Deal Alert: 20% off First Class Swiss Train e-Passes

Deal Alert for train travel in Switzerland!

From now through April 4th you can get a First Class Swiss Pass for 20% off.  Link via RailEurope here.

Get limited-time savings of 20% off all First class Swiss Travel Pass e-passes. Amplify your Swiss itinerary with this exclusive offer ! Book by April 4, 2018 with coupon code 20SWISSTRAVEL18. Valid for North American residents only.

The fine print:

Offer is valid on 3, 4, 8, and 15 days consecutive electronic Swiss Travel Passes for Adult and Youth traveling in First class. From March 6 through 5:00pm ET on April 4, 2018, select one of the electronic Swiss Travel Pass options and add to cart. Enter coupon code 20SWISSTRAVEL18 during checkout to receive the 20% off discount. The electronic Swiss Travel Pass is pre-validated ; therefore travelers are required to provide their first date of travel on the pass. The first date of validity must be on or before June 30, 2018. Offer is limited to the first 500 passes or until the promotion’s end date of 5:00 pm ET on April 4, 2018, whichever occurs first. Offer is valid only for residents of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Unused Swiss Travel Passes are refundable/exchangeable with fees if received before the first date of travel on the pass. Please check product terms & conditions before completing your booking. One coupon code per booking may be applied. No other coupon code discounts can be combined. Offer is subject to change or extension without notice. No adjustments can be made on prior purchases.

Swiss Pass changes for 2018

With all of the travel I do to Zurich I always keep an eye on changes for the Swiss Pass - it's my preferred way to travel within Switzerland.  Hopping on and off trains with no set schedule is the best way to travel!  It helps the pass gives you unlimited options for the duration you chose.

I was pleasantly surprised to see an update to what is covered by the pass - some great changes as far as I'm concerned since I frequent the Jungfrauoch region - from myswissalps.com:

Hello travelers,

If you're already planning your trips for 2018 you might be interested in the below changes, as of January 1, 2018

Changes for Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Travel Pass Flex holders:

• The Schilthorn cableway will be free (currently 50% discounted)
• The Stanserhorn funicular and cableway will be free (currently 50% discounted)
• The Engelberg to Brunni cableway will be free (currently 50% discounted)
• The Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg cableway will be free (currently not included)
• The Pilatus cableway and cogwheel train will be 50% discounted (currently free)
• The Schynige Platte cogwheel train will be 50% discounted (currently free)
• The FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich will be free (currently not included)

New pass prices:

• Swiss Travel Pass 2nd class: CHF 225 (3 days), CHF 270 (4 days), CHF 398 (8 days), CHF 485 (15 days)
• Swiss Travel Pass 1st class: CHF 358 (3 days), CHF 429 (4 days), CHF 631 (8 days), CHF 765 (15 days)
• Swiss Travel Pass Flex 2nd class: CHF 259 (3 days), CHF 310 (4 days), CHF 445 (8 days), CHF 532 (15 days)
• Swiss Travel Pass Flex 1st class: CHF 412 (3 days), CHF 493 (4 days), CHF 706 (8 days), CHF 840 (15 days)
• Swiss Transfer Ticket 2nd class: CHF 154
• Swiss Transfer Ticket 1st class: CHF 247
• Swiss Half Fare Card: CHF 120
• Swiss Family Card: free

The Schilthorn cableway!  I love it.  It's usually very expensive to visit the top and now its free!

Great deals from Newark to Rome in Spring 2018 - $190 ow

I haven't had an opportunity yet to fly Norwegian Air - they're not typically part of the normal routes I frequent and admittedly my focus is usually on points and miles accrual that help maintain my status for free checked bags and seats.  For the record I'm not opposed to flying them.

While watching flights recently in/out of Newark I was pleasantly surprised to see a Norwegian Air flight arriving from Rome...what?!  There's a direct flight from Newark to Rome??  I was intrigued.  I did some research and wow - there are some great deals to Rome this spring from Newark:

The calendar has great deals as low as $190 one way...a short weekend, you say?

I'd be willing to try Norwegian for a $460 flight roundtrip to Rome!

And the best time to buy airfare is...

I wanted to share this recent article from Conde Nast that goes in-depth on when to find and buy the best airfare deals.  This type of thing is not an exact science and there are many different theories  about the best strategy to employ.  The way they present this particular info, though, seems to be based on research they've done from IATA and other sources that lend weight to their numbers.

Best note of the article: At least we can all agree on one thing: "Tuesday appears to remain the best day of the week to find low fares on air travel booked at least three weeks in advance," according to the study.

The Tuesday myth is busted!  (sort of)

Another notable item to me is the 30/60 day split for purchasing domestic vs international flights.  Their recommended times are probably larger than most would feel comfortable agreeing to unless you have a confirmed schedule.

Mileage Run Alert: LAX-BKK-CGK-LAX for $637 on American!

There's an OJ inbetween and its via Dallas/Tokyo/San Diego, but it's not out of the question - 19,807 miles, 0.03 cpm.  Via San Diego instead of LA pushes it up to around $730.

Not bad!

Deal Alert: $489 roundtrips to Istanbul from Boston for fall

If you have some flexibility in your schedule and can leave from the east coast, the deals are just starting to come out for fall travel.  This particular deal I found via Boston, but I imagine that NYC and Dulles will also have similar fares.  Here's an example for a 7-day:

This option is on Air Canada and is in the K fare bucket, so you would earn 100% mileage on United for the connections via Canada and Istanbul, but only 25% on the US connectors.  Still not a bad way to get about 10,000 miles.

The Daily Getaways conundrum

I'm a big fan of the Daily Getaways promotion every time it comes around during a year.  If you saw my recent post, then you also know that I highly value Hyatt points and spending them at overseas properties.

So my conundrum this week was participating on Wednesday's giveaway day - or, at least, trying to.  I clicked and clicked for almost 20 minutes to know avail, even though I was perfectly on time at the top of the hour.  Sadly all I saw was "try again".  Is it worth attempting to get these packages?  The pricing is excellent, but when the quantities are so low (200 or less) it's basically impossible to get in no matter what you do.  I haven't seen any reports of users having success.

Was anyone able to get a package?

LAX-BOG in fall for ~$350: Limited time!

Looking for a quick vacation/long weekend getaway in August/September?

Flights are available between LAX and Bogota, Colombia for only $350 during selected dates in fall.  I did a quick search on Orbitz for a long weekend between these two cities toward the end of September, and found a ~$380 fare:

Get it while it's hot!

And don't forget - Avianca/Taca is part of the Star Alliance, so these flights will earn you miles on United.  Don't forget to check the booking code to verify. 

Flight Deal: LAX-Bogota for $414!

If you're looking for a spring break vacation option, this might be a good deal for you!

Flights from LAX to Bogota, Columbia are available for under $420.

This deal is currently available only through Orbitz - a search on United.com showed much higher fares.  I'm not sure how long this will last, so get in on it now if you can!