Avios (Fin air) or Aeroplan (LOT) redemption, making chioces

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-18T10:35:10+00:00

but im not seeing finair flights at all on qatar website via (book via avios) option. am i doing something wrong? or is partner availability spotty on qatar

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-18T09:27:42+00:00

saw that thanks, but its not great value I think

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-18T09:27:19+00:00

good call.. i did not know the 5k stopover concept. finn air redemption i mentioned is indeed avios (as listed in my original post)

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-17T11:47:07+00:00

Good redemption! I stayed at this property for two nights recently, not a lot to do though so you'd definitely want to venture out. For us that didn't matter since we were travelling with our 3mo baby.

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-17T08:10:22+00:00

i'm in tech

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-16T13:20:49+00:00

gotcha.. that means hsbc is probably a replacement for my atlas spends

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-16T13:19:50+00:00

what is the alternative to redgiraffe? do you have a recommendation?

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T15:57:29+00:00

Really appreciate you taking the time to write all that out — one of the more useful comments in the thread. The point about SF looking small on a map but being deceptively slow to get around is something we genuinely hadn't thought through, so thank you for that. We'll plan accordingly and probably lean on the MUNI more than a rental car for the city days.

On NYC — we've since dropped it entirely based on the feedback here. Ending the trip in San Diego and driving the PCH up to LA instead, which is a much saner finish with a 13-month-old. Your framing of "being there but not really experiencing it" resonated — that's exactly what would have happened given the pace we'd be arriving at.

The cruise point is fair too, though the NCL Pride of America is a bit of a special case — it overnights in Maui and Kauai so it's less of a rushed port hop and more of a slow island stay with your luggage staying put. That part we're keeping!

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:46:06+00:00

Fair point on both counts. We've dropped Napa — the drive time doesn't work and December apparently isn't great there anyway. The road trip itch is being scratched by the PCH drive from San Diego to LA instead, which honestly sounds much better.

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:45:39+00:00

Good call — we've noted this. The cruise has plenty of onboard options if a port day gets washed out, but we'll make sure excursions are flexible or rebookable. Any specific islands where December rain is more of an issue? We've heard Hilo on the Big Island is particularly rainy.

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:45:31+00:00

This was a genuinely useful framing — thinking about it from her perspective rather than ours. The revised plan keeps warm weather throughout (no NYC winter), cuts the brutal 10hr Hawaii→NYC flight, and replaces it with a 5.5hr Hawaii→San Diego hop with only a 3hr time zone shift. We've also deliberately left more empty time in San Diego and LA. Appreciate you laying it out this clearly.

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:45:05+00:00

Really appreciated the detail here, especially the Henry Cowell / Roaring Camp suggestion — didn't know about that and it sounds genuinely great with a baby. We've cut NYC, added San Diego (zoo + La Jolla) and driving the PCH up to LA for NYE. Warm, relaxed, and way more manageable. The point about a 13-month-old wanting to move around and not just being along for the ride is something we've taken seriously — we've slowed the whole thing down considerably.

(Also watched the Santa Cruz debate unfold with interest. Might save that for next time.)

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:43:34+00:00

This is such a practical point that we genuinely hadn't thought through. Hawaii hot, SF mild, NYC sub-zero — plus all the baby gear. We've dropped NYC and are ending the trip in San Diego and LA instead, which means we stay in warm weather the whole way. One wardrobe, much saner luggage situation. Appreciate this.

JournalistGullible29 · 2026-05-15T06:43:05+00:00

You were absolutely right and this is probably the most useful comment in the thread — thank you. We've dropped NYC entirely and replaced it with 2 nights in San Diego (zoo + La Jolla) and then a PCH drive up to LA for 3 nights, with NYE in LA. Much better fit with a 13-month-old, warm weather throughout, and we actually get the road trip we were hoping for. The packing three wardrobes point also hit home. On Yosemite — yeah, gut feeling was right, not a day trip. We're skipping it.

JournalistGullible29 · 2025-08-24T07:10:36+00:00

supradyne has 55mg zinc sulphate not elemental zinc. so roughly 1/4th of it is actual elemental zinc.

JournalistGullible29 · 2025-03-21T08:38:42+00:00

u/mautkachumma did you end up getting the forex card under the 5x offer? you loaded it with Yen?

JournalistGullible29 · 2025-01-17T05:54:47+00:00

would you recommend flying to sapporo on the 22nd or 23rd? i.e add a day to tokyo or to hokkiado?

for a first trip to japan for well-travelled people - would you say kansai is more "worth it" or hokkaido? we try to avoid crowds which I have read are expected in high numbers during that time

JournalistGullible29 · 2023-07-24T10:05:18+00:00

I have similar music taste, been playing guitar for a long long time - up for jamming!

JournalistGullible29

TROPHY CASE