Contest Now Closed
The winner of the week 2 give-away (20k Starwood Points) is Samuel G here’s his story:
I would select prize number two. Five years ago I got engaged to a wonderful woman named Hau (which means Wish in Vietnamese.) She accepted my teenage daughter as if she were her own. My daughter loved her so much, like a mother, and wanted to learn everything she could about Hau’s culture and customs. A year before our wedding Hau was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and it progressed very quickly. She died 4 months before we were supposed to get married. Now it’s just me and my daughter. Hau and I never got to share our cultures with our daughter.
I would select trip #2 so that I could take my daughter on a tour to discover her heritage, including her would have been mom, Hau’s, heritage because she never stopped loving her.
I would fly on US Airways and would go to Germany, Vietnam and Thailand. I would go to Germany on Lufthansa so my daughter could learn about my past. I would then fly on Thai Airways to Bangkok so that my daughter could see the place that Hau and I met. I would then take a cheap flight to Vietnam on a low fare carrier so that we could explore Hau’s heritage together. I would fly back from Bangkok to the US on Thai Air.
This would be the trip of a lifetime and a dream come true.
Congratulations to Samuel G!
Original Post:
What’s your Yolo? For that matter, what’s a Yolo? A Yolo (you only live once) is the new bucket list. If you win a prize during my 1 year, 1 million point give-away you could certainly cross an item – or a few – off your Yolo List!
To enter to win this week’s give-away for 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points and your chance at the grand prize give-away simply follow the instructions below!
After 1 year of blogging on BoardingArea I’ve had the opportunity to interact with some amazing people. Many of those people have amazing dreams and by giving away 1 million points I hope I can make a few of those dreams come true.
There are two grand prizes 1) 300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points and 2) 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post or on facebook telling me
- Tell me which grand prize you’d like to win
- Where you would go & why you would go there
- What airline you’d fly
- And where you would stay (hint: don’t pick prize #1 and tell me you’d stay at a Marriott since the prize only offers Hilton Honors points.)
Be creative, be unique, and be thoughtful!
Rules:
- Entry: Leave a comment on this blog post OR on facebook. You may enter on both this blog post and on facebook, however it will not increase your odds of winning since the winner will be selected based upon creativity, uniqueness and thoughtfulness of their answer.
- Promotion Period: The week 2 contest runs from October 8th – 15, 2012 and ends at 8pm ET on October 15th. Any entry posted after that period will be disqualified. The entire promotion period runs from October 1 at 12:01 am ET through October 28th 2012 at 8:00 pm ET.
- Eligibility: To enter, you must be a legal resident of the United States (void in Rhode Island & Puerto Rico) Canada (void in Quebec) Great Britain, Ireland (void in Northern Ireland) or Thailand. You must be 21 years of age or older to enter. Void where prohibited by state, federal, country or other local laws. The immediate family members of VeryGoodPoints(VGP), the judges, and the immediate family of the judges are not eligible to win.
- Prizes: Limit of one weekly prize per household or per person for the entire promotion period. Weekly prize winners are eligible to win 1 of the grand prize awards. Recipients will be responsible for taxes where applicable. The odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries. There is no cash value of the prizes. There are three valid methods of entry Twitter, Facebook and this blog – please refer to each weekly prize post to determine the valid methods each week. You are not required to enter on all three.
- Winner Selection: Entries will be judged by a panel of three judges. Winner not selected for a weekly prize will be eligible for the grand prize. Winners will not be selected at random – rather, the winner will be selected based on creativity, uniqueness and thoughtfulness.
- Winner Notification: Once notified, the recipient will have 10 business days from the date of notification to claim the prize. Prizes may be claimed by emailing verygoodpoints@gmail.com. If the prize is not claimed within 10 business days after notification, the recipient forfeits the prize. The winner will be announced on this blog (www.verygoodpoints.com)
- Other Conditions: No purchase necessary to win. Recipient must have a valid rewards account to accept the prize. It is free to join the Starwood Preferred Guest, Delta Sky Miles, Hilton Honors, Marriott Rewards, Hyatt Rewards and US Airways Dividend Miles Programs. Please read the terms and conditions of each rewards program to determine what constitutes a valid account. VeryGoodPoints is not affiliated with Starwood, Delta, Hilton, USAirways, Marriott or Hyatt or any of their subsidiaries. This promotion is in no way sponsored or administered by Facebook, Twitter, Starwood, Delta, Hilton, USAirways, Marriott or Hyatt or any of their subsidiaries. By posting a picture on VGP website you grant the rights to republish that picture on this website.
- Privacy: Information collected from participants (name & email address) is only used for the purpose of determining eligibility and awarding the prize(s) and will not be re-used, sold or shared in any manner.
I would love to win grand prize 1 and use the points/miles to take a trip to Bora Bora.
I would fly Air France and stay at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa.
I would pick the first prize and use the points to take my wife to Australia for our wedding anniversary. She had a goal to visit all continents by the age of 30, and she didn’t quite make it. Australia remains on the list to visit, and 300K DL miles would get us there comfortably on V Australia in business class. The Hilton points would go towards our stay at the Hilton Sydney. I think that would be a nice way to spend our 15th anniversary!
i would definitely like to win prize 1! My destination…moorea and the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa in an over the water bungalow. Air France business class is my choice of flight.Ever since i started dating my fiance, i promised her i would take her to the south pacific some day…its a lofty expectation i had come to find out lol. I secretly want to do it for our honeymoon. When i joined twitter i found all these frequent world travelers and got completely sucked into that world. I read a thorough review of the hilton moorea and i imagined my fiance’s face light up if she saw that room. Ive started collecting points and planning getting there on my own but i have realized it will take me light years more than i expected. Once we have kids, im afraid that dream might go out the window trading the kids dreams for ours. I just got a go pro camera that would be perfect for swimming off the deck, hiking around the island and recording something many people just dream about
Thank you for your consideration
Derick.Tormey
Grand Prize number 2 so I can fly to Thailand with at least one leg on Thai A380. I would stay at the Grand Hyatt. I want to ride an elephant in Chiang Mai while playing a trumpet and yell “Fly Dumbo!” from the Disney movie. YOLO!
I’d love to win grand prize #1!!! With the winnings, I would take my new bride on a surprise trip to Hawaii, because that’s her dream vacation and she’s never even been! I would would treat her right, and fly us first class on Delta! We would stay over a week and a half in the classy Hilton Hotels on both the Maui and Oahu islands! So basically, I need these miles and points, so I can score major points with my new wife and give her the vacation she’s always dreamed of!
I would pick number 2, would love visit Japan again and enjoy the Park Hyatt Tokyo plus the Marriott in Nagoya or would visit Thailand with Bangkok and Phuket Island or Chiang Mai for some authentic norther experiences, regarding the airline I hope to fly for first time with the A380, haven’t so far and regarding the airline, I remember our short haul flights with Thai between BKK and KUL very fondly, that’s what I would choose. Head’s up for this fantastic opportunity and good luck for your blog and safe travels, always.
I would love to take my wife to Paris for a long weekend and stay at the Hyatt Vendome. She deserves the trip for all teh work she does and putting up with me and the kids.
I would love to win prize 2 and take my new bride as of 5/20/12, to Paris for a week on our 1 year aniversary. She has always dreamed of visiting Paris and this would be an amazing surprise! We would like to fly first class on Lufthansa and stay some of the nights at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome and the rest of our stay at the Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysees.
300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points would make a wonderful Grand Prize. Plus if I win the Hyatt points we could stay at 2 resorts while in Hawaii which we have been trying to make a trip to for several years.
I would go to Hawaii with the family and stay at the the Waikoloa Village. We would be flying out of ATL on Delta of course.
1. Participate in the US 100% bonus for sharing miles by sharing 50K to another account for 100K then sharing 50K from that back to my account for another 100K. This means there would be two accounts with one having 290K US miles and another having 50K miles. This would cost me $1,142.50 after taxes but for an additional 100K miles I think it’s worth it.
2. Redeem for two North Asia award via Europe in First Class which would cost me 240K US miles. The ideal routing would be: SFO-ZRH (LX F on the A333), ZRH-FRA (LX C or LH C), FRA-NRT (LH F on the A380) then NRT-LHR (NH F on the B77W), LHR-FRA on (LH C), then FRA-SFO (LH F on the A380). I will have the stopover as Frankfurt during the outbound but will purchase a separate, paid ticket to Barcelona.
3. For hotels, I would use 66K Hyatt points at the Park Hyatt for three nights. Since the prize is only for 50K miles, I would transfer 16K Chase Ultimate Rewards points over to my Hyatt account at a 1:1 ratio. For my stopover in Barcelona, I would use 100K Marriott points for five nights at the new Renassiance Fira Hotel for five nights since you get one night free if redeeming for four consecutive nights.
4. Since I would have 100K US miles remaining in two separate accounts, I would hold onto them until the next 100% bonus for buying miles is announced. When it’s announced I would purchase 5K miles for each account while receiving an additional 5K for free so my accounts will each have 60K miles. With those 60K miles I would use them on two off-peak US Airways awards in Envoy Class to Europe specifically Paris so the routing would be SEA-PHL-LHR in Envoy Class. I would then use my 80K SPG points for 5 nights at the Westin Paris since you get one free night if redeeming for four consecutive nights like Marriott. Looking at the rates during this “off-season”, rooms are selling for over 450 Euros a night!
5. I always found Japan as an interesting country and since I would be able to enjoy some long-haul flights it makes it a top choice. I chose Barcelona for a stopover because I’ve always wanted to visit Spain and heard Barcelona is a lot better than Madrid. Since I love food and Barcelona is becoming popular for its restaurants it makes it a no-brainer. For my off-peak trip with the remaining US miles, I chose Paris because it’s Paris! I’ve never been to Europe except for a one-night stay at Frankfurt due to a layover.
I would choose prize number 2. I like the flexibility of Star Alliance points. I would go to Istanbul, Turkey on Turkish Airlines and I would stay at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul and the Renaissance Bosphorus Istanbul. My choice of destination has to do with the fact that Turkey is a place that challenges all your senses. The city is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are kind and friendly. I would take a ferry for a weekend on Buyukada Island and relax by the pool at both hotels, in particular the Grand Hyatt. 240000 UsAirways miles, 100000 Marriott points, and 50000 Hyatt points are a wonderful incentive, but spending my 25th Anniversary in a very special place would be priceless!
I would pick prize #1, and it’s an easy reason. I’d use the Delta SM to take my wife to Istanbul, and we’d spend a long weekend at the Conrad Hotel (love the roof bar!) while we explore the Bosporus and the Golden Horn!
I’d like the airline miles that would get me to Milan. From Milan, I’d travel up into the glorious Dolomiti Mountains in Northern Italy. This area is a very special place, and somewhat undiscovered. I’d visit this area every year if I had a chance. Maybe you’ll help make that happen!
I would pick the second prize option. I would then use 240k miles to fly business class on Thai to Bali with my fiance for our honeymoon with a stopover in Bangkok. Buy a cheap round trip ticket to Koh Samui and use 100k Marriott points to stay 5 nights at the Renaissance Resort and Spa. Then use 48000 Passport points for 4 nights at the Grand Hyatt Bali. I have been to both Bali and Koh Samui before but my fiance hasn’t, and I think both places offer just the right mix of things to see and just veg out and do nothing.
PS – Extremely generous of you to be giving away a million points!
I want prize 2:
2 FC RT’s to North Asia on TH A380/LH A380.
100k Marriott Points for two nights at RC Tokyo.
50k Hyatt points for two nights at PH Tokyo.
Typical “lucky” trip 😉
I would pick option 1 because my Yolo list has Southern Italy for the food and culture at the top and Delta would give me many flight options. Hilton has great selections for places I want to visit including Sorrento, Florence, Venice and Rome and treats me very well as a Gold (I like free breakfasts and evening beverages). I would be using my Hilton Amex to qualify for an Axon award using some of the points and should have enough left over for at least one additional night. I would also convert Delta my left over Delta miles to cover an additional couple of hotel nights. Then of course I would be letting my frequent flyer friends know and hope they could join me!
I would love Grand Prize #2. I would take a trip to Italy with my mom, sister, and 2 year old nephew. Italy is a top country on our to see list. I want my nephew to start seeing the world because we didn’t get to travel much as children and I think it is an awesome way to live life. My sister and I have never been to Europe so this would be the best family vacation we’ve ever taken. My mom’s only been to Spain so all the wonderful cities in Italy with all their history and architecture totally amazes us. We would travel on US Air. Then I would like to stay at several hotels in different cities like the Renaissance Tuscany II Ciocco Resort and Spa, Park Hyatt Milan, Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora, and AC Hotel Vincenza.
I would choose option 2, because I view Star Alliance as one of the more valuable miles to the dollar, and enjoy Hyatt and Mariott properties (despite that I’m not currently attempting to accrue them outside of this contest!)
I got married earlier this year, and we got the travel bug when we visited Playa Del Carmen, MX. My wife indicated her absolute, MUST visit at some point in her lifetime was Ko Phi Phi, Thailand. She sounded fascinated by the beatutiful scenery and the culture and has wanted to visit there ever since she was in high school. I’d love to visit a number of Asian countries for the cultural experiences as well, but I don’t have the same passion for visiting any particular location much like she does.
