Travel Planning and Hacking

One of the first animals we saw in Kruger

Over the past eight years, we've covered a lot of ground, and there is still a long list of trips left!  The conundrum is balancing time and finances.  The logistics of our travels is something I haven't discussed before, but a lot goes behind our jaunts.  Traveling to South Africa, Dubai, and then on to Europe for our upcoming trip, there are multiple considerations.

The list includes obtaining various currencies, at least a minimal amount for each country until we can visit an ATM, outlet adapters (we required 4 different ones for this trip), transportation between the destinations, booking accommodations, buying travel insurance,  gluten-free translations cards for me for each country, downloading books and maps, and figuring out how to pack in a carry-on bag and backpack everything needed for the various climates (from 40 to 90+ degrees F) we'll be experiencing.  Also, on international trips, I sign up for the STEP program.  Set up through the U. S. Dept of State, this provides us with emergency assistance and notifications, in case of civil unrest, natural disasters, etc.

Booking rooms means hours spent online for each destination to determine the amenities and location of accommodations, and reading the all-important reviews.  Airbnb, Booking.com, and multiple other sites are used to find the best deals.  In most cases, we are looking for a place that has some type of kitchen.  Eating out 3 meals a day for six weeks is not only expensive, it actually gets boring.  I love going to the local markets, stocking up, and planning our meals.  Yes, we still want to go out and enjoy the local cuisine and ambiance, but not for every meal.  Usually, lunch is our meal out, because that is when we are out exploring, and typically that means a smaller check.  For Qatar, we need a transit visa and a copy of our marriage certificate for the hotel.  For South Africa's Kruger National Park, we need a prescription for an anti-malarial drug.  There are so many details.  Bottom line, it's a lot of work putting everything together!

Utilizing travel hacking for longer trips, such as this, saves a small fortune.  Economy seats for our flight can be purchased for as low as $800 p/p one-way, but that's still a lot of money.  Our initial flight from Miami is 14 hours to Doha, Qatar, with an overnight layover and then an additional 8 1/2 hours to Johannesburg.  This is not something we want to experience in economy seating!  Business-class seats run thousands of dollars; our business-class seats were obtained using air miles.  Hotel rooms can also be booked for no charge.  A stay for 2 nights at the Dublin Hilton would be $500, our cost---points.

If you're not familiar with travel hacking, I know it has the ring of being a quasi-legal activity.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, this is the credit card companies trying to lure you into using their cards.  But this way of traveling allows us to do a lot of things that otherwise might not be on the table.  Alan spends multiple hours tracking the best way to earn frequent flyer miles and figuring out how the miles can be used for our travels.  In a nutshell, there are multiple ways to earn miles.  One of the most common is bonus points or miles offered for opening a new credit card, but of course, not just any credit card.  You look perhaps for the most points, but you want to make sure they are points you will be able to use.  For example, some cards are affiliated with certain airlines but have partnerships with other airlines.  If you are earning miles to travel on Alaska Airlines, and you would never travel to their destinations, then you wouldn't apply for that card.  But maybe one of their partner airlines would be something you would use.  Extensive research is required to figure out which card or cards will work best for you.  Most require that you spend a certain amount within a specific time frame, usually $1000 to $3000 within 3 months.  Each card is different, so if these requirements are unrealistic for you, look for something else.  Having cards that transfer miles to a variety of airlines or partner airlines is something to look for.

My synopsis of travel hacking is an oversimplification of a process we have used for years to travel on the cheap.  But if you are intrigued and want to learn more, there are dozens of websites providing information on the ins and outs of hacking.  One of our favorites is The Points Guy.  By subscribing to his blog we receive updates on which cards are offering what, in addition to other general travel info.  For example, he had a recent tip to use Twitter to contact Aer Lingus customer service.  Brilliant!  Calls to the airline to get clarifying info, for our flight from Amsterdam to Dublin, on the weight allowed for our bag or if we needed to pay for the luggage, were not answered in a timely manner.  The confusion was because we booked through British Airways, which changes the weight allowance and payment requirement, but nowhere on their site did they share the specifics.  By going to Twitter, I had a response within 24 hours.

We'll be taking off in a couple of weeks, but I'll be writing again soon regarding the why of this trip.

San Jose, Costa Rica

The Golden Room in the former La Sabana International Airport
newly renovated as the Museo de Arte Costarricense,
the sculpture shows the history of Costa Rica

Arriving in San Jose a few days ago, we headed straight from the airport to the Prisma Dental Clinic. Typically, when we make these trips, we incorporate some vacation days in between or following the dental work.  This time it didn't work out that way.  With only one "down" day from the dental work, our exploring was restricted to walking around San Jose.  Alan had major work completed, including implants, bone grafts, and six crowns.  My initiation with Costa Rican dental work consisted of replacing two crowns and a couple of fillings.  Rainy weather throughout most of the week made it easier to ignore our restriction to the dental chair.

Why go to Costa Rica?  The bottom line is that it is substantially less expensive.  Even when we have incorporated trips to Manuel Antonio National Park, Monteverde Rain Forest, the Arenal Volcano, the Caribbean surfing beaches, etc, we have always saved several thousands of dollars.  I can hear the questions, what about airfare, hotels?  Yes, the savings are substantial enough that these expenses are not relevant.  What about the competence of the dentist?  Researching online, finding a dentist you feel comfortable with is easy.  Read reviews on the dentists, and then call their office and talk with them about your dental issues.  When you find someone you are totally comfortable with, you can formulate the rest of the plan.  What if you don't speak Spanish?  Find a dentist who speaks English (many do).  Hotel staff and restaurant staff generally speak enough English that you can get by without Spanish, but if you do speak some Spanish, that will make it even easier.

Medical tourism is big business in Costa Rica.  Numerous hotels are competing for your business and offer good deals.  Many offer free transportation to and from the airport (many dentists offer this also), some offer discounts if you are visiting for dental or medical reasons, most offer a full breakfast buffet, and some offer discounts if you pay cash.  Once again, check online, read the reviews, talk with the hotel manager or reservation staff and find out what discounts and/or services they offer.

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Street performers

Securing a room with a kitchen means you don't have to eat out all the time, and if you are having dental work done, you may be on soft food or liquids a few days.  It's convenient to have a refrigerator for storing yogurt or ice cream, and a stove for making or heating up soup or other soft foods of choice.  Staying at the Aparthotel Suites Cristina, about two miles from the dentist's office, we included walking to and from the office as a bit of exercise each day, but a taxi (they all use meters) would have run only $3-4, depending on the time and traffic.

Airfare, of course, varies depending on where you are flying from, the time of year, the amount of advance time you have to make the purchase and the airline.  Flying with air miles extends your savings a little further, and so far, we have been able to utilize air miles for our trips.  But earning and using air miles is a completely different discussion.  If you are interested in learning more about this area check the blogs for The Points Guy or Johnny Jet.

Stall at the
Central Market

National Stadium of Costa Rica

Starting with Alan's first trip to the Prisma Clinic, the quality of the dentistry, in combination with the savings, made the decision a "no brainer."  We have traveled to Costa Rica four times in the past five years for dental work.  I think that speaks for itself, in terms of our confidence with the services rendered.  If you have substantial work to be done, check it out.  I think you'll be happy you did.

Rainbows in the mountains near San Jose

Juggling machetes at a stop light for tips