Tag Archives: Wow Week 2023

How to Get More For Your Miles and Points in 2023

You could be saving thousands of dollars on better award flights and nicer lie-flat seats in premium cabins. Gary Leff, the miles-and-points genius who writes View From The Wing and founded Book Your Award, shared how in our WOW Week 2023 Travel Talks. Watch the video, and read the top takeaways below, for dozens of tips for maximizing your miles and points. Gary recently merged Book Your Award into Point.me, a new service with great tools for do-it-yourself search for award seats. Check it out!

5 top takeaways

Know which airlines have the most award seats.
For international trips, especially in business class, there is often not much availability on U.S. airlines. You’ll find many more award seats available on those U.S. airlines’ international partners.

Air France, for instance, flies to numerous U.S. cities, and it’s easy to transfer credit-card points to Air France’s mileage program. (Air France is a partner of Delta’s, but it offers a lot more award-seat availability to people using Air France miles than to those using Delta miles.)
Singapore Airlines (a United Airlines partner) releases business-class seats reliably a year in advance. It’s a great way to get to Europe and Japan. You can transfer credit-card points to Singapore Airlines, and you can also frequently use Alaska and Air Canada miles, even though those seats likely will not be bookable using United’s miles.
Qatar Airways (an American Airlines partner) has one of the best business-class products in the world, and it reliably releases award seats about a year in advance. It’s a great way to connect through the Middle East and Africa.
There are specific routes that have a lot of award seats too. Ultimately, it’s airlines that have too much capacity that offer award seats at a good value. And certain airlines may be flying to the U.S., or to a specific city, for a reason other than demand. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar all fly to Dulles airport in Washington, D.C.—because they believe it’s important to serve Washington, D.C.

You can often get the same seat for fewer miles through a foreign airline’s program.
Numerous foreign airline programs sell the same seats for less. For instance, you can sometimes book Delta business class for a quarter of the points if you book it through Virgin Atlantic’s mileage program. Turkish Airlines charges just 7,500 points each way for a domestic United flight in coach, and 12,500 points for United business class (including Hawaii). United charges three times as much for their own flights! (Citi, Capital One, and Bilt points all transfer to Turkish Airlines.) You can book Iberia business class between the U.S. and Europe starting at 68,000 miles roundtrip when using Iberia’s miles. Booking those same seats through American Airlines AAdvantage would cost 115,000 miles.

When you can, collect credit-card points (that you can transfer to your choice of airlines) instead of miles with just one airline.
It’s better to have American Express points than Delta miles, for instance. That’s because American Express points transfer to Delta plus additional airlines. Similarly, it’s better to have Chase points than United miles. You want points that can be transferred to whichever airline is offering the best deal on available seats for the trip you want when you want it. As mentioned above, Air France offers better availability to travelers using Air France miles (that they got by transferring credit-card points to Air France) than to travelers using Delta miles. Similarly, Singapore offers better availability to travelers using Singapore miles (that they got by transferring credit-card points to Singapore Airlines) than to travelers using United miles.

Award tickets are easier to get than upgrades.
The conventional wisdom used to be that the best use of miles was to upgrade paid tickets. Nowadays, however, upgrades are tougher to get than awards. That’s because it’s easier to get award seats on partner airlines. By contrast, if you try to upgrade, you usually end up waitlisted, and if you don’t have top elite status with the airline, you’ll be at the bottom of the list.

Because U.S. airlines now allow free cancellation and redeposit of mileage, you can book a “worst case scenario” itinerary and then work to improve it. United, Delta, and American no longer charge fees to cancel an award ticket and redeposit the miles. So, if you can find an itinerary that will do, lock in the trip. It may not be perfect, but it lets you lock down the rest of your travel. Now you have all the time between booking and departure to go back and search again for awards, and if you find something better, consider a change; there will be no extra fees to do it.

