Covid-19 Response and Why I Just Booked a Round-the-World Trip During the Global Pandemic
Plus five reasons why now might be the best time for you to book your Dream Vacation whatever it might be.
First, let me say that if you’ve been affected by this virus in any way, from being cooped up at home, to canceling travel, feeling unwell, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, my heart goes out to you.
For FCF Members In Crisis WE ARE OFFERING
Free Personal EMERGENCY Phone Consulting
If you or a family member is ill right now and in need of an urgent flight we will try to help you. Even though there are few flights right now, we are offering free personal phone consultations with myself and my staff on how to implement our ticketing strategies right now for emergency travel needs.
Whether you need to visit an ill family member, or you’re sick and want to fly family to visit you, we are available to members at this most stressful of times. Domestic or international, we’re here to help. Simply click here and let us know how we can help you reach a loved one or transport a loved one to you using your miles or a cash ticket (if your situation is critical). We are here to provide our expertise and help as much as we can.
For Everyone Else WE HOPE TO PROVIDE
A LITTLE Encouragement & Perspective
From our humble beginnings 24 years ago, FCF’s editorial mission has been to curate the best the industry has to offer and share it with travelers. There is obviously no shortage of bad news, so you don’t need us for that. In other words, I’m biased towards setting my mind on Good News.
In the same FCF spirit—given there is no shortage of bad news these days—we will continue our “tone-deafness” (to primarily focusing on bad news) and continue to curate the best of the best news for you. Although the airline industry is struggling and the Corona crisis is gripping the world, the news is NOT 100% bad and I believe the best of it should be shared.
So we’ve started A Contrarian Coronavirus Crisis Response page, with good-news only headlines from both the airline industry and some on the health crisis that you may have missed. If you’re starving for good, uplifting news to improve your mindset, I think you’ll love the content we’ve started to curate for you here, as I haven’t seen any source focused on the uplifting news and believe FCF is here to attempt to fill that gap in some small way. It may sound counter-intuitive with what’s going on, but I think it’s essential for our health and well-being.
Why Are We also
Talking About Travel now?
I received a message from a longtime subscriber the other day saying, “Bennett, you shouldn’t be talking about booking flights right now. You should be focused on the human tragedy.” While I understand the point, and with the utmost respect, I think we can do both at the same time.
In fact, that interaction is what led to this column.
FCF members sign up to hear what they don’t hear anywhere else, and that’s not going to change.
Travel is at the very heart of us. The drive to explore is built into our DNA. It’s emotional, physical, and it nurtures and refreshes the soul and always enlightens.
Trips can serve like an intermission if not a wholesale hitting of the reset button; I love that about travel.
Reason #1 to Book Your Dream Trips Now:
Planning Travel Makes You Happy
Interestingly enough, even the promise of travel has a profound effect on our well-being. A study published in the Applied Research in Quality of Life journal reported that merely planning or anticipating travel makes you happier, and more importantly, the happiest part of the whole vacation process happens well before you actually arrive at your destination.
How Are You Spending Your Time Right Now?
I see a lot of people talking about “things to do while you’re isolated.” Some of it is great advice—especially with regards to learning new skills, studying, and benefiting from virtual hangouts with the people closest to you. But there’s also a lot of time being wasted. Many people are gluing themselves to the couch to watch seven seasons of some show on Netflix or movie trilogies. There could be a lot of lost opportunity in that, especially given the potential for (the longer lasting and more tangible) happiness that planning travel brings.
“But Bennett, we CAN’T travel!”
You’re right. And we certainly don’t recommend traveling now. But the opportunities available for travel later this year and next year that we’ve cherry-picked, combined with the protective measures put in place by airlines and the government, make this one of the more extraordinary times to plan that I’ve ever seen.
Reason #2 to Book Your Dream Trips Now:
Thinking About The Trip You Just Booked
Will Make You Happy
Okay, so you don’t take off on the trip for 4 months or 10 —all the better! During that time, you’re going to have hundreds or thousands of pleasant thoughts about the trip. Those thoughts are going to lead to happiness you can’t buy anywhere else, or get on Netflix for that matter.
The further in advance you book, the more time you have to enjoy researching all the life experiences you’ll have. That kind of exhilaration money can’t otherwise buy.
Reason #3 to Book Your Dream Trips Now:
Unprecedented Mileage Availability
(If You Know Where to Look)
In this April issue, we also dive deep into something you historically can’t get: easy access to burning your miles and points for premium flights with American, Delta, and United at prices most people have never seen before. For detailed cheap travel treasure maps, especially if you’re a loyalist and have miles in any of these three programs, follow those links above. In the meantime, here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.
