Registration for IHG Rewards Club The Big Win 2014 is now live.  Here’s the offer I got:

• Stay a total of 7 nights and earn 9,200 points
• Stay at 4 different IHG brands and earn 19,200 points
• Book 1 stays through the Best Flexible Rate with Breakfast and earn 2,000 points
• Stay at 2 of the following locations below and earn 9,600 points
• Stay 3 Saturday nights and earn 5,600 points
• Book 3 separate stays through the IHG app and earn 5,600 points
• Complete 5 of your offers and earn 21,000 points

The 2014 Big Win offer seems to be less generous than its 2013 predecessor.  Still, it might make sense to complete some of your offers.  Keep in mind the maximum value of IHG Rewards Club points is $70 per 10,000 points, as you can buy them via the cash + points trick at this price.  Feel free to share your personalized offer in the comments section of this post. Thanks!

Pic: My personalized IHG Rewards Club The Big Win 2014 offer

Pic: IHG Brands – InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, …

Pic: Ski vacation in Laax, Graubunden, Switzerland

Pic: Rocksresort in Laax, Switzerland.

Pic: Rocksresort luxury apartment in Laax

Pic: Master bedroom at Rocksresort luxury apartment in Laax

Pic: Eco responsible showering at Rocksresort Laax

Pic: LAAX Ski lift by Porsche Design Studio

Pic: Ski bar ‘Station Plaun’ in Laax

Pic: Snowfest 2013 Apres Ski at Crapbar, Rocksresort, Laax

Pic: Cosy cheese fondue at Diltut in Flims, Switzerland

Pic: Outdoor pool at Wellnesshotel Waldhaus Flims – Mountain Resort & Spa

Pic: Taking a dip at the outdoor ice pool after using the sauna at Waldhaus Resort & Spa

Pic: Dinner at Waldhaus Resort and Spa Hotel in Flims

Pic: Thank you for flying SWISS chocolates

Pic: The Freddie Awards 2013 at USA Today Corporate Headquarters in Virginia

Pic: Bart Lapers at the Freddie Awards 2013

Pic: Atrium Lounge at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Virginia

Pic: Breakfast at Härth Restaurant, Hilton McLean Tysons Corner

Pic: At The White House, Washington D.C., USA

Pic: Pinkberry American Frozen Yoghurt

Pic: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York City

Pic: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) – World’s busiest airport!

Pic: The Luxury Bar at Delta Sky Club in Atlanta

Pic: Lounge with a view, Delta Sky Club at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Pic: Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 ‘Hessen’ at Narita Airport near Tokyo, Japan (Nov 2013)
Early November, I made some last-minute changes to my Thailand-Laos travel plans. Unfortunately, those changes included postponing my Laos trip to 2014…but that’s life when you’re addicted to extreme travel deals.

Pic: Lufthansa First Class logo on Boeing 747-400 ‘Hessen’ (Nov 2013)
With the help of some friends in the frequent flyer community, I had identified an opportunity to fly Lufthansa First Class on the cheap using a ‘muy flexible’ airline loyalty program. Exceptionally, I will not detail how I managed to do this, as ‘the deal’ is still alive and I don’t want to kill the opportunity for other members of the community.  ’But how do I become a member of the frequent flyer community?’… it all comes down to showing your dedication to our hobby and meeting people face to face at events like TravelMagic.

Pic: Lufthansa new First Class Cabin on B747-400 (Nov 2013)
I was quite excited about my Lufthansa First Class flight from Tokyo to Frankfurt, as it was operated by a B747-400.  Located on the upper deck, the Lufthansa 747-400 aircraft features a unique First Class cabin with 8 seats which each have a dedicated bed next to them!

Pic: Lufthansa new First Class – Seat 84C and bed on B747-400 (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Seat 83C and bed on B747-400 (Nov 2013)
At the time of booking, I had selected front row seat 81H.  My seat buddy in 81C was John Mayer.  To be honest, I had never heard about the guy.  But if you manage to date Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly, Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, you’re probably doing something right.

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Pommery Champagne and macadamia nuts (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Champagne 1999 Pommery Cuvee Louise Brut (Nov 2013)
The Champagne Lufthansa was serving during the month of November was hands-down the best I ever had!  The Pommery Cuvee Louise Brut Millesime 1999 was simply amazing!  I was so blown away by it, I ordered a bottle to share with my family on Christmas.

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Amuse Bouche (Nov 2013)
As usual with Lufthansa, the food was good but not exceptional (I wish they had DO&CO). The service, on the other hand, was excellent!

