...constantly searching to find the best travel deals and places to visit. A never-ending quest for adventure!

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Spring Break 2026 Adventure: Maldives!

Less than 30 days remain before we are off again on another spring break adventure, this year going back to the Maldives with two city stops along the way.  We're using points and miles for nearly all options which will be a huge savings.  Plus almost every segment will be in Business!  Here's the map via GCMap:


The points and miles breakdown:

Park Hyatt Maldives (4 nights): 140,000 Hyatt points 
We have Globalist status again with breakfast included (as brunch) so dinner is our only expense. 

Overnight LHR and DOH (1 night each): 
We have an evening stopover in London at the T4 Hilton using 51,000 points and then one night at the Park Hyatt Doha for a very low rate.  The extra time in Doha before a 1am departure means we'll have time for the Souq and a fun dinner.

LHR-DOH: We'll be on the Qatar Airways A380 in Business from Heathrow to Doha which only required 86,000 British Airways Avios total for two.

DOH-MLE: One ticket is using 75,000 Alaska miles/Atmos for Business Class, and another ticket uses a combination of 52,500 Avios via Qatar Airways for First Class.  Availability on this route was very limited and I was fortunate to find two premium seats between both programs. 

MLE-SIN-SFO-EWR: I'm excited to be able to fly Singapore for the very first time in Business!  We'll have a brief stop at Changi before flying UA2 in Polaris back to SFO.  This was booked using United miles (395k) which is a lot though worth it to me for the Singapore segment.

Looking forward to the journey and a relaxing week!

Sunday, February 8, 2026

United Resumes Flights to LSE

I posted this request on Flyertalk a long time ago hoping that United might resume flights to LSE sometime in the future.  And I was thrilled when I saw the recent announcement!


I'm looking forward to this in May and hope that fares overall are competitive. 4x daily is promising! 

Saturday, February 7, 2026

New Chase United Offer

These offers are being sent again with some frequency and this one is much better than the last - 3x points on gas/grocery/restaurant is good through March 31st, but there is also a promotion running right now for 5x dining on Freedom.  



When I already have a 3x option to get general points for gas and grocery, this offer is a bit underwhelming.

Friday, February 6, 2026

Hyatt Bonus Journeys 2026

Hyatt has just announced Bonus Journeys for early 2026!  While this will be another point earning moment for some, the number of points possible continues a trend of being reduced and now includes a property distinction as well:

I expect to receive some additional points with stays already planned though will not be able to earn the full amount this year.

Sunday, February 1, 2026

New Terminal in MLE

I'm seeing an article from late December that Qatar Airways is now operating out of the new Terminal 1 at MLE airport.  


Can't wait to see it in March!