My round-the-world trip to take advantage of the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promotion is going to be pretty intense. Since I’m missing out on a nice “normal” trip to Asia where I could have explored more, I want to at least make it more worthwhile by taking the opportunity to share the experience with you with plenty of content here and on my personal Instagram.
By the way, the optimal turnkey itinerary is coming soon if you’re flexible and want 1 million points effortlessly; I’m redoing it in full now that it’s even cheaper since you have until December 31 after all. It’s going to be sent out to savvy travelers who sign up to our free newsletter, just as we sent out the update that gives you an extra 19 days (explained in tips #2 and #4).
I’m now on the road (or rail, rather) to New York to start the trip. I’ve already shared my detailed itinerary with you. But some flights don’t necessarily allow me to visit.
So here’s a look at the 14 destinations I’ll have the chance to explore (although most of them will be very short). The next post in the series is going to be about the hotels on my trip, which are almost all Marriott so I can requalify for Titanium elite status.
1. New York, USA 🇺🇸
As is sometimes the case for those of us in Ontario and Québec, leaving from New York was cheaper (especially when traveling with others; when traveliong solo, it doesn’t happen so often that it saves money in total). In the specific case of this itinerary, to fly Virgin Atlantic, it was really the cheapest option to minimize the total price.
I’ve been to New York 7 times and I’ll be able to spend another day in one of the world’s most iconic cities. That said, I might take the opportunity to work a bit more since my girlfriend wants to go to New York this spring anyway. To be continued, depending on how I feel tomorrow.
2. Paris, France 🇫🇷
Of all the 3 participating Western and Northern European airlines in the SkyTeam alliance, Air France was surprisingly the one with the hub that has the Marriott hotel that cost the least in points.
I’ve been to Paris 4 times and I’m going to have an evening in the city, which is obviously better than no evening at all. It’s definitely not my favorite European city, but it’s still an iconic one.
3. Bucharest, Romania 🇷🇴
Everything in Europe is always better in the East, so I made sure to spend time in Romania rather than London, Amsterdam, or the Scandinavian countries.
I loved my visit to this underrated city (the “Paris of the East”) and will be able to spend one more day there to conclude the European part of the trip as quickly as possible.
4. İstanbul, Türkiye 🇹🇷
A surprise addition that wasn’t even on my itinerary, due to an unpleasant but predictable flight cancelation. I’m disappointed to lose one of my 3 days in the next destination considering I’ve never been…
But İstanbul is literally one of my favorite cities in the world so that makes up for it, even though I’ve already been 5 times. I’ll be able to eat some tavuk dürüm!
5. Petra, Jordan 🇯🇴
Finally, a new country! I’ve splurged by inserting 3 days (now 2) to go and see the famous Petra site; it’s going to be amazing. Even if it cost me a bit more for flights.
I’ll probably shorten the visit to Amman, the capital, which I was supposed to explore during 1 of the 3 days. I haven’t booked some of the hotels on the trip yet, like this one. It’s apparently not the most vibrant city in the Middle East anyway, but I’ll spend an afternoon there at least, before my flight to Asia.
6. Singapore, Singapore 🇸🇬
The cheapest Europe-Asia flights were to the city-nation, at least on my dates. I love Singapore, an amazing cosmopolitan and modern city.
I’m only going to spend 1 day there though, as it’s by far the most expensive city in a radius of hundreds of kilometers. I’ll again be able to go eat in the famous hawker centers. That’s 2 mentions of food, surprising for the non-foodie that I am.
7. Bali, Indonesia 🇮🇩
I paid extra in terms of Garuda Indonesia flights to go to Bali rather than Jakarta.
Despite the over-tourism, I still loved the island’s special atmosphere. I’m even going to spend 3 days there, as it’s one of the best spots in the world for maximizing Marriott Bonvoy points.
8. Hô Chi Minh City, Vietnam 🇻🇳
I wanted to visit Vietnam for the first time, even though flying direct on Vietnam Airlines was much more expensive than just connecting in the country (in addition to involving 1 of the trip’s only visas).
It’s going to be a short one-day visit to the country’s southern metropolis, formerly known as Saigon. I know I’ll be back in the country soon to do the classic North to South itinerary, surely very soon with the million points this trip will give me.
9. Guangzhou, China 🇨🇳
Guangzhou is the must-visit if you don’t want to go to Africa, thanks to Kenya Airways’ 5th freedom flight. It was in Guangzhou that I had landed on my very first visit to Asia (excluding the Middle East) years ago.
