This latest trip probably sums up how crazy we can get when we travel. Our childhood friends were having their wedding in the Philippines and myself and Rac were not going to miss it for the world. The problem was, I only had seven days of vacation time so it was going to be a quick trip across the globe. Rac was going to be staying longer in MNL so she left a few days before me. No problem I thought, I was just going to book the most direct route to MNL, stay there for about 4 days and come back in time to get back to work.
Well, that was the original plan. What ended up happening was me booking a 10-segment flight that would bring me to 9 different countries across the globe. All this in under seven days. Crazy you say? Indeed.
As I was getting ready to book my original straightforward flights, I went to United.com and played around different routings to see what I can do if I use my miles. I had plenty of US Airways miles to burn and it was the perfect time to use them since they were leaving Star Alliance in a few weeks. It was my last chance to use these miles and try out some more Star Alliance carriers. After a couple of hours playing with the routings, I called to book my crazy itinerary.
Venice-Istanbul-Cairo (long layover)
Cairo-Peking-Manila (destination)
Manila-Bangkok-Dubai (long layover)
Dubai-Addis Ababa-Nairobi (long layover)
Nairobi-Istanbul-Venice (home)
All this in business class with a variety of Star Alliance partners. It cost me all of 90k US Airways miles plus about $200 in taxes. I’m honestly surprised they issued me this award considering the convoluted routing so thank you US Airways!
The long way home (MNL) would take me in a whirlwind tour of the world where I would ride cars, planes, camels, horses, buggys, jeeps, taxis, trains along the way. This trip would also help me cross off several countries that I haven’t been to and visit several wonders of the world like the Pyramids of Giza, Burf Khalifa (world’s tallest building), Nairboi National Park Safari as well as other wonderful places. To top it off, I’ll be flying in business class the whole way for some much needed rest.
So there, now sit back, relax and enjoy as I take you in this crazy one week adventure. Stay tuned for more!
TravelhackRR 