Vacation Planning Time!

I always plan my vacations early. I usually use my airline miles to book tickets so I usually get them far in advance so I can get the dates and flights that I want. Using miles for travel can be real work but the payoff is great. I like going to southeast Asia which is a $1200 airfare on a good day. I usually pay around $80 in taxes + miles.

I am shopping around for 2 tickets for myself and my girlfriend. I normally spend 2-4 hours total with phone agents to book my tickets at the lowest level for the dates I want. $2400 total airfare / 4 hours = $600 per hour saved. Not bad!

Looks like I will be going to Asia again this year! I am looking at Thailand (parts I have not been too), Malaysia, and Singapore. This will add 2 new countries to the list and will cover the span of a month. I am going in November once again. I am already looking forward to the awesome food and beaches!

I am also going to try out some other airlines. I will have enough miles to book a ticket with Star Alliance. I am going for the Thai Airways Bangkok to Los Angeles direct flight. I want to compare it to stopping in Tokyo or Seoul and see which I prefer. I earned a lot of bonus miles with Continental so it should cost me very little to make this happen!

I also have my 2 day Bahamas cruise at the end of this month. I have never been on a cruise before so I can check that off my list. I figure a 2 day cruise that cost $80 per person is a good way to try out the whole cruise thing! The 2 of us are flying down to Palm Beach, FL and taking the cruise for under $500 all in. Extras: cab from airport to docks, drinks on the ship, the day on the island. I can't wait!