5 Nights in Myanmar- Most Beautiful Sunrises I Have Ever Witnessed- Part 1

"It's a very special moment when you arrive someplace, look around at a vista that is clearly, awe-inspiringly fantastic and think: "Holy ****! Almost no one else has SEEN this!"

This was Anthony Bourdain's description of Myanmar from his TV show, "Parts Unknown," and it was what exactly piqued my interest in visiting this place. After watching that episode, there was a sense of urgency in me to visit before this place blew up like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat.

Sri Lanka: Moped Adventures

Continuation of my adventures on my "around the world trip." If you would like to read from the beginning, here are the links:

Around The World Trip: The Idea
Booking the 'Round the World" trip
Korea: Day 1
Korea: Things to Check out in Itaewon
Taiwan: Food, Fun, and Friends
Kuala Lumpur: Food Never Stops
Sri Lanka: Scared for my Life
Sri Lanka: Great Tuk Tuk Scam Part 2?

My moped adventure epitomized the benefits of traveling alone. I did what I wanted, when I wanted with no real destination and no one to compromise with.

100k AA miles sign up bonus!

David's last post described the thought process in choosing the right card(s) to get you that trip you've always wanted. It was thorough, detailed—and let's face it—didn't answer the question you asked in the first place: Which card should you get?

I'll cut to the chase I am telling you exactly which card to sign up for.

5 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Getting a Card

"What card should I get?" That's the wrong first question.

We get this question a lot, which makes sense. There are countless options with various perks and bonuses for various airlines, hotels and travel companies. Our short answer is always the same: it depends.

Before you even consider a card, you need to answer:

1. Where do you want to go?
2. What can you get?
3. How soon do you want to get there?
4. How do you want to get there (economy, business or first class)?
5. What cards are available?

How you answer is important because not all points are created equal. Take Southwest Airlines for example. Both Goo and I are fans of it, because we fly domestically along the west coast a lot. Southwest is great for that, but it's useless for hopping oceans.

And it just so happens, we love hopping oceans.

Here's my thought process two years ago on choosing the cards that eventually helped me book a three week trip later this year that will span four countries, seven flights and all three flight classes (economy, business and first) for just $147.32.

Isn't it beautiful?

Sri Lanka: The Great Tuk Tuk Scam Number 2?

With my previous 3 destinations being full of food and adult beverages, I decided to give either my stomach or my liver a much needed break. (If I deprived myself of both, what fun would there be?) Luckily, Sri Lanka was my next stop, which I planned as my relaxing beach destination.

Some beach shots I took:

Beach side dining

Back of my hotel

Even though a random man asking me to marry a girl from his village did make the beach interesting, I realized that I had as much enjoyment as I could with the beach after relaxing there for an hour by myself. I decided to explore the area for the next two days.

Scared for my life: Sri Lanka

Arriving in a developing country at 11pm at night and trying to find transportation for my estimated 2.5 hour drive to my hotel, I can say that being mugged/kidnapped and/or having my body parts sold on the black market definitely crossed my mind. I eventually took my chances with a private driver hired from the airport for a mere $65. (I might as well have lost a kidney)

Daft Trip Around the World! How this Punk did it!

One of my dreams was to fly first class on an international flight. I did it last year.

Now, I'm completing my next dream of going around the world in First/Business for less than the cost of an economy ticket to Asia or Europe.

Do we have your attention yet?

Legendary trip Part 2: AROUND THE WORLD IN 20 DAYS!

A few years ago I had a dream lingering in the back of my head, something I did not think I would be able to achieve until much later on in my life. That dream was to fly international first class. As many of you know, not only did I fly first class internationally, but I did it on one of the premiere first class products: Cathay Pacific. Accomplishing that goal at a much earlier time then I had anticipated just whet my appetite for flying in luxury. A new goal came to mind; circumnavigate the globe in first class.

Enough room to invite the cute girl next door for dinner.

Rocking my PJ's in my lie flat seat

Redeeming Your Points (Part 2): Partner and Alliance Networks

In Part 1 of my Redeeming Your Points post, I talked about putting your points to use and how straightforward it can be to redeem them (some more so than others, of course). But here's an important thing to know when you want to redeem your miles: you're not limited strictly to that airline.

Let's say you have racked up an envious amount of Avios points (the reward points for British Airways) and you want to fly from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. It doesn't mean you HAVE to fly British Airways (BA). If you were to fly strictly BA, you would first have to fly east to London before continuing onto Hong Kong. Two precious days of your vacation time will be devoted completely to traveling—one way.

But luckily for all of us, most airlines aren't this guy:

Learn more about Partner and Alliance networks and how it's getting easier to use them after the jump.