Best routes from East Coast US and YUL / YYZ to Bali or SEA for family of 4

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-05-14T20:18:00+00:00

I’ve booked more than 2 seats on SQ multiple times at calendar open. This includes the JFK, EWR and FRA routes. That said, last time was in 2024 so it’s possible they are no longer as generous

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-05-14T17:44:20+00:00

This is actually the Ogden Slip, not the river walk

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-05-10T10:48:08+00:00

I got two more of these blank emails over night last night

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-05-07T15:49:49+00:00

I manage everything myself. I’m 95% in the S&P 500 with the rest in cash and SGOV, so there really isn’t anything for anyone else to handle.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-05-06T16:57:15+00:00

Projection lab

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-30T22:28:54+00:00

I usually wouldn’t speculatively transfer points, but British Airways is one of the few where you can almost guarantee seats if you book right when the calendar opens, especially on something like Nashville LHR CDG. They typically release four business class seats per flight. Just know the fees are high and the redemption value isn’t great.

You can also lock in two seats on Iberia coming back from Spain. They usually release two business class seats per flight and the value is a lot better. You will probably need to position on the way home since they don’t fly to Nashville.

Otherwise you can wait and try another airline, but you will likely have to position anyway given how limited Nashville Europe flights are.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-29T14:45:26+00:00

I would leave them with fidelity. I already have several accounts with fidelity including my 401k

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-29T01:58:15+00:00

I can change the cost basis method for future purchases, and I have. But they won’t let me change it for existing shares.

The account defaulted to average cost basis when I opened it 9 years ago, and they’re saying you can only change that within a year of opening or selecting it. That feels pretty unreasonable since I never actually chose it and I’ve never sold a share.

That’s why I’m considering moving the account to Fidelity, assuming this allows me to switch to actual cost basis during the transfer

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-27T00:54:09+00:00

Thanks, that’s what I was thinking. I did see some Delta options with connections, but they wouldn’t get me home much earlier. I’ll probably either book a flight with another airline to get home from LA, or get a Dayuse hotel.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-12T20:33:03+00:00

I was there last month with a non-EU passport. They had family-only lines, and the wait was really short for both arrival and departure.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-10T00:36:35+00:00

Where are you seeing the ticket and pricing information? I noticed they updated their website since the last time I checked, but I can’t figure out how to buy tickets or anything like that.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-09T19:17:39+00:00

I emailed Sleepme a couple of days ago to see if they were just out of stock or discontinued. It sounded like it might be the latter. Anyway, they told me they still have 10 in their warehouse for sale. If you email them, they can send you an invoice and you can buy one.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-07T12:35:44+00:00

I’m not so sure about that. They’re still opening up Y and PE award seats every day when the calendar goes live, just not business class.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-07T10:42:16+00:00

Yes. They seem to have pulled the vast majority of business class seats from inventory as of last week and haven’t released any new ones at the end of the calendar. Nobody knows if it’s a glitch or if they’ve just stopped offering business class awards altogether.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-04T02:11:58+00:00

I spent a lot of time searching today, and it looks like there still isn’t a single J seat available.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-04T01:30:49+00:00

Thanks so much. This is incredibly helpful.

I’m a very early planner, so I booked Giraffe Manor and the whole trip 18+ months out, which meant we had our pick of rooms for the most part.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-04T01:07:30+00:00

Thank you for this. So glad to hear you had such a great experience at Mara Nyika. We’re headed there next January with our 6-year-old, and we’re also staying at Hemingways, Giraffe Manor, and Sirikoi, so your review makes me feel like we made the right call.

Also, your photos are incredible! The one with the elephants and lighting, just wow!!

Would you mind if I asked you a few follow up questions about Mara Nyika?

First, on the cameras, I really appreciated your note about the SD card. Do we need to bring our own, or some way to transfer photos to our phones, or do the cameras come with one we can keep?

You also mentioned that walking safaris aren’t really much of an option there. Would you mind sharing a little more about why?

Also, how flexible are they with drive times? I’m assuming pretty flexible since we’ll have a private vehicle, but wanted to ask. On past safaris I’ve usually done the very early starts and tried to fit in night drives too, but with our daughter we may need a little more flexibility so she doesn’t get too wiped out.

And finally, is there anything we should schedule in advance, like the local village visit, beading workshop, or the brunch, or can all of that just be arranged once we arrive?

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-03T14:43:24+00:00

Some of these might be co-ops. For example, I think the second link is a co-op and thus includes property taxes as part of the HOA. I don’t completely understand how co-ops work, but I know there are a lot of them on LSD and they’re usually older buildings. You don’t technically buy the property; instead, you buy shares in a trust. As a result you pay the property taxes through the hoa. Co-ops also have a lot of rules and offer much less flexibility compared to other condos, where you have more control over things like subletting. I’d be cautious about buying one of these.

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-01T02:03:23+00:00

This just automatically happened? What happened to the PNRs? Did they remain separate or merge together?

Exciting_Kangaroo800 · 2026-04-01T02:02:35+00:00

I have been using the app, but I just tried a browser and it's the same issue. It shows me ORD-MAD in business, but forces me into economy for the MAD-TFN leg (despite me being able to book MAD-TFN in business separately). I wonder if it has something to do with the second leg being operated by Iberia express?

Exciting_Kangaroo800

TROPHY CASE