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Caviar Service with Beluga Russian Vodka (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Caviar Service with traditional garnishes (Nov 2013)
Here’s the full Narita to Frankfurt First Class Menu: Menu Cover, Menu Intro (by Chefs Adam Mathis and Teruyuki Kojima), Western Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Western Dinner, Japanese Dinner, Champagne & Aperitif, Spirits, Wine Menu Intro (by Markus Del Monego – Master of wine 1998), Red Wine, White Wine, Dessert Wine, Liqueur and Port, Sake And Plum Wine, Cold Beverages and Hot Beverages.

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Japanese meal – Zensai (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Ceviche of Seafood Ensemble with Olives, Peppers, Herb Oil

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Chicken Paillard with Morel Mushrooms (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Fresh Fruit and Peninsula Cheesecake with Red Berries

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Selection of Cheeses garnished with Grapes and Walnuts

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Etter Grappa La Fine Eau-De-Vie (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class - Coffee Dallmayr Premium Selection (Nov 2013)

Pic: Lufthansa First Class - Peters, Pralinen der Premiumklasse (Nov 2013)
Conclusion: I’ve now enjoyed the new Lufthansa First Class on the A340, A380 and B747-400.  Still on my todo list: the B747-8.  It’s very hard to pick a favorite, as each aircraft has its advantages.  Ben did an excellent job comparing the different Lufthansa First Class cabins on his blog ‘One Mile at a Time’.

Pic: Start 20KM of Brussels at Parc du Cinquantenaire, May 26, 2013

Pic: Triumphal Arch, Parc du Cinquantenaire / Jubelpark in Brussels.

Pic: Scenic Aeroporto de Lisboa approach, Lisbon, Portugal.

Pic: Bart at Parque Eduardo VII in Lisbon, Portugal.

Pic: Bart socializing with promo girls in Lisbon, Portugal.

Pic: Praia Do Guincho near Lisbon, Portugal.

Marriott Rewards has an attractive promotion for new members: Stay twice and earn a free night.  You can combine this offer with the 2014 MegaBonus promotion, which also earns a free night after two stays.  That makes a total of two free nights after two stays!

Marriott Rewards Free Night for New Members:

• Join Marriott Rewards and be automatically registered to earn your free night certificate
• Stay twice at participating hotels during your earning period. Your earning period starts the day you enroll through the end of that month, plus an additional 120 days
• Earn a free night at a category 1 – 5 hotel after your 2nd paid stay

Marriott Rewards 2014 MegaBonus:

• Register by March 31, 2014
• Stay between February 1 and April 30, 2014
• Earn a free night at a category 1 – 4 hotel after your 2nd paid stay, up to 2 free nights

Extra: LoyaltyTraveler.com reports you can call Marriott Rewards Customer Support to register for a MegaBonus Category 5 offer instead of Category 4.

Pic: Bart near Majestic Cafe in Porto, Portugal

Pic: View from Duplex Suite bedroom at InterContinental Porto, Portugal

Pic: Bart at Duplex Suite InterContinental Porto, Portugal

Pic: Rio Douro in Porto, Portugal

Pic: Apartment with amazing view on Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (De Witte Nijl)

Pic: Decoration at De Witte Nijl in Antwerp, Belgium

Pic: Breakfast at De Witte Nijl, Antwerp, Belgium

Pic: Breakfast at Suites@Feek in Antwerp, Belgium

Pic: Margarita at the pool of Casa Romantico Bed and Breakfast in Bruges, Belgium

Pic: Bath at Casa Romantico Bed and Breakfast in Bruges, Belgium

Pic: Welcome at Hotel Indigo Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany

Pic: Bedroom at Hotel Indigo Berlin Alexanderplatz in Germany

Pic: Strandbar Mitte in Berlin, Germany

Pic: Dada Falafel in Berlin, Germany

Pic: Lufthansa First Class Ground Services in Frankfurt - Mercedes S ride to the A380

Pic: Bart at Lufthansa A380 First Class seat 1A

Pic: Lufthansa First Class - Alfred Gratien Cuvée Paradis Brut Champagne

Pic: Lufthansa A380 First Class – Seat 1A in full-flat bed mode

Pic: Cloud Forest Waterfall at Gardens By The Bay in Singapore

Pic: World’s largest aquarium at S.E.A. in Singapore

Pic: Bart at Universal Studios, Sentosa island in Singapore

Pic: Adventure Cove WaterPark shot from Singapore Cable Car at Sentosa Island

Pic: Marina Bay Sands Laser Show at Marina Bay in Singapore

Pic: Hotel Muse at Langsuan in Bangkok, Thailand

Pic: Deluxe room at Hotel Muse in Bangkok, Thailand

Pic: The Pool at Hotel Muse in Bangkok, Thailand

Pic: Bart attacked by Chao Phraya River Shark in Bangkok

Pic: The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand

Pic: Co van Kessel Bangkok Bicycle Tour

Pic: Pier at InterContinental Koh Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort

Pic: Infinity Pool at InterContinental Koh Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort

Pic: Chilling at the beach, InterContinental Koh Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort

Pic: Kind Bed Ocean View room 311 at InterContinental Koh Samui

Pic: Air Bar and Five Islands, InterContinental Koh Samui ,Thailand

Pic: Sunset at Flames, InterContinental Koh Samui, Thailand

Pic: Beautiful evening at Flames, InterContinental Koh Samui, Thailand

This post features basic flight booking advice for occasional leisure travelers.

Before You Book

• Don’t book too early!
• Get a feel for the average airfare to your destination
• Best fares: ~6 weeks before departure (not always the case)

Unless you found an amazing deal, you should not book your flights months in advance.  A better approach is to get a feel for what good airfares to your destination are.  (e.g. you should not pay more than €500 for a roundtrip Brussels – New York)  Promotions and error fares aside, we generally see the cheapest flights around 6 weeks before departure.

Things to take into consideration

• What’s the reputation of the airline?
• Are there any extra fees to be paid? (e.g. checked luggage fee)
• What are the flight times? Are there any long layovers?
• Select the right seats

When booking flights, you should not only focus on the lowest airfares.  Make sure to verify the reputation and aircraft type of the operating airline (e.g. via SkyTrax or Routehappy).  You don’t want to be stuck on a 12-hour flight without individual inflight entertainment system. Also check if there are any applicable airline fees.  Low-cost carriers are notorious to charge for everything. (e.g. forget to print your boarding pass with Ryanair = €70)  Early or late departure/arrival times might be bothersome and so might be long layovers.  If the operating airline allows you to preselect your seats at the time of booking (or online check-in), make sure to use tools like SeatGuru to determine the best seats for you.

Where to Start?

My primary tool to find cheap flights is KAYAK.com  It allows you to set email Price Alerts to keep track of your airfares and shows a Price Trend indicator which advises you when to book.  KAYAK.com also features an Explore function with the cheapest flights to destinations worldwide from your preferred airport.  Alternatively to Kayak, you can use the mother of all airfare search engines: Matrix by ITA Software.  A very powerful tool with many options, but less user-friendly and you can’t make direct bookings from the site.

When should I book & fly?

Book: Airline tickets tend to be cheapest on Tuesday evening.  Flight queries during weekends might return higher fares.  Fly: Sunday is the most expensive day to fly, Tuesday and Wednesday are generally cheaper.  Adding a Saturday stay to your trip might lower the airfare.  Many airlines require a Saturday night stay to get access to lower fares.  This allows airlines to distinguish leisure travelers from business travels, as the latter tend to avoid Saturday night stays.

More tricks to lower fares?

• Check airfares from nearby airports
• Combine two one-way tickets
• Add an open-jaw to your itinerary
• Check fares at multiple OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies)

Don’t stick to your usual airport, nearby airports might offer cheaper flights. Lowcostairlines.nl provides a nice overview of which destinations low-cost airlines serve from the Benelux.  Combining two one-way tickets (definitely with low-cost carriers) might be cheaper.  An open-jaw ticket might be much cheaper too.  ”An open-jaw ticket is a round-trip ticket in which the traveler does not arrive to the same city of departure and/or does not depart from the same city where he first landed.”  Don’t forget to check flights with multiple OTA’s, the same flight query might result in very different results.  Some of my favorites:  Skyscanner, Bravofly, Hipmunk and Momondo.  Once you found your desired flights, make sure to double check with the issuing and operating airline’s websites to make sure they don’t offer a better fare.

Where are the great deals?

Make sure to sign-up for the newsletters of your favorite airlines.  If you’re active on social media, like the airline’s Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.  Airlines often share deals on their social media channels and announce promotions via mailings.  Those are some of the ‘official’ sources to get notified about deals.  But there are a number of other channels to get notified about ‘hidden’ deals.  Forums like Flyertalk, Vielfliegertreff (German) and BusinessClass.se (Swedish) are generaly the first ones to identify great deals and error fares, but it’s hard to keep track of them.  Commercial initiatives like HolidayPirates.com have made it easier for travelers to be notified about great deals.  They even offer an iOS HolidayPirates App which can be tailored to send you push notifications for deals matching your travel preferences.

