7 Key Tricks to Get the Most out of Skymiles

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Brad Christensen

Reader Question:

I am excited about the possibility of free travel. I have some questions maybe you can help me out with. I have a true passion for travel and am always searching for the cheapest way to travel and find the most value for our money. My wife has been an extreme coupon lady for about 3 years and to say the least we are frugal. 

Our favorite type of travel lately has been cruises. The cruise itself I have found some great deals and value but the flights are biggest expense. I am excited to start looking into good credit card offers.

Years ago I took advantage of American Express deals for Delta Skymiles and currently have 216,831 miles. I have always wanted to take a trip to somewhere in Europe and planned on using my Skymiles to make that happen. Recently I have wondered whether it would be good to hold on to our miles and plan a trip in the future to Europe or Australia or use them sooner for domestic travel for more cruises or something else. Can you give me some recommendations on how to use my Skymiles the most efficient way on Delta? 

Dear WorldWanderluster:

It’s exciting to see you drooling at the possibilities of travel that lay before you. With your passion for travel, frugality, and flexible-for-adventure spirit, you are precisely the kind of visitor we’d like to see more of. Thank you for reaching out.

Use Miles Now? Or Wait?

My policy is always to travel as soon, as often, and as much as your employment, family life, finances, and awardwallet will allow.  This means erring on the side of doing things now.

First off, I say this because you don’t know what the future holds. I have a close friend who died suddenly at age 46 from complications that arose from a rather routine knee surgery. None of us plan on dying, but you never know what might prevent you from setting out to see the world.

Another factor is that the value of your miles is constantly vulnerable to travel-reward-inflation.  Some time ago, we were contacted for an article that appeared on Foxnews.com Travel.  The article referenced the many programs which have increased the amounts necessary for airline and hotel bookings. Even more recently, Delta announced increased point thresholds of their own. Points are being devalued.  Don’t hoard them.

New Delta Award Chart

New Delta Award Chart After June 2014

That said, it is smart to budget them. It would be frustrating to spend your points down to 116k and leave yourself 4k shy of the required 120k necessary to book two of you to Europe at the Saver Award level. Identify your priorities and keep your points in various programs in “buckets” to ensure that you have enough to meet your objectives.  Keep some flexibility, though, because that’s the key to using them efficiently.

Most Efficient Way to Use Skymiles

Delta’s Skymiles program is continually ranked behind other carriers in the spectrum for its meager availability and high redemption rates.  What that means is that you have to be even more careful in finding ways to use them efficiently.  First, a few things to remember about the Skymiles program:

  1. There is no booking one-ways, open jaws, or creative multi-destination flights with Delta.  This is a real drawback as we’ve done some great posts on ways to do this with American AAdvantage and United Mileage Plus.
  2. Skymiles don’t expire. We’re telling you to spend them anyway, but it is nice to know that there’s not a chance you’ll miss a date and have them disappear on you.
  3. Bookings are always done on Delta.com.  Even if you wind up traveling on a partner carrier, you still book on Delta.com. You may as well bookmark it because one key will be to visit often and check out your options.

Now, budget your points based on the Saver Award level numbers.  Let’s just say you decide to take your wife and daughter on a domestic trip (25k each) and then later take your wife to the Philippines (Northern Asia – 70k each).  With your 216k, you can pull this off. Another combination might be to make a trip for two to Costa Rica (35k each) and to Europe (60k each).

In order to find availability at the Saver Award level, you need to have some things working for you – First, have a willingness to go anywhere the deal works.  If you’re into cruises, check www.Vacationstogo.com for what departure ports might work and try those destinations. Second, book either way in advance or within 4-2 months of travel. Third, check in on Delta.com often.  So many things affect the pricing on flights, your best bet is just to check in often and, when you do find something that works, don’t hesitate.

Now, here are some other key tricks to making sure you get the most bang for your points-buck when booking with Skymiles on Delta.