Be a smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. Read real travelers’ reviews, then use the black CONTACT buttons on Wendy’s WOW List to reach out to the right local fixer for your trip.

Where and When to Travel in 2023

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2023 is shaping up to be a very busy year for international travel. Most of the countries that had Covid-related entry restrictions in 2022 have dropped them, which means there will be many more people worldwide making international trips this year than last. Depending on where they go, they may find service shortages, inflation, and the other conditions that apply when a country is trying to ramp back up after a pandemic yet also handle a sudden flood of tourists. So it will be crucial this year to choose your destination wisely and time your trip right. In our WOW Week Travel Talk on January 23rd, Wendy, Brook, and Carolyn shared how.

In a hurry? Start the video at 3:10. No time to watch the whole thing? Here are top takeaways:

This is the year to see Southeast Asia. It was among the last regions to reopen after Covid, and its bounce-back has been softer than Europe’s, so there is still time to see it before the large tour groups return. As for the rest of Asia, Japan has seen a huge surge in demand (and prices) since fully reopening last fall, and China isn’t currently issuing tourist visas to U.S. travelers, but India and Central Asia offer a lot of opportunity to travelers looking to get there before the big tour groups return. Read reviews from travelers just back from Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Choose Northern Europe over Southern. As happened last year, we predict that in 2023, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and their neighbors will see overwhelming numbers of tourists. The city of Venice has begun charging day-trippers a fee to enter, and the Louvre Museum in Paris is now capping the number of visitors daily. If you must travel to Europe in peak season, then instead of Mediterranean locales, focus on more northerly places such as Scandinavia. Read reviews from travelers just back from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway, and Romania.

Don’t overlook South America. For sun in winter, value for money, and an outstanding diversity of landscapes and experiences, it’s hard to beat South America, especially in 2023: It is home to many of the countries that still have Covid-related entry requirements in place (Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay), so that should keep visitor numbers relatively low. Since WOW List destination specialists can make navigating these requirements a breeze, you can have a hassle-free trip in a place that feels unattainable to many others. South America is warm when Europe is cold, and there’s less jet lag and not nearly as many tour groups. From celeb-magnet beach towns in Brazil to coffee-region haciendas in Colombia to Amazonian lodges in Ecuador to heli-hiking in Chile to top-value wine regions in Argentina—not to mention the Galapagos Islands and Patagonia—South America doesn’t get old. Read reviews from travelers just back from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and Patagonia. (We’re keeping an eye on the situation in Peru and will keep you updated.)

Think about Australia, New Zealand, and Japan only if you can travel at off-peak times. These countries did not reopen until 2022, so there is enormous demand for them this year. To find availability and affordability, avoid peak periods (e.g., springtime cherry blossom season in Japan, which sold out months ago). Read reviews from travelers just back from Australia and New Zealand.

If you must travel to a place that’s in high demand, choose under-the-radar locations within it. Let’s say it’s your honeymoon in June, and nothing but Italy’s Amalfi Coast will do. WOW List destination specialists know the hidden-gem spots that will give you relief from the crowds—and they often have insider connections that can get you into sites after-hours, and behind-the-scenes access to places not open to the general public.

Traveling to a place during its “shoulder season” is smarter than ever. Shoulder season comes just before or after peak season, when the weather is still good but the crowds aren’t there, and prices are a bit lower.

Europe in low season has gained appeal too. The pandemic lengthened Europe’s tourist seasons: What was once shoulder season (April/May and September/October) is now very popular. What was once low season (November and March) is now a smart time to go, with weather pleasant enough for outdoor dining (unlike last summer’s temps above 100 degrees). Hotels are lengthening their season to accommodate higher travel demand (hotels on Lake Como, for instance, now stay open through December). The pleasures of Rome in January are no longer a best-kept secret. Read Winter is Europe’s Secret Season for more ideas.

