Palo Will Travel Blog

Del Mar, CA 0

1 Million Miles Traveled!

Wow! I’ve traveled 1 Million miles since 2013 which is enough to circle the world more than 40 times in less than 10 years. I did travel prior to 2013, but didn’t track it with TripIt. I crossed the 1 Million miles mark after arriving on JL66 into SAN from...

Row 1 0

LATAM Business Class: PUQ-SCL B787-8

I visited Torres del Paine, Chile to hike Patagonia and needed to get back to Santiago (SCL) for my flight back home. There is an airport nearby in Puerto Natales, but very limited seasonal flights operate to/from PNT. Punta Arenas (PUQ) is the major airport in the region, but a...

Seat 1A 1

Japan Airlines (JAL) Business Class: NRT-SAN B787-8

In May 2022, I was able to secure JAL (Japan Airlines) Business Class on CGK-NRT-SAN for 65,000 Alaska Airlines miles + $73.67 in taxes. It’s much harder to lock in a connecting itinerary via Tokyo on JAL now due to availability and it also costs 100,000 Alaska Airlines miles. I’m...

It works! NFC-powered 0

Alaska Airlines Electronic BagTag

Alaska Airlines is my primary airline and I hold MVP Gold 75K status with them. Late last year (November 2022), I was invited to beta test a new electronic baggage tag for checked luggage. For longer trips, I check a bag so this was a cool new technology to test...

Seat 7A, QF B787-9 Business Class 0

Qantas Business Class: LAX-SYD B787-9

Flying First Class on Qantas’s A380 had been on my bucket list and I finally found availability in March 2022 for a flight in November 2022. I was able to book it one-way for 120,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles which is an AMEX Membership Rewards transfer partner. They only offer...

Bed Time :) 1

Singapore Airlines Business Class: SIN-SFO A350-900

After landing from the Maldives, I spent my 22 hour layover in Singapore touring around the city before my nonstop flight to San Francisco. The Singapore F1 race was about 2 weeks prior, but some of the track barriers and lighting were still up during my visit. I stopped by...

SQ B737-8 MAX 0

Singapore Airlines Business Class: MLE-SIN B737-8 MAX

My flight back to the US after staying at Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa for 7 nights was on Singapore’s new Boeing 737-8 MAX with their regional lie-flat business class seats. I was excited to give it a try as you typically don’t see lie-flat seats on a 737...

Beach @ Le Méridien Maldives 1

Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa

I headed back to the Maldives for my 3rd visit to see if the Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa lived up to its hype which opened during COVID-19 on September 1st, 2021. Being able to book it using Marriott Bonvoy points for a stay in October 2022 made it a...

HSBC Rain Vortex @ SIN 0

How to stay connected while traveling around the World (2023 Edition)

It’s been almost 9 years since my last post on this topic and how the landscape has changed… While traveling around the world we now have access to better coverage, faster data speeds and cheaper options than in 2014 🙂 Cellular-based Options Adding an International roaming option to your existing wireless...