I don’t have time for this. Can you help me?

Flightfox allows you to launch a ‘contests’ in which experts compete to find the lowest airfares or construct the best itinerary for your trip.  Once the contest is over (usually after 48h), you select the best solution and the winning expert will receive a ‘finders fee’.  Obviously, this service comes at a cost (starting from $24) but it can save you a lot of time and money.

One more thing…don’t waste the airline miles!

Make sure to check if you can earn frequent flyer miles with your flights.  Collecting these miles, even in small quantities, can be helpful in a later stage of your travel hobby!  Here’s a post explaining how the Lufthansa Miles & More program works.

Pic: Dinner at Belga Queen Brussels, Belgium

Pic: Meeting the infamous Justin Ross Lee aka JRL at The Dominican, Brussels

Pic: The Ritz-Carlton Berlin in Germany

Pic: Bart’s bathrobe at The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, Germany

Pic: Relaxing at the The Ritz-Carlton Berlin Spa

Pic: Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt – Blue Rubber Ducky

Pic: Lufthansa B747-400 Upper Deck First Class

Pic: Lufthansa and Thai Airways First Class Rimowa Amenity Kits

Pic: Welcome Cocktail at Sofitel So Bangkok

Pic: Lobby view from Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach

Pic: VERO Trattoria & Wine Bar at  Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach

Pic: Haagen-Dazs Patong Beach, Phuket

Pic: Speedboats at Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Pic: Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Pic: “The Beach” Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands in Thailand

Pic: Tsunami Hazard Zone, The Beach, Phi Phi islands, Thailand

Pic: Pool Access Room at Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach

Pic: Pool Access Rooms at Holiday Inn Phuket Mai Khao Beach

Pic: Docchaba Flower at Holiday Inn Phuket Mai Khao Beach

Pic: Khao Phad – Fried Rice with Chicken for 40 baht (1 euro)

Pic: Mai Khao Beach Phuket, Thailand

Pic: Sunset at Mai Khao Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Pic: King Room at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

Pic: Swimming Pool at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

Pic: Lufthansa First Class Champagne

Pic: Lufthansa First Class – Toast, Egg and Caviar

Pic: Lufthansa Old First Class on A340-600

Pic: Qatar Airways Dreamliner B787 Business Class

Pic: Qatar Airways B787 Dreamliner Business Class Oryx IFE

Pic: Delicious deer, dinner at Hilton Antwerp, Belgium

Pic: Chocolate mouse, dinner at Hilton Antwerp, Belgium

Pic: Lobby Hotel Indigo Dusseldorf Victoriaplatz, Germany

Pic: Hotel Indigo Düsseldorf Victoriaplatz, Germany

Pic: What’s Beef Wagyu Burger, Düsseldorf, Germany

Pic: Christmas in Maastricht, The Netherlands

Pic: Thiessen Wijnkoopers in Maastricht, The Netherlands

Pic: Champagne Cuvée Louise 1999 Pommery

IHG Rewards Club is the loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and some smaller brands. Last year, the program offered a number of bonus codes which allowed members to earn thousands of extra points. The past couple of days, a number of promotion codes have surfaced which might result in bonus points for 2014 stays.  These codes have not been tested yet, so there’s no guaranty any of the promo codes will result in extra points.  I’ll update the list with our results over the next weeks.

If you don’t have an IHG Rewards Club account yet, register here.  Don’t forget to sign-up for The Big Win 2014.  Visit this link to manually register for the bonus codes or click on the individual promo codes below.
New Stay Bonus – 4040
Elite Member Next Stay Bonus – 4047
Book With Us – 5147
Weekend Stay Bonus – 6796
Anniversary Bonus – 8000
1000 Point Gold Bonus – 8301
5000 Point Platinum Bonus – 8317
Welcome Back Bonus – 8994 
New Member Bonus – 9944
2000 Bonus Points for 60 Days – 9990

Thanks to reader Chris, we can now confirm 6 of the posted IHG Rewards Club 2014 promotion codes work.  Chris earned 15500 bonus points thanks to the codes!  I’ve update our master list with the results.  More bonus codes will be added later today!

Pic: Mercedes-Benz C180 rental from Hertz Brussels Airport (Jan 2014)
Last weekend, I made a short but luxurious trip to Paris. By combining a number of promotions and loyalty program deals, I managed to keep my expenses surprisingly low. Instead of taking the Thalys train from Brussels to Paris, I rented a Mercedes-Benz C180 at Hertz Brussels Airport. Hertz was running a 33% discount promotion on rentals booked before Jan 26, 2014. The weekend rental was €163 with 900km included. I opted for the rather expensive Super Cover (+€63) which eliminated my liability for the excess in relation to the CDW. Contrary to Hertz Brussels Airport questionable reviews on Yelp, I had pleasant encounters with the Hertz staff at both pick-up and return of my vehicle.