  1. Don’t be afraid to consider First Class.  I flew to Guatemala this year and my dates were fixed.  I couldn’t get the Saver award to work for me on Economy seats, but I did find First Class seats for 60k Skymiles.  Normally I’m pretty frugal even with points, but where it was either cough up $1200 to pay for them out of pocket or use the points, it made the decision easy and the flight comfortable.
  2. Consider flying out of an alternate airport. The nice thing about booking with points is that you can usually fly out of your local airport for the same “price.”  But if that’s not working, don’t hesitate to try flying out of a nearby city or particularly a hub.
  3. Weigh using a companion pass. AMEX salts out companion passes every year, and sometimes you’ll be better off using one of those than trying to make a points-booking.
  4. Fly and drive. Earlier this year we had a travel bloggers conference in Toronto.  Flights were expensive, especially once you added in the international taxes.  In the end, we were far better off to fly into Buffalo, NY and drive across.  Cheaper and more scenic.
  5. Pick a destination where you have free hotel stays. It’s not enough just to have free flights.  You need to have some hotel points, as well… especially hotels that have free breakfast – then you’re really saving on out of pocket costs.
  6. Get points you forgot about. If you were naughty and didn’t add your Skymiles flight you’ve taken in the past 9 months, I have good news for you – you can still get them.  Submit your flight info to: http://www.delta.com/acctactvty/mileagecredit.action
  7. Ask for points when things go wrong. Somehow Google really likes to share our “How to Write an Airline Complaint Letter” with searchers.  Go ahead and read it, then put it into practice.  It never hurts to ask.

There’s probably more advice we could give, but that will get you started.  Thanks for Wanderlusting with us!  We hope all our readers comment with any questions and invite us to help you spend your points.  Please be sure to subscribe so you get post summaries and always read what’s pertinent to you.
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Long Weekend in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Brad Christensen

My best Christmas present won’t likely arrive until the end of January – that’s when I calculate that I’ll reach the required 110,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points and qualify for the companion pass for the remainder of 2014 and all of 2015, enabling me to bring a companion along for free on any flight I book with all these points I’ve accumulated.

I’m in a position to capture all these points so quickly because I got both the personal Southwest Plus card, as well as the business Southwest Premier card as I outlined in this post.  Both of my spending limits will be met in the last days of this month and I’ll be poised for two years of amazingly-free travel not just for myself, but for a lucky companion, who I’ll be able to change approximately every six months.

In that first post, I laid out an itinerary for a trip every month of the year.  Looking at it today, it may be a little aggressive, but I am going to try to squeeze in a lot of domestic travel while it’s free for me and a friend/wife/son.  One of the first free trips I’d like to do is to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.

Where to Stay Near Cincinnati with Club Carlson

Now I’d hate to go and spoil a free airfare trip by having to actually fork over green for my hotel room, so step one is to try to find where I can stay for free.  I happen to have about 150k Club Carlson Gold Points, which I’ve accumulated from using my credit prudently to obtain free travel with the Club Carlson Premier Visa.

It just so happens that there’s a great Country Inn & Suites property in Hebron, KY near the airport (strangely enough, the Cincinnati airport is actually in Kentucky).  With the “last night free” feature I have as a cardholder, I can stay two nights in this category 2 hotel for only 15k points.

What to do Near Cincinnati

Well, the first thing to do, of course, is to have a 3-way.  Anyone who’s ever had one continues to crave it for the remainder of their life. You just can’t stop thinking about it and you want it bad. If you’ll pull your mind out of the gutter for just a moment I’ll tell you what it is.  A 3-way is a dish from Skyline Chili which includes spaghetti, chili, and cheese, and it really is that good. (You also must try Goetta sausage).

3-way

Skyline Chili 3-way

Once satisfied with the 3-way experience, the next step is the Art Deco Cincinnati Union Terminal, which houses the Cincinnati Museum. The building itself is very unique and the history is fascinating.

Another must-do is Findlay Market on the weekend, where you can find meats, cheeses, ethnic food, and fresh produce.  It’s in a nice area of town that’s worth checking out as well.

Other things that might be enticing may include seeing a baseball or football game, taking a tour of the abandoned subway, or a Music Hall Ghost Tour.