It would be an unforgettable experience to fly via Lufthansa from MCO->FRA, so that I could take her on a Singapore Airlines A380 to SIN. From there, if possible (I’m still sorta new, so I’m not sure about stopover rules), we’d take a tour of Singapore (probably our #1 choice as a couple) and use the Hyatt points to stay at the Grand Hyatt Singapore before taking a Thai Airways flight into Bangkok, followed by a final leg to Krabi, Thailand. We’d use the Marriott points to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Phulay Bay, before taking a speedboat tour of the Phi Phi islands.
Considering this trip would normally cost me a pretty significant chunk of my annual salary, I would say that this trip would mean quite a bit to my wife and I, and seeing her fulfill her #1 bucket list item would bring me more satisfaction than anything I’d ever accomplish on my own.
I would like to win Prize number 2..need to fly Qatar Airways to the Middle East and US airways would be the best option for that..
I’d take grand prize #1. It has been a pain to use SkyPesos for me for many years, but with 300k of them I could explore Air France and Sky Team’s finer points, and perhaps gain a new perspective on why collecting Delta’s currency should matter to me. As a sort of OneWorld and Star Alliance loyalist, it might be just the ticket to taste some of AF’s inflight premium cuisine, despite the fact that there’s no Hilton left in Paris proper to use the hotel point. Not a problem: last year I stayed at the Versailles Trianon Palace property run by Waldorf-Astoria, and I would love to go back….. Your blog could make this all a reality…
I would take grand prize #1, and use the Delta Skymiles to fly Delta to the place of my birth, Panama. I know it is not the sexiest place in the world, but I am the youngest in my family, and don’t remember any of our time there because I was too young. I would stay at the new Hilton opening in 2013, and follow the route they took when rushing my mother to the hospital to have lil’ ole me. Supposedly we held up a US Navy ship at the canal crossing. I did have an honorary commission from the ship’s commanding officer (which I have since lost) which gave credence to this story.
It is a biggie on my “Bucket List”.
I would like to win (1) 300,000 Delta miles.
I would fly to Cape Town, South Africa, because I went there once while studying with Semester at Sea and I’ve often described it to my boyfriend as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, plus he’s yet to touch the African continent. This could also afford me the chance to take the South African Blue Train to Pretoria, which is one of the famous train adventures on my YOLO list.
I’d be flying Delta, of course!
I would stay at the Westin Cape Town, as I’ve always been partial to Starwood, and hopefully have a room with a view of Table Mountain.
From a pointsman view…
Lets say, initially, going for the prize 2, 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points.
But as you know, getting some level status getting quite important as well to double,triple your points even faster. Trading in the 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points at points.com at 10$x1000. Gives 500$.
Let’s give it a shot and get a great milage run with DELTA, JFK-SJU-JFK-SFO-MSP-JFK-SJU-JFK , spending $498 on this paying this with my new applied Delta Debit Card and transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta, which I use earlier to trade my Hyatt points.
Counting for my segments this would entitle me my Diamond level at Delta! Als I get the Delta 50k + 18k milage run added to my account. Thanks, are you counting? Just getting to roll! Repeating this trick 5 times more gives me a grand total of over 300K! After this energy taking Milage run of over 1 week, I’m
really in need of some relaxtion. Right now HYATT (NYC) get some good deals with their hyatt creditcard
so opting in for that, thx millionmilesecrets for the great guide 😉
While I’d love to go to exotic destinations like Bora Bora or Istanbul, I’d give those up to take my Grandma on a trip for her birthday. She’s been a frugal person her whole life and hasn’t had the opportunity to travel much. She’s pretty old now and has had several health problems recently including bad osteoporosis with broken vertebrae, and I don’t know how much time she has left to be mobile.
She’s currently in good health right now, so I’d love to take her anywhere in the world she’d want to go, whether it was just a couple states over to visit family or somewhere more dreamy. Using miles and points, I’d bet she’d be more adventurous given the availability of premium class travel for comfort. But I don’t care where, it would be up to her. Just the two of us. One last big hurrah.
Since it would be a surprise, I don’t know exactly where she’d want to go, so I’d pick option 2 since using *A miles would be most flexible out of IAD.
Who knows – maybe she’s always wanted to go to French Polynesia!
I am interested in winning package number 1 with Delta and Hilton points.
My husband and I have been looking into our families’ histories. My husband is of Spanish basque heritage and we have traveled to the Basque areas of Spain and France three times.
My mother’s family is from Strasbourg in an area known as the Alsace along the Rhine River that has been both German and French. Strasbourg is now firmly in France and seat to of the European Court of Human Rights. We would love to visit Strasbourg with a stopover in Paris. In Strasbourg we would take a walking tour and a boat tour on the Rhine River. We love to try local food specialties which in Strasbourg includes choucroute (sauerkraut). In Paris we would also take walking tours. My first choice would be the Paris Fashion Walk and of course a romantic visit to the Eiffel Tour would be a must!
We would fly on Air France, Delta’s partner in Skyteam.
The 200,000 Hilton points could be used for two nights at the Paris La Defense- a category 6 hotel, and three nights in the Hilton Strasbourg–a category 5 hotel. I recently obtained the Hilton credit card so we could take advantage of the free breakfast and free wifi.
Looking forward to a French-flavored “roots” trip.
#1 and i’d love to see paris. I’d fly air france and stay at the Mariott Champs-Elysees. Oui Oui!
Prize #2 so that I could fly a Lufthansa – Boeing 747-8 and then Singapore Airlines a-380 from the U.S. to the Maldives. As a kid I always wanted to fly in the upper deck of a 747 and what better 747 to do that in than the 747-8 even though that would be business class and not first. I guess I’d settle for first class in the nose of the aircraft 🙂 And then the service of Singapore Airlines on an a380… need I say more…. I would go to the Maldives with my wife because we have always talked about that as our #1 perfect vacation location. She could sit on the beach while I would snorkel/scuba dive. It is amazing places like that exist in this world. And with the Maldives’ low elevation above sea level getting lower and lower, you better go there now before they disappear 😉 We would stay at the Marriott Renaissance Maldives Gaakoshibee Resort & Spa hotel. Look at this place http://www.marriottmaldives.net/ Even though it would be a roundtrip ticket, I would just quit my job and never go back home. I’ve watched enough Bear Grylls and Survivor Man. I’m pretty sure I’d survive!
If I win prize #2 I would fly to SIN and spent couple of nights at the wonderful Grand Hyatt Singapore hotel, then follow the journey to Sri Lanka to sew old friends, then on a short flight to Maldives. I will fly Singapore/Silk Air between LAX-SIN-CMB-SIN-LAX. Will purchase my own way between CMB-MLE-CMB. This is a dream trip:)
I would select option 2. I am driving my husband crazy with my new hobby and so far we don’t have any actual trips from it. Only been at it 3 months. I would love to show him all the time I’m spending on this and the detail as to what credit card to use to get the max points is worth it. I’m looking at taking my family of 4 to Hawaii. I just opened a Hyatt card so would have my 2 free nights from that award to add. I have gold status with Marriot so that should give me some upgrades. It may not sound as glamorous as Paris but we have never travelled first class before so it would be a real treat.
I would pick #2. My Yolo is actually more about taking my parents-in-law to Hawaii. More than anything I want to share my love of traveling with the people I am close with. I was blessed with the opportunity to take my mom to Hawaii before she passed away. It was a special trip. Her first and only. My parents in law haven’t really traveled. They are retired and live in a tiny town in PA. We don’t get to see them as much as we would like. My husband served in the Army for 22 years. He was a single father for many of those years and his parents were a life saver for him, especially when he was sent to Desert Storm. They helped care for his daughters whenever he had to be away. They have done so much for us and we would love to repay all their kindness and support. I would fly them first class on US Airways (or possibly United if the partner flights are there). The other 3 of us would go coach with the remaining miles! I would take them to Maui and Kauai. I would use the Marriott points to stay on Maui in Kaanapali..and then the Hyatt points to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai.
I would love to have prize #2. My son wants to study abroad this summer…on a teachers salary, it will be a challenge….so the miles would be used for him to fly to and from wherever he gets accepted leaving out of NYC. I would use the Marriott points to have a summer vacation in myrtle beach…staying at the Marriott resort at grande dunes for three nights (30k/night) and then on same trip staying at the hyatt chesapeake bay golf resort in Cambridge Maryland for 2 nights (18k/ night)…thanks!
I would like prefer prize # 2.
I would use the US Air miles to fly me, my daughter (age 30) and my son (age 25) first class to Maui. We would stay at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club first and then ease on down to the Hyatt Regency, both at Kaanapali Beach, using the points from the prize to stay at two of the most beautiful and ideally located properties in the world. I would try to do as little as possible, but I know that I would lose this battle since the allure to drive the scenic road to Hana would surely get me out of my lounge chair. I’m sure that we would have to spend a day snorkling and lounging on the beach at Kapalua Bay, which has my vote as the prettiest beach I have ever seen anywhere. Maybe a luau. Maybe not. Primarily, I will hope to find the perfect Mai Tai and the perfect sunset. Considering that it’s Maui, I just might find them both.
– I would like to win prize #2 as it would be great to add to my small pile of *A points.
– I would love the chance to go to the southern Hemisphere and visit Sydney, Australia. Having never been to that area , it would be a wonderful opportunity to experience Australian life and see the sight.Also it would be great to see kangaroos out in the wild, use a didgeridoo, throw a boomerang and see if the toilets really do flush counter-clockwise.
– I would fly and Singapore Airlines. Having heard Sing Air is one of the best in the world, it would be great to be able to experience it first hand.
– I would stay at the Marriott Sydney Harbor which offers views of the Harbor bridge as well as being close to the Opera house and easy transportation to anywhere else in Sydney.
I’d take prize #2. I want to go to Australia to celebrate an upcoming milestone birthday. I’d use the miles to fly Thai Airways to Sydney so I could experience their excellent service in their first class terminal in BKK. I’d use the points at the Park Hyatt in Sydney since I hear it’s spectacular. I’d use the Marriott points at the Surfer’s Paradise Marriott up on the the Gold Coast just to see a different part of the country.
What a great challenge – we might need some planning help here !
Intrigued by the numbers 50K &100K
And the fact that it’s ~ 50K miles around the equator .
Firstly, we like Prize # 2, and all our travel would be done on our long term, favorite airline :
US Airways & its great Star Alliance partners.
My wife & I have just celebrated our 50th anniversary last month – winning this prize would give us a chance to visit some of the attractive islands, that are not always that popular on conventional tour itineraries. We would like to sample the culture & wines in different places.
We would start & finish our trip around the Equator from the Four Seasons Resort, Bora Bora
– rated # 1 on Trip Advisor – we are daydreaming already !!!
Never having won, one of these contests, before .
We’d like to use the 100 K Marriott Points & the 50K Hyatt points for an itinerary to go around the Equator, making as many stops as necessary @ both Marriott & Hyatt hotels, using the 150 K total points visiting as many countries as possible . No trip duration limitations.
I think this trip would be an adventure as well as a fantastic , creative challenge to design.
Please give my proposal serious consideration .
Thanks – a geat blog & I hope you like the creativity & our reasons for a celebration trip.
I ‘d take prize #1. After almost taking myself out from repeatedly not finding any award seat on Delta, I will finally burn the miles when I find an open seat DTW-ATL for only 300k Skymiles! I will donate the 200k Hilton Points to my client who has been with me for 12 years now, was widowed five years ago and just found another love in his life. I will tell him pick a Hilton for your honeymoon and I will cover it. It really does help loyalty!
Prize 2 would be a boon for me and my lovely wife. We’re public school teachers and need points to see the world, so we have all sorts of ideas.
With 120,000 US Airways miles apiece, we could finally go see the Pacific Rim. Using the US miles on United, we could fly non-stop on ANA to Tokyo in Business Class. Then we would have to decide between two nights in the Park Hyatt Tokyo and four nights in the Hyatt Regency. We would probably opt for the latter in order to get more time in what seems like an amazing city.
Then we’d move on to Seoul by taking advantage of generous routing/stopover rules on Star roundtrip itineraries. We’ll plump for Asiana if at all possible for the second new airline of the trip and hopefully my first 747 since KLM in 2001.
Once in Seoul, I’ll take advantage of your incredible generosity and use 100k Marriott points for four nights at the Renaissance. The Ritz Carlton is tempting, but once again we’ll go for length of stay.
Then after four nights in Seoul, we’ll head back to Maryland. My wife and I will hop on an Asiana 777-300 to O’Hare, connecting with a three-class United 767-300 back to Washington.
Thanks for your consideration. If nothing else, this was fun to research 🙂
◦Tell me which grand prize you’d like to win: Prize 1
◦Where you would go & why you would go there: I’d fly my grandma and my uncle to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. My grandma has a home in Kaohsiung and she flies back every year for 2-3 weeks. In coach. I have a ton of United miles but the Star Alliance doesn’t fly to Kaohsiung. I’d want to fly my grandma in first class if possible. The flight in coach class affects her physical and mental state really badly. My uncle always flies back with her every year to take of her so I’d want him to experience first class as well.
◦What airline you’d fly: China Airlines
◦And where you would stay: Oddly enough, there are no Hilton hotels in Taiwan. I guess I’d use it for my mom (who doesn’t fly) and me for a free stay at the Hilton Garden Inn – Foxwoods when it opens. My mom and I love to play bingo and that’s the best place in the Northeast US for high stakes casino bingo.
The 2nd Grand Price more like it for me:
– With the US Miles, I will top off my balance for 1st class award flight from LAX to BKK (Thailand).
– Use Marriott points to add to my balance and do some Thailand properties.
