The Citi American Airlines World Mastercard is now offering 50k AA miles after $3,000 in spend in 3 months with the first year fee waived ($95). Gone are the days of 75k bonus', so a 50k bonus for a card is definitely worth considering.
First checked bag free for you and up to 4 companions on the same ticket
I was staying with a friend who lived in a district in Seoul called Itaewon. Itaewon was once known as a shady district but has recently been revamped and now known more as the foreigners district. When I first heard that Itaewon was the foreigners district, I was not too excited. I imagined foreigner districts like Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong; where there was dirty bar after dirty bar and streets full of westerners being ridiculously drunk (yes, I might have been one of them).
Instead I was greeted by tasteful bars such as "Mixtures" which had a lounge atmosphere and a DJ spinning hip hop beats, and Magpie brewery which usually has a few taps of their own brews plus some imports like Rogue from my hometown. The crowd definitely seemed like more foreigners, but there was a good mix of locals as well. Overall I would almost equate what I saw of Itaewon similar to a Pearl District in Portland or Culver City in Los Angeles. Not super ritzy, but nice and up and coming. Read on for the meals/spots I felt were worth mentioning.
Arriving into Kuala Lumpur, I made my way down to the KLIA express, a train that takes you from the airport to KL Sentral for about 15 usd and takes 50 minutes. KL sentral serves a similar purpose as Taipei main station, connecting metro, high speed rail, buses and taxi, except it does a horrible job at it.
There are about 4-5 different lines owned by different companies, and transferring between them is difficult. For instance, the monorail line is shown to be at KL sentral. But in reality, it is about a 20 min walk away. The signage is not helpful either; they stopped appearing once I left the station, and I still had probably 10 min walk left. Thank God for Google maps!
(Pro tip: While you have internet access before your trip, bring up Google maps and look at the area where you will be visiting at full zoom. This will save to your phone, and when you arrive.with no internet connection you can still use the map with GPS. This saved my ass multiple times.)
Arriving into Taipei, I was able to easily follow signs to the bus that takes me from TPE to Taipei main station (1 hour ride and about $5 USD). Taipei main station is just like what it sounds like, you can access the metro, the high-speed rail, or buses. I met up with my friend who I was staying with, and we started our four day adventure of eating, drinking, and site seeing.
My other friend, who I met there, wrote a blog on 100 things to do in 14 days in Taipei. My activities were mostly with her, so it seems repetitive if I write about it twice (ok I might just be lazy).
Arriving late in the evening in Korea, I decided against trying to learn a new rail system only to get lost, and booked an inexpensive airport hotel instead. After claiming my bag I headed to an information booth to request the hotel shuttle. My shuttle driver came to pick me and another young guy up, and as we loaded our bags, I sized him up and I randomly concluded that he spoke English, so I said hi. Victory! Turns out he was from Boston and also traveling solo after graduating. "New friend #1 acquired!" (insert Zelda item acquired sound here). I learned that making new friends could be as easy as just saying "hi".
If you've been following the blog, you would know that Goober is putting his points/miles to work. That's one of the differences between us: he spends while I save.
If you were to sign up for 2 Citi American Airlines cards you could net yourself 125k American Airlines (AA) miles easily in a year. How would you spend them?
1. 2 round-trip flights from US to Japan in Economy, plus another transcontinental round-trip in Economy
2. 3 round-trip flights from US to Europe in Economy
3. 1 round-trip flight from US to Japan in First class
What good is a lounge invitation when I can have my salted peanuts and the snoring/drooling stranger resting their head on my shoulder? 2 round-trips to Japan in Economy it is!
Let me tell you why I wouldn't choose first class:
Sleep? Who needs it?
If your like me(broke) then you've experienced Economy plenty of times before, and its not half bad on international flights. I like to think of Economy as the
"going camping" of the airlines world, and that I would have a far better
experience "toughing" it out in seats that recline 20 degrees with my
knees hitting the back of the seat in front of me. Economy would make me
cherish my destination that much more!
Who needs a good nights sleep in with First class lie flat seats complete with down pillow and comforter shown below. Allowing you to be completely energized for the day ahead when you land.
Save my stomach for foreign food!
Lounge open bar
One of my favorite things about traveling internationally is to eat good food that I can't normally get. Flying First Class really conflicts with this joy of mine because they feed you NON-STOP to the point where you won't want to eat anything when you land! From the departing airport lounge to the actual flight AND the arriving airport, they provide you with food and drink.
Lounge Buffet
Lobster Dinner onboard
I Prefer the Ambiance at Gates Anyways
For those of you that don't know(I was one of them once), lounges are separate seating areas for either paid members, premium cabin flyers, or frequent flyers with status, so as you can imagine they are probably full of stuck up snobs. I'd much rather sit at the gate with my wallet friendly priced KFC.
Speaking of lounges they also offer amenities such as multiple electrical outlets, computers, semi-private work areas, and showers like the one below.
What use is water coming out of the ceiling anyways?
I'm on vacation for crying out loud! Why would I want to be connected to technology or bring work with me? And why shower if i'm going to be drooled on by the stranger next to me right?
JK!
In all honesty, that flight that you dread to get to your vacation destination, and the flight you can't wait to get off of to get home, transforms into part your entire vacation experience when you fly a premium class. I actually might have shed a tear when I landed in Hong Kong knowing I would soon depart a mini-world where attractive flight attendants fed me food and beer non stop with a smile.
Yes I can get 2 round trips in economy, but at this point of my life I don't have time to take two big trips in a year, so I might as well do one in comfort and luxury right? I also could never justify paying for a First class ticket, the trip that the pictures are from would have run me over $12,000 one way. Using points allows me to obtain something I normally could not, whereas I could pay for those economy tickets.
In the end, points are valued differently by each person. For those of you lucky enough to have time to travel abroad twice in a year then by all means do it. This is just how I justify my use of them.
Some other perks
Priority boarding (so you can get your pre-flight drink :D)
Some airports have premium lane customs/immigrations
Dedicated Security checkpoints
SLEEP
Treated like a rock star. LAX AA Flagship check-in shown below:
