{"id":1738,"date":"2012-01-22T23:29:04","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T06:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=1738"},"modified":"2012-08-20T22:54:22","modified_gmt":"2012-08-21T04:54:22","slug":"from-wanderlusting-to-wandering-european-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=1738","title":{"rendered":"From Wanderlusting to Wandering &#8211; European Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We got a heavy dose of photos from Europe in our recent Travel Photo Contest &#8211; no surprise, given the surplus of amazing historical and natural sites that span the Old World.\u00a0 Now, as we&#8217;ve done with others, it&#8217;s up to us to give you some ideas as to how to get there.\u00a0Since flying to Europe tends to be almost the same process, I figured we&#8217;d wrap all of these into one post.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting to Europe on Frequent Flyer Miles or Points<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>American Airlines, true to form, represents the best bargain when it comes to using FF miles to get to Europe &#8211; as little as 40k when the time is right.\u00a0 Thus, one option to consider would be landing 50k AA miles with the <a href=\"http:\/\/creditcards.citicards.com\/usc\/Travel\/AA\/Aug\/2011\/Triple\/50k\/default.htm?promocode=fly6&amp;BT_TX=1&amp;ProspectID=294245931A53480CB02EC5921A2B2AED\">Citi AAdvantage card<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The other one that I&#8217;m just not going to let slip by is the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/track.linkoffers.net\/a.aspx?foid=2727356&amp;fot=9999&amp;foc=1\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Chase Sapphire<sup><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">SM<\/span><\/sup> Preferred Card<\/a> &#8211; probably the best option for flexibility in bargain travel.\u00a0 Essentially the 50k Ultimate Reward points you get after meeting their spending requirement is like getting a $625 gift certificate that you can use towards whatever flight you&#8217;d like.\u00a0 You have to do some digging to get flights to Europe for $625, but <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kayak.com\/buzz\">www.kayak.com\/buzz<\/a> will help.<\/p>\n<p>Now, you simply need to decide which of these beauties\u00a0you&#8217;d like to pursue:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Village-hopping in Cinque Terra<\/li>\n<li>Trafalgar Square and the of Wonders of London.<\/li>\n<li>A Misty Morning in St. Gilgen, Austria<\/li>\n<li>Paris for Cheapskate Lovers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Village-hopping in Cinque Terra<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1647\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?attachment_id=1647\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1647\" title=\"404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/404560_213544568729983_110949852322789_477161_1868650202_n-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a>Cinque Terra consists of five romantic Mediterranean seaside villages &#8211; all of which are picture-perfect and ripe for visiting.\u00a0 I happen to believe that Genoa would make an excellent &#8220;home-base&#8221; from which to launch\u00a0a series of visits.\u00a0 It just so happens that Marriott has a property there, which can be had for as little as 10k Marriott Points per night.\u00a0 <strong>Trafalgar Square and the Wonders of London<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1641\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?attachment_id=1641\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,638\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n-300x199.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1641\" title=\"382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/382772_213544438729996_110949852322789_477157_1643195514_n-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a>We&#8217;ve raved about the <a href=\"http:\/\/track.linkoffers.net\/a.aspx?foid=2695051&amp;fot=9999&amp;foc=1\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Starwood Preferred Guest\u00ae Credit Card from American Express<\/a> in post after post, and their portfolio of European\u00a0hotels you can pin down for as little as 4,000 Starwood Points is one of the main reasons why.\u00a0 Sheraton has a hotel near the Heathrow Airport where you could stay for as many as 7 nights with the 30k Starwood Points you&#8217;ll lock down once you meet the $5,000 spending minimum and get the 10k + 15k bonuses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Misty Morning in St. Gilgen, Austria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1644\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?attachment_id=1644\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1644\" title=\"391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/391025_213544458729994_110949852322789_477158_993417658_n-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a>I&#8217;m going out on a limb here and I&#8217;m going to actually suggest that you pay for lodging in Austria.\u00a0 I know, how dare I, but in my mind this is a place where you want to embed yourself in the culture &#8211; something you can&#8217;t quite do in the sterility of a hotel room.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vrbo.com\/352113\">a link to a quaint little farmhouse <\/a>in a secluded location, but still within reach of the rail station.\u00a0 I&#8217;m always a fan of checking <a href=\"http:\/\/www.anrdoezrs.net\/click-5382950-10545784\" target=\"_top\">HomeAway Vacation Rentals<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.awltovhc.com\/image-5382950-10545784\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> for some of these &#8220;homier&#8221; options.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Paris for Cheapskate Lovers\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1640\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?attachment_id=1640\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,902\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n-300x281.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1640\" title=\"379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/379118_213544682063305_110949852322789_477166_414882745_n-300x281.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a>Ahh, Paris&#8230; it&#8217;s for lovers&#8230; rich lovers who don&#8217;t mind paying up for hotel rooms.\u00a0 As a general rule, you won&#8217;t find &#8220;cheap&#8221; and\/or &#8220;free&#8221; in Par\u00ed.\u00a0 There is a Marriott Property on the outskirts of town that you could get with a healthy chunk of your Marriott Reward points, but we&#8217;re going to suggest lodging that comes with a complimentary tour guide: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.couchsurfing.org\">www.couchsurfing.org<\/a>. If that&#8217;s not cool with you, how does a home exchange sound?\u00a0 Parisians are avid travelers and maybe you could pull off a swap if you list your home on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.exchangezones.com\">www.exchangezones.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever you&#8217;re daydreaming of, do it before life passes you by.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for going from wanderlusting to wandering with us.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/content.linkoffers.net\/ID.aspx?ID=13139934&#038;type=156203&#038;track=9999\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We got a heavy dose of photos from Europe in our recent Travel Photo Contest &#8211; no surprise, given the surplus of amazing historical and natural sites that span the Old World.\u00a0 Now, as we&#8217;ve done with others, it&#8217;s up &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=1738\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[12,440,439,1],"tags":[50,441,442,420],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1DhXV-s2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}