And The Award for Biggest Party Goes to…Freddies

Forget the Oscars. The real party is the Freddie Awards. This is my second year going, and I will certainly be returning for a third. As a travel blogger, I’m not interested in the winners. My favorite hotels are SPG and Hyatt. My favorite airline is any one that is free in business.

The event is special because of the people who attend. After BACON, I’ve met most of the bloggers in person. For those that I did not meet before, it was fun to play the game ‘And what’s the name of your blog?’ Besides the BA bloggers, there were other travel writers and their friends who redefined the meeting of last call. (FirstClassQueen, not to name any names). The list also includes my new friends from Rio, Mestre das Milhas, who brought Brazilian chocolates to my delight. Finally, it is interesting to meet people in the industry: the brand managers from hotels, banks, and airlines were there, ready to answer any questions. “How can I stay/fly for free?” is a question that mystifies them.

Getting to the Freddies was an adventure and waking up this morning was a struggle. (Special thanks to a BA buddy for letting me crash in his room haa.) All in all, it was a fun experience and I look forward to going presenting next year.