Are You An Opportunity Traveler?
June 3, 2017 The Opportunist
Most people think of vacation travel like this:
- Where do we want to go?
- When can we go?
- Let’s book it.
And, of course, there are often good reasons for that: school vacation timings, family birthdays, weddings, and so on.
But let’s be clear: airlines love people like this. Because chances are, you’re flying into their hands, their timings, and their prices.
It’s like saying you’re going to that German restaurant on Tuesday no matter what, even though the Italian restaurant next door has “Two-for-One Tuesday” and there’s a table with a spectacular view.
Opportunity Travelers Have a Bigger Bucket
My philosophy is simply to have a broad bucket list of destinations. So, when the opportunity arises to get to one of them for peanuts (relatively speaking) in First Class, I just go for it.
At the very least, think about a few different destinations for your next trip, and go with the one that affords the best travel opportunity during that time frame. Because remember, when flying Business and First Class: the vacation can start before you board the plane—not a day or two after arrival!
It’s also the best way to utilize First Class Flyer because the world opens up like an oyster. Your oyster.
Beware of Destination Blindness
If you don’t see a deal to Copenhagen in FCF but there’s a First Class seat for less than the price of Business Class to Amsterdam, why not check out Amsterdam? Then hop on over to Denmark.
Travel in Europe is cheap. Fly, drive, bicycle, balloon or kayak your way between these two beautiful cities. They’re just over an hour’s flight apart. In fact many famed European cities are so close to each other in reality, yet far apart in our minds.
Consider this:
- Paris is closer to London than Chicago is to Washington, DC.
- Stockholm and Oslo are the same flight time apart as Los Angeles and San Diego.
- Berlin to Prague is about the same distance as New York to Boston.
If you do have flexibility, don’t play into the airlines’ hands. Be an opportunity traveler instead, and let them play into yours.
Curious to find out what this change in mindset can do for you? Check out our Upgrade Search Tool and play around with the filtering options, you’ll be amazed to see a world of opportunities opening up!