Pic: Rue de la Paix entrance Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome (Jan 2014)
For my one-night stay in Paris, I used Hyatt Gold Passport points to book superstar hotel Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme.  It was the last opportunity to book this hotel at 22,000 points before Hyatt’s introduction of the Free Night Award Category 7 which requires 30,000 points per night. The best available rate for my stay was €830 ($1127)  The 22K points required for my free night at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome were earned during my Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond Status Match Challenge back in 2011.

Pic: Park Deluxe King room at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome (Jan 2014)
I had contacted the hotel in advance to make sure they would have a parking spot available for my car.  Upon arrival at the Park Hyatt, the voiturier took care of my Mercedes-Benz.  To my surprise, parking was free at the hotel!  At check-in around 1.30pm, I was was addressed by name and invited to have a coffee at La Cheminée as it would take another 10 minutes before my room was ready.  At the time of booking, I had agreed to upgrade my Park King room to a Park Deluxe King for €80.  I was assigned room 141 facing Rue de la Paix as requested.  I had hoped for a little terrace, but turned out those were only available on the higher floors.

Pic: Hyatt Gold Passport Welcome Amenity at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome (Jan 2014)

Pic: Outdoor Winter Terrace Park Hyat Paris-Vendome (Jan 2014)
The Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Winter Terrasse had a mountain chalet serving chic peak Raclette.  I didn’t try any of the food offerings at the PH, as I had a cheaper alternatives at hand.  Back in 4Q2013, the Shangri-La Golden Circle program was celebrating it’s 3rd anniversary with a game offering 200 points per week. I played the game 6 weeks in a row earning me 1200 points in two accounts (mine and my dad’s).  It was immediately clear to me this was a great deal, as 1000 points was sufficient for a free night at a number of Shangri-La hotels in Asia.  However, a post at Head for Points highlighted a second possibility to exchange 1000 points for a $100 Food & Beverage voucher.  You were even allowed to combine two vouchers per bill, resulting in a $200 discount at almost every Shangri-La restaurant.  I exchanged 2 x 1000 points for two $100 F&B vouchers to be used at Shangri-La’s most expensive property… in Paris.  The bill of my €196 dinner at Michelin Star Chef Philippe Labbé‘s La Bauhinia restaurant was reduced to €58 thanks to my two Shangri-La Golden Circle Food & Beverage vouchers!

Pic: Sunset at Place Vendôme, Paris, France (Jan 2014)
For transportation in Paris, I used the private driver app Uber.  It was my first time using the service and it turned out to be a fantastic experience! Within minutes of submitting my request via the Uber app, I had a private driver with Lexus Infiniti M in front of the Park Hyatt. The car was luxurious, the driver extremely friendly and attentive. The payment was automatically processed by the app, so no need to sign any paperwork at the end of the ride. Same experience on my way back to the Park Hyatt, driver arrived within minutes at the Shangri-La driving a new Mercedes-Benz.  Total for the two rides: €7 thanks to the Uber €20 free credit referral which runs until January 20, 2014.
Summary:
Mercedes-Benz C180 two-day rental: €226
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome Park Deluxe King: 22K points + €80 (value €830)
Dinner at Shangri-La Paris La Bauhinia: €58 (value €196)
Two Uber limo rides: €7 (value €27)
Don’t want to miss travel deals?  Keep track with my deals page & follow me!

