Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Late Night Bite in Milan

thepointsoflife

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May 3, 2022

Late Night Bite is part of Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

TPOL’s Tip: Upon arriving to a new city, proceed with urgency to the hotel. You don’t know how a few minutes wasted can affect an evening (see all TPOL’s Travel Lessons here).

I arrived in Milan at 9PM. The Hyatt Centric Centrale is one hour by bus. Instead of going right to the hotel, I thought it was cute to stop by a small bodega for a beer located in the square of the central train station. Not only did I encounter questionable characters but also found myself walking around central Milan with an open container, wondering if it were illegal as it is in the US.

When I finally arrived at the Hyatt, I was hungry but it was 10:30PM. I was told of a nice restaurant around the corner that closed at twelve. I was told that I could leave my bags and check-in after I went for a late dinner. Since I wasn’t going to be long in the room, I thought I had plenty of time. It was not until I got to the room that I realized that my watch did not sync to the new time zone. It was in fact 11:30PM.

Despite arriving at 11:40PM, I was told that the kitchen was closed. As we wandered around the city, we were turned away from one restaurant to the next. With only one night in Milan, I began to curse my decision to stop for a beer and lament my failure to account for the change in the timezone as Milan is one hour ahead of Manchester.

Finally, we came across a restaurant with a red awning that said ‘Grill’ & ‘Hamburger’. With no other choices, we decided to give it a try. Since we did not have a green QR code and since they did not understand that our US vaccine card was technically sufficient, we were forced to eat outside. Fortunately, it was a warm evening and there were space heaters.

TPOL’s TIP: The location is Via Ruggero Boscovich, 22, 20124 Milano MI, Italy.

On the one hand, wine, cheese, and pasta bolstered my belief that I could live in Italy. On the other, the inflexibility with time and the hassle of the QR code reminded me of Puerto Rico, undercutting my belief that I would want to live in Italy.

Simply The Best: April 2022

thepointsoflife

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May 2, 2022

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Oh look another month has gone by. Here’s the best from April.

25,000 Mile RTW Trip Including Iraq Booked!
I’m happy to get back on the road again. #duckcovid #nomaskonplanes And One more thing, I booked this for two people. #dynomite #youvestillgotit
The Urban Turban Has Launched: Buy One Today! [Limited Inventory]
Who knows if this idea will work, but how many people do you know could pull this off? The answer is one.
Guns & Butter: Conwy, Wales Travel Guide
Wales is a perfect example of a place that is not a country by the standard definition, but it should be for a plethora of reasons.
100 GBP Carry-On Bags? Scammed by Ryanair & Trips.com
If I have to fly Ryanair again, I would rather pay more and book directly than book through a third-party site and go through this nonsense.
Priority Pass Manchester: Do You Have a Reservation?
Requiring reservations and controlling where people sit in a lounge does nothing to stop the spread of Covid. We will look back and wonder why we had these nonsensical measures.
Scam Covid Test #2: Leaving the UK
How much money is being made off of these tests?
Remedial Reminder: Put Your Rewards Account Number in Your Credit App
Here’s a post that will yield more people telling me how stupid I am.

25,000 Mile RTW Trip Including Iraq Booked!

thepointsoflife

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April 27, 2022

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I’ve been missing in action, but for a good reason. I have been working on another epic round-the-world trip, the last being in 2019 before the world ended (see Booked! ANA RTW: 22,000 Miles in Glorious Business). Once again, I am using ANA miles to make this business class dream come true.

Here is a comparison of the past and present:

Miles Required

2019: The 22,000-mile flight required 125,000 ANA points.
2022: I am flying just under 25,000 miles. This requires 145k ANA points.

How to Get ANA Miles

I transferred 145k MR’s, and in one day the miles were reflected in my account. Note that ANA miles expire after 3 years from issuance and cannot be extended.

Fuel Surcharges

If there’s one drawback to ANA, it’s that you have to pay fuel surcharges depending on which airline you fly. The way to check how much fuel surcharges will be is to search on the Matrix.

In the ‘el cheapo’ days, I would be outraged if I had to pay one dollar in fuel surcharges and would try to use my Barclays Arrival card to offset such charges. Today, I don’t care and don’t have the time or desire to MS my way to a few hundred in savings (see I’m Done with Manufactured Spending).