– Use the Hyatt points along with free nights from Chase Hyatt card to stay at the awesome Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok.
We will go to Thailand to visit family and simply to enjoy paradise. We will book award seats with US Airways and stay mostly at Marriott properties in Thailand with the exception of the GHE.
Prize 2 would be my first choice and I would use the miles to cross off the two newest planes in the sky, neither of which I have flown, over two trips.
First, I would fly in J from SJC-NRT on ANA’s very soon to start 787 service between those two cities — 90K pts. I would use the Hyatt points to check out the oh so popular Park Hyatt Tokyo that I fell in love with after seeing Lost in Translation along with all the other travel nuts out there — 44K Hyatt points for two nights. The remaining points I would use on a trip to Thailand via Europe in F. I would need to “share” at least 5K of points using the recent 100% sharing bonus promo, to net up to the 160K points I need for this trip. This would cost only a little bit over a cent a point if I maximized the earning potential. I would fly from SFO-FRA-BKK-HKT on LH/LH/TG-TG/TG/LH, taking advantage of the FCT in FRA and the F lounge and spa in BKK. All the long haul flights would be on the A380, including TG’s band new planes which are suppose to be delivered shortly. I would stay at the JW Marriott Khoa Lak Resort an Spa a category 5 resort for 25K points per night for five nights, with the fifth night free. The remaining 6K Hyatt points I would use to upgrade a stay I will be making at the Grand Hyatt Goa in December to a suite for four nights.
I am aiming for prize #2. Would love to have a holiday at JW Marriott Maldives and the Park Hyatt Maldives. As for the flight I will be using the US Air miles to fly with Qatar Air on their stellar business class service to MLE.
I would choose #1, and I would take my family to Japan! I have never been there, but it is one place that all of us, including the kids, have talked about wanting to visit. My children (and I) would love to visit the Studio Ghibli Museum, explore some of the beautiful parks and gardens, visit some shrines and temples, and experience the atmosphere of metropolitan Tokyo. We would fly on Delta, and we’d probably stay at the Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel, because it is a Disney Resort hotel, therefore family-friendly, and I’m sure my kids wouldn’t mind a visit to Disneyland while we’re there, too. 🙂
Hi!
My 5 year old daughter has wanted to visit Mexico since she could talk; she’s enamored with pictures of the beaches, mayan ruins, and the idea of a different culture. She and I live on opposite ends of the US, so my travel budget is eaten up completely by my travels to Athens, GA to be with her about every other weekend. If we were selected, we’d pick option 2. We’d start with a night stay in a suite before departure in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, her absolute favorite hotel (though she’s only been there once,) then fly United ATL->IAD->CUN for a week on the beach and visiting the ruins while staying at the Marriott Cancun, then return to ATL for a final night stay at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead, so that she could see “the other side” of Hyatt.
We’d also make a Yolo song for youtube on the trip!
I’d choose prize number one and would fly Delta or partner to French Polynesia. Then I’d use HHonors points to stay at Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa. Coupled with points in each program that I already have we’d be able to have a complete dream vacation.
GP 1! Air France or Air Tahiti to Bora Bora using Delta Points, then use the Hilton points at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui.
I would use the delta miles on an air tahiti nui flight and stay at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui. It’s not super exciting, but my girlfriend and I have been talking about it for a few years now. Saving money on the flights/hotel would really allow us to stretch out travel budget and really enjoy french polynesia (I may even mix in a trip to the Cook islands!!)
I would take prize #2, combine it with some of my own miles to get a 300,000 round-the-world on business class Star Alliance award ticket. This would allow me to take a trip from Washington to all over the world. I would stop in Hawaii and indulge at the Hyatt Kuaui and then continue onto Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and back. The Marriott and Hyatt points would be used to cover some of hotel costs in those locales, I could go low category hotels to stretch the points out.
I would definitely select prize #1.
But, I would use the miles and points to send my wife and her mother to Scotland.
My mother-in-law’s dream has been to visit the “old country – once in her life”.
But, she was diagnosed with cancer about six months ago and the “window” is closing.
I don’t have nearly enough points to send them so, I can’t think of a better gift / surprise for them than this!
I would like to win prize #2 and if I won than I would take my wife and her parents to Hawaii. Her family has not been back to their home state in decades and with my wife’s parent’s growing age now would be the perfect time to say their hello’s and goodbye’s. Of course with the points we’d travel in style, first arriving at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. We’d use our own money to then island hop to Kauai and stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. The trip would conclude in Waikiki at the Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa – Marriott. All together this would be a fitting way to win points from Boarding Area, score points with my wife, and help finish the game for my wife’s parents.
I would pick prize #1 and I would fly Delta over to Europe and then go to Moscow on Aeroflot and stay at the Hilton Leningradskaya Moscow not only to visit Russia but also to find my childhood pen-pal. I grew up in Bulgaria learning Russian as a child under the communist regime and had a sweet Russian girl as a pen-pal who would send me lots of things from Moscow. And besides that, Moscow was the place my family went to before leaving for America back in the communist days and I have never been back so it would be amazing to visit and also try to find my old pen-pal!
I’ve always wanted to fly around-the-world, and especially hitting 2 continents I’ve never been to would be great!
I would take prize #2, combine it with some of my own miles to get a 300,000 round-the-world on business class Star Alliance award ticket. This would allow me to take a trip from Washington to all over the world. I would stop in Hawaii and indulge at the Hyatt Kuaui (always heard this was a great hotel) and then continue onto Japan (sushi!), New Zealand (Gandalf!), Australia (Outback!), South Africa (Cape Town!), Brazil (party-town!) and back. The Marriott and Hyatt points would be used to cover some of hotel costs in those locales, I could go low category hotels to stretch the points out. I’d try and take Singapore Airlines as much as I could, as well as Asiana and Thai, as I hear they have the best service and product.
I would pick #2 to fly to Paris on United and stay at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel and Park Hyatt Vendome.
I would pick Price #1.
I’d fly Delta BusinessElite to Europe with the wife, which is where we’ve always wanted to go. Specifically, Amsterdam and Zurich. Zurich because as we have friends that moved to Zurich years ago and havent seen them since unfortunately, and Amsterdam because its somewhere neither of us have ever been to but its high on our bucket list.
Of course we’d stay at the Hilton in Amsterdam as its in a great location. Zurich we’d likely stay with our friends! It would be a dream trip for us!
I’d like prize #1 of the Delta miles and Hilton points please. 🙂 I’d love to use the points to fly first to Dubai and also visit Abu Dhabi and Qatar. I would stay at Hilton family hotels, obviously. I have so many items on my YOLO list it’s hard to name just one! I’ve been dying to go to Kenya and visit the wildlife park outside of Nairobi. Also, I once saw a post of natural wonders of the world that mimicked those seen in Avatar. Wherever there are bio-luminescent creatures, pink sandy beaches, or natural wonders that blow my mind, I want to be there. Three hundred thousand points could go a long way for one multi city trip. I’m going to keep dreaming up ways that I could spend it!
I would choose Option 2 and fly business class on any International Star Allaince carrier. I would visit France and Spain with my husband while our 2 boogers are at camp. Second honeymoon BABY!! Have lusted over the Hyatt Park Vendome since everyone raves about it.
Thank you for this incrediby generous offer.
YOLO!!! My new slogan 🙂
I’d like to win the 200,000 Hilton points. The Delta also looks appealing, though I haven’t flown Delta enough to know how valuable their miles are (other than they’re Skypesos). 😛 I think I like to visit Japan since I’ve never been there (and connecting through the airport doesn’t count). I’d probably fly on AA since there is direct routing there, and honestly, I’d stay at any hotel (whether it’s hilton, hyatt) if I can use my points for it at a centrally located hotel.
I would like the Delta Points please.
I would use them to travel to South Korea on a mix of Delta and Skyteam partenrs such as Korean Air in Business Class. Once there I would use my own Hilton points for a hotel and would search computer shops for an LG XNOTE Z350 notebook to buy as they are not sold in USA.
I studied abroad in Vienna and my parents weren’t able to visit me there during that time. I would love to take them back there and show them my favorite parts of the city and also see it from a classier point of view than a dorm-dwelling student who was living cheaply! I can’t wait to show them my favorite sites.
Because my status lies with hilton and Marriott, option one is for me!
I would use 300k miles for 3 rt lowlevel business class tickets to Vienna, Austria with a two-night stopover in amaterdam(gateway city). Then I would use 125k Pts at Hilton Vienna plaza for 4 nights on an AXON reward since I have the Amex Hilton card. With the remaining 75k, I’d use the points for 2 nights in Amsterdam (with a few extra from my hilton account if I exceed 75k)
I’d choose Prize 2.
My newlywed wife and I travelled to Southeast Asia for our honeymoon in Vietnam and Thailand and the 3rd place we wanted to visit was Bali. (Her favorite, but my points won at the time) I would love to surprise her on our 1st anniversary with a trip to Bali.
I would buy 2 award business class tickets on Singapore Airlines with the US Air miles and travel from California to Bali. ~180k US Air miles (more if 1st)
A380 from LAX to SIN then smaller to DPS. (SQ11)
From there we would stay for 2 nights at the brand new Marriott Stones Hotel for the Marriott points. It looks unbelievable.
( part of their Autograph collection https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dpsak-the-stones-hotel-autograph-collection/ )
Then burn the remaining 50k on 10! nights at the Bali Hyatt which has a great 5k points redemption.
12 nights + 2 travel days stretches the miles pretty far. I’d love to check out Indonesia for a little surfing and exploring some lush jungles with my wife.
I would like to win grand prize #2. I would love to go to Shanghai with my parents and stay at the JW Marriott Shanghai. My parents never really got the opportunity to visit Shanghai when they were in China as travel was expensive and my parent could not afford to go. I would go visit the Bund! (My mom’s favorite favorite Chinese drama is The Bund, 1980s drama set in Shanghai). We would probably fly Asiana or United Airlines. 🙂
Hi.
I would like to win the Grand Prize of 300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points.
The Delta miles would be used to fly my family to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). This would be the first leg in a world class Scuba diving adventure to Sipidan and neighboring Indonesian islands.
We would use the Hilton Honors points to stay at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur hotel. From KUL, we would make our way to Batang Ai Longhouse Resort and make our base here as we head out diving.
As an avid diver, I have the opportunity to dive Sipidan back in 2000. Twelve years later, I wish to share this with my family and experience this world class dive destination again.
I think I am going to get my gear checked this weekend…
I would definitely fly to Argentina then take an Antarctic cruise. Antarctica is the only continent I have not been to yet. I would use the Delta miles to fly as far as Buenos Aires.
With Delta SkyMiles and Hilton HHonors Points, I would jet off to Hawaii to hike the volcano caldera on the Big Island at sunset. I would stay at Waikoloa Village, eat amazing food, hang out at the spa and get an incredible tan. Then I’d spend the afternoons exploring the less-touristy parts of the island and driving up to the Mauna Loa observatory. I could use some the SkyMiles with Hawaiian Airlines and hop over to the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki for the more traditional Hawaii experience. I work long hours, indoors, and don’t get to vacation often, so I would make this count by going to paradise. With any points left over, I’d hop over to London on Delta — I’ve never been! I might sleep on a couch there and hoard the HHonors points for stays at Hampton Inns stateside. I love Hampton Inns, and being able to use points to stay there would make it a lot easier to do shorter trips to visit family, or have them visit me. A few hundred thousand points would make a huge difference to me.
I am opting for granz prize #1.
So far I have seen 44 of the 50 states here in the US. For one I would like to see all 50 by the time I turn 50 (5 years from now), but reaching this goal would be even better if I can take my 7 year old son along. While I would fly a few legs, I would actually convert some of the Delta miles and rather turn this into a road trip with a nice rental and see America the way it is meant to be seen.
Hawaii is one of my missing states and of course that requires flying and I would actually fly Delta and stay within network. My hotel of choice would be the Hilton Grand Wailea.
I would love to win grand prize 1 and use the points/miles to take a trip to Bora Bora
I would like to win grand prize #1. My childhood dream has been to travel to Bali. There are an infinite number of ways to enjoy the infinite pleasures of Bali. I would explore the island and mingle with the people to experience first hand their humility and wonderful sense of being, then hike Mount Batur, take in village sights and pedal up a hill to witness a spectacular Balinese sunset.
Very generous offer. Since You only live once (YOLO) was a favorite saying of a very dear friend, I would take a trip in his memory. We lost him yesterday and he was from the island of Fuhr.
I would choose grand prize #2 to fly Lufthansa Business to Hamburg and stay at the Park Hyatt Hamburg and take a day trip to the island. It’s something we always wanted to do and now we realize YOLO.
I would like to win grand prize #1. I just moved to Seattle from Boston, and while I was in Boston I tried to make use of being on the east coast by traveling to Dublin with Avios and other places across the pond, but now that I’m on the west coast I want to try exploring Eastern Asia and places closer to me. At the top of my list is visiting Alaska, especially since I probably won’t be in Seattle for too long, and it feels so “close” from here! If I had all those Delta points, I’d take my fiance and my best friend and her husband to Anchorage with either Delta or Alaskan Airlines (~70,000 skymiles a person in January it seems). I think it’d be a great adventure to go this winter to see the northern lights, definitely high on the bucket list. There’s a Hilton in Anchorage that costs 40,000 points a night, so we could share a room for 5 very long and dark nights. Alternatively, if I can’t convince my friends to freeze with me, I’d go up with my fiance in the winter and then again in the summer for compare/contrast and more exploring! I read that Delta is expanding their routes out of Seattle especially to Asia. So, overall, I think they are becoming more useful to me, even though I haven’t paid much attention to skymiles yet.
