Plans for 2011
 

Happy New Year!

What's everyone's travel plans for 2011?

I'm looking forward to Hawaii in February, and possibly Cancun in the latter half of the year. Other than that, I'm hoping to have to travel for work much more!

Also, who are you planning on spending your time pursuing rewards with?

I'm currently using Southwest for air and Priority Club for hotels.

I have no idea :)

I know January will see me going from RDU to DFW for a week, and in May, RDU to Budapest and Budapest to Zurich...

Somewhere in between there I am pretty sure there's a trip to Boston and a trip to Taipei.

Then there'll be another international trip in July or so, a domestic in October or early November, at least one trip to London this fall, possibly a second to Taipei in August... and from there, who knows.

This year I did two mileage runs, one from RDU to LAX which got me well above Gold on US Air, and then one from RDU to Providence, RI for a day that got me Platinum...

Happy travels!

I'm starting off with two AA mileage runs to Boston next week, but it's been a challenge finding cheap fares on AA in the weeks ahead. Plan on a paid London ticket in February for London Do, and then award travel in May to OzFest in Darwin (AA miles on Qantas), and in July to World Swimming Championships in Shanghai (AA miles on Cathay).

This is the first time I have not seen a decent AA U.S.-Europe sale covering January to March. Usually I'd jump on those but the cheapest fares from SFO are running over $700.

All business travel aside, lets talk about fun/adventure trips: I'm starting with Norway in March. Costa Rica, Panama and Belize in April and into May and then Japan and South Korea in June. So far that's all for the first half of the year but I'm always looking for those quick 4 or 5 day getaways.

Nothing wrong with business travel ;-) Heck, thanks to international business travel, I've seen lots of awesome places... plus i usually tack a few days holiday onto the end of those trips so I can count them as both work and vacation :-)

But for strictly pure travel, I'm planning on Switzerland this spring to see a friend of mine from High School, and hopefully a trip to London with my brother for 4 or 5 days because he's had a rough year and could use a nice getaway from all the stress in his life.

Beyond that, who knows... I'll certainly be doing some MRs as well. My last one to PVD was just so I could get miles for Platinum on US, but also picked because the raw bar there was highly recommended... heh... so technically, I went to Providence for a $150 bowl of Clam Chowder :-)

I'm also keen on a RDU-SFO trip for a few days later this summer, perhaps, to see the Napa Valley.

Still firming up most of the year but we do have set plans for Japan in April. After that it's Maui sometime during the year, Australia & New Zealand possibly in the Sep-Oct timeframe. And a couple of trips, one already set for Feb, to Ft Myers to take advantage of my cousin's vacation home that we can use for free.

Work travel is unpredictable and nothing exciting that I know of (which could change I hope!) Will be hitting STL several times, FL panhandle area later this month, MCO a few times at least, hoping for a couple of TATL and TPACs but still trying to work those out.

Here's to hoping 2011 is a great - and lucrative - travel year for us all!

With the relocation and second kid coming up, everything is in the unknown...hopefully will manage to travel Europe.

Now that my wife's permanent residence status is almost worked out, we are planning two weeks down in Mexico this spring. Will be nice to be able to travel outside the country again :)

Seychelles in February/March
Iceland/Reykjavik in April/May
Japan/Malaysia in June/July
..plus some long weekends not planned yet.

In a couple of weeks, a week in Costa Rica. March is Salt Lake City for some skiing. September is a trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, flying into LAX and flying out of SFO.

That should be it, barring any more Expedia deals :)

Norway and Australia are our dream trips.....but it looks like we will be doing only domestic travel.....

Yap and Palau in Feb, maybe biking trip in Europe over the summer; India for tiger reserves in Nov. Summer--long driving trip to Canadian maritimes. I'd love to slip a trip to Japan in in the summer.

I'm going to NYC in two weeks for some appointments, but mostly pleasure (hoping to see The Daily Show!). It'll be cold, though!
Then St. Thomas in late April with another couple. Debated using miles for this trip but I think I'd prefer to pay out of pocket.
Other than that, just a business trip to New Orleans in September. I'd like to take my son somewhere exciting where he can experience a real culture shock for his spring break (2 weeks mid-March) but I don't know if I can take all that time off work (no paid vacation) in the spring.
If I can't, then I'll definitely go somewhere international in the winter.

The usual for me. Several trips to Northern California/Central Valley to visit my long distance girlfriend. A few trips to go see baseball games at various parks. A trip or two back to my old home in Phoenix. Pretty standard stuff.

But you never know where the year will take you. Maybe I'll get lucky and get to go somewhere really awesome.

First half of the year is pretty much planned but not fully booked. Winter getaway to California, family on the East Coast, friends' birthdays in CVG, and YVR to SAN on the ground over 10 days in May.

Mileage goal is 125,000 miles/points earned over all programs combined without a credit card signup.

Maui in May, thanks to FT! Other than that I haven't planned anything. Thanks so much for that trip, without FT I would not have gotten it.

I am a huge electronic music lover and 2011 is going to be a year filled with traveling to outdoor music festivals around the world! I couldn't be more excited!

March- Miami for Winter Music Conference
May- Detroit Electronic Music Conference
June- Barcelona, Spain for SONAR, and planning to visit Madrid, Ibiza and Mallorca as well!
July- Montreal Jazz Festival
August- Lollapalooza in my home city, Chicago
October- Tentative plans to travel to Amsterdam for ADE !

Lima in February.
Bangkok and Tokyo in April for my 3/10ths of a century birthday.

Also hoping to get to Brussels at least once, and a Scuba trip to the Carribbean somewhere in the fall.

I was supposed to go down under for a wedding, but my friends decided to use the same date as a local friend, and I can not ditch that one. AUS will have to wait.