Where to Stay Near Red River Gorge

Part of the impetus for choosing Kentucky in the first place is to explore the natural beauty of Red River Gorge. And to visit the gorge but then have to return back to the city would just be a shame. In a great world we’d be able to find a quaint place to stay right in the middle of all that beauty. In a perfect world, we’d be able to stay there for free.

Well, luckily, we live in a perfect world. The best vacation rentals to be found in the Red River Gorge area are to be found at http://www.rrgcabin.com/. Not only are they incredibly well-located, they have a number which are secluded, have phenomenal views, and/or are completely off-the-grid.

Not only are they beautiful and offer a genuine experience, but there’s also a way to make them 100% free.  One of our favorite offers right now is on the Barclaycard Arrival(TM) World MasterCard® – Earn 2x on All Purchases .  This card offers $440 in travel reimbursement after spending $1000 in the first three months.  I’ll be able to stay 2-3 nights, or even more, and fully reimburse myself.

What to do in the Red River Gorge Area

Of course the main attraction is simply to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.  There are an abundance of trails that are fun to explore.  Staying right in the midst of it all certainly adds to the experience and really that’s what it’s about.

Even so, there are some activities which can really add to the adventure.  Most people who go to the Gorge, go to rock climb, and even amateurs can give it a shot.  If you’re not that adventuresome, maybe you could get your kicks simply by watching.

If water is more your thing, you can also take a tour of the gorge in a canoe or a kayak. This makes for some awesome picture opportunities and a change to really get into the area.

Make sure you also see the Natural Bridge.  In the State Park where it’s located, there are many short trails which may give you an opportunity to see one of the areas premier draws – an abundance of critters that any family would love to enjoy.

Wrap-up

In the end, this will be a great trip with both free airfare and free lodging.  I’ll spend very little on food and entertainment and have a great experience in both the city and in the back woods.

This is the kind of trip I’d really have a hard time justifying if I weren’t able to do these things so inexpensively.  That’s really what we’re about at WorldWanderlusting – freeing you up to enjoy every piece of the world.

Thanks for wanderlusting with us.

 

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Alaska Airlines BoA Credit Card 50k Bonus

Posted on December 12, 2013 by wpengine

Although they aren’t Delta, American, or United, Alaska Airlines has a real niche for those traveling in the Western United States.  I recently stumbled upon this enticing offer of 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

frequent flyer miles

Alaska Airlines 50k Offer

Per One Mile at a Time, many people have been able to score this deal for 50k even with this disclaimer right on the application page:
Alaska Airlines 50k

More than likely you haven’t been targeted for this deal, but hopeful you can still qualify for this limited-time offer.

Features of the Alaska Airlines 50k Offer

Here is the good stuff:

  • 25,000 Miles are given upon approval.
  • Another 25,000 miles are given after a low spending requirement of $1000 within the first 90 days of opening the account.
  • Coach Companion Fare every year from $118- This works even when flying to Hawaii or Alaska. (This is unique)
  • People have reported scoring this card multiple times throughout time.

The bad and ugly:

  • $75 Annual fee is NOT waived the first year
  • In the fine print….”The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward”
  • More fine print…”If your application is approved with a credit line of $5,000 or greater, you will receive a Visa Signature® account [50k offer]; if your credit line is less than $5,000, but greater or equal to $2,000, you will receive a Platinum Plus® account [5,000 miles offer]; if your credit line is less than $2,000, you will receive a Preferred account. [3,000 miles offer]”

Using 50k Alaska Airlines Miles

Dreaming of where you can put 50k miles to use?  Try these on for size:

  • Anywhere that Alaska flies within the lower 48, Canada, and Alaska: 25,000 round trip.  Great value for someone going to Alaska!
  • Europe flying on American Airlines between October 15th-May 15th: 40,000 round trip.
  • Getting to the coveted Hawaii: 40,000 round trip.
  • Quieres ir a Mexico a tomar pina coladas en la playa?  35,000 ida y vuelta

For other ideas and partner flights check out Alaska Airlines’ Earn & Use Miles page that shows the points requirements.  You’ll quickly see how valuable these points could be for you.