This is going to be tricky, because I don’t think either grand prize helps me for my YOLO. #1 on that list is to see the Earth from space. No amount of miles will transfer to Virgin Galactic, but at least I can fly Delta to ABQ and stay at the Hilton in Las Cruces, not far from the Spaceport with Grand Prize #1. The Garden Inn there may not be the same as the Hilton NYC or Paris, but it does have 3 things going for it: location location location!
I’d opt for option #1
This summer I learned of some history which has made Normandy, France on the top of my bucket list.
An American WWII widow was told that her husband was MIA around the D-Day invasion. After six decades of no luck with US military sources she found out that her late husband was shot down near the town of Las Ventes and first buried there. Every year the people of that town honor him and I want to go to that town thank everyone.
I’d first fly to Paris, stay at the Hilton La Defense and visit with some friends. Maybe they’d drive out to Normandy with me. Sigh, no Hiltons in Normandy.
I would love to win either grand prize, but particularly grand prize number 2. I have been to many places, but never to Asia as I do not love long flights in steerage. The US Airways points would be sufficient to fly us in the front of the plane, so I would use the prize for my spouse and I to do a dream biking trip of Vietnam. First, though, we would fly with our bikes on ANA to Tokyo – ideally first class on on a 787, even if we have to take a connector flight! – then stay in Tokyo at the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. After a few days in Tokyo, we’ll go out to the country to bike in the countryside. After returning to Tokyo, we’ll take ANA to Ho Chi Minh City for the main part of the trip, where we will head out to the country with our bicycles. We will likely follow an itinerary similar to REI’s (http://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/asia/vietnam.html), except that we will do it as a circle so that we can return for a few nights of luxury at the Park Hyatt Saigon.
I’d pick option 2 and cross off Italy of my YOLO list. My wife and I have never been and we’ve decided to take as many international trips as we can to show our 4yo the amazing world we live in. We’d pick three cities, probably Rome, Venice, and Florence and take in the culture, architecture, and food! We’d fly Star Alliance and stay at the Hyatt and Marriott’s in the most-central locations so we can walk as much as possible!
I would opt for the Delta miles and Hilton points. My Yolo trip would be to Antarctica, although technically this would be our second trip down there. The first time, we flew to Buenos Aires, stayed at a Hilton, and then took a big cruise ship down to Antarctica (as well as the Falkland Island, and a few other locations). But since it was a large cruise ship, there was no getting off of the ship and actually setting foot on Antarctica.
We would do just that with this second trip. We would use the miles to fly down to South America (probably combining with some of my existing miles to go first class!). Probably stay in Buenos Aires at that same Hilton (it was a NICE hotel!). Relax, catch our breath, and catch up on sleep. Then, fly down to Ushuaia, and catch a small ship cruise from there.
It would be an absolutely amazing trip, being able to set foot onto Antarctica, when we could only see it from afar before.
I’m ready to pack my bags already!
My “YOLO” move would be to burn every one of my miles and points to go on a round-the-world trip with my beautiful wife. Part of the points would have to be given as a bribe for somebody to watch our kids for a year, though!! 😉
I’d take prize #1. I’d fly Delta from DC to Los Angles and then connect to Air France business class to PPT. My wife has always wanted to go to Fiji and we just haven’t (yet) made it there. Once there, we’d stay at the Fiji Beach Resort and Spa. After that, I’m not sure I could get her to leave, so we might just have to stay on the beach under a tree.
This requires a little background: I was in Paris when Eyjafjallajökull erupted. Train lines were booked solid and the cost to rent a car to Spain, Portugal or Italy (the only airports still open when I was scheduled to leave) was too high (1300 Euros). I was freaking out – I had to get home.
In line at Avis at the Gare du Nord station (where I hoped to plead/beg my way into a cheaper fare) the woman behind me said to her husband, “I’m so glad to be in Paris. The drive from Madrid was horrible. You return the car, I’ll check on the train.” Could it be? Did they just drive one way from Spain? Indeed they did. Minutes later I was the “son” of a general in the Australian Air Force (for the purposes of Avis paperwork at least) and after exchanging a few hundred euros, some contact information and good wishes, I drove off in a great little Seat Ibiza and headed straight for Madrid.
On my way to Madrid I passed by amazing countryside and wonderful vineyards, particularly those in the area of Bordeaux, Navarra and Castilla. I also drove through some amazing scenery, some of which I couldn’t see clearly as I started in the afternoon and drove all through the night. The entire trip I wished I could stop and enjoy myself – the people, the wines and the beauty of the landscapes nearly forced my hand.
For my YOLO, which I’m going to do regardless of winning (though I would choose Prize #1 to help) I would retrace the better parts of that trip (with a few additions where I can). I’d start by flying into Paris for two nights in Mont Matre
I’d fly Air France JFK-CDG to enjoy the direct flight (I’ve always connected into CDG and it makes a short flight into a really long day). The goal isn’t to spend time in Paris, so I’d promptly make my way southwest towards Versailles and spend 3 days at the Trianon Palace, Waldorf Astoria. After a few days of luxury I’d make my way south along the coast and enjoy various boutique hotels and small villages while sipping cognac on my way to Bordeaux. I’d spend quite a few days there sampling and shipping home some crates. I’d drive rapidly at night again (to recreate the feeling of the earlier trip) to Irun in Spain. I’d wander about the Rioja region and slowly wind down southeast of Madrid. Eventually and reluctantly I’d head home. I’d fly Delta back to take advantage of the direct flight to JFK, board the A train and head back to Brooklyn.
Prize #2 – Fly US Airways to Buenos Aires, Argentina and stay at the Plaza Hotel (Marriott). At the age of 19 I volunteered and paid to serve a two year religious mission to Argentina. Those two years changed my life and I came to love the people, the language (Castellano), the food (oh those empanadas), futbol (soccer) and the country. It’s been 32 years, yet I still love and yearn to return to that country, and would be thrilled and thankful for the opportunity.
I would pick #1, fly Air France, go to Paris which is my favorite city and stay at Hilton
I would love to win the Grand Prize #1, This would be a perfect Honeymoon to Toyko, Japan we never had a chance to take. Plus that’s where all the high techy would go right? lol The miles we be for our RT Econ tickets on Delta.,never flown with them but always a 1st. Flying into our Hilton Tokyo hotel, being a Cat 6 Hotel, we would be able to stay a sweet relaxxxx”xxx”xing 5 days. This time without her parent on our so call 1st honeymoon. 😉 Of course we would be using our Elite status to get an upgrade room. And with our left over Skymiles, shop for some x-mas gifts @ marketplace.delta.com, Why not?
I would take the first prize of the Delta miles and HHonor points to take a YOLO trip for me and my wife to each of the Hawaiian Islands,because Hilton has great resorts on each island. I would see the sunrise at Haleakala (wearing a Hilton sweatshirt) on Maui, enjoy a relaxing time on Kauai reading a book near the pool (with a tropical drink on my table), visit Volcanos National Park on Hawaii (camera in hand), then finish on Oahu with a visit to Pearl Harbor (still patriotic) and a Hilton Luau (how touristy!). Bet I have the “Most Jealous of” suntan at the end of this trip to go with a B-I-G smile that will not go away!
If given the opportunity, I would choose Grand Prize package #1. The Delta Skymiles would provide RT passage from SLC to Dubai, UAE for me and my dear friend, Troy. From Dubai, we will take a regional airline to Amman, Jordan to visit my beloved ex-in-laws (they’re getting older, and this may be the last time I can see them). I will take Troy by bus or car to visit the Holy Land – including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then back to Dubai. If Hilton’s new Waldorf Astoria is open in Jerusalem, we would love to stay there. If not, we’ll stay in the Tel Aviv Hilton and any of the beautiful Hilton properties in Dubai.
Thank you! (I’m so hopeful I’ll win that I’m already requesting the time off work.)
I would love the Delta skymiles, I travel to Guatemala helping to feed poor children and this would cut my expenses, definitly fly delta.. am not sure if there is a Hilton here but once stayed in one in Virginia Beach, beatiful, would like to go again…..
The MILLION POINTS RAP
YO! Winning points from the number one prize
Would be the best present – and that’s no Lies
Me and My Honey would be off in a flash
To Set UP that trip without any cash
Since you only live once and there’s so much to see I’d first book a flight to the Hilton Hawaii
That village hotel would just hit the spot
And Delta airlines would get me there on the dot…
But time there only a stopover would be
As after that relaxin’ I’d say by to Havaii
I’d continue on to Thailand a country that does rock
I’d stay at the Millenium in little old Bangkok
I’d float upon the market and eat at every booth
Probably get some dental work upon my little tooth
Arriving for Loy Kratong and it’s million points of light
Each point a heartfelt thank you beam sent from me through out the night!
YO! LO! – BABY!
I would do #2; reasoning is US Airways seems to be a lot easier to redeem than Delta. I just booked my first award travel using UA miles and love *A carriers coverage.
Using those 240k would be easy. LAX – NRT (23:55 stopover) – HKG and back using the same route & stopover on ANA first. For the 23:55 I would love to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Toyko at 50k a night. While in HKG I would stay at the HR HK TST for 3 nights.
Reasoning behind HKG/TOY is that my fiancee is from HKG and I’ve never been. Would be awesome to have her as a tour guide; while Tokyo we both havent been … nor have we ever been in a Ritz.
I would love to win grand prize #1. I have asked my daughter and son to take me to Hawaii for my 65th birhday. I know they don’t have the finances to do it, and since I just had my 63rd birthday, there isn’t a whole lot of time for them to save it. If I could win, then I could surprise them and take them to Hawaii instead. I love staying at the Hilton and the Hampton Inns.
Then, with any points left, I would take my husband to Alaska. He loves to see wildlife and we had at one time said we would go there for our 25th wedding anniversary, but we are already at 31 years, and doesn’t look like we will make it there, either. These points will really give us the opportunity to do those YOLOs.
Thank you.
ill chose grand prize #2 , would love to take my twin daughters to visit Jerusalem Israel, to see the old city and new city, and visit the holy Christian places. It is my favorite city in the world.
I’d choose prize 1. I’d use the 200,000 Hilton points for 8 nights at the
Hampton Inn in either Dadeland or MIA so my husband and I can visit my wonderful 89 year old mother in law who just moved into a nursing home due to a botched surgery. I would then use the 300,000 Delta miles to fly us to Atlanta or drive if I can find a cheap one way. Then I would use the balance to fly my husband on my nonstop flight to Madrid. We don’t have enough points to get him there non stop and he has low vision legally blind so changing airports is challenging. It currently takes 95000 miles for him to fly the one way. I’d maybe use the balance to upgrade us if that’s enough miles because we’ve been in Miami for the last month helping my mother in law and we are exhausted. Getting old is not for the meek. Helping the old isn’t either but both are much better than the alternative!
I would pick option number 2. I would fly to Zurich in US Airways Envoy class for a stopover for two nights at the Park Hyatt Zurich. I would then continue to Singapore flying Lufthansa and stay at Singapore Marriott Hotel for 3 nights because point savers award level was available. I would then fly back on Lufthansa and route through FRA-IAD to fly on the 747-8.
I would travel to Beijing to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and to meet some of my colleagues who live in China, but whom I never had the opportunity to meet face to face. I would stay at the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing.
I would select Prize #1 to travel to Beijing on Delta to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and to meet some of my colleagues who live in China, but whom I never had the opportunity to meet face to face. I would stay at the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing.
Prize #2.
I would take my girl friend to Thailand on Thai Airways business class! we will stay at the Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa! I can’t wait to win and go! (Before my trip I’ll stay at the Hilton Time Square NY. Maybe over there I will meet my dream girl…)
I would go with Prize 2 and fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on US Airways (or a Star Alliance partner). I’d stay at the Renaissance and travel around the country. I’d like to explore places like the snake temples and temple caves and visit Penang (for the food).
I would start off by saying I’ve been blessed in my life by great family/friends, a rewarding and fulfilling career, and good health. I further have been able to leverage free time and a strong FICO score to amass and spend points on some YOLO trips of my own these past two years. While these have been awesome experiences, they have not come close to the uplifting feeling I have had when I’ve been able to give back to those in my community. To that end, I would select the US Airways miles and Hyatt / Marriott point combo and use them and the knowledge I gained on this blog and others to book a trip (probably to Disney or maybe Hawaii) for a family of youth I know who recently lost both parents within the past year. While they are healing emotionally over time, I know their current guardian will never have the financial wherewithal to take all the children on a major family trip. Being that the trip would likely be domestic, I think the US Airways miles would provide more flexibility in booking options, and having both Hyatt and Marriott point options would again increase the flexibility in booking the right hotel in the right location.
I have a daughter who suffers from OCD and she has had a rough time trying to make it through college and is now in intensive out-patient therapy to hopefully get her OCD under control. She has dreamed of going to Ireland ever since she was a little girl after seeing a movie with Leprechauns! I would select the 200,000 Delta SkyMiles as my prize and fly my daughter 1st Class from Idaho Falls, ID to Dublin, Ireland via Atlanta or JFK on Delta. We’d spend two nights in Dublin at the HIlton on points, travel down to Clonegal to stay at Huntington Castle if it’s not tooooo expensive and then on to Waterford for a stay at the Waterford Castle. From there we’d continue to County Clare for a stay at Knappogue Castle then continue to the Ballinalacken Country House as our base for sightseeing around the Cliffs of Moher. Before heading back to Dublin we’d stop in Galway for a night at the Radisson and then head for home. This would be a dream trip come true and well-deserved respite for my lovely daughter. Thank you.