2019: The fuel surcharges came out to $1022. Que desastre!
2022: The fuel surcharges came out to $1602.13 Que mierda!

Routing Rules

Via God Save the Points, here are the rules with my comments in bold from this time and last time:

You must choose to fly east-west or west-east — you are NOT allowed to backtrack:
- 2019: ANA allowed to fly to Beirut via Istanbul and then to Shanghai via Istanbul. Initially, I thought it was absolutely not allowed to go backwards. From what I’ve read and with my experience, you just can’t backtrack from one continent to another.
- 2022: I went from Lithuania to Iraq, to Turkey, onto Tunisia, back to Istanbul, then to Georgia, back to Istanbul, then to Qatar, then to Egypt, before finally going to Thailand. Somehow that’s not backtracking.
You must cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — only once each as per the rule above:
- 2019: Easily done.
- 2022: Basically impossible. Thanks to Covid there are no flights on Air China; there’s no availability on Asiana; United had no saver awards; and ANA from Japan was impossible because tourists aren’t allowed into Japan to transit from HND to NRT. The only flight I found was NRT to MEX but could not find a flight that arrived on time.
Include up to 12 segments and include 4 ground transfer segments.
- 2019: I could only get to 10. Obviously, direct flights are your best bet.
- 2022: I hit 12 but it wasn’t by choice. All roads lead to Istanbul.
Up to 8 stopovers are allowed. If you have all the time in the world, take the stopovers. I do not but am still satisfied with the routing.
- Up to 3 in Europe
- Up to 4 in Japan
Your trip must span at least 10 days from the date of your first international departure. I would love to see someone do this in 11 days.
Flights may be operated by ANA or Star Alliance partners.
- 2019: From what I read, you cannot fly Etihad and book flights with Star Alliance Partners. Juneyao Air, an airline based out of Shanghai, is a United partner but not a Star Alliance partner.
- 2022: An ANA round the world ticket is basically a tour of Turkish Airlines, for better or worse.
Your itinerary must touch all three zones, what ANA calls “Areas”, and return to the one from which you started the trip.
- 2019: As you’ll see from my GCMAP, I had to fly from New York and return to New York. I tried to fly from Puerto Rico and return to New York but was told that Puerto Rico is not part of the United States. That’s interesting to learn.
- 2022: I tried to start in PR and end in Latin America but could not find availability.

Where I’m Going

2019: GCMAP is nice to look at, but where did TPOL spend his time? My first stop was Sardinia, a new ‘country’ to add to my list (see Where I’ve Been, Is Hawaii a Country?, & Guns & Butter: Porto Cervo, Sardinia Travel Guide (Party Edition)). From there I went to Lebanon, a country in the traditional sense of the word that I have always wanted to visit (see Guns & Butter: (Overrated) Beirut Travel Guide). After that, lived in Shanghai (see 再見 Puerto Rico, TPOL in Shanghai). While I was in China I went back to Chengdu, this time I actually saw the pandas (see Panda Panda: Chengdu Panda Visitor Guide). I headed to Nepal for too much food (see Guns & Butter: Kathmandu Travel Guide (Bargaining Edition) & Guns & Butter: Pokhara, Nepal Travel Guide (Cautionary Edition)) and Bhutan to find happiness (see Guns & Butter: Bhutan Travel Guide (Happiness Edition)). Then I went back to New York for work and back to beautiful Puerto Rico before I hid in my basement (see The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report).
2022: GCMAP is still nice to look at, but where will TPOL be spending his time? My first stop is Estonia. Then I’m going to Lithuania. From there, I am going to the motherland, Iraq. This will be my first visit to the country from which my parents emigrated. After that, it’s onto Tunisia. From there, I go to Georgia. Somewhere along the way, one of my connections in Istanbul results in an overnight stay there. After Georgia, I go to Qatar.
- Intermission: I’m stuck in Qatar until December for the World Cup, at least according to this itinerary. As stated above, there are no flights from Asia back to the US. I even tried routing through Guam to Honolulu. That didn’t work. Right now, I am hoping to fly on QSuites but time will tell if I can find availability.
- World Cup: I hope to go back to Qatar for the World Cup in November. From there, I will resume my trip which includes a stop in Egypt before going to Algeria (also not included on ticket.) Then it’s back to the basics in Bangkok (see New Years 2016! My Last Binge in Bangkok). After that, I have to find a ride to Tokyo where I will hop on my last flight to the US.
  - Note: If I don’t go to the World Cup, I can change the dates of this usable route for up to a year.
  - *Istanbul: Somewhere along the way I have an actual stopover in Istanbul for one night.