American to Hawaii: How does Hawaii sound, looking ahead? We’ve found 56,000-mile round-trips in Business Class on non-stops from Los Angeles and Phoenix to Honolulu, Kauai, Kona, and Maui with free connections from other U.S. cities when that space is available.
Perspective: That’s savings of up to 124,000 miles or 69% when compared to normal everyday prices, for travel June through November, with 13 or more days a month of availability, and a handful of dates in January and February 2021. These are not normal everyday times. Upgrade from normal coach prices for just 3,000 miles each way.
We’re seeing other American routes with up to 1,689% more availability than usual. More here.
Delta to Europe Example: For up to four travelers (and possibly more), we unearthed routes that save up to 480,000 / 75% when flying Business Class with Delta SkyMiles to Paris when compared to normal everyday prices traveling to and from the U.S., for travel from September through February 2021.
We’re seeing other Delta routes with up to 10,800% more availability than usual. More here.
United to South America: We’ve found unprecedented Business Class availability to Brazil with United miles for only 120,000 miles round-trip. This is a journey that typically goes for 320,000 miles with United’s normal everyday price, a savings of 200,000 miles, or 62%, for up to four seats, for travel June through November, with 13 or more days a month of availability.
Look ahead and be positive my friends. We’re seeing other United routes with up to 6,850% more availability than usual. More here.
While availability isn’t necessarily great across the board, intermittently the availability is unprecedented. You still have to know where to look. The good news is that we’ve done that heavy lifting for you as our team has conducted hundreds of hours of research this month.
Reason #4 to Book Your Dream Trips Now:
Why I Booked a Round-the-World Trip
in the Middle of a Global Pandemic
I’d never ask you to do something I wouldn’t do, so here it is. What I call “The Ultimate Award Ticket.” I just locked mine in and it will certainly be something to look forward to: a life-changing Round-the-World trip in Business Class for a spectacularly low price of 105,000 miles.
Savings Perspective: This is a staggering opportunity. Consider that Delta charges 160,000 miles (52% more) for a simple Business Class round-trip ticket between the U.S. and Europe, and 170,000 miles (62% more) from the U.S. to Asia.
What a way to blow the covid cobwebs away, once we’re all clear.
And if you don’t have any miles or points, but do have an Amex card, you can book the RTW ticket for just $2,625 (retail price is $9,000+).
Not ready to book a round-the-world ticket? No problem. Here are a few other top happy-making routes to have fun booking and looking forward to:
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First Class Non-stop on (Amex/Chase Partner) Emirates to Athens and Milan from New York & Newark
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First Class Non-stop on (Amex/Chase Partner) Emirates to Middle East from Boston, Chicago, New York; and Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Washington D.C.
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First Class Non-stop on (Amex Partner) All Nippon to Tokyo from the East & West Coast, Chicago, and Houston
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First Class Non-stop on (Amex/Chase Partner) Singapore Airlines to Tokyo
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First Class Non-stop on Japan Airlines to Tokyo from the East and West Coast
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Business Class to India on United from Newark/New York and San Francisco
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First Class Non-stop to Sydney on Qantas (Amex Partner)
Reason #5 to Book Your Dream Trips Now:
If You Need to Change, Push Back, or Cancel the Trip,
It’s Cheap (OR FREE) to “Redeposit the Miles”
It varies by airline, but if a “change fee waiver” is offered for mileage-award tickets, the policy waives the redeposit fee or change fee for mileage-award bookings.
An example is Delta, which is currently offering its “travel waiver” for all new bookings until May 31, including award flights. It means all fees are waived for redepositing miles.
Even if an airline doesn’t offer a waiver, the cost to change or redeposit your miles is low: just $25 to $150. (If you are a top elite, you can redeposit miles for free with American, Delta, and United.)
Think of the change and/or redeposit fee as an insurance policy. If your plans change and you decide not to travel, you can do so with very little hassle and cost.
Explore FCF’s NEW No-Worries Widget to compare the risk of booking with cash or miles based on airlines’ new change and cancellations policies. Our team has scrambled to get this up and running for you and I think it’s pretty cool.
Turn Off The TV?
We humans are hardwired to travel. I think it’s both a need and a want. When we get through this wild time, and we will, don’t look back at this period as a missed opportunity. If you are getting itchy feet, be smart now with all the savings available. Always check cancellation or change fees and dates involved.
Take care, everyone.