IHG Rewards Club released the new PointBreaks list for stays from January 27 until March 31, 2014. You can book these hotels for just 5000 points per night as of Monday Jan 27, 2014!  As usual, IHG Rewards Club point reservations are refundable. Make sure to make a new booking for each night (5 night stay = 5 bookings). This will allow you to shorten you stay without loosing your complete PointBreaks reservation!
Asia & the Pacific
People’s Republic of China
InterContinental Beijing Beichen
Crowne Plaza Shenzhen Longgang City Centre
Crowne Plaza Yichang
Holiday Inn Changbaishan
Holiday Inn Nantong Oasis International
Holiday Inn Taicang City Centre
Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Jinsha
Crowne Plaza Shanghai Fudan
Holiday Inn Datong City Centre
Holiday Inn Express Tianjin City Centre
Cambodia
InterContinental Phnom Penh
India
Holiday Inn Jaipur
Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini
Indonesia
Crowne Plaza Semarang
Japan
ANA Wakkanai
Holiday Inn Sendai
Vanuatu
Holiday Inn Vanuatu
Middle East & Africa
South Africa
Holiday Inn Sandton-Rivonia Road
Holiday Inn Express Pretoria-Sunnypark
Zimbabwe
Holiday Inn Bulawayo
Crowne Plaza Harare-Monomotapa
Egypt
Crowne Plaza Sahara Oasis Port Ghalib Resort
Lebanon
Staybridge Suites Beirut
Europe
Czech Republic
Holiday Inn Prague Airport
France
Holiday Inn Mulhouse
Holiday Inn Toulouse Airport
Germany
Holiday Inn Berlin City E-Landsberger
Slovakia
Holiday Inn Trnava
Spain
Holiday Inn Express Algeciras
Turkey
Crowne Plaza Ankara
United Kingdom
Holiday Inn Barnsley M1, JCT .37
Holiday Inn Express Braintree
Holiday Inn Coventry-South
Holiday Inn Northampton West M1, JCT 16
Holiday Inn Express Shrewsbury
Holiday Inn Express Swindon City Centre
Holiday Inn Walsall M6, JCT. 10
Holiday Inn Darlington-A1 Scotch Corner
Holiday Inn Express Leicester-Walkers Stadium
Americas
Canada
Holiday Inn Express Fort Saskatchewan
Holiday Inn Express Slave Lake
Holiday Inn Osoyoos
Staybridge Suites Guelph
Crowne Plaza Gatineau-Ottawa Plz Chaudiere
Argentina
InterContinental Mendoza
Brazil
Holiday Inn Sao Luis
Chile
Holiday Inn Express Puerto Montt
Colombia
Crowne Plaza Suites Tequendama Bogota
Guatemala
Crowne Plaza Guatemala
Honduras
Holiday Inn Express San Pedro Sula
Paraguay
Crowne Plaza Asuncion
Mexico
Holiday Inn Mexico Buenavista
Crowne Plaza Villahermosa, Tab.
Holiday Inn Express Nuevo Laredo
Holiday Inn Orizaba
Holiday Inn Tuxtla Gutierrez
United States
See list in picture below.

Pic: Bart at the Brooklyn Bridge Walkway in New York (Jan 2014)
Back in Nov 2013, a Flyertalk member reported it was possible to book all United flights without fuel surcharges via Norwegian site Wideroe. As fuel surcharges can make up a significant portion of the cost an airline ticket, the airfares at United were greatly reduced by this error. After some quick search queries, I found tickets from Amsterdam to New York for as low as €122 round trip! I wasn’t convinced the fares would be honored, as Wideroe was a small website and thousands of tickets were booked throughout the weekend of Nov 23-24. Turned out, a Wideroe employee had posted the error on Flyertalk, as they had figured out the problem wasn’t at their site, but at GDS Amadeus. In the end, the fares were honored and I traveled from Amsterdam to New York for just €122! The two United flights also earned me 7278 status miles with Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles. As of 2014, I’ve switched from Lufthansa Miles & More to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles for most of my Star Alliance revenue flights, as M&M drastically reduced the number of miles earned on economy flights. The United flights of this trip (booking class K) would have earned only 25% of the flown miles at Lufthansa Miles & More versus 100% of the flown miles at Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles. Turkish Airlines status matches elite cards from other airlines, including Star Alliance partners. I status matched my Lufthansa Miles & More Senator card with Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Elite, both Star Alliance Gold cards.

Pic: View on Empire State Building from my room 1704 at Holiday Inn Midtown 31st St.
For my two night stay in New York (Jan 17-19), I booked two IHG properties. On Friday night I stayed at Hotel Indigo Brooklyn, on Saturday night at Holiday Inn Midtown 31st St. Both hotels offer an exceptional rate with includes 25,000 IHG Rewards Club bonus points. The fact you get 25K bonus points per stay might not always be exceptional price wise, as the rate is substantially higher than the lowest available rate. However, what makes the rate exceptional is the 25K bonus points count as elite qualifying points. With 60,000 elite qualifying points in one calendar year you (re-)qualify for IHG Rewards Club Platinum status. My two stays in New York City earned me 54180 elite qualifying points (4180 base points + 50K bonus points) which is only 5820 points short of re-qualifying as Platinum member!