All of these assume that you’re able to fly in a sardine can (coach) and that you have the patience to find availability on the “Saver” awards.  If you missed Monday’s post, read it.  The post teaches you about the value in being flexible when booking award travel.

Summary of the Alaska Airlines 50k Offer

This is really the Lone Ranger when it comes to Bank of America travel credit cards.  It is always nice to spread your cards across multiple issuers, so when this card bumps up, it is one that I definitely consider.

I’m a little concerned that they offer people their cards with very small bonuses, or that they don’t honor this bonus of 50k as none of you were really targeted with this offer.  The $75 annual fee the first year hurts, and makes me hesitate as well.

If you’ve burned through all the other cards and you’re willing to take a risk on this one, make the plunge.  Let us know how things turn out for you.  I’m heavily considering getting this card for its value to Alaska (somewhere I’ve yet to go) or for using it to book a trip to Europe.

What are your thoughts about the card?  Will you go for it?

 

 

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Best Days to Travel Cheaply

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Brad Christensen

I had the troublesome experience of trying to help a friend book a trip for the day after Christmas.  Normally, booking travel is pretty much my favorite thing to do, even if it’s not for myself.  But put me in a box like “We have to leave on Friday the 26th of December and come back on Friday the 3rd,” and I’ll just shudder.

You see, for a guy who calculates how the various carton quantities and brands of eggs derive to “price per egg,” paying day-after-Christmas prices for travel is extraordinarily painful.

In the end we were at least marginally successful.  My friend was able to buy 120k Delta Skymiles for $1200 and fly a great itinerary that gets them right out of our small local airport and direct into Orlando.  To pay cash for the same flights would have cost him $3027.  $600 for Friday to Friday flights the day after Christmas is pretty much unheard of.  In fact, with airplane load rates very high, I’m fairly confident he’ll get an opportunity to take “The Bump” and score some vouchers that may make his next trip even sooner and cheaper.

Delta flights

Even so, I’ve resolved to tell the world how not to get themselves into this situation in the first place with this post on which are the best days to travel cheaply.

Best Days to Travel Cheaply

The principles of cheap travel are generally cross-applicable whether you’re booking with points or (wince) still actually paying for travel. The first and foremost is probably a given, but I’m going to say it because so many people still fail to understand it: BE FLEXIBLE.

So many people are convinced that they need to travel on specific days – Anniversary trips that must occur over the exact date, being home in time for children’s birthdays, being back for work the next Monday.  All of these are not as absolutely necessary as they first may seem.

Best Days of the Week

Pricing is supply and demand elastic, so it should come as no surprise that the days that most people prefer to travel tend to fetch the highest prices. This varies by whether the route is generally a business route or a leisure route, but it’s pretty universal. Here they are in order of least to most expensive:

  1. Wednesday
  2. Tuesday
  3. Saturday
  4. Thursday
  5. Monday
  6. Sunday
  7. Friday

Far too many novice travelers pay a premium to fly out on a Friday and come back on a Friday.  Leave on a Wednesday and come back on a Wednesday.  That way you take off the same number of days, save points or money, and you get the benefit of cutting two work weeks in half – that’s reason enough right there to do it this way.

Best Times of the Year

This is also a factor that will vary by destination.  Every place has its peak seasons, its off seasons, and its shoulder seasons. Of course travel really tends to accelerate through the summer when children are out of school. June to August happens to be a beautiful time for me to stay right here in Idaho.  If we do anything at all, we roadtrip it.

Shoulder seasons tend to be my favorite time to travel – just before or right after the tourism season really kicks in.  For Domestic and European travel, this is of course Spring and Fall.  We recently did our Italy trip from Oct 15-29.  In my mind this was an absolutely perfect time to travel.  We started off in Slovenia where the fall colors where just kicking in and the weather in Italy was perfect and the crowds were much thinner than other times of the year.

Most Airline loyalty programs prescribe their off-peak timeframes.  For American in Europe it runs from Oct 15-May 15. Here’s a post we did on booking an American Airlines AAdvantage trip to Europe without surcharges.

AAdvantage off peak

Off-peak dates for American Airlines AAdvantage

To research other off-peak timeframes for other airlines, look at the award charts on our Using Airline Miles page.

Costa Rica

Living it up at Nauyaca Waterfall in Costa Rica

Keep in mind that “Off-peak” times are usually that way for a reason – but with that said, you have to consider exactly what you’re after.  Back in the days when I actually used money to pay for flights, I booked a flight to Costa Rica in November, which is their rainy season. We absolutely loved it.  The greens were even greener and our rainforest hike to Nauyaca waterfall was muddy, slippery, and immensely memorable.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Rain is actually quite refreshing when it’s a constant 80 degrees.

[In fact, I’m sitting here recalling learning to surf in Dominical, Costa Rica. I was enjoying every part of the experience with the exception of the salt-water grime coating my face.  A dark blanket of clouds rolled in. I turned my face up to the sky and let the most wonderful rainstorm clean and refresh me.]

Sheldon’s trip to the Alps was no different – you’d never think to visit high mountains in the spring, but talk about capturing nature in its full glory.

Don’t be afraid to travel in the off-peak and shoulder seasons.  Embrace it. You’ll save money and enjoy the experience.

Best Days to Cruise

The real answer here is, “last minute.” I can’t tell you how much I love to peruse the Vacationstogo.com 90-day Ticker. We are plotting an Alaskan Cruise this summer but I won’t buy it until the absolute last-minute when it is bare-bones cheap.  Cruises are the ultimate in supply and demand and a very small percentage of them actually sell-out.

Aside from that, you’ll see that Caribbean cruises are often very cheap in Sept-October. This is the one instance where I’m going to say that they’re cheap for good reason.  Of course that’s hurricane season and it’s just not worth it to gamble non-refundable flights and cruise bookings with that kind of a threat.  That said, if you’re looking at leaving right away like I just told you to, you have the compounding of low demand and last-minute working for you, plus the benefit of being able to see the weather forecast.

Another great timeframe for cruises is the first week of December.  While the rest of America wastes money on frivolous Christmas gifts, invest in an amazing experience.

Days to Completely Avoid

There are some days that you just have no business flying.  Unless you’re trying to get onto an oversold flight in order to get offered a voucher in exchange for taking a later flight – and if that’s the case, good for you.

December 26th is one of those days, along with December 30th, January 1st and the day before Thanksgiving. Travel anytime around the Superbowl and other events and holidays also calls for a premium.

Spring Break has to be an invention of the airlines to force travel to a few specific dates and charge preposterous rates for travel.  Use your spring break time to take a road trip or get some cleaning done so you feel free to get away another time when the fares are lower.

The first few days of June are also horrific as families set out on their summer vacations, steer clear of those days as well.

For more educational information on how to time your flights, see this post on the subject from FareCompare, and see our database of the best travel credit cards where you can pile up thousands of frequent flyer miles to fly for free.

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Maximizing United Miles to Europe

Posted on December 5, 2013 by wpengine

Two weeks ago I posted about how American Airlines allows for a single stopover when going to Europe.  If you’re the “fat kid underneath the piñata” when it comes to travel, like Brad and I, you’ll be stoked to hear this news.  In order to maximize your United Miles going to Europe you’ll definitely want to read this post.

Using United Miles to go to Europe

Looking at the United Airlines award chart, it will normally cost 30,000 MileagePlus miles each way, or 60,000 for the round trip from the US to Europe.  It’ll take you forever to fly enough miles to accrue 60k, but when you’re worldwanderlusting with us it’ll be EASY!

MileagePlus Europe

Booking the Stopover with Miles to Europe

1. Pick your two preferred European spots first.  This will be one of the more difficult decisions.

If you’re like me, you want to go everywhere so you’ll spend quite a bit of time deciding your locations. For this example I’ll say that you would love to see both Paris and Istanbul.  One for romance, and the other for adventure. This is what the trip will look like.

Flight Itinerary
2. Go to United.com & choose the “Multiple Destination” option.

United.com

 

3. Add in the destinations, dates, etc.  For this example I’ll just say that I wanted to spend two weeks total, with one week in Paris and another in Istanbul.  I’ve put in this information in as a sample.  You’ll have to “Add another flight to your trip” as circled below to get the third leg of the trip.

Two Trips

 

4.  Find the dates and adjust your plans as necessary to ensure that you book the trip.  You’ll want to pick the yellow options to keep the award ticket at 60k UnitedPlus Miles. Although they don’t have availability everyday, it is reasonable.  Book your trip 6 months out for optimal availability with United.

United Economy award

5. Pick the flights that are in the Saver Award Economy options with the least amount of layovers and the shortest time.  Flying out of Idaho Falls always creates a ton of stops, but it’s a great feature of United!Stopover in Europe

6. Bust out the MileagePlus Miles & book the trip.  It is always exciting when you can get $5,393.90 worth out of 60k miles.  Talk about maximum value!

Mileageplus to europe

You’re on your way.  The flights are booked, now it is time to start working on the hotels and other pieces to the puzzle.  However, booking your ticket to two separate European destinations with one award ticket is the best way to go.

For more complex routing you’ll want to read this post by our friend Dima about booking award tickets with United Airlines. This guy has had some WILD itineraries over the years.  You’ll be shocked at how adventurous he is with his trips.  Of course it is easier to do that without kids!

Getting Your Paws on 60,000 MileagePlus Miles

Hopefully you’ve already flown on United and have started accruing some points already.  If you haven’t, it’s not the end of the world.  We should be able to get you the 60k you’ll need if you’re patient.

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred- This is a Bank Points card that allows you to transfer point-for-point from Ultimate Rewards to MileagePlus miles.  The bonus on this card usually runs about 40k
  • Chase MileagePlus Explorer Card- In many cases you can find an offer to get you 50k from this card alone.

Between both of these cards you’ll easily be over the 60k miles needed to make the journey.  Pack your bags baby, you’re headed to Europe!

 

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More Than Just Free Travel, $210 in Free Spending from American Express

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Brad Christensen

I am not a shopper.  I am especially not a Black Friday shopper.  A few years ago I waited in line at Best Buy at 4am in zero degree weather to get a deal on a projector only to find that they were all sold out.  That was the last time I’ve Black-Friday shopped in earnest.  I later found a comparable projector online for a better price.  In fact, more often than not, I find buying online infinitely easier and cost effective.

I have, however, anxiously participated in the American Express Small Business Saturday promotion, where American Express kindly offers reimbursements for purchases at local businesses.  In years past, when you registered a card and then spend at least $25, they made a one-time $25 reimbursement to your account.  This year it shrank to $10, but considering that I have six (6) American Express cards, it made for $60 in free spending on Saturday.

Because I’m such a cheap bugger, I have a hard time spending money impromptu, so my strategy is generally to get giftcards that I can use later, so on Saturday I got $30 in ten-dollar giftcards at a local bookstore, $20 to a restaurant, and $10 to a bakery.

Being aware of the offers that are out there gave me the exhilarating experience of shopping with someone else’s money… but wait, it gets even better.

Now, I’ve registered my 6 American Express cards with this Amazon.com promotion to get $25 back on a $75 purchase.  Then I went and bought 6 $75 giftcards – one with each card. In the end I have $450 in Amazon.com Giftcards that I paid $300 for.  Amazon giftcards are as good as cash for me, considering how much I prefer to buy online.

Overall, I’ve hauled in $210 on two little promotions, expanding my free-travel addiction to include benefits that will help me feel less-guilty about making some selfish purchases.

Bottom line here is that there are peripheral benefits to being a consummate gatherer of free travel credit cards.  Even so, the $210 pales in comparison to the value of frequent flyer miles and hotel loyalty points.  I’ve calculated the value of some of my travel redemptions to be more than $2100/card.  It’s a very rough calculation, but if I add up all the benefits we’ve gathered between my wife and I applying for 34 credit cards in the past 3 years, I’d estimate that we’ve accumulated more than $22,000 in travel benefits.  Kind of makes the $210 seem small.

