How fast did 2019 fly by? Not nearly as fast as December. In three short weeks we’ll be making New Year’s resolutions we’ll forget about and settle into the boredom of January. Hopefully, we can all liven things up with some fun travel plans.
January 2020
In January, I’m going to Turkey with my parents. Istanbul is my favorite city and I’ve only ever visited in the summer. Citi is offering a 25% bonus for ThankYou point transfers to Lifemiles, so I was able to save quite a bit on this trip.
Summer 2020
Last summer, my family flew to Turkey from all over the world for my cousin’s wedding. Ever since then, they keep saying we need another reunion. At this point, people keep asking me when this thing is happening and I have no clue.
I suggested some of them make their travel plans this summer and we’d plan ours accordingly. I just don’t want to be responsible for coordinating anything.
So I’m leaving it up in the air and hoping my cousin in Germany makes the first move, which will set off a domino effect and the rest will follow. Most likely, this trip will happen in July at a resort town in Turkey.
I have enough points to fly everyone there in economy class, but I’m going to do some more manufactured spending in the coming months to see if I can bump as many of us up to business class as possible.
December 2020
My family’s Umrah trip from 2016 gets talked about constantly, so I think it’s time for a repeat. Since I’ve mentioned this, at least one cousin stateside and one in Australia have expressed interest in coming along. It’s more fun with a large group anyway, so I hope we can make this work.
Last time I booked an Umrah trip on points, we flew Etihad business class all the way to Jeddah, booked a Qatar Airways flight from Medina to Dubai and then flew Etihad back to San Francisco from Abu Dhabi.
Things have changed since 2019, mostly for the good.
Positive changes
For starters, an Umrah visa can now be obtained online. Getting them without a travel agent who is also booking your flight and hotel was challenging and expensive. This time, that won’t be as much of an issue.
Another hurdle that’s been removed? The Saudi government no longer imposes a $500 penalty for those taking more than one Umrah trip every five years. That fee would have added up to $2,500 for my family, so I’m glad that’s not a problem anymore.
In 2016, taking a bus was the most efficient way to get from Mecca to Medina. Now, there is a high-speed train that travels directly between the two cities in just 3 hours. This is much more preferable to flying, which would require driving in the opposite direction of Medina and all the time-consuming fun stuff involved in air travel.
Negative changes
The biggest challenge is how we’ll get there. Last time, AAdvantage miles were super easy to earn via the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card but now Citi has imposed a 48-mont rule on these sign-up bonuses.
Etihad doesn’t fly out of San Francisco anymore, so we’ll likely have to transit through LAX or IAD. I’m not a fan of connecting flights when traveling with kids, so I’m aiming for an alternative.
Emirates partners with Alaska but those flights cost 82,500 miles each way in business class. One of the cheapest wayS to get to the Middle East on points is using ANA miles, which requires just 104,000 in business class. If I pick up an Amex Blue Business Plus Card, I can earn 100,000 points after just $50,000 worth of spending.
It’s all a matter of working out the logistics, but regardless, I’ll need around a million points and miles for this trip. Last time business class award space for all eight of us opened up during a very busy period and we were able to make the trip. Maybe we’ll get lucky again.
Final thoughts
People plan, God laughs but it’s always nice to have something to work towards. These are the main three trips I’m planning to take in 2020. I’m sure a trip to New York will happen and I’d love to catch up with fellow points and miles folks at the Chicago Seminars next year.
And it’s not a sure thing, but I will probably make another trip to Unionville to celebrate at the Gilmore Girls Fan Festival for the show’s 20th anniversary.
Regardless of how things go, I plan on earning a lot of flexible rewards currencies speculatively. Because you never know when you need to take a last-minute trip to escape the monotony of daily life, visit family, or attend a weird festival.
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