Macchiato and Banana Cake at Culture Espresso near Bryant Park (Jan 2014)
Some of the nice venues/parks I discovered during my weekend trip:
Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn)
Bryant Park (Manhattan)
Mile End Delicatessen (Brooklyn)
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (Brooklyn)
Cafe Luluc (Breakfast, Brooklyn)
Food Gallery 32 (Korean & Japanese, Manhattan)
El Centro (Mexican, Manhattan)
Culture Espresso (Coffee, Manhattan)

Last minute hotel booking app Hotel Tonight currently has a €20 promo code ‘BOOKEUROPE’ for European customers. If you combine this with the €20 sign-up code ‘BLAPERS’, you’ll get €40 off your first Hotel Tonight booking! I’ve reviewed the Hotel Tonight app in my ‘Best Last Minute Hotel Booking apps‘ article. Make sure to install the Hotel Tonight app now, as the promo code might be revoked at any moment. Once you have the €40 in your account, you’ll have one year to spend it.

1) Install Hotel Tonight with promo code ‘BLAPERS’

2) Redeem promo code ‘BOOKEUROPE’

3) Enjoy €40 discount on your first booking!

Pic: Visited Cape Town thanks to a Turkish Airlines Business Class Error Fare
Back in June 2013, Turkish Airlines (TK) published a oneway business class error fare from South Africa (CPT, JNB) to Switzerland (GVA, ZRH). It was their second (known) business class error fare of the year. I had already booked a business class roundtrip error fare (€638) between Warsaw and Kuala Lumpur back in February 2013 which I flew and reviewed in Nov 2013. As I had no vacation days left for 2013, I booked my Cape Town – Geneva flight for January 2014 and paid just €339.

Pic: My favorite Business Class seat (4E) on the TurkishAirlines A330-300 (Jan 2014)
Turkish Airlines TK41 from Cape Town to Istanbul via Johannesburg.

Pic: The excellent Turkish Airlines Business Class DO&CO inflight catering (Jan 2014)

Pic: Very spacious Intra-Europe Turkish Airlines Business Class on B737-900ER
Turkish Airlines flight TK1917 from Istanbul to Geneva was operated by a brand new Boeing Next Generation 737-900ER.

Pic: Turkish Airlines DO&CO Intra-Europe Business Class Breakfast (Jan 2014)

Pic: Flatbed Business Class seats on South African Airways A340-600 (Jan 2014)
For my positioning flight from Brussels to Cape Town, I used 52,500 Avianca Taca LifeMiles to book Brussels to Frankfurt in Lufthansa Business Class and Frankfurt to Cape Town (via Johannesburg) in South African Airways Business Class.  I had bought the required miles (€611) during a 100% bonus LifeMiles promotion.  With the taxes & fees (€79) included, I paid a total of €690 for my BRU-CPT Business Class flights.

Pic: Sunroof Terrace at Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore (Jan 2014)
For my first two nights in Cape Town, I booked the Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore using the Club Carlson Family and Friends promo. This rate is intended for travelers who have a friend or family member working at the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Don’t we all have extensive networks of friends via Facebook, LinkedIn, etc…these days? No worries, most hotels don’t ask questions. Check this Flyertalk thread for individual hotel’s ‘behavior’. To use the rate, go to ClubCarlson.com and enter ‘CARLSONF’ in the ‘Promotional Code’ field. It will lower most Park Inn rates to the equivalent of €70 and Radisson (Blu) rates to €80 or $80. The rate has same day 6pm cancellation flexibility and includes breakfast + 25% discount on F&B. Note: The Carlson F&F rate is capacity controlled and thus not always available. Make sure to double check the cancellation conditions and other rate features at the time of booking.

Pic: Sunset at Kloof Neck in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: Presidential Loft Suite at DoubleTree By Hilton Cape Town Upper Eastside (Jan 2014)
After my Park Inn stay, I moved to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town – Upper Eastside where I had booked 3 nights using the Hilton Any Weekend Anywhere sale. Via this promo I managed to book the 122 sq.m. Contemporary New York Style Presidential Loft Suite at ZAR1336 (€89) for my first night, and a Queen Guest room at ZAR934 (€62) for the second and third night. As a Hilton HHonors Gold member (obtained via credit card link), I was upgraded to a Deluxe room on my second and third night and could enjoy complimentary breakfast and internet access.

Pic: The City Sightseeing Red Bus is a great way to see Cape Town (Jan 2014)
The first two days of my trip, I didn’t have a rental car. I found the City Sightseeing Cape Town Red Bus an excellent way to discover the city and it’s beautiful surroundings. I managed to complete both the Cape Town Red City Tour (Red Line) and Cape Town Blue Mini Peninsula Tour (Blue Line) in one day, including the cable ride to the top of Table Mountain!

