Points and Miles For the Win

Travel is possible with points, journeys, and even from home

Traveling From Home

In my 20s and 30s, my husband and I got our travel legs by going back and forth to Northern Vietnam soooo many times. For decades, our collection of international experiences was to one, and only one, beautiful pinpoint on the map. We made friends. We absorbed the rhythm of the city and the “other-worldness” of the glorious Vietnam countryside. Kevin and I were there to do kind and loving humanitarian work, but it was the deep work that Vietnam did on us that changed us for the better.

THIS movie made all those memories and feelings come flooding back.

You can think of “A Tourist’s Guide to Love” as an elevated Hallmark movie with a deeper budget. I’ve actually even seen the actress, Rachael Leigh Cook, who plays the lead, Amanda, on a Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s a sweet story with a happy ending…low drama…feel good, romance.

The other main character, Sinh, played by Scott Ly, is handsome and smiles a lot, and sees Vietnam through a wide-eyed lens of wonder. He reminds me of my friend, Sa, who lives in the countryside. Sa is the person of peace everywhere he goes, and always “knows someone” who can make anything you need to happen, happen (which is the very person you need in your life in Vietnam). Sinh and Sa are a lot alike.

Anyway, the best part of “A Tourist’s Guide to Love,” in my opinion, is the way they portray the real experience of being there. The story begins in Ho Chi Minh, and goes from Da Nang to Hanoi. All along the way my jaw continued to drop at the authenticity in which they filmed and pulled out cultural nuances in such a true and honoring way. They never made light of the differences in Vietnamese culture versus American but honored and shone a light on the wonder of experiencing something new. In literally every single scene I found myself saying, “I’ve done that!” “We’ve been there!” I’ve eaten that!” “I want to get on the back of a motorbike or walk across the street in Hanoi again so badly!” Although, the mosquito nets, I can do without. All in all, this movie was super authentic to a travelers experience.

In one scene, Sinh, the tour guide, explains to Amanda, who desperately wanted to check off everything on her to-do list, that tourists want to escape life and travelers want to experience it. He was encouraging her to be present, stop organizing, planning, and rushing. Life is too short not to savor the experience. Sinh led their group through an experience…a journey :), instead. And in the end, Amanda realized that Sinh taught her a new way to be. “I can feel it.” “I’m a totally different person.”

If you’ve followed this space for a while, you know that this is the very moment I melted into my seat and declared “A Tourist’s Guide to Love” one of my all-time favorite “travel from home” experiences.

I highly recommend.

Points and Miles for the Win!

What’s the best travel credit card bonus deal for May? Chase Sapphire Preferred

This is surely the very best overall beginner card out there for someone wanting to jump into the frequent flyer travel game and get rolling fast towards almost free travel. It’s the card you want as your daily-use card even after meeting and using the 75,000 points you’ll receive from the welcome bonus. I only have three cards that I use regularly after the bonus and this is my #2.

Chase hasn’t raised their bonus offering from 60,000 in quite a while, so if you’re considering jumping into the game, you should grab this one now.

Here’s a link to earn 75,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire® card. Because I offer all of my content for free, I would consider it a gift if you would use my link to apply for this card. I can be rewarded with additional points if you apply here and are approved for the card.

I promise I would never share a link without being a personal fan and card participant.

Journey to Christmas - Registration Closing Soon

December 1-11, 2024

Even though this journey is different from the original BSL Curated Journeys in that you pay your own airfare and meet us in Vienna versus going through a learning cohort and traveling with frequent flyer miles, I’ll still gladly teach you all about the frequent flyer game when you sign up. That way you’ll be ready for your next journey to Europe for only $49.40. According to Google flights today, December tickets are averaging about $700 round trip for this Journey to Christmas.

Happy Travels!

Amy