How I Saved Over $20K on a Luxury European Vacation

#192: Here's how we saved over $20,000 on our recent Europe trip! Learn how to use award flight tools to score affordable business-class tickets, maximize hotel loyalty programs for luxury stays, and find incredible travel deals. We’ll also review highlights from our trip, including top restaurants, airport experiences, Olympic events, and so much more!

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Resources Mentioned

Flight Tools

• Ep #166: Best Tools for Booking Flights with Points & Miles with Greg the Frequent Miler
• AwardTool ($20 off annual plans with code ALLTHEHACKS)
• Seats.Aero
• PointsYeah
• point.me
• avianca lifemiles+ Program
• Direct Flights: FlightConnections

Hotel Tools

• Ep #167: Best Tools for Booking Hotels with Points & Miles with Greg the Frequent Miler
• Awayz ($10 for ATH listeners and 50% off for ATH members)
• Rooms.Aero

Chris' Airline/Hotel Transfer Partner Spreadsheet

Hotels

• 7Pines: Sardinia | Ibiza
• Hôtel Martinez Cannes by Hyatt
• Hyatt Paris Madeleine
• Hyatt's Tier List

Car Rental Tools

• AutoSlash
• SIXT
• Hertz
• National

Restaurants

• Paris: Arnaud Nicolas
• Palma: Vandal

Places in Mallorca

• Hotel: Cap Rocat | Sea Club Restaurant
• Cities: Sóller | Palma de Mallorca
• Catedral de Mallorca

Credit Cards

Note: All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Chris Hutchins. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

• Cards Page
• American Express® Gold Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

ATH Podcast

• Newsletter
• Membership
• Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts
• Email us for questions, tips, deals and feedback
• Ep #175: Booking Summer Travel Award Flights (34:35)
• Ep #184: Chris’ Summer Award Travel Update (06:27)
• Ep #187: 42 Travel Planning Tips & Tricks from Travel Pro Leigh Rowan
• Ep #188: My Must-Have Products and Services for Life, Work and More

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(03:02) Getting the Best Deal on Our Flights

(06:07) How to Book Flights Using Transfer Partners

(10:30) Why We Decided Not to Take Our Kids on This Trip

(13:34) How We Planned Our 40th Birthday in Europe

(17:58) Leveraging Credit Card Welcome Bonuses For Hotel Perks

(23:33) How We Booked Our Hotel in Paris

(26:39) Booking Our Intra-European Flights

(33:12) Renting a Car in Mallorca

(34:29) How We Booked Tickets to the Olympics

(36:34) The Flight Experience to Paris

(43:35) A Review of the Hyatt Paris Madeleine

(46:00) Arnaud Nicolas: A Michelin Guide Restaurant

(47:11) Our Olympic Experience

(53:13) A Review of the Paris-Orly Airport and Transavia Flights

(56:20) What It's Like in Mallorca

(58:21) Why We Would Give Cap Rocat (Mallorca) a Perfect Score

(1:02:11) Bora Bora vs. Mallorca

(1:03:57) Things We Did in Mallorca

(1:07:41) Quick Review of Condor Airlines

(1:13:01) Overall Takeaway on Europe

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.