Happy Flying

My first post on FT!

Hopefully taking the family (including all 5 kids) to MCO in Feb (full fare since flights are CHEAP). Then possibly a reward trip to YYG for our 15th anniversary in August. First year I've had any leisure travel plans in a LONG time, and I already have two potential trips planned thanks to my new travel-hacking hobby!

Welcome to FT greenmozart!

Jan: Palm Beach
Feb: Ritz Central Park (thanks Marriott points!)
Mar: Atlantis Bahamas timeshare
May: Israel
July: Family vacation to Rehoboth Beach, DE
September: Japan!
December: Back to NYC for 5 nights courtesy either Starwood or Hyatt- still have to decide!

My wife retired from teaching last June and we are making up for lost time! Happy New Year to all.

flew from Scranton to SEA the end of 2010. Next flight is Jan 11 - SEA to GPT to visit friends. Then SEA to Hilo on Jan 22 for 4 days. Also have a return flight to MDT for Jun 6. Surely more to come!!

Jan Aruba
March Las Vegas
April Naples,FL
June Las Vegas
July SFO/napa
November Florida/Caribbean unsure

+ random weekend trips

After acquiring lots of miles and points in 2010, I will be using some of them in 2011. I plan to attend a cousin's wedding in DC area in May, another cousin's wedding in NYC in the fall, a friend's wedding in Madison, WI in Oct. And sometime this summer I will go to Seattle to meet my step-daughter's expected baby. I will also continue making short trips in the region including the beach every few months and some surprises.

Munich & Paris next month. No idea what comes next!

Honeymoon in Thailand
 

Getting married in September and I am new to FT, but am very motivated to pay for the flights to Thailand for our honeymoon. After a couple of Chase promotions, we are already halfway there with 60K in miles and we haven't even spent any of the money for the wedding yet!

Can't wait to see what FT can teach me this year.

London, Brussels, and Paris in May/June.
NYC in September.

All business class flights and all 13 nights in hotels obtained using miles, total fees for everything under $800.

Discovered flyertalk in January 2010 and it has opened a whole new world to me, literally. Best. Site. Ever. :D

J Europe
F Europe
M Asia
A North America
M Europe
J North America
J Europe

AA, USA, JAL, SWA, CO

So far only one trip booked: a business trip to ATL in Feb. Otherwise, hubby and I are planning on going to PEK for certain. Other than that, I go where the fares tell me to go!!!

3 or 4 segment runs on UA coming up in next couple of months. have been able to find $200-250 6 segment fares farely easily on UA(plus have 3 UA vouchers for 200 each), so should have 18 segments for about $150 out of pocket. Hoping to average 5 segments a month to clip UA PE by year end. One of the MR's is to IAD for my Global Entry interview


Then in May off to Slovakia to visit relatives and for the world hockey championships in bratislava for 2 weeks with a couple of days in Vienna before flying out VIE. Miles run in 2010 taking care of C and F seats on this one.

Probably some more segment runs in late summer/early fall

Hoping US brings out the $1500 Z fares over next thanksgiving to shore up miles on the cheap to germany or switzerland. Considering also the stupid, a potential GRR-SYD (maybe a kicker to HKG)-GRR mileage run over thanksgiving if nothing compelling available to EU

Thanks to the FT-ers out here that helped me become addicted. Where and when are the FT-er anonymous meetings going to be? maybe an MR to that meeting.

Just got everything finalized for my first year wedding anniversary.

We will be spending 6 nights in Bora Bora!! Ended up using AA miles for the trip to PPT, and Hilton points for the hotel. I did pay $250 to upgrade to an Overwater Bungalow for 3 of the nights, and they gave me a free upgrade to a Hillside Villa for the other three. Most expensive part was having to buy the tickets from PPT to Bora Bora which were $400 each.

I wanted to make this vacation spectacular, as my wife will hopefully be starting law school this fall, so no vacations for 3 years as law school is expensive...too expensive if you ask me

Sweden!
 

The husband and I are taking a trip to Sweden to see my extended family. We are flying in F on LH with a stopover in FRA on the way back to checkout Frankfurt and the FCT. This is his first time in Europe and by far the longest flight he has ever taken. I am so excited!

We are also using FF miles to go to FSD (that's right, Sioux Falls, SD!) over Thanksgiving to see his family. Normally I wouldn't use miles for that trip but the tickets are sooooo expensive!!

In case you haven't flown F on LH before. YOU WILL LOVE IT!

planning a trip to Milan in March. Miami-Milan RT $183 all in. Love me some FD!!!! :D

Welcome to Sunny SD! If you have not been to FSD for a while, you will be amazed at the growth and prosperity of the city......

Hmm...
 

At the moment, New York and Puerto Rico next week
Later down this year...Iceland, London, Italy and Germany

Leaving for Turkey and Israel tomorrow. Headed to Japan for Thanksgiving weekend. Other than that, just a bunch of work trips (with a couple of weddings sprinkled in between) to exotic destinations like Dallas, Orlando, Memphis, etc., etc.

I'll bite!

March: Costa Rica
May/June: Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey
August: Peru, Bolivia
October: Nicaragua
November: Barbados
December: Armenia, Azerbaijan

Barbados in june and july.

2-4 trips to the Netherlands --- DL BOS-AMS for family of 4 on miles
1-2 trips to islands probably on AA miles. One may be to stay with friends in
Bahamas, one may be at SPG property somewhere.

many local things not involving flying such as skiing in VT now and going to the beach in summer, including Welfleet, Cape Cod in Aug.

possible Xmass Disney cruise trip unless NL relatives come, in which case we will give them miles to fly over on DL/KLM and force them to watch our kids whilst we go skiing more lol.