It is time for the annual post with all the ways How I Burned 1,148,286 Miles and Points in 2023. I am including some photos along with some advice and feedback as always of course. See you on Friday with the usual blog post featuring a collection of curated links along with my commentary, thank you for reading my blog.
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Every year I try to do a post showing you how I spent my miles and points. Here are the posts from the previous years:
How I Burned 1,636,135 Miles and Points in 2022
How I Burned 1,014,780 Miles and Points in 2021
This is How I Burned 587,026 Miles and Points in 2020
This is How I Burned 759,105 Miles and Points in 2019
This Is How I Burned 735,108 Miles and Points in 2018
This Is How I Burned 909,500 Miles and Points in 2017
This Is How I Burned 800,434 Miles And Points in 2016
This Is How I Burned 1,266,596 Miles and Points In 2015
This Is How I Burned 1,053,524 Miles and Points In 2014
I ended 2023 with the following in the bank:
4,494,301 miles/points
5 Hyatt Free Night Certs
1 Hilton Free Night Cert
Airline Gift Cards/Vouchers: Southwest $161
A few notes:
Everything noted in the spreadsheet below is as I book them, NOT when the travel actually occurred.
I ended the year with about 300k points more than what I had at the end of 2022. Which is crazy as I have really slowed down in my activity getting travel rewards credit cards for the fat Signup Bonuses. These days, such a bonus needs to be really fat for me to get interested. I would not bother with any bonus less than 50,000, just not feeling it you guys. Which also goes to show you what the potential is to enhance your travel with selected travel reward credit card signups. And of course, having a business and family members helps a lot.
We finally got back on the road traveling to Singapore for a wedding and then ten days vacation in Phuket and Bangkok in Thailand. In early 2023 I brought my mom to the US from Greece (flying Business Class of course) and there was some miles and points burning for some of this trip (even though most of it was actually booked in 2022). I do use a fair number of miles and points for my kids and relatives/friends which will likely continue. This included a trip for daughter in Paris to study abroad. And I sent her mom there for a visit as well.
Several Hyatt stays with points later in the year were booked solely to requalify for the top World of Hyatt Globalist elite status. We enjoyed a family gathering in Seattle to see our daughter during her Microsoft internship and we are looking forward to visit her again when she moves permanently there in August 2024 to start her career. I will be returning to the same Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach, CA on September 2024 for a conference. Again, several trips booked with British Airways Avios points to fly on American Airlines back and forth from Detroit to New York City area, we have been doing this for years. I think I flew on an actual British Airways airplane just once in the early 1990s lol.
2024 travel plans are in flux at this point. I am going back to Greece for sure sometime this year. Wife’s sisters are visiting the US for a whole month and that kind of threw the family Asia trip in November 2024 I was planning to book in jeopardy. Maybe I take off for a week or two around the world doing some aspirational flights and hotel stays, we shall see. Picture will become clearer after all client tax returns are done by April and I finalize my trip to Greece. Developing…
I would like to thank the US banks for assisting me in this, without them it would not have been possible. Thank you for what you do and please continue! 🙂
Any questions please ask in the comments.
And a few photos from 2023:
Let me leave you with this:
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
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TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Control Salt Delete! Makes my day!
That’s a LOT of points / miles …
Hi George, earn and burn is definitely the way to go! Do you recall the name of that hike near Seattle? Going there in March (may be cold) and wonder about day trips you’d recommend.
Going back to your question about use of points to Macchu Picchu,for hotel it seems Marriott is the way to go (which sucked for me as I’m not a Marriott loyalist). As I said, Tambo del Inka is the place to stay near MP. You take the AM train straight from the hotel to the base of MP, unbeatable convenience and beautiful ride. To fly there there’s a ton of cheap flights to Lima (<$500 RT) so use of miles is not a big deal. Good availability across most alliances. I'd stay in Lima a couple days if you have time, best cuisine in Latam by far. Then I'd hop to Cusco (I used 4,5k avios if I recall). There I'd stay a couple days and again, JW Marriott El Convento (16th century convent) is an amazing property. Reminder to 1) get the MP tickets soon thourgh the website, especially if you want to go to tippy top. 2) once you book hotel, book train ride tickets online. Some train are panoramic and sell out.
That hike was ‘Lake 22’. It will take all the allotted time. Not easy. I would say intermediate. Has some rocky terrain which really bothered my foot which likely contributes to my issues when I should have been rearing them, oh well. Getting to the top is worth it!
Wow! Lots of travel for a guy with a job! Good work! Great pics, too! I am telling you, when you come back to WA State, and can make it up at least near Bellingham, (abt. 90 miles north of Seattle on I-5) lunch is on me!
Me: wow, I did 30 Hyatt nights last year!
George: hold my beer and watch this…
@ DML: I feel like I am not really trying that hard these days…
@ Peteco: I appreciate the MP info! I asked my daughter yesterday about the Seattle hikes, she has not gotten back to me. If/when she does I will post here.
@ Carl: We’ll try to make it happen this time in the Seattle area.
@ Nick: Lots of them Hyatt stays were at 3,500 points per night just to re qualify as Globalist. Check in, go to the room, get the soaps and teas, walk out and do remote check out 🙂
“ magnificent hike near Seattle.” looks amazing. Any more details about the exact location? Was all of this mostly sponsored by Chase?
Lake 22 Trail.
This blog has no sponsors, nobody will buy me.