#2 is the prize for me
Because touring Italy is the key.
Never been, but have longed for Rome.
It is the place where my ancestors called home.
I will be flying US Airways, sitting in first class,
Visiting Venice and buying Murano glass.
What Marriot to pick because they have a few,
Easy choice – its the one with the best view.
Stopping in Milan at the Park Hyatt for a night
Will be the perfect evening before the next flight.
I would choose the #1 prize of 300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points, because I have been loyal to both programs for years, and thanks to them (and a few others) my hubs and I had a pretty amazing honeymoon in Asia… I would use the prize to take my US Army Ret. chef hubs and I to Asia; either to China (where I have been dyiiiiiiiiing to go since college in the 1970s, after reading “Riding the Iron Rooster” by Paul Theroux), so we can basically eat my way across Asia and take the trains, or back to Vietnam, where we had our honeymoon. Oh, heck, we’d do both- I’m sure Delta can route us a “stop-over”, right? 🙂 My hubs spent years stationed in Vietnam and then worked there after the war and loves it with all his heart; he shared that love with me on our honeymoon in 2008, but there are so many YOLO things we didn’t get to do, like trek to the jungle from the Central Highlands, and ride elephants in Bon Ma Thout… and eat more great food!!! (Vietnam has great wine, too, and cooking classes…) In a perfect world, we’ll fly Delta (obviously, LOL) to Beijing, China, and figure out how to have a stopover of at least 3 weeks in Vietnam; I checked the flights, and some stop in Korea, and some stop in Japan, and we love both, so both would be fine with us, assuming, of course, that I win Lotto! 🙂 Again, in a perfect world: we’d stay in interesting local accomodations: I know that Huynh, our guide in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 2008 and now our good friend, would hopefully be able to fix us up with lodging in the Highlands- there are amazing, conical Communal Houses that we didn’t have a chance to stay at last time… And yes, I’d love some high-end luxury accomodations, too! The Hilton in Hanoi was grand, and we’d love to go back! 🙂 I’d do LOTS of research if I win and get to book this trip!
I would pick grand prize #2, despite the fact that it offers less overall miles. The main reason for this is because 1.I’ve found Delta skymiles to be less valuable than other airline reward programs, and 2. I also just had a horrible experience while trying to use my skymiles points. As to how I would use the prize: It would involve either sending my mother on a well-deserved vacation (she’s 76 and worked hard all her life)or joining her for one. The destination would depend on the availability of using the award points of Singapore Airlines business or first class, since it’s supposed to be the best in the world, and that would be as great to experience as visiting a new destination…one possible destination obviously being Singapore. I’d combine the possibility of cash and points to extend the stay at a Mariott hotel, and use the Hyatt points for the last night at an upgraded suite.
Hopefully this will be as anonymous as I can make it for fear of ruining the surprise, but here is my trip.
I would definitely pick pack #1 for 2 reasons. 1) I love Delta. They have helped me out so many times where I would be stuck at an airport or missed important dates. I like the comfort of their planes and their international partners and I just seem to have a great flight with them. I just hit silver medallion as well, woohoo! 2) I love Hyatt. my favorite chain by far. Every hotel I’ve stayed at for holiday or for work has had a resort feel to it, whether in the states or outside.
As for the trip itself, I will use the Delta points to book a flight for 2 (my girlfriend and I) to Aruba where we would stay at the best resort we have ever stayed at, the Hyatt Regency Resort. This was my girlfriend and I’s first trip together 5 years ago and we talk about going back constantly. The weather, the beach, the food, the relaxation; It really is the greatest place on Earth.
Well, we have been together for 6 years now, and I don’t know of any more perfect place to ask her to marry me than on the beach in Aruba at sunset. I am still saving Hyatt points for a suite and Delta points for first class. I plan to make both upgrades look accidental so she won’t suspect a thing, by talking to management ahead of time. I’ve always wondered how, when, where I would do it, but lately, all we talk about is going back to the hyatt and it just makes sense.
Thanks for reading,
Sam
my yolo moment so far this year was the trip I took to spain & portugal w/my MBA class. I almost didn’t do it, but my other friends who went were all saying YOLO! haha! that was our trip motto! I mean after we graduated, when were we all gonna have the time to travel w/that many people from school again? so, I had to go! we had a blast!
oh, & prize #2 please! I wanna take a trip w/one of my best friends for her bday. she doesn’t travel much & neither of us has a lot of money, so this would be awesome! she’s always wanted to go to italy. I’ve never been there either, so it would be fun!
I would definitely love to win Grand Prize #2. I would use the Dividend Miles to fly on ANA’s new Dreamliner route from San Jose to Narita (launches January 11, 2013), then use the Marriott points to stay at the Tokyo Ritz Carlton. I’d save the Hyatt points for a future stay in Singapore.
I would pick prize #2. I would use the US Air miles 100% bonus miles on shared miles and transfer 50,000 miles to my husbands account to acquire an additional 50,000 points for around $550. We would fly Thai airlines, business class to Hong Kong, & on to Bali. I would stay at the Bail Hyatt in Sanur in a suite for 3 nights using the Hyatt points, because it is a fantastic hotel for very reasonable points. It is being replaced, with a new hotel and it will be sad to see such a wonderful Hyatt with such character and charm lost. On a separate ticket we would fly to Darwin, Australia & rent a camper for a week & tour around, and enjoy the natural beauty of northern Australia. We would move on to Queensland and stay at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove. From there we would spend some time snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Next we would stay at, the Mariott Sydney Harbor, before returning to Bali, to complete our Thai Airlines flight home.
The answer to why would we would travel there is more complex. I think we get so busy, in day to day chores, we forget that life is short. At the end of the day, all we have to take with us is our memories.
I think travel allows us to step back for a minute and refocus on the things that really matter, like friends, family and experiences. When we travel, we are out of our comfort zone & we focus on the present, and the people around us, and actually experience life. Loosing a mother to Alzheimers disease has taught me that the only thing we take through life is our memories. So I want to travel and make as many memories as I can. I would choose Bali, because the Balinese people seem somehow to embody this joy of living in the minute. The generosity of spirit of the people of Bali is something that keeps you longing to return once you have been there.
I would choose Australia’s Great barrier reef because, there is nothing more relaxing than snorkeling over colorful schools of fish, and to think this reef is so large you can see it from space is unbelievable. You only live once and I want to live life to the fullest, to me this is the trip of a lifetime.
Prize #2 would be awesome for our family, as we live in the Phoenix area (so we would fly US Airways out of their Sky Harbor hub). The 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points would, when combined with some existing points, provide enough to stay in the Residence Inn Times Square for 5 nights.
NYC has been on our list since 9/11. We want to show our sons first-hand what occurred at ground zero, and teach them the courage of their fellow citizens who recovered and rebuilt. Further, we would schedule this during Thanksgiving week (which happens to be my wife’s birthday), in order to see the parade.
We’d also visit the “Miracle on 34th Street” Macy’s, the Empire State Building, and probably do the Statue of Liberty and a museum or two.
Pretty ambitious plans, and I could probably arrange some on-the-scene “roving” reportage from our youngest, who will be 9 next year. He lives in the moment more than his folks, and is good for a belly laugh or two.
Thanks!
These are great prizes – thanks for the opportunity to win.
I would choose option 2 and use the trip to celebrate gaining my PhD and my husband taking early retirement. I would use the US airmiles to fly a combination of airlines (depending on availability) including Lufthansa First class (to get a new rubber duck), Thai Airways (new A380) or I would love to try Asiana First Class.
As for destinations, where do you choose. It would of course be tempting to use the miles for 3 amazing value First class North Asia to North Asia trips (eg Tokyo to one of the -stans through Frankfurt). However, with work limiting time off, I think I would choose to explore IndoChina. My ideal routing would be LHR-FRA-HKG(new F 747)-ICN (stop)-REP(destination)-ICN-SGN(stop)-BKK-FRA (TG A380).
I would use the Hyatt points at the brand new Park Hyatt Siem Reap in order to visit the wonder of Angkor. If there were any left over points (as hotel not yet open we don’t know the category), I would use them to upgrade to a suite at the Park Hyatt Saigon. The Marriott points, I would use for 3 nights in the Ritz Carlton in Seoul, as I have never been to South Korea.
I would select #1 as flying a family of four can be costly. We would head to New York to visit grandparents and family as well as expose our children to some of the tourists sites in the city. Preference would be the millennium or Conrad hotels to be located downtow near great grandma. Sites and activities would include Statue of Liberty, broadway show, Staten Island Ferry, South Street Seaport and Battery Park.
I would choose Rome Italy and stay at the Waldorf Astoria. It has a beautiful view of Rome and I love the city. Of course I would choose Delta and Hilton as the prize and I partner with them on nearly every trip. As for Rome, I love to waalk through the forum and see in my mind how it was 2000 years ago
Prize #1 to at least partially cover a trip around the world.
I would use the 240,000 US Airways Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points and 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points to take my wife on a dream vacation. We got married 50 years ago this December. We were quite young and really had no money for a honeymoon at the time. We always said we would take one “next year.” But next year never really came because we were having kids, raising kids, working and so on. My wife is a teacher at a public school and does so much for the kids in her classroom. She’s a dedicated teacher for life. I am a police officer in my town and try to spend time volunteering with the Police Athletic League when I can. So we’re both always doing something. We’ve taken small weekend trips over the years. Have been to Florida’s beaches and Disney, but I always have regretted that I couldn’t take my bride on a honeymoon she deserved. This is how I could do that. I would fly business class on Singapore Airlines or Asiana Airlines to South East Asia. My wife loves to watch the Bachelorette and shows like that and dreams of seeing islands and waterfalls. I would go to Thailand and to the islands there. We would spend a night in Bangkok at the Hyatt and then use the Marriott points in Phuket. It would be a dream come true.
I’d pick Prize #2.
With 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles in hand (of which this program has an excellent value award redemption chart by the way), I’d fly with my wife in Singapore Airlines Business Class (if there’s award inventory of course: SQ’s known to be rather stingy so fingers crossed that there’s another booking glitch that opens the gates) to go to Bali, Indonesia. Singapore Airlines in particular because I’ve never flown them before and want to know what the fuss is all about, also given the fact that United and Singapore require the same amount of miles for award flights over the pond – so the choice is obvious.
I’m attracted to Bali because it’s a wonderful Asian resort destination and has that unique touch you can’t get elsewhere. Perhaps it’s the Indonesian hospitality and also low cost of living. I’ve been there once and I’ve vowed myself that I’ll go back if given the opportunity. It’s amazing in its own way, keeping in mind that it’s a huge island with forests, volcanoes and traditional villages still intact. I hope to visit it again before this all changes with globalization (Starbucks is starting to pop-up, sadly).
I’d burn the full 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points by getting my wife and I an award room for 10 nights at the Bali Hyatt (a steal by any standard – they’re only Category 1!) and hopefully the trip will be AFTER the renovations are scheduled to be completed in 2013 and BEFORE Hyatt Gold Passport raises the category for this property. Certainly would get me even more bang for my buck. Being a Gold Passport Platinum member, fingers crossed again that we’ll be upgraded to a better room (also one of the reasons why I picked Prize #2 over #1). I love this resort since it’s located away from the more touristy/sterile Nusa Dua where the more upscale Grand Hyatt Bali is located. The Bali Hyatt, whilst an older resort, adheres to the traditional Balinese style and that’s something I appreciate. It’s nice to be greeted by every single staff member you pass by (sometimes even by name) rather than receiving blank stares at the Grand Hyatt Bali (in my experience), which is kind of understandable since the Grand Hyatt is double the size (600+ rooms) of the Bali Hyatt (300+). I can just imagine myself with my wife, enjoying a drink, admiring the tranquillity and listening to the calm waves on Sanur beach, where the Bali Hyatt is located.
For the remaining 100,000 Marriott Rewards points, I’ll stockpile them and see what I can do with them later on (perhaps another trip to Bali? 🙂 ).
My boyfriend and I are both baseball fans and love visiting ballparks in other cities. Our goal is to try and get to each park one day (knowing full well that new stadiums open every few years, so this is actually a life-long quest). I’d use these points to knock a bunch of ballparks off our list: Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago x 2, Milwaukee, Minneapolis.
We also like traveling in a way that allows us to see other parts of the country that you don’t usually see — i.e., what life is like outside the big cities. So, when we go on vacation, we like to go from city to city by car so we can get a feel for the rest of the country.
Therefore, I would pick grand prize 2 simply because Hyatt has the best option to convert points to rent a car.
Lastly, when we go on road trips, we often stay at properties slightly outside the city in order to save — we don’t care about fancy hotels or amenities. We’d rather use fewer points or spend less money so we can go more places.
Without further ado, here’s what our itinerary would look like for this trip:
1) Book a multi-city US Air flight for 25,000 miles apiece, flying into Cleveland and out of Minneapolis
2) Rent a car for a week for 42,000 Hyatt points.
3) Cleveland: Use the remaining 8,000 Hyatt points at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland (a nicer place to stay after a day of air travel)
4) Detroit: TownePlace Suites Dearborn for 7,500 Marriott points
5) Chicago: Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile for 2 nights at 25,000 Marriott points a night (this is one place where we’d stay in the city, since there are two baseball teams, which would require at least two days. Plus, there is a lot to see in the city.)
