attainable to book premium cabin flights with Singapore through Membership Reward points.
The service was incredible! It’s probably the best service I have received in my life – so good, I almost felt guilty about it. Side note: I’m pretty sure they watched me sleep, which is kind of creepy.
The food in flight was damn good, and I definitely enjoyed the Dom Perignon and Givenchy pjs. The bed was the most comfortable airplane bed I’ve ever slept on.
In addition to flying in a suite on a plane, I had access to the exclusive “Private Room” lounge in Singapore before the flight. Lavish much. You had to walk through the First Class lounge just to get to the Private Room.
It was a blast killing time there.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal & Flights
I flew First Class on Lufthansa’s 747-8i in January and visited the First Class lounge in Munich. It was a part of my treat yo’ self trip report. Only one problem – I was alone. Boring.
Don’t feel too bad for me, though. Later in the year, I was able to secure 4 seats on the same plane for Jordan, me, Luke and his wife. Boom goes the dynamite.
Not only did we have an epic 14 days of traveling, we got the perk of flying home together in an international premium cabin. I think we all know this pic by now.
Beyond the killer time we had during the flight, we had the privilege of being driven to the plane in a Mercedes AND spending time in the First Class Terminal at the Frankfurt airport. Yes, they have a terminal just for departing first class passengers.
A few years ago, I never thought I would be able to travel abroad as easily as I do now, and I definitely had no idea I could travel in style like this and with friends.
I feel truly blessed to have been able to share this experience with my wife and two close friends. It was e p i c.
Trips with Jordan
My top travel moment is actually many moments. All the travel experiences I had with my wife top the list. She’s my travel buddy, and there’s nothing we like to do more than experience a new destination together, or re-visit an old favorite.
We even have a pre-flight ritual: the head butt.
Jordan loves staying at Andaz properties (I have taught her well), so we stayed at a handful of Andaz props this year. They included:
San Diego
W Hollywood
Wall Street
Of course, we stayed at numerous other Hyatt locations and loved most of them too. Most recently, we just got back from the Hyatt Regency in Lake Tahoe. Don’t worry, review coming soon.
But you know there’s always something a little special about Paris and the Park Hyatt Vendome, and we’ve now been there two years in a row. I just love the smell in the hallways. It’s the little things.
In 2013, Jordan and I were able to travel to Dublin, London, Brussels, Paris, the Bahamas, and Cancun. Plus, we crushed it domestically with trips to San Diego, San Francisco, L.A, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, and more. Jordan was even able to fly with a non-profit to Haiti with miles (which kinda sucked, because I wasn’t with her).
All in all, 2013 was a great year of travel!
Again, I feel so blessed to be able to have traveled as much as I did last year. Honestly, there are plenty of people who put my travels to shame, but I’m grateful for the moments I had, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of miles and points. The possibilities are endless with rewards travel.
I hope you’re now motivated to start planning your 2014 travel. I know I am. Bali is already on the books for us.
If you’re looking to get started in this madness, check out my sick deals page for some awesome rewards card offers.
Related posts:
2013: A good year for rewards card offers
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— Noob Master