Tag Archives: London

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Around the World in 24 Days: Day Two

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Buenos días everyone, reporting in from Day Two of my quest to become a SAS EuroBonus Millionaire! Today is the most intense travel day of the entire journey, with four flights on three different airlines (and three separate tickets). Fortunately, everything has gone off pretty much without a hitch.

Day Two: LHR-AMS-MAD-BCN-CPH

Although I’d set my alarm for 5am, I woke up at 4:20am and didn’t feel like sleeping any more, so I took another shower and ate the rest of my snacks from Marks and Spencer before rolling out of the hotel around 5:10am. I quickly swung by the ticket counter to pick up a paper boarding pass and confirmed that my SAS number was on the reservation, then headed to security.  Security was quick, and I was at a newer machine where I only had to take out my bag of 100ml liquids (my electronics stayed in the bag). I picked up a bottle of water at WH Smith and then headed to my gate to board. Continue reading →

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Around the World in 24 Days: Day One

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Buenos días everyone, I started my journey to become a SAS EuroBonus Millionaire on Sunday night. Here’s a rundown of the first 24 hours.

a map of the first half of Tonei's route plan, with DCA-JFK-LHR highlighted in red

Flight 1: American Eagle 4781 DCA-JFK (Embraer 175)

I started my trip Sunday night with a short hop up to New York on American Eagle, booked with 4,500 Alaska Airlines miles + $19. I took Metro to the airport, and the Clear line saved me a good amount of time at security (one of the only times that’s been the case).  Before the flight, I used my Citi AAdvantage Executive Credit Card one last time to visit the Admirals Club at DCA.  My account finally got hit with the annual fee increase instituted by Citi last year, and I decided it wasn’t worth $550 a year to me, so I called to cancel while I was still in the lounge.

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13 Free Things to See / Do in London

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Yesterday, Grant wrote about owning a piece of London’s Heathrow Airport, so I thought it would be fun to write a post about London too.  As much as we like to accrue miles and points from putting spend on our credit cards, it’s still great to enjoy free things when you travel. London is one of my favorite cities. And as I found out, there’s a lot to enjoy that’s easy on the travel budget.

1. Tate Modern. I’ve discovered that while many museums around the world charge an entry fee, they also provide some exhibitions that are free. The Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. And it’s important to note that most of the exhibitions are free.

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Tate Modern. Image source: http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

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Own a Piece of London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 1

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(Hat tip to my friend, David, for sending me the link)

Good afternoon everyone.  It is not everyday that you have the chance to own history (or at least a small piece of airport equipment), but today you can!  Heathrow Airport is remodelling Terminal 1, so they are removing all items and equipment.  There are several hundred items that will go up for auction soon, so if you are interested, click here to view the catalog.

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Trip Report: Holiday Inn Express Heathrow T5

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After spending a few days at the London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale (trip report), we spent our last night in the UK at the Holiday Inn Express London – Heathrow T5, mostly to avoid an additional night of central London hotel prices.

Lobby of the Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T5. Photo from ihg.com

Lobby of the Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T5. Photo from ihg.com

Location: This hotel is located in Slough, a town just west of Heathrow Airport. It was a bit of a trek from our hotel in London – we had to take the Underground to Paddington Station, then paid £9.20 each to go one stop to Slough on a Great Western Railway train, then took a double decker bus about 20 minutes from the Slough railway station to this hotel. It’s located just off the M5 highway next to a water reservoir (not exactly an exciting location), and about 5 miles from the western edge of Heathrow airport.

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