Opt for nonstop flights. Every connection creates an opportunity for something to go wrong: a missed flight, lost luggage, an inconvenient delay. As the airlines find their feet post-Covid, there are more and more flights from U.S. cities to interesting international locales. If a stop is essential, choose one of the smartest airports for making connections in. When you are making a domestic connection to an international flight, consider overnighting at the connection point. (For instance, if you’re flying to Africa via JFK, missing your connection could seriously disrupt your safari plans, so consider spending the night in New York.)

The larger your group, the earlier you need to plan. When you only need one hotel room, it’s usually possible to develop the ideal itinerary to suit your interests and trip goals, and then book suitable hotels. But when you need two or more rooms, you may have to patch together hotel availability wherever you can get it and let that dictate your schedule. With a multigenerational trip or other large group, booking early will maximize your options.

If you’re worried about Covid, know that safe trips are possible. Choose warm-weather destinations where all the sightseeing and activities are in the open air, where streets and public spaces are not crowded, and where you can eat every meal outdoors. Here are smart options that we ourselves road-tested during the pandemic (and we never got Covid). For more options, ask us here.

Buy travel insurance and evacuation assistance. It can protect your financial investment, cover any medical expenses, and give you peace of mind. If you’re sick or injured, the right travel insurance policy will cover your care at the nearest appropriate facility; you need a second layer of protection if you want to be treated at home.

Links to Useful Resources

Where To Go When: Ideal Destinations For Each Month of the Year

Where Everybody’s Traveling in 2023: The 10 Most Popular Countries For WOW Trips

Countries with No Covid-Related Entry Requirements

Nonstop Flights To Make Your Travels Easier in 2023

Smartest Airports for Making Connections

Winter Is Europe’s Secret Season

10 Top Dream Trips for 2023

The 2023 WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts

The Countries That Are Open to U.S. Travelers and How to Get In

Unusual Ways To See the World by Water

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There are parts of the world that are best seen from the water, and there is a growing array of unusual itineraries and small ships for doing so. We’re not talking about Caribbean islands or Italian coastlines as viewed from a cruise ship so huge that it can only dock in the big industrial harbors. No, we’re talking about floating along France’s scenic canals by barge, sightseeing by houseboat through the backwaters of Kerala, India, or exploring remotest Antarctica by small expedition ship. Cruise expert Carolyn Spencer Brown joined Wendy and Brook for a WOW Week Travel Talk on new ways to explore the world’s waterways in 2023. Watch the video and be surprised by everything you’ll learn.

Small-ship experiences you can find around the globe include:

Expedition ships: These small ships typically navigate parts of the world that it would be hard to experience any other way, such as the Arctic, Antarctica, and pristine portions of Alaska’s shoreline. In such pockets of the world, water-based travel is often your only option: You can’t drive from place to place, and it may be cost-prohibitive or too unreliable to get around via private, chartered aircraft. When these expedition ships are between seasons (say, repositioning between the Arctic and the Antarctic during the spring and fall), they may offer delightfully off-the-beaten-path itineraries that nip into tiny islands, landings, and anchorages. Carolyn and her husband sailed through the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos on a 100-passenger expedition ship, and he, a native of Finland, had never been to most of the small places they got to explore.

Yacht charters: Yachts and sailboats in the British Virgin Islands, Greece, Croatia, the Mediterranean, and many other parts of the world enable you to go where you want to go, drop anchor when you like, and choose who you want to vacation with (meaning, you’re not on a ship with strangers). You can even charter a private boat in India: In Kerala, traditional wood and thatched houseboats called kettuvallam ply the serene, rural backwaters, rivers and canals. You can charter a private boat or book a cabin on an 8-person “cruise” kettuvallam. Read about Wendy’s gulet charter on the Turquoise Coast and Brook’s catamaran charter in the Caribbean.

