Fly to/From London and back for just 35,000 miles

I remember the good old days when I could fly to London with only 40,000 OnePass miles. Unfortunately, it has become too difficult to book flights using miles, now that Continental has switched to StarAlliance, because their partners make so few seats available for award travel. Star Alliance is the biggest network, but sometimes it is easier to deal with a smaller network. Now a reward using SaverPass Rewards can be obtained using 55,000 miles on OnePass airline partners but are capacity-controlled and may not be available on certain flights where demand is high, so you will need to pay 100,000 miles for a free EasyPass seat. You can get a free flight from New York to London with a DELTA - SkyMiles award travel, from 90,000 round trip + $ 205.30 Taxes/Fees.

VIRGINS Flying Club has lowered the Economy seat redemption fares. Now you can fly in Economy from Orlando to London and back for just 35,000 miles. Take advantage of this redemption sale fare while it lasts. With Virgins global network of airline partners like BMI & Air New Zealand, you can reach hundreds of destinations around the world. If you fly from England to USA with VIRGIN Atlantic Airline and Book by 09 February 2010, you can fly economy from £299, Premium Economy from £542 and first, Upper class for USA from £1,487 and you’ll earn Flying Club miles, which you can spend on great rewards.

I'm at Buckingham Palace in this photo.

For $398 you can fly with BRITISH AIRWAYS Spring Fare Sale to Europe (R/T) advertised on Travelocity, but you won’t get miles for the flight. CONTINENTAL, will increase its schedule of flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and London/Heathrow, during 2010 They will have flat bed seats that I love. ♥. It's so difficult to sleep while holding on to the tilted slide seat!

I also, love. ♥, to shop at Bond Street designer shops. Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior and Burberry are a few to name. The lower end stores are also fun on Oxford Street where you’ll find Selfridge’s department store and then hop on a short bus or tube ride to Harrods. London is an enormous city but try to see the famous landmarks:- Big Ben, The Gherkin, St Paul’s , The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.

Crowne Plaza St James London BUCKINGHAM GATE has rooms from £157.00 & your earn Priority club points with their present offer to earn an additional 1,000 bonus points or 200 bonus miles every qualifying night you stay - up to 20,000 points or 4,000 miles till April 2010. The nicest hotel to earn Priority Club points is the InterContinental LONDON PARK LANE, with rates from £200 .00. It was, once the site of a royal residence, conveniently located between Mayfair and Knightsbridge in view of Buckingham Palace, the hotel is not far from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

An hour away from central London is Hampton Court Palace on the banks of the river Thames. It was the home of King Henry VIII, one of his wives, Catherine Howard, who was beheaded for treason / adultery, roams the hall as a ghost. Hampton has the most famous maze in the world. Entrance to the Castle is only £3.50.

The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, is also within the West End, Mayfair. Deals are:

• Save 30% When you stay for breakfast in London this winter
• Exclusive London Fashion Week packages
• London Theatre Breaks with Marriott
  

Get away to a romantic island for Valentine's day?

Want to get away to a very romantic island with Air New Zealand for Valentine’s day?

Rarotonga is the main island of the Cook Islands and is dominated by high mountain peaks and a palm-fringed shore. It’s summer now, while we are suffering through winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

The island is almost completely encircled by a reef, which provides lagoon of clear turquoise water and many inviting white sand beaches. Just past the reef, the indigo blue of the ocean provides a vibrant contrast and an overflowing supply of fish.

Price:	Flights + 5 nights from $1,775* per person double occ. ex Los Angeles
Hotel:	Crown Beach Resort
Bonus:	Early check in and late check
Period:	14 Feb - 27 Mar 10 by 31st Jan 2010

To receive the advertised price you will need to enterUSRAR3 into the promo code box.

Airpoints is New Zealand's frequent flyer programme. With Airpoints Dollars™currency, it's easy to earn and redeem rewards on Star Alliance member carriers. And now with Status Points, it's easier to reach Silver, Gold or Gold Elite status and start enjoying elite frequent flyer privileges. Status Points count towards your Airpoints tier status.