Airlines

LOT (JFK-WAW): I’ve never flown LOT before. That’s exciting minus the reviews saying it’s not the greatest.
Singapore (Didn’t work): I found availability on SQ business and put tickets on hold. I called back to make other changes and they said that the agent said that I could not fly SQ in business because the airline doesn’t release award space for business. I don’t know what would have happened had I booked that itinerary instead of putting it on hold and did not bother to try.
EgyptAir (DOH-CAI-BKK): This was the best way to plan for Algeria and get to SE Asia. I flew EgyptAir in economy and it wasn’t bad (see EgyptAir: Warning Economy Class Review), but like LOT, I don’t hear great things.
United (HND-LAX): I’ve been out of the game so long that I did not know that United eliminated their ‘saver’ business column. Thanks to Live And Let’s Fly, I learned that ‘JN’ isn’t saver and that I need to find ‘I’ to get old-school pricing that is bookable on partner airlines.

a screenshot of a flight schedule — Thanks to JN, there will be no GUM for ‘I’.

Turkish: Everything else.

Booking

It’s easy, almost too easy, to book an ANA RTW ticket. Unlike most ticketing centers, the ANA representatives want you to feed them the flight numbers. And if something is not available, you don’t have to hang up and call back after you’ve figured it out. They help you find something else.

2019: TPOL’s TIP: You have 72 hours to put your ticket on hold, but ANA will not guarantee that tickets will actually be there when you’re ready to book (see Award Booking OCD = Fortnite Addiction).

2022: TPOL’s TIP: They said 24 hours was the maximum they would put the itinerary on hold, but then they put it on hold for 72 after I called back. Best to book as soon as possible regardless.

Total Mileage Flown

2019: I wanted to get as close to 22k miles as possible. GCMAP says I topped out at 21,589, but ANA said I was at 21,879. I’ll go with ANA’s official mileage in measuring how close I came to squeezing every mile in business.
2022: GCMAP says 24,275. I’m slipping on my efficiency.

Map

I’ve saved the best for last, the map.

2019
2022

Both are glorious.

Airlines Spreadsheet

2019
2022: You’ll have to wait till this is over.

Overall

2019: Devaluation? I Laugh in the Face of Devaluation, and am happy to say that I still do. Maybe this points game will come to an end one day, but at this rate, I think I’ll be dead before that happens. #pointsnewdeal #tpol2020 #tpol2024
2022: I’m happy to get back on the road again. #duckcovid #nomaskonplanes

And One More Thing

I booked this for two people. #dynomite #youvestillgotit

Why Is Turkish ‘Unsanitary’ on SeatGuru?

thepointsoflife

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April 20, 2022

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Why Is Turkish ‘Unsanitary’ on SeatGuru?

I am not a huge fan of Turkish Airlines. I have flown it many times before. In 2019, I flew it from Istanbul to Shanghai and could not believe that they operated a 2-3-2 business class (see Turkish Business IST-PVG: Really, 2-3-2?). To ensure that I don’t end up on another sub-product, I tried to use SeatGuru. Regardless of the flight, all Turkish queries resulted in this:

I have no idea why this occurs but it, along with Chase’s incompetence in transferring my United miles (see Remedial Reminder: Put Your Rewards Account Number in Your Credit App), is making my effort to get back in the sky frustrating as hell.

Remedial Reminder: Put Your Rewards Account Number in Your Credit App

thepointsoflife

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April 19, 2022

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Remedial Reminder: Put Your Rewards Account Number in Your Credit App

Here’s a post that will yield more people telling me how stupid I am. I am writing it because I want others to learn from my careless ways.