River boats: You may be familiar with the relatively large (160- to 190-passenger) cruise ships in Europe that ply the Rhine, Danube, Rhone and Seine, but there are many other rivers around the world where smaller vessels go to more exotic places, such as the Amazon in Peru, the Mekong for exploring Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Chobe River for the wildlife of Africa. On the Nile, instead of a Westernized river ship, you can opt for a wind-powered dahabiya. Dahabiyas are local boats that hold up to 12 people and can take you to places beyond the reach of traditional conventional vessels. Read about Billie’s experience sailing the Nile on a dahabiya.

European barge charters: Barges, often holding from 8 to 24 travelers, primarily ply the canals of France and are one of the best ways to explore the countryside, at a snail’s pace. Work barges have been repurposed as small passenger vessels—some quite luxurious, others cozy and comfortable. You’re provided with a captain and a cook, and you travel so slowly that you can easily grab a bike from your barge and meet it in the next village—with time to sip a glass of vino at an outdoor cafe. Read about Wendy’s barge trip through the French countryside.

For help finding and planning the right private-boat or cruise experience for you, use the black button below.

GET A PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATION

Sailing the Caribbean Sea in a Private Yacht. This Could Be You.

The Best Way to See Egypt. Especially If You Don’t Like Boats.

How to Know if a Barge Cruise in France is Right for You.

Live Answers to Your Travel Questions: Join Us on Zoom for WOW Week 2023 January 23–27

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UPDATE: WOW Week 2023 is now over. Thank you all for joining us! We have posted the Zoom recordings below, in case you missed any talks or want to share them with your friends. Stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter.

This year is shaping up to be a huge one for international travel. Now that so many countries have dropped their Covid entry requirements, many more people worldwide will be traveling abroad. And in some countries—all in different stages of ramping back up post-pandemic—local inflation and staffing shortages mean higher costs, longer lines, and trickier logistics. Not to worry: We’ve got the solutions, and we’ll be sharing them during WOW Week, January 23 – 27, when we’ll host a Travel Talk every day at 7 pm EST and answer your burning travel questions.

Where and When To Travel in 2023

Monday, January 23, at 7 pm EST

With many more people worldwide making international trips this year than last, prices will be higher and logistics more challenging. It will be especially important to choose your destinations wisely and time your trips smartly. Wendy, Brook, and Carolyn shared dozens of tips for doing so.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Fly Smarter This Year: Best Flights, Seats, and Fares

Tuesday, January 24, at 7 pm EST

Will airfares ever drop, and to where? Which parts of the world will be the best value to fly to in 2023? When should you book your summer flights? Airline expert Brett Snyder, founder of Cranky Concierge, answered these questions and many more.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Protect Your Trip—and Your Health—in 2023

Wednesday, January 25, at 7 pm EST

Too many people find out too late that they should have bought travel insurance or an emergency medical-assistance membership. So we brought in experts to demystify these seemingly complicated topics, and to help you understand how you can—and can’t—protect your health and your financial investment.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

New Ways to See the World by Water

Thursday, January 26, at 7 pm EST

There are parts of the world that are best seen from the water, and there is a growing array of unusual itineraries and small ships for doing so. Cruise expert Carolyn Spencer Brown, joined by Wendy and Brook, talked about cool ways to explore the world’s waterways in 2023.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Get More for Your Miles and Points in 2023

Friday, January 27, at 7 pm EST

You could be saving thousands of dollars on better award flights and nicer lie-flat seats in premium cabins. Gary Leff, writer of View From The Wing and founder of Book Your Award (now merged into Point.me), shared dozens of tips for maximizing your miles and points.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

A big thank-you to our WOW Week sponsor, Medjet.

Medjet is a global air medical transport and travel security membership program that can give travelers greater peace of mind. Their sponsorship enables me, Brook, Carolyn, Kristine, and the rest of our growing team to spend time answering your travel questions (via our Get a Personalized Trip Recommendation feature) and finding the smartest trip-planning specialists for you (see Wendy’s WOW List).