Take a look at our Best Travel Credit Cards page to see our compilation of the best offers out there at the moment.

 

 

 

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Thanksgiving and Travel

Posted on November 30, 2013 by wpengine

I don’t exactly have one foot in the grave, but within the next week I’ll be celebrating my 30th birthday.  It causes me to reflect upon my life and everything that has brought me to my current situation.  I’ve been immensely blessed in a number of ways.  I’ve been fortunate to marry the love of my life, and we’ve spent almost 6 years together.

Mi familia

Sheldon & Company

The Good Lord has blessed us with two wonderful children who bring us so much happiness (and stress).  Seeing them grow up, learn, and experience life has only begun, but already I recognize that it will be rewarding.  Hopefully there will be at least one more child (in the distant future) that can join our family.

As long as I’ve got my family, I can travel, and work hard life is pretty dang good.

Thanksgiving and Travel

My brother just returned tonight from a 5 week excursion across Southeast Asia.  He spent time in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.  His vacation was unforgettable, and the memories will never fade.  He performed his return ritual which was a Mountain Dew (Not found in most other countries) and Taco Bell.  We visited today about his vacation and he reminded me how good life is in America.

Dali Lama, a wise sage, once said, “Once a year, go some place you’ve never been before.”  I think this serves many purposes.  One of them is to help you recognize the blessings that you have.  There is nothing that makes you appreciate what you have until you don’t have it, right?  Well to “one-up” that, travel outside the country and realize how much rougher life is for most people across the globe.

As you celebrated the holidays this year, think about all the blessings that you’ve received. If you can’t think of many blessings, plan a trip abroad and quickly you’ll recognize about 1 million or more.  Sometimes it’s the small things:

  • Free soda refills
  • Paper towels in the bathroom
  • Soap in the bathroom
  • Great gas prices

Other times you’ll recognize the big things:

  • Laws
  • A bathroom
  • A house
  • Clean hospitals
  • Grocery Stores

Sometimes it takes a small experience to help you recognize how good life is for you.  Here are a couple of small stories from my life that have made me more grateful.

Haitian Grocery Store

I’ll never forget the time my father and I went to Haiti and stopped at an outdoor market.  They were selling vegetables, eggs, fruit, and meats.  It was a scorching hot day outside as we approached the meat area.  My father distinctly remembers thinking, “Do they have spices covering the meat?” as he walked closer to the tables.  When he got close enough to recognize what it was, he saw hundreds of flies sitting right on the meat.  Somehow we still managed to eat dinner that night. I’m grateful for grocery stores, and sanitation standards for those handing my food!

Paraguayan Headlights

I spent 2003-2004 in Paraguay.  During my time there I was fortunate enough to learn how to drive Paraguayan style.  On one occasion I recall driving down the highway when a pair of red tail lights were fast approaching me.  However, it appeared as though they were in the opposite lane.  I wasn’t sure if someone had pulled over, if someone was driving in the other lane or what.  As they came closer I realized that they weren’t tail lights at all.  They were red headlights!  I was perplexed that a police officer wouldn’t pull that crazy person over and throw him in jail! I’m grateful for police that keep idiots like this guy off the road!

Panamanian Food

Back in 2008 my wife and I took a trip to Panama.  It was our “after the honeymoon” international trip that I had promised.  We had an unforgettable trip seeing many historic landmarks.  Our trip was both relaxing at times, and adventurous at others.  During one stretch we spent time on the San Blas Islands.  They are an idyllic set of 360+ tiny islands in the Caribbean.  At each meal we were offered chicken, or fish as a main dish.  Each lunch and dinner had the same options.  After a few days we had grown weary of the same fish for lunch and dinner.  I’m grateful for variety in foods that I can eat for each meal.

I’m sure that you can dig deep in your history and find some remarkable stories like these that make you grateful for things you never realized where very valuable.  This is one of the many reasons that I love to travel.

What stories from your travels have made you more grateful for your blessings?

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