Or fly a slightly shorter flight to Sydney with Delta Airlines, from Los Angeles, from $935 round trip and earn a ton of Skyteam, Skymiles. The Delta 2010 new best-in-class SkyMiles Medallion program offers Medallion benefits like the new top-tier Diamond Medallion elite status, Rollover Medallion Qualification Miles, Choice Benefits, and more.

Virgin has great offers too!

Elite tier benefits on discount airlines in the Americas and a Tiger in the African woods

I stayed in the room that Tiger Woods stayed in but I am not saying that I was one of his admitted “infidelitieS”. When he was a guest at the Shamwari Game Reserve, he proposed marriage to his wife in that room but I was there years later.
It is a wonderful Malaria free, eco game resort near Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
Tiger Woods is not out of the woods yet because his Mistress count continues to climb. What a fall he has taken from being a respected golfer representing, "focus and discipline"', to being dropped by his sponsors. Tag Heuer, Gatorade and others are reportedly attempting to use a morals clause to cancel their contracts with him but Spirit airlines jumped in on the publicity by promoting an “Eye of the Tiger", fare special with fares from only $9 and $35 coupons. Accenture is running ads about “Tiger in the rough” but their slogan “Opportunity isn’t always obvious “ ~ is proof that no one anticipated that the opportunistic, Tigers mating habits would surface.

FREE SPIRIT is Spirit Airlines’ frequent flyer program which enables travelers to earn free travel on Spirit, has an additional membership to their $9 Fare Club. Unlike most other frequent flyer programs, all of the miles earned from flown miles, bonus miles, credit card miles, and partner miles that have been earned in the preceding 6 months will be totaled. Your status level is updated on the second business day of each month and will be based on the preceding 6 months of activity.
The 3 ELITE STATUS TIER LEVELS are:
Somebody, Elite & VIP. Membership Tier Benefits don’t include upgrades but do earn free travel

Predominantly a leisure travel airline, Spirit Airlines is one of the most complained-about airlines but not as bad as RyanAir or EasyJet. Read about why Ryanair is the reason that I don't fly discount airlines by clicking on this link:-
http://www.elitepro-travel.com/2009/02/ryanair-is-reason-that-i-dont-fly.html
Spirit maintain bases in Florida; Detroit, MI; and Atlantic City, NJ and also fly to destinations in the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Latin America. You can book Spirit airlines flights with CheapOair or book the deals on the airlines web site that is reserved for members of their $9 Fare Club. To get low fares, this deal:-Atlanta to Myrtle Beach for $9 (like most from Spirit) ends soon.

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Christmas is celebrated for 2 days in Europe

In the USA, there are no businesses open on Christmas day and then we hit the store sales the day after, but in England, Xmas extends to “Boxing Day”. Over the past few centuries, servants served the gentry, then on the 26th December, they boxed up the leftovers and took them to their relatives for their day off.
In Holland and in Germany, the “second Christmas Day” is a time to treat your family to dine in a restaurant but most are booked well in advance, so it usually becomes a second day of cooking and feasting at home.
It is believed that the tradition of Santa (Father Christmas) originated in 340 A.C, when the Bishop of Myra gave sweets to children. The legend of the kindly Pope’s representative arriving is played out with much pageantry in Holland to this day. Sinterklaas arrives annually on a Saturday at the end of November. This event is broadcast on national Television, each year he arrives at a different city by boat.
I traveled to Amsterdam with some friends from America and enjoyed their astonishment at seeing Santa’s helpers because he is always accompanied by 2 fake black moors! They are both named “zwarte Piet”( Translated is: “black Peter”). I have to admit, it is the strangest thing to see 2 grown men in tights with black makeup covering their faces! Well worth hopping on a KLM flight to cross the pond to experience a Dutch Christmas, if you can keep a straight face.
Children place one of their shoes in front of the fireplace (or heater). Inside the shoe, they place a carrot (for his horse), and a list of desired gifts that they hope will appear on December 5. Did you notice that I said that in Holland St. Nic delivers the gifts on Dec 5th and not on Dec 25 as he does in other parts of the world and that he has a horse in the Netherlands whereas he needs reindeer to travel globally? ~~~~Visit a Christmas market and drink hot “gluwine” with traditional “Snert” {Pea soup) to really experience this wonderful season. See the Telegraph.

