This is my first-ever trip report, so go easy! I've read dozens of trip reports and could only dream of ever being as good of a TR writer as SFO777, but it was these reports that inspired this absolutely epic, yet insane winter break trip. I feel that after having gotten so much help from the FT community, that the least I could do is contribute my own trip report. As it was my absolute first time ever sitting up front, I was trying to be as discreet as possible when it came to picture taking (that meant I didn't break out the SLR, and happily used my iPhone 5S.)
Background:
I have been a casual reader of FlyerTalk for the last few years. I have flown coach for most of my life, but have been lucky enough to fly CX J on 2 YYZ-HKG roundtrips with the help of some generous relatives.
I've amassed more than 500,000 Aeroplan miles sitting in my account through numerous credit card offers and my previous line of work, and was always hoping to use them on business or first class travel. For a good while, I was always frustrated how the search engine was giving me nothing but mixed business/coach awards that only had the short-haul segment in business. I gave up, and kept happily travelling coach.
While backpacking in the Middle East in July before I commenced my MBA, I turned to FlyerTalk again and to my delight, I saw the kinds of crazy things people were doing with their Aeroplan miles and booking these so called "Mini-RTWs." I figured the first semester would be a hectic scramble, so what better way than to spoil myself with a sunny vacation and comfortable travel? Plus, Aeroplan miles were going to be peso'd come January 1, 2014.
I'd always wanted to go to Bangkok and Bali, and settled on these two destinations. I plugged in those two destinations and got a very good looking itinerary on AC, BR, SQ and TG J. I booked it, and I was happily on my merry way.
It's not over:
I would develop a FlyerTalk addiction as I kept on reading the Trip Reports section. I was in awe that airlines were actually serving Dom and caviar on their flights, and I wanted a piece of that too. After countless hours of research and distraction from school work, I would eventually change to a First Class award.
As the months went by, my ticket kept getting crazier and crazier. I started my ticket from JFK just so I could have the new ANA First Square product, whereas routing through ORD in the old First would have let me start directly from Toronto due to the mileage rules. I also did a zig-zag routing from Japan to Korea and back just so I could get OZ F, OZ J and the TG A380 F all on one ticket. The even crazier thing I did (and wouldn't do again) is make CGK my final destination even though I was actually going to DPS (Bali) just so I could say I've flown Singapore Airlines in First Class and get to use the Private Room. That meant having to buy a LCC flight AND layover in CGK both ways, which I would regret later on.
I was also so fixated on trying out the Lufthansa seat and bed on the 747 and the First Class Terminal that I accepted almost 24 hours of straight travel, as opposed to flying NRT-ICN-JFK on Asiana in their new Suites which would have cut my travel time by 10 hours.
In the end, I changed my ticket a staggering 6 times (and paid dearly to do so) as seats opened up and I kept finding better routings (as in getting to experience more F/J products.) Eventually, I spent $1,500 more than I was planning to just on the tax/change fee component of the trip alone.
I take comfort in the fact that I booked at a minimum, more than $25,000 worth of flights.
The itinerary:
With Aeroplan mini-RTWs, the blessing (or maybe curse in retrospect) is you can book as many connections less than 24 hours as you wish in between segments. I had Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong as my actual stopovers, with very long layovers in Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Taipei and Singapore.
Flights:
JFK-NRT (ANA First Square on the 777-300)
NRT-ICN (Asiana First on the 747)
ICN-KIX (Asiana Quadra Smartium Business on the 777-200)
KIX-BKK (Thai First on the A380)
BKK-SIN (Singapore Business recliners on the 777-200)
SIN-CGK (Singapore First recliners on the 777-200)
CGK-SIN (Singapore First retrofitted on the 777-300)
SIN-HKG (Singapore Business retrofitted long-haul on the 777-200)
HKG-TPE (EVA Business recliners on the A320)
TSA-HND (EVA Business angle-flat Hello Kitty theme on the A330)
NRT-FRA (Lufthansa First seat and bed combo on the 747-400)
FRA-JFK (Lufthansa First seat and bed combo on the 747-400)
I also added the following positioning flights using Avios points:
YYZ-JFK (American Airlines CR7 Economy)
LGA-YYZ (American Airlines CR7 Economy)
As well as the following LCC flights within Asia:
DMK-CNX (Nok Air A320)
CNX-DMK (Air Asia Thailand A320)
CGK-DPS (Mandala Tigerair A320)
DPS-BDO (Air Asia Indonesia A320)
That makes for 18 flight segments in 32 days, 28,323 miles and some 69 hours (a whopping 10% of my entire trip) travelled in the air. As one of my buddies remarked: "Enjoy your airport tour."
Completed Sections:
A sleep-deprived start in Toronto and New York (AA3517 YYZ-JFK AA Y)
"Did you just say I can have a seat AND a bed?" (NH1009 JFK-NRT ANA First Square)
Being a night owl in Tokyo and a failed trip to Tsukiji
Loungehopping at NRT (ANA Suite Lounge and United GlobalFirst)
"Asiana's Kaiseki is better than ANA? Impossible!" (OZ101 NRT-ICN 744 First Class)
A one-night stand in Seoul and the ICN Asiana Business Lounge
"Sir, why are you entering Japan again?" (OZ112 ICN-KIX Quadra Smartium Business)
"You speak very good English!" (A one-day walk around Osaka)
"Bigger is better!" (TG623 KIX-BKK A380 First Class and the KIX Royal Orchid Lounge)
"Sorry, but the Grand Palace is closed": Shenanigans in Bangkok
R&R in Chiang Mai (LCC flights on Nok Air and Air Asia)
Loungehopping at BKK (Thai Royal Silk C/D and SQ SilverKris Lounges)
"Singapore Slings taste like cough syrup!" (SQ966 BKK-SIN Business Class)
Christmas Eve in Singapore and a fake snow party on Orchard Road
First Christmas dinner away from home in The Private Room
"Singapore Girl: Shhh, don't mention these are old seats" (SQ966 SIN-CGK First Class)
Boxing Day and New Year's Hangover in Bali and the Gilis (Tigerair and Air Asia)
"This seat has too much space!" (SQ957 CGK-SIN First Class)
"This seat is also too wide!" (SQ890 SIN-HKG Business Class)
Sections to come:
A family visit and indulgent time in Hong Kong (Lunch at 2* Tin Lung Heen @ the Ritz Carlton and 3* L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon @ The Landmark)
"Why does this seat not recline?" (BR828 HKG-TPE Business Class and the Virgin Clubhouse Lounge)
"Hello Kitty!" (BR192 TSA-HND EVA Premium Laurel Class and the VIP Lounge)
Konnichiwa Tokyo! (Dinner at 3* Sushi Yoshitake)
"Du kannst sehr gut Deutsch, Herr tng11" (LH711 NRT-FRA First Class)
"Can I get a rubber ducky? I'm lonely!" (Lufthansa First Class Terminal)
"I'm too tired to drink, sorry" (LH404 FRA-JFK First Class)
Mmmm... pastrami and bagels (New York stopover, with lunch at both Katz's and Russ and Daughters)
"Aww, I have to fly coach?" (AA3683 LGA-YYZ Economy)
Summary and Final Thoughts