Summer party attendees – introduce yourselves!

[Cat]

Hi, not sure if this will be of interest to others, but I thought it might be good if we had an introductions thread, saying a little bit about ourselves, our travel styles, favourite ever redemptions and anything else relevant you can think of, to make it easier to find people to chat to on the night, especially for those of us on our own.

I’m a teacher, so I’m all about the redemptions in school holidays. I tend to make the most of my 13 weeks a year, and recent travels have included Japan, the Seychelles, Indonesia, Thailand and Colombia. This summer I’ll be heading to Panama for the first time, and Costa Rica for the third time (and I’m slightly terrified of US border control, given recent news stories). I just got back from Japan this morning – we tried to get Iberia redemptions for Easter, but it seems like half of HfP had the same idea, so we missed sakura season, and were there for sumo instead. We flew MAD to NRT in IB business, then JAL business HND to HKG (it was fabulous having the lie flat seats for a 5 ish hour flight), then back with BA in the new suites.

You might have read my review of Yatama Ecolodge in the “My Favourite Hotel” series during the pandemic, or my reviews of the Conrad Rangali island, if you’re a long-term reader.

I tend to veer towards the more adventurous, backpacker-style travelling still, largely because I haven’t grown out of it yet. As a result, one of the places I’m most looking forward to this summer is a hostel that has a 50m long waterslide that goes from the bar to the sea. Most of my other bookings revolve around hummingbirds, quetzals and sloths! You’re far more likely to see me camping in a NP or sleeping in mountain huts, as you are to find me in a 5 star hotel (although they’re always nice when I return to civilisation, covered in mud).

Next year, the current plan is Mexico and Belize at Easter, then the West Highland Way over half term (and the Caledonian Sleeper back!). I’m not sure about the summer yet.

If you see me at the party, I’d love to hear about your travels, especially if yours veer towards the slightly barking mad too, and I’m always happy to tell my travel tales!

[MilesOnPoint]

Hey Cat, I’m Nico.

Been in the points/miles game for about 15 years.
Highlights include First Class to Moscow on BA 747 for Tran-siberian railway trip via Mongolia to Beijing, First class to Rio for the 2014 world cup (sat behind Patrick Vieira), Club Suite to Sydney to visit my brother, returning on QR QSuite from Melbourne to London with Avios. One of the best ever trips we’ve done was our wonderful honeymoon: First Class on 787-9 to Mexico City, open-jawing back from Costa Rica in Club World (with an excellent massage treatment in the SJO lounge, thanks to Amex Platinum).

I also travelled to the 2018 World Cup in Moscow on an ex-MBI A321 Flat bed, and took up a niche status match with S7 Airlines (then of Oneworld) by flying back home from St Petersburg to Berlin, then City Flyer back to London.

My specialist subject is status matches, I’ve toured most of Oneworld, inc Air Berlin (now defunct), LATAM (now left alliance), Royal Air Maroc, and more recently, Royal Jordanian.

Go to redemption:
Club Europe to Funchal, Madeira. Great destination, nice meal and LGW lounge and a only a little over 3 hours with weather that hovers in the mid-20s for most of the year.

Favourite on-board experience:
Qatar Airways A380 on-board lounge -in my opinion it’s the best thing in commercial aviation. Not to be missed, whilst it’s still available!

Looking forward to meeting more of you on the day 🙂

[Froggee]

Hello Nico

I’m Froggee. I’m unemployedretired and see my main role now as being paterfamilias. I was actually thinking about coming this year but my former best friend Mr McToadrick is already making noises about maybe not being in London. I’m far too scared to come on my tobler as STRANGER DANGER. I’ll see how he goes but if I was a betting man it will be sad face.

I mainly use points to plan family holidays which I then deeply regret as they rarely go well. Heck I was on the iPad at 1:45am last night, when I woke for peepee, locking down the Algarve for May half term next year.

My best ever redemption was managing to book flights to Hong Kong for me and my old pa (Club out, First back) to see the British and Irish Lions play a warm up match against the Barbarians in 2013. It was a double winner as seeing the British and Irish Lions play and flying first class were both on my dad’s bucket list. He was so excited.

But then some idiot got Mrs Froggee pregnant and she selfishly felt that my going on a jolly two weeks before the due date was not okay and made me cancel. My dad said he didn’t mind as he was happy with a grandchild. But I minded. I had the Conrad booked with Hilton points and everything. I ended up flying First Class with BA another time so gave dad the pyjamas and reported back that I liked it less than a window seat in old Club World as that had better privacy than old First.

My father passed away having never flown in First Class or watched a British and Irish Lions match.

I blame Kermit.

Sad face.

In 2021, the British and Irish Lions played a warm up match against Japan at Murrayfield. I went to that with my then best friend Mr McToadrick and took along a picture of my dad taken at the Hong Kong Sevens. I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring his ashes as we had buried them. Dad looked very happy in that photo. The game was a bit lacklustre as nobody wanted to get injured and the atmosphere was super weird as Covid protocols meant we were to sit four seats away from anyone else. I don’t think my dad would have been impressed.