Remember to get to the airport early because capacity is down this year so if you miss your flight, you may be stranded for a long time waiting for a seat on another flight. Elite members have priority.
Due to snowy conditions there will be delays and flight cancellations and the airlines bump passengers that don’t arrive on time. While the TSA has specified mandatory security measures, some local airport authorities have instituted additional time consuming measures, so I advise getting to your gate early. The average time required from entering an airport terminal within the U.S. to boarding an aircraft is approximately one hour for domestic flights. Cut off time is 30 minutes for domestic flights and 60 minutes for international flights.
Happy Christmas travels!

Dubai is an exciting place to visit on Emirates Airlines

It saddens me that the United Arab Emirates, is in financial straits because I love traveling to Dubai. It is my version of adult Disney land. It is a magical place of duty free shopping malls, an indoor ski resort, the only 7 star hotel in the world and anticipation that you can find Aladdin’s lamp in one of the Spice or Gold, Souk markets. Oil sheiks and business moguls party at lavish Bedouin themed soirees. I have even partaken of a feast served in a tent while sitting on authentic carpets.
I love to shop in Dubai and the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, loves to shop the world via his Dubai World investment company, purchasing assets like stakes in Las Vegas, MGM Mirage.Another holding is:- Leisurecorp, a golf development company, that holds the "Race to Dubai" -- the world's most lavish golf tournament with $7.5 million that ended the European Tour at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. Leisurcorp's portfolio also includes Turnberry in Scotland and Pearl Valley Golf Estates in South Africa.
The self proclaimed 7 star Hotel is the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai The staff take service so seriously that they do their homework to find out what you like. The rooms are all duplex suites, with marble staircases and personal butlers. Another hotel that I stayed at, that also has stairs connecting a duplex accommodation, is The Hyatt next to the Galleria mall and ice rink.
My favorite hotels are the Fairmont hotel Dubai (it is a Ritz-Carlton Hotel), Hyatt and Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa. Some of the world's top luxury tennis resorts can be found in the U.A.E., including The Four Seasons in Nevis, Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. Don't miss the cuisine at the Fairmont restarant "Spectrum on One' (But make a reservation because word is that it's so fully booked that during the filming of Syriana, even George Clooney could not get in.
Dubai's debt crisis sent world financial markets down, on concerns that loans to Dubai World, the state company will not be paid. It made me realize that lavish spending has to stop before the recovery can take place.
Recently, foreigners working in the UAE have lost their jobs and visas, so many have abandoned their Porches and other luxury cars at the airport in Dubai when departing. The huge property-led boom saw tons of money go to infrastructure and construction projects like the Palm Jumeirah or the 810 meter Burj Dubai tower that will be the tallest building in the world. A private island chain in the shape of a world atlas is currently under construction. Dubai is one of seven sheikhdoms in the U.A.E. Abu Dhabi, another of the emirates, holds 8 percent of the world’s oil reserves
the Burj Al Arab Hotel is not easy to visit if you are not a guest. The only way to get into the lobby to admire the two-story-high aquariums and dancing laser fountains is to make a reservation at one of seven restaurants, and give your credit-card number for security and guarantee a minimum spending of $100.
Guests are shuttled to the airport by helicopter, Rolls Royce or BMW. And if you become accustomed to a Rolls, you may even be able to take one home! -It is the best airport for a layover! --Exotic cars and other prizes can be won at the airport lottery. Tickets cost about a thousand dollars but the odds are better than the U.K., Dutch or German National lotteries because it is restricted to 1,000 tickets. I paid about Dh500 to enter to almost win an Aston Martin or a BMW 750 at Dubai Duty Free
• In a future posting. I will tell you about my most cherished adventure in Dubai, but if you visit before my story, I would like to recommend that you take a day trip tour to Sharjah and Ajman with Arabian Adventures and take a Dhow Cruise Dinner.
Emirates Airlines Skywards program offers three tiers of membership and I am happy to keep trying to attain the highest elite level by flying the 50,000 miles required to get Gold level.
CNBC reported that Luis Costa from the EMEA debt team, “believes Abu Dhabi will come to the rescue” so perhaps the fairytale land will have a happy ending even if Aladdin does not save the day!

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