A couple of weeks ago I wrote a guide for my best friend Mikey on traveling throughout SE Asia. The premise behind the post was that I could not personally go with him and show him around.
Well it didn’t take much convincing- a few photos from Mikey on Facebook to get me motivated to go meet him. I looked at my Award Wallet balance and still annoyed by the inferior service from Frontier Airlines on my flight to Costa Rica told myself it is time to break out the big guns.
Break out Lucille!
Behold 100k Alaska Airlines miles! It took some convincing but I talked Mikey into taking a barge from Kuala Lumpur to meet me in Juneau. Having spent thousands on hunting and camping gear from REI, I was ready to make this dream trip a reality.
Actually, that’s not the case at all. Alaska Airline miles are the most valuable points currency because they can be transferred to Emirates, the premier airline in the world. I have never flown Emirates in any capacity but have heard the legend of the shower that awaits its first-class patrons.
So I clicked on the link that allows you to book partner flights and typed in the coordinates of where I wanted to go.
JFK-DXB (New York to Dubai)
then DXB to?
DXB to?
For 100,000 miles you can not only fly first-class but you also receive a stopover in Dubai. Mikey and I decided on Bali as our meet up point, but I needed an additional country that I have not seen to add to my country count list.
My travel in the Middle East has been limited but scanning the options available, I know why…I enjoy being alive.
I perused the destinations in Asia as they would be an efficient way to see another country and then meet up with Mikey, Alas, the only country I have not been to is Myanmar and the only way to go there is with a visa. Too bad for me, it will take 10-12 day to process, leaving me with nothing again.
So now I face a conundrum that many points travelers face (and you too will face as loyal blog followers): is it even worth going on the trip when I can’t add another country? Isn’t the whole point of traveling to see new places? Mikey will be Mikey if I see him in Flint or the Falklands but my points can’t be just thrown away on a whim to go to a place I’ve already been, can they?
I’ve been everywhere and it sucks!
