Introduction: A Post Bar Getaway to Southeast Asia

Introduction

Amtrak Northeast Regional Baltimore to New York
British Airways First Lounge JFK

Cathay Pacific First Class 777-300ER New York to Hong Kong 

Cathay Pacific "The Arrival" Lounge

Stopover in Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific "The Wing" First Class Lounge

Cathay Pacific "The Pier" First Class Lounge

Cathay Pacific Business Class A330-300 Hong Kong to Singapore

Singapore

Malaysia Airlines Economy Class 737-800 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysia Airlines Economy Class 777-200 Kuala Lumpur to Bali

Bali, Indonesia

Malaysia Airlines Economy Class 777-200 Bali to Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Airlines Economy Class 737-800 Kuala Lumpur to Phuket

Phuket, Thailand

Thai Airways Economy Class 777-300 Phuket to Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Thai AirAsia X Economy Class A330-300 Bangkok to Osaka

Osaka, Japan

Japan Airlines "Sakura Lounge" Kansai Airport

Japan Airlines Business Class 787-8 Osaka to Los Angeles

OneWorld Business Class Lounge LAX

Admirals Club LAX

American Airlines First Class 737-800 Los Angeles to Boston

American Airlines First Class 737-800 Boston to Miami

I booked it on a whim at 3am this past May, but, in many ways, this trip was years in the making. When I returned from my summer abroad in 2013, I knew I had to start planning my next big trip. Unfortunately, I also knew that I was too broke to afford it even if I could somehow find the time to go somewhere. So, having already racked up roughly 30,000 AAdvantage miles, I figured that award flights would be the fastest way to obtain the kind of trip I was looking for. I signed up for an American Airlines Gold Mastercard, which at the time offered a 40,000 mile sign up bonus. My original plan was to redeem the miles for an economy ticket to Spain, since I hadn't been able to make it there during my previous trip. Things at home kept me busy though, and I realized that I might be better off waiting until law school was over and I had more time on my hands. At some point I decided that I wanted to go to Asia instead of Spain; it probably had something to do with the relative costs of each destination. The problem, or so I thought, was that American only flies to a few destinations in Asia, and award availability on those flights is limited.

When I discovered Ben Schlappig's blog One Mile At A Time about a year and a half ago, my plans changed drastically. Ben's first class trip reports looked a lot better than the economy trip I was planning. I'd always dreamed of flying in Cathay Pacific first class, but to me it was just a dream; I saw no feasible way for that to ever happen. I certainly had no idea that a first class seat on Cathay can be obtained with AAdvantage miles before I became a OMAAT reader. Since that time, I've spent most of my free time learning about what's known as The Hobby, which involves accruing airline loyalty points as quickly as possible, and then redeeming them for premium cabin travel on some of the world's most lavish airlines. It sounds too good to be true, but I assure you it's not. Which brings me to my upcoming Southeast Asia trip.

Cathay Pacific First Class (credit: Ben Schlappig)

Next Tuesday I'll be embarking on a 16-day journey to Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Phuket, Bangkok, and Osaka. I'm flying there in first class. I'm returning in business class. The entire trip- all flights and accommodations included- cost me $964.37. No, that's not a typo. Yes, I'm talking about American dollars. Let me say it again just in case you don't believe me: My entire trip cost a total of $964.37 (and only 117,500 AAdvantage miles). I'm not flying crappy airlines either; of the eleven segments I'll be flying, only one is with a low cost carrier. If you're wondering how I did it, and how you can do it too, watch this space for the forthcoming posts about my trip. The trip segments you see at the top of this page will become active links when the corresponding entries go live.



Correction: An earlier version of this post stated that the trip cost 122,500 AAdvantage miles. It actually cost 117,500 miles. I regret the error.