Don’t miss this special WOW Week discount

Medjet is offering our WOW Week audience an exclusive discount of 10% off New Medjet Annual Memberships. The deal is available from Mon January 23 at 9am ET till Mon January 30 at 5 pm ET. You can learn more about Medjet and get the deal by clicking the red button below.

GET THE DEAL

Protect Your Trip—and Your Health—in 2023

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Baffled by travel insurance and evacuation assistance? You’re not alone. So for our WOW Week 2023 Travel Talk on January 25th, we brought in experts to demystify these seemingly complicated topics, and to help you understand how you can (and can’t) protect your health and your financial investment. Joining us were Sheri Howell, from air-medical-transport and crisis-response provider Medjet, and Stan Sandberg, co-founder of travel-insurance comparison site TravelInsurance.com.

3 top takeaways

Buy insurance as soon as you’ve committed to a trip. To get the full benefits of a comprehensive insurance policy—including, in many cases, coverage for any pre-existing medical conditions—you must buy it soon after you’ve made your first trip payment. Don’t wait until your trip is just around the corner to start shopping for insurance.
Insurance just gets you to the nearest adequate medical facility. The medevac coverage in your insurance policy is crucial for getting you to a hospital in an emergency. But only a membership-based medical-transport program will then bring you to your hospital of choice back home.
Covid is now treated like any other illness. Unlike at the start of the pandemic, Covid is now covered by most insurance policies: You will be reimbursed if you have to cancel your trip because you test positive before you leave, and your medical bills will be paid if you need treatment abroad.

Links to Useful Resources

How to Buy Travel Insurance: What It Covers, When You Need It

What Medical Evacuation Coverage Do You Need?

“Cancel For Any Reason” CFAR Travel Insurance: What It Is and How It Works

Fly Smarter in 2023: How to Get the Best International Flights, Seats, and Fares

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What should we expect from airline travel in 2023? Will airfares keep rising? Which parts of the world will be the best value to fly to? When should you book your summer flights? Airline expert Brett Snyder, founder of Cranky Concierge, joined our WOW Week 2023 Travel Talks on January 24th and answered all of these questions and more.

In a hurry? Start the video at 2:55. No time to watch the video? Here are a few takeaways:

Airfares will remain high, but there will be some pockets where deals can be found.
One region to watch for deals is Southeast Asia. That’s because, as Chinese airlines start flying to the U.S. again, it will create a flood of capacity on flights from the U.S. to China and beyond to Southeast Asia (meaning, there will be more connecting options to get to Southeast Asia.)
Don’t wait to book your international flights for peak summer travel.
Big international fare sales for the peak summer period are not likely. If you’re planning summer trips to popular places such as Italy, book now (if not yesterday). For fall travel, it’s okay to wait until spring break or even toward early summer to book. (That’s because fall isn’t as busy as summer, so you aren’t fighting for scarce seats in the same way that you are for summer. You can wait longer and not have as much of an issue.)
When booking a domestic connection to an international flight, leave yourself wiggle room.
Last summer we saw many missed airline connections, and it could happen again this summer. If you’re nervous about missing a connection to an international flight, book a longer layover. If you’re really nervous, book an overnight at the connection point. But be ready for schedule changes to occur. Schedules are fairly firm into spring break right now, but after that, they are not.

Links to Useful Resources

New Nonstop Flights To Make Your Travels Easier in 2023

Where Everybody’s Traveling in 2023: The 10 Most Popular Countries For WOW Trips

Smartest Airports for Making Connections

How Never to Wait on Hold with Airline Customer Service Again

Best International Stopovers: Two Trips for the Price of One

Private Jets: The Safest Option, and More Affordable Than You Might Think

The 2023 WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts

Where To Go When: Ideal Destinations For Each Month of the Year

Winter Is Europe’s Secret Season

Countries with No Covid-Related Entry Requirements

The Countries That Are Open to U.S. Travelers and How to Get In