Pic: Cable Car to Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: Abseiling from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: My Uber private driver in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)
On my second day in Cape Town, I used my favorite private driver app Uber to drop me at the start of the Lions Head trail. (try Uber yourself, €20 free credits via my referral link)

Pic: The money shot at the Lion’s Head summit in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: The amazing Camps Bay in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: Culinary lunch at Waterkloof Wines, Somerset West, Cape Town (Jan 2014)
South Africa is famous for it’s wines, so we had try some in style. Waterkloof Wines proved to be an excellent venue for both wining and dining… and what an amazing estate! Thanks to the weak ZAR, the 6 course degustation menu including wine pairing was less than €50!

Pic: Porcini Custard – Rocket Pesto, Crispy Quail Egg – Waterkloof Wines Restaurant

Pic: Dessert by Chef Gregory Czarnecki at Waterkloof Wines Restaurant (Jan 2014)

Pic: Coffee with a view to finish my amazing lunch at Waterkloof Wines (Jan 2014)

Pic: Monkey Valley Beach Nature Resort at Noordhoek Beach, Cape Town (Jan 2014)
Another absolute must-do is Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the world’s most stunning coastal roads! You’ll discover the incredible Noordhoek Beach on your way to Cape Point.

Pic: Bart at Noordhoek beach near Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)

Pic: African Penguins at Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town (Jan 2014)

Pic: Bart Lapers at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa (Jan 2014)
Conclusion: If Cape Town isn’t on your todo list yet, you should add it today. It’s insanely beautiful, friendly and affordable!

Pic: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Partying Around the World (Matador Network)
In the past couple of years, I had my fair share of (in)famous parties around the world:

• Clubbing in Ibiza, Spain 
• Gumball 3000 in London, UK
• Songkran in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Beijing 2008 Olympics, China
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans, USA
• Spring Break at Miami Beach, USA
• Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
• New Years Eve in New York, USA
• Tomorrowland in Boom, Belgium
• Burning Man in Nevada, USA
• New Years Eve in London, UK
• London 2012 Olympics, UK
• Sensation in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• …

And partied in places like Barcelona, Las Vegas, Athens, Seoul, Tokyo, Monaco, Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Macau, Bangkok, Taipei, Jakarta, Phuket, Bali, Hong Kong, Boracay, Shanghai, Berlin, Shenzhen, Davos, CopenHagen, Dubai, Prague, Bucharest, Kiev, Reykjavik, Sharm el-Sheikh, Riga, Johannesburg, Krakow, Cancun, Sydney, Porto, West Hollywood, San Francisco, …

Pic: Sambadrome Parade during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Feb 2010)
Looking for more inspiration, my attention was drawn to the newly released “101 Places To Get F*cked Up Before You Die” by Matador Network. The 278 page guide lists 101 places in 8 categories:

• Blowouts: World’s greatest events
• High Elevation: Partying in the mountains
• Under the Radar: The hidden gems
• Dirtbag: Party on a budget
• Bar Crawl: Cities with the best bars
• Spendy: Upper-class partying
• Beach Break: Hangover at the beach
• Baller: Places that have some indefinable ingredient

Pic: Bart at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema Beach Blocos (Feb 2010)
With only 13 major events detailed in the ‘Blowouts’ section, 101 Places To Get F*cked Up Before You Die isn’t a listing of the 101 best parties or festivals in the World. Instead the guide focuses on places where you can have fun all year round. Don’t expect in-depth practical information for each party destination either. It’s the anecdotes and inspirational stories by the 60 contributors of the guide which read like party invitations. Practical info is easily found using Google.

Pic: Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (Feb 2009)
My personal top 3:

1. Unplanned parties & events
2. Burning Man
   
3. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

On my todo list:

• Coachella, Indio
• Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas
• Saint Patrick’s Day, Dublin
• Holi, India
• Goa, India
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• San Diego, California
• Kathmandu, Nepal
• Ice Stock festival, McMurdo Station, Antarctica
• Tiraspol, Transnistria
• and more…

What are your favorites / recommendations? Share them via the comments section. Thanks!
Order 101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die via Amazon.co.uk (£7.93) or Bol.com (€10,99)

Pic: Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, New Orleans,  Louisiana, USA (Feb 2009)

Pic: Coco Bongo in Cancun, Mexico (Jun 2011)

Pic: Hacker-Pschorr beer tent at Oktoberfest in Munich (Sep 2009)

Pic: Hacker-Pschorr beer tent at Oktoberfest in Munich (Sep 2009)

Pic: Bart Lapers at Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada, USA (Sep 2010)
Order 101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die via Amazon.co.uk (£7.93) or Bol.com (€10,99)