6) TownePlace Suites Milwaukee Brookfield for 7,500 Marriott points
7) TownePlace Suites Minneapolis West/St. Louis Park for 7,500 Marriott points
In total, we’d only use 50,000 of the US Air miles, all 50,000 Hyatt Gold points, and 72,500 Marriott points. That leaves us 190,000 US Air miles and 17,500 Marriott points, which would allow us to go to one more city to see another ballpark.
I would love to win prize #1 and spend it on a honeymoon next winter. I plan (shhhh) to propose to my girlfriend very soon (yay!). Apart from both of us having high stress DC jobs, we’ll be planning a wedding and simultaneously losing almost all our money to it, so our prospects of a stellar honeymoon are slim. She’s been mentioning how much she’s in need of an escape. Her desktop background is villas by the ocean. Her pin-up wall is filled with magazine cut outs of a place on the beach.
Just graduating with a pile of grad school debt, we’ve never splurged – clearly which is why I’m stalking points/miles websites. If I win, I want to give her that honeymoon she deserves. Since we’ve both never flown business/first class, I would spend the Delta miles to fly us at least business class to Bora Bora (DCA–>LAX–>PF–> Bora Bora). I’d use the Hilton points to get her the island villa at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort. A taste of luxury (by the beach) for our honeymoon is my goal.
I’m hoping to win grand prize 1.
Most teenage girls find themselves pining after boys, following fashion, and idolizing pop stars. My best friend and I were a bit different. We donned khaki, got grubby in nature, and idolized one man – Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter). While our friends around us wanted to be American Idols we wanted to be Wildlife Warriors(Crikey!).
It was a tragic day when we lost our hero in 2006.
I would use the miles to fly me, my best friend, and our two young sons on Delta Airlines to Sydney, Australia, where we would travel to Brisbane and stay in the Hilton Brisbane Hotel, near The Australia Zoo (in Beerwah). It’s been a long held dream of ours to travel to the zoo and meet our idol. We may have lost the chance to meet the man himself, but we still have the hope of visiting the preserve that he created and share his vision and passion with our children (not to mention hug a wombat!).
Why do dreams always seem just a bit out of reach? Unfortunately, without a little contest luck or a lot of cash, we’d never be able to afford the trip on our own. We’ve both suffered hard times over the years, but fortunately, just as many blessings. Somehow, someway the blessing of this trip, the crowning glory of our YOLO list, will become a reality.
“I have a message for my fans. Whatever you want to do in this world, it is achievable. The most important thing that I’ve found, that perhaps you could use, is be passionate and enthusiastic in the direction that you choose in life, and you’ll be a winner.” ~Steve Irwin
I would love to win grand prize number 2. US airways is a member of Star Alliance which is perfect for someone living in small town Canada. I would choose to go to Burma. I would fly Air Canada Express (no choice on that) to our closest International Airport which is Vancouver in British Columbia. From there a combination of airlines in business to Rangoon via Singapore. I would love to fly Singapore airlines all the way, but have never seen business class award seats on this airline available out of Vancouver(I would of course avoid Air Canada for this part of the trip as their fuel charges and other add ons make it so expensive – what’s the point of having all these wonderful dividend miles and being unable to afford to use them!) Still that leaves many other airlines and those that offer business class are all pretty good. So I can’t tell you exactly which airline we would fly on as it will depend on award availability. At least we will be flying Singapore airlines from Singapore to Rangoon.
In Rangoon we would stay at the “Governor’s Residence by Orient Express” Just the name evokes images of a romantic past (Pink gin anyone?). We would not stay there for long. Just long enough to get over our jet lag. Then since the purpose of this trip is to explore a country that until recently has been isolated and therefore remains unspoiled, we would travel the country using local transport and staying at small family run establishments. What a wonderful opportunity to just mingle and share life with the people of this country. I think I would want at least four weeks in Burma, before heading home with a one week stopover in Singapore. I have always wanted to go to Singapore, but my husband has never been that keen. Somehow, I don’t think he will turn down this trip, especially since he loves luxury. The Hyatt gold points and Marriott Rewards point would definitely provide that. I have no objection to changing hotels during our stay in Singapore. With four weeks in Burma and a one week stay in Singapore, allowing for travel time this would be a six week trip. Packing would be a challenge as we never travel with checked luggage and we would be looking at bags we could easily carry around with us. Fortunately we have had very good experiences with finding and using local laundry services and I don’t think that would be a problem here.
Time? time would be no problem at all. I retire at the end of this year, so we will both be retired in 2013. What a wonderful beginning to this next stage of our life. This would truly be a YOLO trip.
For my “YOLO” trip I would choose Grand Prize #1 – Delta SkyMiles and Hilton Honors Points.
Spain is at the top of my mom’s places to see list and I would love to take her and my sister there for a vacation.
The prize would be used as follows:
1) Round Trip to Madrid on Delta would be 95K miles each plus $59.70 in taxes/fees per passenger.
2) 4 nights at the Madrid Airport Hilton (Category 4 @ 30K points/night) with easy Metro access to downtown
3) Madrid sightseeing extravaganza! Marvel at the 2800 room Palacio Real, stroll through the Buen Retiro Park, and visit the major museums in the Golden Triangle of Art (Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen Bornmisza)
4) Out of pocket round trip by high-speed train to Barcelona to see all of Gaudi’s unique architectural creations. 2 nights at the Hilton Barcelona (Category 6 @ 40K points/night).
5) Congrats to VeryGoodPoints for a great year on BoardingArea!
Thank you for the generosity! I would select the Delta miles, as they are my hub. I would then give them to my sister-in-law, a single mother of two bi-racial teenagers. She would use the miles to take her children to her birth country of Korea – a trip none of them have been able to afford to make. Since she was adopted from Korea at birth, it would be a phenomenal, once-in-a-lifetime experience for their entire family and an amazing high school graduation present! Thanks again!
WOW – I didn’t realize the Delta miles came with Hilton points so I’d book my relatives rooms at the Millennium Hotel in Seoul on mount Namsam then explore the capital of the ancient Shilla Dynasty at the Hilton in Gyeongju! It would be such a great trip I’d certainly have to use my own miles to “chaperone”.
I would pick prize number 1: 300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points.
With 300,000 Sky Miles I could get myself and my wife in Business Class on Air France from LA to Papeete in Tahiti, my favorite vacation destination of all time! A flight that would otherwise cost almost $8,000 for two people. Since we live in the SF Bay area, flying say Southwest to LA out of Oakland is no big deal. We’d fly out early and hang out at the Encounter restaurant, where we’ve had some memorable evenings. Since the flight leaves in the evening, it would be nice to get in early and relax for a bit beforehand.
With the 200,000 HHonors points, I could get 4 nights in a standard award room at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa. Honestly, I’d probably use some of my existing Hilton Points to stretch the stay to at least 6 days, since I just love Bora Bora. I’m Diamond at Hilton so that might get me some kind of upgrade, but I probably wouldn’t want to chance it and I’d email customer service at the hotel and negotiate an additional payment, probably around $200/night, for just the right overwater bungalow. I’d want to scope out the property and try and find the best location for our stay, optimizing privacy etc.
While on Bora Bora we’d of course head to Bloody Mary’s at least once. And every day would be spent snorkeling, either nearby the hotel or going out for the day looking for rays, maybe a shark dive with the relatively safe 5-foot black tip reef sharks that populate the area.
Of course with drinks at $15 a pop and up the trip could still end up costing a pretty penny, but hey, it would be worth it. Tahiti is the most magical place I’ve ever been!
Grand Prize #2 for the FatCat
I currently can “state” that I have spent more than 12 hours in 30 of the US states not including driving or airport terminals. I would use the award to continue my quest with my family to visit all 50 US states.
My journey would not be about luxury and using the points/miles to fly first class or stay in the top hotels. It would be about covering as much ground as possible to stretch the reward.
Thinking back I wish I would have collected a similar item from the 30 states I have visited (magnet, spoon, keychain etc.) I guess I may have to start from square 1 if I win.
Happy Travels to all
-FatCat
I would definitely pick the second prize! I have been diligently saving my Marriott and USAirways points/miles for a trip to London. I have always wanted to go- then read a book about 25 day trips from London, which has only made things worse! I would take as many family members I could over there in first, they deserve something nice. I really want to stay at the St. Pancras, I adore old beautiful train stations. I can’t imagine a more perfect place to stay! I suppose to some it’s not aspirational; but my favorite author is Jane Austen, my favorite detective is Holmes, my favorite movie is Wuthering Heights, and I suppose I am just a pathetic sap about all this, but thanks for the chance to make it real!
I would select prize number two. Five years ago I got engaged to a wonderful woman named Hau (which means Wish in Vietnamese.) She accepted my teenage daughter as if she were her own. My daughter loved her so much, like a mother, and wanted to learn everything she could about Hau’s culture and customs. A year before our wedding Hau was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and it progressed very quickly. She died 4 months before we were supposed to get married. Now it’s just me and my daughter. Hau and I never got to share our cultures with our daughter.
I would select trip #2 so that I could take my daughter on a tour to discover her heritage, including her would have been mom, Hau’s, heritage because she never stopped loving her.
I would fly on USAirways and would go to Germany, Vietnam and Thailand. I would go to Germany on Lufthansa so my daughter could learn about my past. I would then fly on Thai Airways to Bangkok so that my daughter could see the place that Hau and I met. I would then take a cheap flight to Vietnam on a low fare carrier so that we could explore Hau’s heritage together. I would fly back from Bangkok to the US on Thai Air.
This would be the trip of a lifetime and a dream come true.
Prize #2. I would like to take my husband to Australia since he has always wanted to go there and never gets any time off. We would use the miles to fly as much first class as we could and we have some US Airways miles so adding to that would allow us to travel comfortably. Then use the hyatt points while we are there because we LOVE Hyatt everywhere we go!
I would select prize 2. I would love to visit Bali to go scuba diving. I would try to get flights on NH, SQ, OZ or TG since those airlines are all out in that area. There are many Marriott properties which could be used to fulfill that dream. To break up the long journey I would also have a pitstop along the way at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo.
I’d also love to win grand prize #1 and fly AF to Tahiti and stay at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort and Spa in one of the over water bungalows. The most amazing place ever beside the Maldives.
I am looking forward to winning prize 2 for the following reasons. I have been working in the States for almost two years without a long break and have not been back to my country, Singapore, during this period. The prize will be extremely handy to me as my wife and I intend to return to Singapore in December this year to visit my parents and other family members. We can use the 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles to redeem a Star Alliance return flight, preferably on Singapore Airlines, to Singapore. At the same time, my wife would like to go to China to visit her parents. If possible, we can make use of the remaining US Airways Dividend Miles to redeem a Singapore Airlines return flight from Singapore to Shanghai in China. While in Shanghai, we can make use of the 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points to stay at the Marriott Executive Apartments at Tomorrow Square. We have never stayed there before, so the prize will enable us to enjoy the fabulous facilities and renowned services the place has to offer. In addition, its excellent location in the heart of Shanghai will provide us convenient access to places of interest such as Nanjing Road and People’s Square.
YOLO. On my bucket list is the desire to fly the new OZ Suites in F that ply ICN-ORD-ICN and the new LO and NH 787s, so I would go with the US Airways miles (and bring a significant other to maximize the miles, which are 120k per person roundtrip), the Hyatt points and the Marriott points. A desirable routing would be ORD-WAW (LO 787)-FRA-HND (NH 787)-HKG (destination)-SIN (stop to meet friends)-ICN-ORD (OZ F). I would then use the Marriott points and the Hyatt points to splurge on 2 nights in the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong (22k a night) and 2 nights in the JW Marriott Hong Kong (35k a night). It’s going to be fun!
I’d pick the Delta/Hilton Grand Prize and go to Maui to stay at the Hilton Wailea because I haven’t been to Maui yet. I would fly on Delta or American. Thanks!
Delta/Hilton
I would use the points to fly myself and family to Kona, HI to compete in the Ironman World Championship in 2013 of which I qualified for. I would plan to stay at one of the 3 Hilton properties that are in close proximity on the island. I of course in return would have a custom verygoodpoints tri kit made to wear during the race and also during Ironman Mont Tremblant which I am also registered for in 2013.
I’d like to win the first grand prise, and take my wife back to Paris. We’d fly delta first class from Chicago-Ohare – O Hare International Airport to Paris-De Gaulle – Charles De Gaulle Intl Arpt, FR, and stay at the Hilton Trianon Palace Versailles. Years ago my wife and our daughter traveled to Paris on a shoestring budget and I was unable to tag along. So she’d be able to experience Paris in a way we’d like to become accustomed to and I’d finally be able to see my favorite city and photograph the Eiffel Tower myself instead of looking at my wife’s beautiful images.
This sounds like a pretty cool giveaway and good way to raise awareness of your blog. I hope I win!
In the second half of life I’ve chosen to live life fully and since our 40th wedding anniversary is on the horizon a trip to the South Pacific is my ultimate destination. Why the 40th anniversary instead of the 50th? Well, why not? Uncertainty abounds and life is too short. So grand prize #1 is my choice.
I would love to win Grand Prize #1. The miles and hotel combination would be perfect for a trip around South America. Galapagos Islands would be picturesque along with the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil! And who could not forget drinking red wine and eating a bunch of red meat in Argentina. I would mix my stays with the Hilton and also local hostels so I could meet and hang out with other people excited to be in the country/location I am in. I’d truly love to get embarrass by the locals playing some football. Delta airlines would be my #1 choice to fly with the giant amount of miles I would have if I won the grand prize. I also have enough United miles to get me a one-way ticket to South America.