I digress.

I did score another pretty sweet redemption with Air France getting flights from Edinburgh to Paris when I secured tickets for the quarter final of the rugby World Cup. That was the time when my then best friend Mr McToadrick literally phoned me as I was queuing to get on the plane to say he wasn’t coming as his wife had a migraine and he had to stay home and rub the back of her neck. And then Ireland pretended they were having a warm up match against Scotland schoolboys and scored accordingly.

We had already seen South Africa demolish Scotland in Marseille courtesy of Avios so I reckon my then best friend Mr McToadrick just bottled it and his wife was fine.

Reading this back I think it’s actually best if I don’t go to the party as my former best friend Mr McToadrick will undoubtedly cancel last minute and I’ll spend the whole evening in a corner boring some poor soul (or possibly some poor Sole if nobody will talk to me) with even worse interpersonal skills than me who is therefore unable to extract him or herself.

Maybe Colin MacKinnon might chum me? He seems very patient.

[MilesOnPoint]

Froggee wrote:

Hello Nico

I’m Froggee. I’m unemployedretired and see my main role now as being paterfamilias. I was actually thinking about coming this year but my former best friend Mr McToadrick is already making noises about maybe not being in London. I’m far too scared to come on my tobler as STRANGER DANGER. I’ll see how he goes but if I was a betting man it will be sad face.

I mainly use points to plan family holidays which I then deeply regret as they rarely go well. Heck I was on the iPad at 1:45am last night, when I woke for peepee, locking down the Algarve for May half term next year.

My best ever redemption was managing to book flights to Hong Kong for me and my old pa (Club out, First back) to see the British and Irish Lions play a warm up match against the Barbarians in 2013. It was a double winner as seeing the British and Irish Lions play and flying first class were both on my dad’s bucket list. He was so excited.

But then some idiot got Mrs Froggee pregnant and she selfishly felt that my going on a jolly two weeks before the due date was not okay and made me cancel. My dad said he didn’t mind as he was happy with a grandchild. But I minded. I had the Conrad booked with Hilton points and everything. I ended up flying First Class with BA another time so gave dad the pyjamas and reported back that I liked it less than a window seat in old Club World as that had better privacy than old First.

My father passed away having never flown in First Class or watched a British and Irish Lions match.

I blame Kermit.

Sad face.

In 2021, the British and Irish Lions played a warm up match against Japan at Murrayfield. I went to that with my then best friend Mr McToadrick and took along a picture of my dad taken at the Hong Kong Sevens. I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring his ashes as we had buried them. Dad looked very happy in that photo. The game was a bit lacklustre as nobody wanted to get injured and the atmosphere was super weird as Covid protocols meant we were to sit four seats away from anyone else. I don’t think my dad would have been impressed.

I digress.

I did score another pretty sweet redemption with Air France getting flights from Edinburgh to Paris when I secured tickets for the quarter final of the rugby World Cup. That was the time when my then best friend Mr McToadrick literally phoned me as I was queuing to get on the plane to say he wasn’t coming as his wife had a migraine and he had to stay home and rub the back of her neck. And then Ireland pretended they were having a warm up match against Scotland schoolboys and scored accordingly.

We had already seen South Africa demolish Scotland in Marseille courtesy of Avios so I reckon my then best friend Mr McToadrick just bottled it and his wife was fine.

Reading this back I think it’s actually best if I don’t go to the party as my former best friend Mr McToadrick will undoubtedly cancel last minute and I’ll spend the whole evening in a corner boring some poor soul (or possibly some poor Sole if nobody will talk to me) with even worse interpersonal skills than me who is therefore unable to extract him or herself.

Maybe Colin MacKinnon might chum me? He seems very patient.

Well, as an ardent follower of your Paterfamilias escapades (genuinely brilliant, thank you), I’m sorry to hear that we won’t have the honour of meeting you in person.

Hopefully see you at the next one in a couple of years, if you can brave the wilds of London. Don’t believe everything you see in a Robert “massive charlatan” Jenrick video… 😉

[Cat]

Hi Nico, hi Froggee!

Nico – we have been to an awful lot of the same places (but in my case many of them were before I got into miles & points) – Australia and Brazil were both on cheap economy ticket offers. I did manage a redemption in Cathay Pacific First into and out of Hong Kong, from where I flew to Beijing and took the Trans-Siberian railway into and out of Ulaanbaatar, then spent a couple of weeks exploring the Gobi desert and Naiman Nuur NP. I think that would qualify as my favourite redemption, both for Cathay First, which was incredible (the crew gave me a cockpit tour and showed me the crew quarters, in the crawlspace above the First cabin), and for the Gobi desert (which was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined).

I also absolutely love Costa Rica and Madeira too!

