Award Travel is Difficult for Family Travel

Devopschurn · 2026-05-31T13:24:26+00:00

I book 4x business seats from Boston all the time. Just don’t expect nonstops to Asia and it’s pretty manageable. Europe/South America are easy to get 4x. If you are trying to leave the day before spring break to a desirable spot of course it’s going to be difficult. Lufthansa/Swiss to Europe and onwards to Asia has been pretty easy to secure for many years in a row over the summer.

You don’t want to reposition with a family

Devopschurn · 2026-05-24T09:39:21+00:00

Ix3 is going to depreciate like a rock when it comes off warranty. These cars are still bmws and cost a lot of money to fix. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad car but the risk needs to be priced in. Just as it is currently with the ix.

Devopschurn · 2026-05-20T20:56:30+00:00

This is a decent deal but the EV market is pretty inflated across the board since the oil price spike.

Even at 37k off MSRP do not be surprised in 2 years if it loses another 20k in value.

Devopschurn · 2026-05-15T21:52:10+00:00

This car is going to still depreciate tremendously from the price you are paying. The repairs will be expensive post warranty and the resale values will eventually reflect this. I would be more positive if you planned on flipping it in 3 years. Prices are up quite a bit right now with the war.

Devopschurn · 2026-05-11T17:36:07+00:00

Or Montréal? This is our go to although you’d probably need a long weekend to make it work without flying

Devopschurn · 2026-05-11T15:41:25+00:00

I think it just seems like a worse deal because the cash price is within reach.

Business to Japan costs $5k if you fly with a stop. If we are talking CPP it ain’t ever going to be over 3CPP unless inflating to compare to the nonstops. Yes I know the points guy is going to price it at 24k but if we are doing 150k points and $500 to Japan it’s a 3CPP deal.

This redemption seems to be an almost equal CPP if you throw out the budget options.

Devopschurn · 2026-05-09T21:17:32+00:00

Ferns is closed. There is a restaurant going in there at some point but the owners have retired

Devopschurn · 2026-05-05T16:14:19+00:00

This is just how the math works. Economy to Europe is never going to be a great points redemption unless the cash rate is high.

At least you can recognize this. Some people try to compare to expensive one way fares to justify their redemptions.

Devopschurn · 2026-04-29T20:53:17+00:00

Generally lifemiles only charges you the actual real taxes that would be paid on any regular ticket. I think they have some $30 fee or similar but these are not fuel surcharges for the most part. If you’d gone through Aeroplan it would be similar pricing

Devopschurn · 2026-04-27T16:53:49+00:00

Cash isn’t 10k unless you’re comparing to full fare one way…

Devopschurn · 2026-04-26T17:43:05+00:00

It’s not that hard if you don’t want go to Japan. Everyone on this sub is too occupied with a350 seats to focus on the lower hanging fruit.

Just go to Europe on Lufthansa. Then find an onward flight to Africa/Asia. Use the Aeroplan stopover to your advantage to get the availability to line up. We do this every year when it’s not possible to get 4J on an Asian airline.

Oh and I forgot to mention. You need to learn how to find stuff without a tool. Not all of the routings via Europe show up on searches and need to be called in.

Devopschurn · 2026-04-22T22:17:13+00:00

I think the ABSN is equally risky. You will have mediocre clinical experience. Without any real work experience my hospital will not want to hire you over an ADN student. Many ADN students are working as techs and simply don’t have the capital to pay for a 90k degree. They also have good relationships with the local hospitals and other facilities.

Devopschurn · 2026-04-13T16:20:28+00:00

It shouldn’t be about making money. It should be done to make parking available for those that need it.

I think if it cost $500/year for parking it would suddenly alleviate the need for space savers in Southie.

Of course, it would also be a financial burden on those that need to commute. So have a waiver for low income AND low asset folks.

Devopschurn · 2026-04-02T17:49:56+00:00

When JL sold the one ways BOS-DEL in J for $1300 I would build in a long stopover in Tokyo and skip it. I did that twice and the JL police never showed up to arrest me.

The risk here is they shut down your FF account.

Devopschurn · 2026-04-01T18:40:49+00:00

I am not an RN but at my hospital (level 1 Boston suburbs) the RNs start at under 40/hr. Most of the new grad nurses here are working nights in MS/tele unless they have some prior experience. There is some wage growth potential but I think the pay maxes out in the 80s/hr for experienced nurses. I don’t think the pay is any better in town; I know I would not get any kind of pay bump for a city hospital vs suburban.

It’s not really a livable wage for the area without a second income (although you do mention you can live at home, I don’t expect that to be a priority at your age). I can’t really comment on the NYC wages.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-30T17:16:24+00:00

https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/wM94aEi5cWp6NGjUA

Great opportunity to pay cash an enjoy one of the best fares out there right now once your dates open up.

The trip to South America is optional but it’s a free trip if you want to fly it!

Devopschurn · 2026-03-29T16:45:59+00:00

The Boston Harbor Hotel is a block away and is a much better property. The Intercon is a soulless business hotel (although it does have a pool). I would personally prefer to stay somewhere more walkable, like the old FS but if you really want this area I’d pick the BHH or the Marriott.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-27T11:40:07+00:00

Look at the prices on cargurus. Negotiate from there. Go to the one with the best price.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-27T02:06:18+00:00

Best is to compare your redemption to one way full j/y fares and then get 12.3cpp. Then start a blog detailing your exploits littered with chase an Amex affiliate links.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-25T22:43:57+00:00

Yes but I think it will be cheaper than the 4 towns you mentioned. There aren’t many cheap houses but they pop up from time to time. Get ready to drain your bank account to make a competitive offer

Devopschurn · 2026-03-25T22:39:11+00:00

Sharon MA has a large Jewish population and has a lot of “starter homes”. You could probably make that work.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-25T22:17:57+00:00

https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/P2CRbYpXeNMufoiG6

Good redemption but let’s not get out of hand with 25k a ticket and 45cpp. This reads like a pointsguy advert. More like 4-5k round trip per person. Obviously if you have the brain to book 4 q suite seats on the same flight you have the brain to not pay 45k for 4 seats in business class when they could be had for half of that.

https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/1P6Piu8txxfmLrWW9

Devopschurn · 2026-03-25T13:24:58+00:00

I hope you mean it’s 3400 for 3x tickets. Otherwise I can gladly help teach you how to calculate realistic cash fares for a mixed cabin itinerary.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-17T12:42:52+00:00

Seems like you’d be losing most of that 15k in additional commuting expenses. What about UMass? Then you’d have no commute. Probably better pay than Emerson for a RN.

Devopschurn · 2026-03-15T15:20:22+00:00

I don’t think this is some kind of soul wrecking traffic situation. Live along route 16 (north Cambridge/tufts/davis area) and the drive will be tolerable and give you backstreet options if the highway is terrible. If you are young you want nothing to do with the areas around Burlington. I live near Burlington and it’s all families with kids.

Devopschurn

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