I would choose Grand Prize #2 and use the US Airway Miles to travel to Jakarta for my sister-in-laws wedding in Business Class using the 240,000 miles.
We would have a layover in Tokyo and use the 50,000 Hyatt points to stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, at which time I would use a Suite Upgrade with my Hyatt Diamond Status.
In Jakarta, we would stay 3 nights at the Ritz Carlton, Jakarta Pacific Palace.
I would choose Grand Prize #2 and I’d fly United with my wife to Japan to visit my son who is in the Air Force and his new Japanese bride since we were not able to make their wedding. We’d stay at either the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku or the Ritz Carlton in Osaka.
I just started pointing mid-year and have been focusing on making silver with DL so #1 would be great to add to my slowly growing account. That being said I think I would like to win #2 as I also actively collect USAir miles and would LOVE to fly Singapore Airlines front of the bus!! As to where…..well, I think having that kind of nest egg of points would open so many possibilities!! In fact I would even be willing to let YOU choose a destination for me! (Please make sure that destination is not currently on the US travel advisory list).
Grand Prize #2 is dream come true,
A trip for two with a Star Alliance crew,
Round trip to the Maldives with a stopover too,
Cairo, Istanbul, who cares, it’s all completely new,
I’ll take my wife Sue, she hails from Peru.
I’ll keep it a secret, she hasn’t a clue,
The flight will surprise her, her island debut,
She’ll faint when she sees the bungalow view,
A sky to die for and a sea deep blue.
Sure, I want to see the world, but to understand it too:
I definitely plan to learn more about the coup.
With the gift of travel, I hope to broaden my mind,
meet the locals, and generally unwind 🙂
Prize 2, Air New Zealand to Auckland and Sydney.
Stay: Park Hyatt Sydney
Oz and NZ have been on my ‘bucket list’ for 20 years, it’s time to check them off!
If i won one of the grand prizes it would defiantly have to be the 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points. I choose these because they have some of the greatest hotels in the best places on planet earth. Also I am very fawned of Hyatt hotels because I got married at a Hyatt to my best friend, my wife. So if i won the grand prize I would start my YOLO in Aruba. I’ve seen the brochures and these place looks like a little piece of haven on earth. I mean crystal clear waters as far as the eye can see and the weather looks very inviting. I would fly there on American Airlines because I’m so American :@) and I would love to stay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino in Palm Beach, Aruba (I mean this place looks WOW). Also one one of the reasons I pick Aruba for my YOLO is because when my wife and I got married almost a year ago now, she made a promise to me. She promised that when we go to Aruba (or a topical island anywhere in the world) we would then start our family (or start to make a family). So am not getting any younger so I think now is the right time to redeem that promise. If I win this contest it would be a step toward the new adventure of my life, Parenthood :@) YOLO!
If I won, I would chose option #2. Since I have more than enough miles to travel all the time, I would donate 200K US miles to their Miles of Hope program so they could use it for charity. In spirit of the contest, I would use the remainder of those 40K miles to visit my parents in California on a UA flight and bring my son with me on my lap so my parents could see their grandson. I would save the hotels points for my parents and put them up in the JW Marriot in Hong Kong or any Hyatt of their choosing when they travel.
I would love to win grand prize number 2. I would use the us air miles (probably on unites) to go to Kenya for my friend’s wedding. Then I’d take some time and explore Africa including cap town. With the left over miles/hotel points I’d go to Dubai and meet up with a friend. I could never afford to do this on my own but Hey YOLO right?!?!
I’d choose the second grand prize and use it as an excuse to take my family to Europe for a long weekend! Can you believe my sister-in-law has never been across the pond?! Yes, it could be a logistical nightmare to find award space for 6 people, but I think if we split up on different routings and maybe flew +/- 1 day of each other, we could make it happen. My plan would be to fly on US Airways off-peak and also take advantage of the credit card discount…getting 4 tickets in coach at just 30K each (us kids are resilient!) and 2 tickets to upgrade my parents to an Envoy suite at 55K each. Heck, I’d even have 10K miles leftover for another trip in the future!
The goal? Get all six of us to Rome for roughly 4 overlapping days as a family reunion. We’re all on the east coast, so a short trip wouldn’t be too hard to make happen. Since we’d be there in winter, hearty Italian meals (perfect for family-style!) sound incredible to me and we’d find plenty to do indoors while touring the many museums and gorgeous churches of the city. I think time would fly by. There’s obviously no way that we could afford 3 rooms (Category 8 – yikes!) of 4 nights each using those Marriott points, but they’d make a dent in the total cost and both my father and I have a few more to donate to the cause as well. If that doesn’t work out, the new Marriott points + cash option would be a good alternative and I think everyone would gladly chip in since they got free airfare! Maybe my dad’s Marriott platinum & my gold would even get us an upgrade or two?!
Since I’m not a saint, after a few days with my family, I’d sneak off with my husband on an overnight train (I’ve always wanted to try one!) to Paris. Last time I was there, I was solo and had to daydream about being in such a romantic city with someone I cared for. This would give me a chance experience Paris a different way, plus live it up with more food and wine, some great sightseeing, and a little luxury at the Park Hyatt before flying home.
After nearly a week in luxury, it may be difficult to fly home in coach but it would be so worth it if it meant I could have this trip with my family.
Grand Prize 2 would be our choice. Our adventure would begin with a night at the Renaissance Blackstone in Chicago which is a CAT6/30,000 with amazing views over the lake. Then we would be off to ORD to board our Turkish Airlines Business Class seats (120,000 miles x 2) on TK6 with a connection on TK730 with our final arrival in Male. The TK Business product looks amazing and the reviews are very positive. As time allows in Istanbul, we would do a little sightseeing to maximize our time on the ground. Upon arrival in Male, we would be whisked off to the Park Hyatt Maldives for two nights at 22,000 each. This would leave us with 6,000 GP points which we would cash in for $30 in Dining and Spa certificates. In leveraging our Milepoint Premium membership, we would be hopeful that our Platinum status would yield us a few perks at the Park Hyatt including the ever amazing free wifi. Our return journey would be on SQ461 to Singapore where we would stopover for two nights. As we would be traveling on a US Airways issued Star Award, a stopover would be permitted in a Star Alliance Hub City. We would be staying at the Singapore Marriott Hotel right on Orchard Road and not to far from the Singapore Zoo Night Safari which is a CAT 7/ 35,000 points a night. We would continue onwards on SQ346 (which is an A380) connecting in Zurich to LX8. With this, we would have spent 240,000 miles on US Airways, 100,000 points at Marriott and 50,000 points at Hyatt. And, for the why…destination commitment ceremony with the love of my life.
I’d love to win Package 2: 2) 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points
I would go to the Maldives and I would fly Singapore (hopefully in a premium cabin if I could find availability) and I’d stay at the JW Marriott and the Park Hyatt Maldives.
We’ve always dreamed of going to an island paradise with over-water bungalows and so far have not had a chance to do so. We have a baby on the way and know that our ability to travel will be extremely limited, but if we had a ‘free’ trip I think we could probably convince some friends or family to do some babysitting and give us a chance to take a break somewhere spectacular.
I’d choose Grand Prize 2 and use the miles to fly ANA F and C to Hong Kong via Tokyo using the Hyatt points at the PH Tokyo and then the Marriott points at the RC HKG.
Hi,
I’d love to win the 50k Hyatt passport points because this Texas girl would love to take her family of 4 skiing at the Hyatt Beavercreek! My Houston boys, who are 6 and 8, have never SEEN snow –much less been skiing. I’d love to surprise everyone with a super, snow-ski vacation!
I’d love to win prize 2! I’m currently hoarding as many points as possible in anticipation of getting engaged and married and completely splurging for a spectacular honeymoon!
I’d use the 240K US Airways points combined with a few points that I have to score two business class seats down to Sydney (I’d be fine with United, but Air New Zealand would be nice). Then I’d spend 2 nights at the Park Hyatt that’s right across the Opera House, and three nights at the Sydney Harbor Marriott (it’s 35K points for one night, so I’ll have to figure out another 5K points). I also signed up for an SPG card recently so hopefully I can squeeze another night or two out of that to make a truly memorable honeymoon!
But first things first…gotta pop the question! 🙂
I’d pick prize #2 to fly with my wife to Paris for a nice romantic weekend there. Any airline would do it, as long it is not in economy 🙂
#2!
My husband and I, along with our two dogs, will be “homeless” as of mid December because of selling our house and having our purchase fall through. We need flexability so will stay in a hotel, thus the need for hotel points. Marriott Residence Inns love dogs! They can have free scrambled eggs every morning! I won’t need to change a bed for months! Yes! Hyatt points will provide a respite from living in 400 s.f. Love to use miles on Lufthansa to get to Milano. The Park Hyatt there is one of Hyatt’s finest. Slurping up my pasta, tossing back a few pinot grigios and hanging at la Scala Is enough to make me forget that my teddy bear is in storage.
Completing the bucket list which is Antarctica, now I just have to find cruise line and hotel accommodations since no airlines and major hotel corporations have businesses there.
I would pick prize package number 2 to fly Air France to Tahiti. We would stay at the Hilton Moorea and probably move on to Bora Bora – because this is my dream, right? I would go there because life is so unpredictable and the beauty of that region would be like living in heaven without actually checking out too soon.
I would choose prize number 1! I want to take my mom to Europe to visit Prague and Scandinavia. The final destination would be Lillehammer to ski the Norwegian Birkebeiner. I race a lot (running, biking, and skiing) and my mom often comes along as my “coach” and hangs out while I race. She’s never been to Europe and wants to experience the premier cross country ski race in Norway. I would love to give a trip like this to her for taking such good care of me for my races. I would use the Delta Skymiles to fly us from MSP to PRG. We’d make stops in Prague, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, conveniently staying at Hilton properties with the Hilton points. We’d spend time cross country skiing around Sweden and Norway with the grand finale of the Birkebeinerrennet!
In 1971, my father was in Vietnam and he had hoped to have leave in Australia, and was supposed to, but it was cancelled. As a runner up prize, the U.S. Army did let him stop in Hawaii for a few days when he returned to the states after my birth. He is a road warrior and has been to Europe, China, Brazil, but never to Australia, the one place he has always insisted he wanted to go. He actually has the points for him and my mother to go, and over the past year, I’ve shown him how to leverage his points to book different itineraries, but he just won’t do it.
So, what I would do is choose Prize Pack 1 (300,000 Delta Sky Miles & 200,000 Hilton Honors Points) and book a trip to Australia for my family, and I believe that would be the impetus that my dad would need to finally go himself. He has always loved travelling with my sons in the past, and doing such a journey as a family would be the one thing that would get him to go, while he is still young enough to go and enjoy such a trip.
It is a southwest pacific redemption of 70,000 per person totaling 280,000 points for my family, and we would use the Hilton Points at the Hilton Sydney for 5 Nights (4 nights AXON +1 Extra night). While in the country, we would try to travel to the Great Barrier Reef and a bit in the outback by utilizing our own resources.
I’d pick prize number 2. I’d fly on Swiss Airlines to Malé International Airport with a stopover in Zurich (240,000 US Airways miles for 2 business class seats). I’d use the 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for 2 nights (44,000 points) at the Park Hyatt Maldives. I’d use the 100,000 Marriott Rewards points during the stopover in Switzerland for 3 nights (90,000 points) at the Renaissance Lucerne Hotel. I want to go to the Maldives for the crystal clear water, the remoteness for the location, and to stay at what is arguably one of the best Hyatt properties in the world. I would love to spend time scuba diving and relaxing on the beach while there. The only downside of the trip would be the relatively high cost for the domestic transfer to the Hyatt for only a 2 day visit, which is not bookable by rewards points. The stopover in Switzerland would be an added bonus and my first time staying there as well.
I would want prize number one. Because I’m a Delta Member with lots of Points and a hilton member with over 400,000 points. Then I would go to Germany because I lived there 20 years ago while in the Military and I would love to take my husband there and show him where I lived when I was 18 years old. Then I would head to Greece and Italy because my Nephew is in the Marines with his wife in Italy and I would like to see them and Greece, because it has always been my life long dream since I could remember. I have no clue what airlines or what Hilton Properties, because it hasn’t been attainable yet in my life so I’ve not researched that far. But I would hire one of the travel experts in Awards travel to book my flights so I can Stop at as many places as possible but of course in at least business class cause my husband is 6’4″ and I want him to be comfortable. Soooo Pick Me..
Grand Prize #2. I recently got married and would be able to surprise (ie: startle) my wife with a crazy trip to Japan. We would be able to get there in business class on ANA and would stay at the Marriott Ginza and the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. Plus, she’s incredibly animated and I would film her reaction to learning about the trip (and share with everyone).
My sisters and their families do not have a lot of experience traveling outside of our home state (Colorado). Although, you can’t really beat Colorado as an awesome place to live, we have often discussed taking a family trip (our first) to England.
Why England? From the history, buildings, museums and government to the countryside and geography, it looks like a great place to visit. In fact, I would love to get my nieces and nephew into parliament to watch the debates. They were fascinated when they learned about them in school. Also, a drive in the country visiting Stonehenge, Bath, and Southampton would also provide a lovely opportunity. Although, I think my 13 year old niece would be most interested in finding out where the members of the pop group One Direction live!