Months ago, I applied for the Chase United Business account. Excited for the opportunity to churn, I didn’t take the extra second to input my MileagePlus number. Over the past two months, I’ve received letters from Chase saying that they can’t verify my address and this is preventing them from transferring the 175,000 miles I’ve accrued. As I hate calling anyone, I nonchalantly reached out through secure message hoping this would resolve the issue. It did not.

Now, I’m trying to book an epic trip and actually need my United miles. Now, Chase is saying they don’t know how to fix the problem. Now, the flight is available. Later it won’t be. And I’ll have no one to blame but me.

Don’t be like me.

100 GBP Carry-On Bags? Scammed by Ryanair & Trips.com

thepointsoflife

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April 18, 2022

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Priority Pass Manchester Lounge Review is part of Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

I have flown Ryanair before (see Ryanair LUX-LIS: Not as Bad as Expected). I am aware of the cute ways it tries to maximize revenue. Whether it is charging for food or selling lottery tickets on board, Ryan is always looking to score a buck. Earlier this trip, I flew Ryanair from Copenhagen to Edinburgh. I paid in advance for a carry-on bag because I knew that trying to sneak one on would result in a million-dollar fine. For this trip, Manchester to Milan, I booked another Ryanair ticket but found the cheapest ticket through Trips.com. It was $22 for two people. Before arriving at the airport, I tried to check-in online because failing to do so ahead of time would result in a 30 euro charge. While my flight was showing as checked-in on the Trips.com app, I could not add bags to my reservation, nor could I access my reservation on the Ryanair app.

Anxious, I arrived at the airport worried about what was to come. I went to the Ryanair counter and told the agent that the Ryanair app was not working but I should be checked-in. She confirmed that I was and printed two boarding passes, one for me and one for Ms. TPOL. She did not comment on our bags. After the Escape Lounge, I went to the gate and the same woman was checking-in passengers. She asked if I had priority boarding. I said no. She said that we could not bring carry-ons. I would have to pay 100 GBP to check in two bags. She went on to say that had I checked the bags when she first printed my boarding pass, it would have been 50GBP total. She proceeded to accuse me of coming to the counter without my bags. That was a ridiculous accusation as both Ms. TPOL and I had to go to the counter to present our negative Covid tests (see Scam Covid Test #2: Leaving the UK). Where could we have securely left the bags while checking in? I tried to explain this to her, and she said I could continue to argue with her and miss my flight or pay the 100GBP. I obliged.

Before taking off, I took pictures and screenshots of my receipt and my attempt to access my ticket using the Ryanair app. I sent it to Trips.com. They, like Ryan, blamed me for the bag fee. They said I was supposed to call Trips.com to add a checked bag. I explained that I didn’t want to check in a bag. I only wanted to add a carry-on. I also tried to explain that since Trips.com checked me in, I could not add a carry-on using the Ryanair app. They continued to say I needed to call in to have a checked bag added. I was offered $20 for my next trip. I refused. Clearly, there was a disconnect in our communication.

Lesson

I know RyanAir charges for carry-ons. I am fine paying for them. The fare is still dirt cheap. What I don’t like is when the base fare is cheaper on a third-party site, and the add-ons are not possible online. The record locator should work on the airline’s site and I should be able to access my reservation without calling anyone. If I have to fly Ryanair again, I would rather pay more and book directly than book through a third-party site and go through this nonsense.

TPOL’s Tip: Read all of my Travel Lessons here.

Final Result

After many angry emails to Trips.com, I was refunded the 100GBP.

luggage on a conveyor belt — Most expensive bag.

The Urban Turban Has Launched: Buy One Today! [Limited Inventory]

thepointsoflife

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April 15, 2022

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Disclaimer: There is no affiliate disclaimer. TPOL launched his own sportswear line. All proceeds go to me. Isn’t that wonderful?

Buy It Here!