It was a real culture shock, so of course, I loved it. I gave myself 3 days to rediscover the city from a completely different angle as a much more experienced traveler and to split my trip into 2 exactly in the middle for a bit of rest. Especially because Marriott hotels are so affordable.
10. Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭
The other end of the 5th freedom flight, Bangkok is where Kevin, Flytrippers’ other co-founder, is staying for the month. So I’ll be able to see him again a little early (usually it’s just during his 2 weeks in Canada at Christmas since he travels 11 and a half months per year).
It’s a city I’ve surprisingly never been to (except for a connection without leaving the airport), but he’s been there 8 times so he’ll show me the city’s best, or at least its most unique. Unfortunately, I only have a little more than a day due to flight schedule restrictions, despite my attempts. I know I’ll be going back anyway, it’s one of the most iconic cities in the world after all.
11. Nanjing, China 🇨🇳
I have to admit that I hadn’t planned this full day in Nanjing, but the flight on China Eastern was really cheaper with this almost full-day layover. I’m always interested in discovering new spots, especially when it saves me money.
Even if you’ve never heard of it, it’s still a city of 9 million inhabitants (more than 2 times Montreal) and one of China’s 4 historic capitals. So I’m going to take the opportunity to explore it!
12. Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷
I wanted to visit Seoul even though I’ll certainly be coming back often in the next few years; I think I’ll often use my million SAS points for Korean Air’s transpacific business class flights (only 165,000 points roundtrip instead of $5,000+).
I’ve never visited this country and Kevin told me he loved his 5 weeks there. I have 2 full days to explore; I hesitated because of the colder weather than my other Asian destinations. As a fan of big cities, I guess I can’t help but love Seoul. As a fan of meat, I guess I can’t help but love the Korean barbecue even better over there.
13. Xiamen, China 🇨🇳
Xiamen Air is the most niche of the SkyTeam airlines, and this was the most peculiar because almost all their cheaper flights are in fare classes that don’t earn SAS EuroBonus points.
So the cheapest was the direct flight from Xiamen to Taiwan, which is just across the Taiwan Strait. This particular history apparently gives Xiamen a somewhat unique feel. I’ve got 2 days here to add to my experience in the world’s 2nd most populous country, after visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou (and Hong Kong and Macau if you include them in the definition).
14. Taipei, Taiwan 🇹🇼
The cheapest transpacific flight was on China Airlines. Yes, Taiwan’s official name is the “Republic of China”, not to be confused with the “People’s Republic of China”.
I’ve never been and it’s one of the trip’s destinations I’m most looking forward to discovering because I’ve heard so many good things about the city and the country. I’ve got 3 days so maybe I’ll also make a short visit to Taichung, which is a short ride away by high-speed train (the Marriott hotel there is cheaper and it’s closer to the international airport).
Bonus 1: Miami, USA 🇺🇸
It has nothing to do with the promotion since I go to Miami for Art Week every year. As luck would have it, Delta Air Lines happened to be the cheapest airline for my return flight (don’t be like 99% of travelers; always buy separate one-ways instead of a roundtrip for short-distance flights as it’s often cheaper). So I was able to insert my 15th and final airline there at zero cost (since I would have paid for a return flight anyway, of course).
This is one of the best weeks of the year to be in the Capital of Latin America if you like art, festivals, parties, etc. I’m not much of a party person, but I like all the free ones in Miami, including the Marriott one, which is always the best. American Express usually sets up a VIP lounge on the beach too.
Bonus 2: Guadalajara, Mexico 🇲🇽
This destination has nothing to do with the round-the-world trip, but it is the other destination linked to the SAS promotion. Since I had a week between the travel rewards conference in Chicago that I was speaking at and the entrepreneurship event in Louisiana that I facilitate every year, I was able to tick off AeroMexico at zero cost to get the 1st of 15 airlines.
I had been to Guadalajara for the 1st time in September, on the inaugural flight of Canadian ultra low-cost carrier Flair Airlines (which flies to the Mexican metropolis cheaply from Toronto and Vancouver). They still owe me the return flight, so I knew I’d be going back this winter because I liked it and the Marriott hotels cost little in points, but I moved up my 2nd visit because the cheapest AeroMexico flight from Chicago happened to be to Guadalajara.
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Summary
Today marks the beginning of my round-the-world trip to earn 1 million points with the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promotion. In the coming weeks, I’ll quickly visit these 14 destinations and I invite you to follow my content here and in stories on my personal Instagram to learn more.
What would you like to know about my SAS EuroBonus Millionaire destinations? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Bucharest, Petra, and Bali (photo credit: Pelayo Arbués, Andrew Palmer and Ruben Hutabarat)
