NotTheRock Musings

Last year, my job required me to go to Paris for a couple of days, similar to in 2005. So I checked into my frequent flyer miles and, despite the fact that we were less than two months before our wedding, Watersyne tagged along and got to see Paris for a mere 100,000 frequent flyer miles. Not bad, when you consider my flight and the hotel are paid for by the company. We had a great time and saw all the touristy sights -- which is good, because that's fun to do in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Siene River, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. We loved it.

Well, turns out, this year I have to go back again. So this will be my third springtime visit to Paris since 2005. Which means I've seen enough of Paris. I'm beginning to know the subway system better than I know New York's. Don't get me wrong, I do like the city and it's a great city to walk in and to sit at sidewalk cafes and drink wine. But since I'm going back, we thought maybe we should look into a way to make this kind of an early anniversary trip.

So now, after three days in Paris, we're hopping a flight over to Venice and we're staying there for four nights.

I know, I know, how posh of us. Spending the weekend in Venice!

The best part of it is the way it's working out financially, so I just have to share.

Obviously, my round-trip flight to Paris is covered by work. As is our hotel in Paris. Watersyne's round-trip to Paris is going to only cost me 75,000 miles this time, despite being further away. Then we pay for our hour-long flight over to Venice from Paris. However, my lovely wife has several hundred thousand hotel points because of all her hotel stays as part of her old job in New York, so we're staying at a Crowne Plaza for... nothing! Just reward points! We felt like our luck was kind of incredible. Essentially, all we're on the hook for is our $370 round trip flights from Paris to Venice.

So what does this mean? Well, we're doing Paris and Venice for less than $800. Of course, we'll more than make up for it in restaurants in Venice, methinks.

Labels: air travel, Paris, Venice