The Urban Turban has launched. For those that have not been following, here’s the timeline on how I got here:

7/2019: The idea goes from a funny joke to a conceivable concept.
11/2020: Call with Colombian manufacturer. Sample sent (see COVID 2020: TPOL’s Most Productive Year).
Crickets for months until a new point of contact in Colombia emerges.
2/2021: Drone arrives (see VIDEO: SkyDio 2 Inaugural Flight: Rio Mar, Puerto Rico).
6/2021: Sample design made (see IQKhameleon: Halfway There!)
4/2021: Nike/Hurley designer completes logo (see IQKhameleon عقخ: The Lifestyle IS Coming).
9/2021: Visit the factory in Colombia to see a sample (see IQKhameleon in Medellin for the Final Stretch).
11/2021: Waiting for delivery (see IQKhameleon: Arriving Today!)
11/2021: Finally arrived (see IQKhameleon: Technicolor Dreamcoat Actually Arrived)
11/2021: Private screening of Urban Turban (see Finally, A Happy Thanksgiving: Hail to the Victors!)
12/21: Holiday break
1/2022: Literal break delays all plans for capturing the aforementioned drone footage (see TPOL Is Down).
2/2022: Arab hip-hop beat composed for drone video by professional DJ.
2/2022-4/2022: TPOL rehabs (see TPOL’s Achilles Rehab Secret: Hydro Revolution).
4/2022: TPOL realizes that rehab will take many more months and has professional photos taken until video footage can be captured.
4/14/2022: TPOL launches IQKhameleon.
?/?/20??: TPOL takes IQKhameleon public.

Buy It Here!

And for those that didn’t click on any links and have no idea what I am talking about, here is IQKhameleon’s Urban Turban:

Buy It Here!

I’m sure you’ve already bought one by now, so buy another one here.

Overall

Who knows if this idea will work, but how many people do you know could pull this off? The answer is one.

Buy It Here! Buy It Here! Buy It Here! Buy It Here! Buy It Here! Buy It Here! Buy It Here!

Jamaica Carnival Postponed till July

thepointsoflife

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April 11, 2022

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I have been trying to go to Jamaica for Carnival for the last three years. It was canceled in 2020, canceled in 2021, and now it is p ostponed until July for 2022. I had booked a room at the AC Marriott in Kingston and will now have to see if there is availability for the new dates. Carnival is the best event in the world whether it is in Rio or Trinidad. The only good news about this cancellation is that I will have more time to recover from my Achilles injury (see TPOL Is Down), a necessity if I’m going to dance like it’s 2019.

a man taking a selfie with a crowd of people — Jamaica 2022?

Priority Pass Manchester: Do You Have a Reservation?

thepointsoflife

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April 8, 2022

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Priority Pass Manchester Lounge Review is part of Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

Covid Disclaimer: I drafted this post when I visited this Priority Pass Lounge in October of 2021.

Do you have a reservation? Thanks to Covid, everything requires a reservation. Establishments claim it’s for safety reasons, but I see it as an excuse not to deal with the masses. At the Priority Pass Manchester, a reservation is required to enter, and free seating is not allowed. If there is an open table, entrants are supposed to stay at that table for the duration of their stay.

I was put at a table next to the bar and food. The whole time I was eating, there was a long queue of people standing around me waiting for a drink.

Food

Despite the zoo that is the lounge, the food was good and replenished quickly.

Escape

I came across an empty backroom and broke the rules by relocating to it.

Overall

Requiring reservations and controlling where people sit in a lounge does nothing to stop the spread of Covid. We will look back and wonder why we had these nonsensical measures.

Scam Covid Test #2: Leaving the UK

thepointsoflife

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April 7, 2022

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Scam Covid Test #2 is part of Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

Disclaimer: I drafted this post in October 2021. One day, and maybe that day is today, we can look back and see how stupid these travel restrictions were.

To go to Italy from the UK, the Italian government requires a negative test taken within 48 hours of arrival. This shortened, random duration meant the test I took in Belfast (see Scam Covid Test #1: Entering the UK) would no longer be valid. For convenience, Manchester airport has a testing center on-site. Unlike entry into the UK, which required a PCR test, Italy accepted the less intrusive antigen test. After a quick swab, I was sent on my way to await the results. Like I did in Colombia (see Room Service: I’m Here with Your Covid Test), I wondered what I would do if it came back positive. How much money or points would I have to burn to quarantine? Moments later, I received confirmation that I was negative. Relieved as I might be, I continue to be annoyed at the scam that testing has become. How much money is being made off of these tests?