Froggee – you absolutely should come! You practically qualify as HfP forum royalty at this stage. Lots of us will be on our own, and hopefully in two weeks, you’ll know a few of us a bit from this thread, so you won’t feel too much STRANGER DANGER! Your stories are much-loved – come and tell them in person!

I’m gutted for you about that trip with your pa, though. That’s a dreadful bit of timing, but it’s the only decision you could have made. I don’t imagine that’s much consolation, though.

Have you been to the Algarve before? I highly recommend the area around Lagos – the cliffs are unbelievably stunning to the West of the city.

Hopefully see you both in a couple of weeks!

[CocoOnTheGo]

This is a great idea @cat. Thankyou so much for starting the thread 😊

I think i’m heading there on my own – so if anybody would like to meet up before hand and be a friendly face – let me know!

I’m Katie, and a relative newbie to the points/miles game having only been in it for 2 years – in my 1st year I managed to get lucky with timing of offers/bonus’s and managed 700k airmiles and 4 upgrade/241 vouchers paying for a (average sized) wedding – and recovered pretty much most of my fees through credits and the Melia 20% vouchers. So thays probably my biggest points achievemnt to date. (Not sure why poor Melia gets such a bad rep in the forum, i’ve always managed to stack their upgrade vouchers & 20% discounts together with success)

So, if anybody needs wedding tips – happy to chat! I’m an accountant, so love the number element – but with labrador puppy energy, so im ALWAYS excitably chit-chatting in some form!

My redemptions are probably tame compared to everyone elses so far but include business to Singapore for NYE Fireworks & 2 weeks around Vietnam, Chicago, Mallorca, Italy (Puglia)… and flying back CE from Ibiza after a week of dancing definitely had some perks over friends facing into a RyanAir flight from hell. (Although I am tempted to do an EDT back to Ibiza over the summer! 🙈) Pre-points I’ve backpacked around Thailand 3 times, and Australia.

All of the experiences realted to redemptions I probably wouldn’t have thought possible before discovering airmiles – so i’m super grateful to Rob&Team and this forum for all the knowledge and helpful information it has!

I couldn’t name a single bottle of champagne thats served on any flight i’ve been on, and (controversially?) I’ve never earnt a tierpoint.

My post take off drink, is usually a Baileys Hot Chocolate. Although, Flying Qatar earlier this year… their lime and mint welcome drink now has me in a chokehold. So whilst I don’t have any future travel plans at the moment – if anyone has any recommended Qatar redemptions – im all ears! (And if anyone could help me figure out the deal with seat availability/releases, i’ll happily buy you a drink, two or five!!)

Im easily motivated/excited by food and a good bargain. We’ve just come back from 5 days in Italy – purely because my husband wanted to go to a local restaurant we went to 2 years ago and have a the same pasta dish he did back then (but has been thinking about *everyday* ever since!).

Would love to hear about others travel plans for inspiration and looking forward to meeting more of you on the day! 😊

Katie

P.S @cat I now need to know where exactly is the hostel that has a slide from Bar to Sea – so i can immediately add it to future travel plans!

P.P.S @frogee if you’re jumping at the chance to attend, ill extend a lily-pad, and help you stop “ribbiting-on” – like others I LOVE reading your stories, so would happily listen to them all night! 🐸

[FunkyGlobetrotter]

Hey all, great idea for a thread, I’m attending solo this time around but looking forward to meeting all you fellow points enthusiasts!

So a bit about more, I’m Kunal based in Oxford but spend a fair amount of time in London too for business/pleasure. I’m Product Lead for a global information analytics company, get to travel every now and then with work (trip to Chicago next month!) but the majority of my travel is leisure based for which I almost always use points.

My best points redemption actually came about after hearing about it at the last HFP Summer Party, whilst chatting to Rob. I was planning a trip to Australia at the time, and he let me know that I could use my Avios on Qatar to get redemptions on the QSuite for the same amount of miles as a BA Companion Voucher, this was a game changer. The trip actually took place over the Christmas/New Year period last year and the QSuite was an amazing experience, it was a great trip travelling down the east coast of Australia, snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef being one of many highlights!

I recently returned from the Amalfi Coast in Italy which was a great trip, and have already got Japan booked for Cherry Blossom next season, so any Japan tips would be appreciated. Got BA Club Suite booked (although I think it’s the old club at the moment) inbound to Tokyo (using BA Companion Voucher), returning by Finnair business (using Avios) from Seoul via Helsinki.

Status wise I have Hilton Diamond (so almost always tend to choose a Hilton property where possible!) plus One World Sapphire Status through the Royal Jordanian Status Match offer last year, I know some have been offered extensions on here, would be great as it has been so useful to have.

I have an instagram travel blog where I post about all my travel adventures, feel free to check it out @funkyglobetrotter.

Looking forward to meeting you all at the party, happy to meet before the party too!