Depending on destination, it’s only an extra 15-20k Avios to add a connecting leg to various cities around Europe (through Qatar). So we are overshooting and then connecting back to Western Europe.
Okay, I don’t even know WTF this means, but I feel like I need to research this. 
the tl;dr is just that you can fly in arguably the best business class cabin for 16 hours for 50,000 (normally 70,000) Amex Membership Rewards points by transferring them to British/Qatar Airways and booking an award ticket. It’s a ridiculous value so I felt compelled to book and make a trip out of it.
The last time I flew in Qsuites was to the Maldives (which is when I took that photo I posted earlier) about a year before the pandemic and I absolutely loved it.
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Are their desirable destinations onward of Doha? Overshooting and then tracking back is like a pet peeve for me
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You could always fly shorter routes to/from Doha around Europe and Asia, but the best redemption value is flying from the west coast to Doha to maximize your time in the air in the Qsuites cabin. I booked our outbound before even considering where we wanted to go once we got there. I was mostly just interested in spending 16 hours in Qsuites and visiting the lounge at Hamad International again. I enjoy overshooting if it means I get to enjoy premium cabins and lounges to make the journey enjoyable. I’m all about the journey.
Aside from that, there’s just no better way that I would enjoy spending 50k Membership Rewards.
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Maldives is one everyone does. South Asia is love/hate for a lot of people. I’m a big fan of Oman. Great snorkeling there.
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Opposite for me.
If the seat lies flat on an international flight so I can sleep, I’m good.
Baseline expectation for a lounge is that it’s more pleasant than sitting in a terminal restaurant and/or at/near the departure gate.
Of course anything over and above makes the trip more enjoyable, but I’m not killing extra hours on a plane for a better cabin experience, and the less time I spend in airports the better… lounge or otherwise.
(On the other hand, if I had to go in Economy I’d probably stay home).
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I’m unique in that I sometimes enjoy the journey just as much if not more than the destination. It may be an old habit since I spent so much time chronicling trips for travel reviews, and longer journeys gave me time to do it (eliminating homework later). But I’m also a “stop and smell the roses” type of person – I relish opportunities to just soak up experiences for all they’re worth, and I love sharing them with friends and family who want to experience them. I’ll take the longer routes for a better cabin every time 
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On Slickdeals you’ll find occasional flights stupid cheap
“join” IBM or Deloitte.
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I get it, I just don’t share it.
Right now I have flights booked on 4/16, 4/17, 4/24, 5/7, 5/15, 5/22, 5/26, 5/30, 6/5, 6/18, 6/26, 7/9, and I’ll squeeze in at least one more travel day I haven’t yet booked between 7/9 and when we leave for vacation (booked for 7/19-8/4).
This is pretty close to how it goes all year, so the last thing I’m clamoring to do is find clever ways to spend more time in airports/on planes.
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I flew Midwest->LAX->NRT->SIN->BKK->SYD->NZ with Singapore, the new Star Alliance Lounge and the Thai Lounge mixed in and pretty much lost interest in convoluted routes after that. Food/Drink is always better on the ground than in the air for me. Even the massages kinda suck. The one perk I’ve actually enjoyed is the lounges that offer haircuts/grooming/styling. Otherwise get me the fastest way possible using the cheapest miles.
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This sounds like me. My friends and family think I am weird but this is me.
I actually enjoy journey as much as the destination. Even if flights are tiring, I enjoy them. At destinations, I sit somewhere and people-watch, visit supermarkets, seek conversations with locals etc. Travel vs. Tour thing.
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There are dozens of us!
A couple years ago, I deliberately laid over for like 20 hours in Hong Kong so we could just soak up The Pier First Class lounge. Something about their facilities and the aesop just makes it my favorite shower. And their braised beef noodle soup is just delightful.
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I got momentarily excited while researching ways to book Lufthansa business class. Apparently, one-way Lufthansa business class flights from US to Europe are only 63,000 points via Avianca, or 70,000 points via Air Canada, with no fuel surcharges.
I have enough Amex, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Bonvoy points that all transfer to Avianca or Air Canada, so I thought I was golden. Until I looked at flight availablity…
It seems Lufthansa has very limited reward seat availability on their flights.
I could try my luck with another airline, but none of them have non-stop LAX to MUC flights. I figure I’d rather pay out of pocket for a non-stop economy flight than to spend points on an economy flight + business class flight and deal with the transfer.
This thread is primarily geared towards more elaborate vacations, but I’ll share a tip anyways.
Buying points with a hotel chain might be cheaper than paying for the night. I had some choice hotel points already, which allowed me to book a stay with partial points. I used 12,000 of my points (instead of 60,000) and bought the other 48,000. The taxes and fees are “included” when you book the room this way. This is usually because you can’t charge sales or a % occupancy or tourism tax on something that is free.
The stay was originally $1048.29 including tax.
I used 12,000 of my own points that I accrued from traveling. The hotel I was frequenting has since changed ownership and therefore these points are not worth much to me, as there isn’t a choice hotel around where I need to stay.
I purchased 48,000 points for $432.00.
Savings $616.29.
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Yes, there’s a huge advantage in searching for hidden cities on Matrix. Use advanced routing to search hundreds of potential hidden cities versus max 5 on the old GF and I think maybe only 1 with the new version of GF (but don’t quote me on that last part).
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Pre-covid, the best time to book LH award space was within 2 weeks of departure, especially for F.
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In response to your OP…
Firstly, my assumptions:
- You mean high-end international travel
- You don’t already spend 6-7 figures on credit cards
Then by far the easiest way to book high-end travel cheaply is using credit card signup bonuses. It’ll still cost you 1-2K, and you’ll have to hit the minimums to earn the bonuses, and it will take many hours of learning and searching, but that’s how you can get say 10K worth of travel for 1-2K.
The smarter way to do it, especially if you don’t want to dedicate 10s/100s of hours to learning travel hacking, is to do something you already know to earn quick cash. Like flipping a lease 
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Not sure if I’m using the right tools (ExpertFlyer) or have the right approach, but it seems like award seats are incredibly elusive for any airline. It seems like you have to build your itinerary around the flight deal, rather than finding a flight for a trip to a particular location.
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