I would select package number 1 if I won. That would provide enough round trip coach tickets to London to cover at least my 3 nieces, 2 nephews and my mom (providing we could get a couple of the low mileage redemptions). A great start!
Since we would need several rooms, I think the best utilization of Hilton points would be to use cash & points in London. Trafalgar is offering 25,000 points and $76(pounds) per night. That would provide 8 room nights.
Winning package number one would definitely provide us the means to finally take a family trip to a place we would all love to go!
I’ve always had the travel bug and in my twenties I had enough time and money to play a game where I’d throw three darts at a map and go to one of the locations. I traveled to Prague, Tokyo and Beirut this way.. My last throw ended up on Russia, Cuba, Kiribati, and. That was over ten years ago. I have yet to go to any of these places and start the game again. I’d like to win prize #2. Which would allow my wife and I to go to Moscow, Russia. I’d like to go via Lufthansa or Thai airways (business class). While there it would be nice to stay 2 nights at the Ritz Carlton Moscow (50k per night). After that will have to buy some darts and a giant map and continue the game.
I would pick option 2. My wife lives in 1 city and I’m often in another due to taking a job with an employer who is based in a different city. US airways mileage would come in handy for visits and the hotel points would come in handy so the parents can visit me out her in the North East.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter
Ken
Delta points please…Bora Bora on Delta if possible. Hilton is always awesome…I need to find a way!!!
I would like prize#1…never been to Paris.I would fly Delta becuz i live in Msp. Hilton would be fine!!! Thank You!!
Points on Delta would be wonderful. I would fly to Berlin with my friend Gudrun. She grew up in Germany. We would fly Delta and stay at the Hilton.
Winter is coming…i would luv to get the Delta points. Fly to Rome…with my wife.We need a vacation.I would fly on Delta and stay at the Hilton.
I would like to win prize 2. I would use the miles to fly first class through Frankfurt on Lufthansa (I would love to experience the first class lounge there)to Tokyo in the spring during the cherry blossom season. I read a book when I was younger in which the main character recounted walking through the Imperial Palace gardens during cherry blossom season and it was described as walking through pink snow when there was a breeze. That inspired me to put Tokyo in the spring on my bucket list for travel. I would use the Hyatt points to try to stay at the Tokyo Grand Hyatt and would use the Marriott points to probably stay at their property near the Ginza.
I would pick # 1 and use it for 2 trips, one to NYC to see our granddaughters ( i live in houston) and one to take my 65 yr old husband to europe since he has never been. There is a Hilton near Versaille that looks fantastic!
Well, if my comment could be published after moderation, I will be very happy.
For me, I would like to pick up the second prize, the one gives out 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points. I would like my mother-in-law, father-in-law and both of my parents take a trip to Europe. It will cost 60k per person for a r/t ticket between US and Europe in coach. As they all in fiftes, they could take a 8-hour coach trip at this age. Thanks for their great work to bring my wife and I grow up.
With prize #1, my spouse and I will fly to Osaka on Delta, then take the famously fast Shinkansen train to Tokyo. From Tokyo, we will use our remaining miles to fly directly to Beijing on Delta before flying back to the US.
We have always been fascinated by Asian cultures. Japanese and Chinese cultures have been cross-pollinating for centuries. The trip will take us through the historical Osaka to the modern Tokyo to experience the evolution of Japanese culture and architecture. When we head east to Beijing, we will see the Chinese dynasty in its grandest. We will try to venture outside the metro Beijing to the nearby villages where one can still find the old China – a home stay with a local family will top our experience.
In Osaka, we will stay at the King Executive Room overlooking the city at Hilton Osaka. In Tokyo, we will stay at the Conrad Tokyo to enjoy the finest of what Hilton offers. In Beijing, we will stay at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, named after a street with exotic food, such as fried scorpions and lamb skewers. It is also a few steps away from the Forbidden City.
My “YOLO” is related to my post in your favorite stuffed friend contest. I would love to take my whole family, my husband, my 2 teenage daughters (17 and 16) and my 13 year old son, Eddie to St Petersburg, Russia. I want to share the beautiful city in which he was born with Eddie and his sisters. So with that being said, I would “pick” Grand prize package #2 since it includes USairways miles and we could fly from Charlotte to St Petersburg on Luthansia. The Marriott points would go a long way for a stay for 5 at Renaissance St Petersburg Baltic Hotel or the Courtyard St Petersburg Vasilievsky. Then the Hyatt points could be used at the Charlotte Airport/Tyvola Road Hyatt place for the “night before flight” in Charlotte since we live a few hours away from the Charlotte airport. I just think that you may have to “throw” a FEW drink coupons for me to survive a trip with 3 teenagers (2 of which ar female teenagers) and a husband who doesn’t like to travel. Maybe on second thought, I could go by myself, fly first class, stay in a suite at Renaissance and buy an IPAD and just send them all pictures via twitter, but, oh yeah, my teenagers will not follow me or let me follow them. Coolmom
I would choose Grand Prize #1 for the Delta SkyMiles and the Marriott Rewards. I would use the SkyMiles to fly my older sister and her husband to China to visit our younger sister and her husband and new baby niece. My older sister works 2 jobs and her husband also works full-time to provide for their family, but due to their youngest child’s health concerns they cannot afford to travel to see our younger sister. I would make arrangements between myself and my parents to take care of their 4 children while they would be away in China. While they would not need a hotel while in China, I would also use those points to let them have a nice getaway at a Marriott property of their choice for their 15th anniversary this coming spring. My parents and I have had the opportunity to visit my younger sister and her family in China and we would all love for my older sister and her husband to have the opportunity to visit them and meet the new baby as well.
Both the grand prizes are great, its a toss-up but we will pick #2.
We are a family of 4, but all our family/relatives are abroad including my parents in the middle-east (Dubai). Will use the US Air miles to visit them after a long time and the kids will get a chance to spend quality time with the grand-parents and reconnect with other family. We will use Marriott for our transit hotel stays and use the Hyatt points to treat the parents to a resort stay at the Park Hyatt in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. My dad certainly deserves a break, he has lovingly cared for my mom who has memory loss and cannot walk from a traumatic brain injury 8 years ago. I am dreaming a YOLO for them right now, but hey even without this contest, I hope to make this happen for our family soon.
All the best to everyone, this is a win-win for all of us sharing aspirations. Thanks VGP and congratulations on the 1yr milestone.
Our family would love to win Prize #1 because it would help us to take a family trip to Europe and Mauritius.
HUSBAND: “I would love to use this prize for a trip to Mauritius to visit our relatives, especially my Dad who’s turning 85 and also to show you kids around my country of birth: the beautiful beaches, the different cultures that co-exist on the island, the land of the extinct dodo bird and the most expensive stamp, so much to see…..”
SON: “We could also stop in Europe. Since I’m learning Spanish, I would love to visit Spain, Barcelona and/or Madrid.”
DAUGHTER: “And Paris, I would love to see the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees and the Mona Lisa.”
Wife: “We could also visit Montserrat and Lourdes, 2 very spiritual places on my bucket list. We need to pray for a better, peaceful, harmonious world!
To satisfy everybody’s YOLO list, we would use the Delta miles to fly Delta/Air France from CVG airport to Barcelona where we would spend 3 nights in Hilton Barcelona (40,000 points per room per night, we have to book 2 rooms since a standard room only accomodates 2 persons maximum. Traveling with children in Europe gets very expensive for hotel bookings, so the Hilton points would help.)Sightseeing would include: Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, Beaches, Hop-on, Hop-Off Bus might be a good idea. Then, we would rent a car and drive to Montserrat (about 1 hour from Barcelona). After spending the day and listening to the world-famous Montserrat Boys’ Choir in Montserrat Monastery, we would drive 3 more hours and spend the night in Andorra, the smallest country in Europe, since it’s on the way to Lourdes. The next day, after visiting Andorra, we would drive about 4 hours to get to Lourdes, France. It should be a nice drive through the Pyrenees. We would stay 2 nights in Lourdes and absorb the peaceful, spiritual energy. Thereafter, we could either catch a train or plane to Paris, where we would spend 3 nights and cover as much sight-seeing as we could (Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Montmartre, Louvre, etc,) For accomodation, we would try to save all the points we could and use them for hotel bookings.
From Paris, we would use Delta miles to fly non-stop to Mauritius on Air France. After spending 2-3 weeks with family in Mauritius, we would head back to CVG airport through Paris on Air France.
CONCLUSION: Having a family discussion about how we would spend Prize #1 if we win taught the kids a valuable lesson on saving, planning and investing for the future. Just like Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned”, we are teaching the kids: Every point and mile saved counts towards the final big trip! and just like we’ve taught them to not give up on their dreams, we’ll keep dreaming about winning Prize #1. Thanks VeryGoodPoints!
Still have time, hehe.
For some reason my comment was waiting for moderation.. Hope this could be published without that.
For me, I would pick up the second prize with 240,000 US Airways Dividend Miles, 100,000 Marriott Rewards Points & 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points. I would use the US miles to redeem four r/t tickets from US to Europe in coach for my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and my parents. They are in fifties so a 8-hour coach trip is acceptable for them. The destination I would pick up is Paris as they’ve ever been there before. For hotel points, 100k Marriott & 50k Hyatt don’t mean too much. It could be redeemed for 1-3 nights there. So I would use my own SPG points to have some C+P redeemption for them. Hope this could be true 🙂
Grand prize number 2 is my choice. For our 5 year wedding anniversary I would like to go to Austria and Palma de Mallorca with the prize. We would fly to Vienna via United (other Star Alliance partners available). My husband is half Austrian and we would love to visit. We would stay at Park Hyatt Vienna. From Vienna, we would fly to Palma de Mallorca on SWISS. Then stay at the Mallorca Marriott Son Antem Golf Resort using the Cash and Points option. We were married in Palma, but didn’t have a chance to explore since it was a stop on a cruise ship. This is definitely the plan for 2014!
I would love to win Grand Prize Number 1. If selected, I would use the miles to fly, with my wife, to Seoul, Korea. We would fly on Delta Airlines and stay at the Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel.
The real reason I want to Seoul is to see if I can find any of my original Korean family. I was born in Seoul, in 1953, during the Korean War, from a GI father and Korean mother, and then put in Rue’s Orphanage when I was 5 years. Amerasian children were not wanted in Korea in those days, so some of my relatives took me to the orphanage, where I was adopted to the US a few months later.
I have a little bit of paperwork that I’ve uncovered during the last few years, and would go and get some DNA Genetic Genealogy testing first, to see if that would help in my search. I would also love to see the county of my origin and connect in whatever way I could, to my family and my past.
Thank you.
TIm T (pre-naturalized name was Yung Duk Woo)
My YOLO is not your standard one. For my entire life, I’ve been wanting to go to Japan and spend some extended time there (6 months and upwards). But through every plan I tried to make: study abroad in college with funds from scholarships, a shorter vacation using funds saved from my job back then, etc…but, every time my plans fell through due to finance/school issues. Right now as I’m about to graduate from a school after studying Air Traffic Control, I’ll be applying for work with the FAA as soon as I can. However, I know that if I’m accepted to work by them…my hopes and dreams of finally being able to travel to Japan and spending time there would be completely shattered. My one hope however, is that the time it takes to to be accepted for training by the FAA after applying tends to take years so…my YOLO is to teach English in Japan and to travel throughout the country during my off days via Prize#2. My RT ticket to and from Japan would be flown via United/ANA and the leftover miles would reserved to bring my girlfriend over to visit during her college vacations and saved in case anything should happen to my parents that requires me to be back in USA to help them. If I were able to make it over to Japan, I’d use the Marriott and Hyatt points to stay at hotels during my days off as weekend getaways at hotels like the Ritz Okinawa, Hyatt Regency Hakone, and more. All the money I’d saved from not having to pay for my own hotels will allow me (and my girlfriend hopefully) to travel more through the country and truly live out the experience of our lives over there. In addition, the prize would also help a lot since…I’m currently unemployed right now and even if I’m able to secure a job temporarily after graduation here in the States…I don’t know if I’d be able to save enough money to travel over to Japan if I got hired by a school there. So this is my one last chance before its time to hunker down and work hard, taking care of both our families…and whatever else the future might bring out way 🙂
I was in the middle of typing my entry and It disapeared halfway typed. So I will try this again, Im sorry for the confusion and I am not trying to earn another entry, I honestly don’t know what happened. I would pick Grand prize number 1) the 300,000 Delta Skymiles and the 200,000 Hilton Honors. I would fly myself and my 3 children ages 4,8,11 to Maui, Hawaii on Delta Airlines probably in November around the 15-22 since we could stay at the Wailea, A woldorf Astoria Resort for 58,280 hilton honors points a night. I would love to be able to give my children an actual vacation! I have been saving points and Airline miles for years, but when something comes up and I use them for other family members to attend emergencies It seems like I just have to keep starting over. I love helping out other family members who just wouldn’t be able to afford flying full price, last minute during an emergency. But I would still love to be able to take my children on a vacation that they deserve! I have been promising and promising that when I get enough miles and points that I would take them to Maui and just get away from life and chores for a week, where we could actually enjoy our time with each other without life getting in the way. My boys have been doing research on the Hike to Hana, and they would absolutely love it. We want to go to the Surfing Goat Dairy and if time permitted we would like to be in Maui for the Welcome of the Whales, if we could afford to stay that long! This is a dream vacation for my children and myself, I would love to give this to them. I will give this to them even if I dont win the grand prize, but it will just be years from now instead of sooner.
Congratulations Samuel! Enjoy the trip with your daughter!