LOT, a Polish airline that is a member of the Star Alliance, flies several Boeing 787 Dreamliners to North America with incredible award space in business class.

The Dreamliner is a technical marvel, a plane I am dying to get on.

LOT's business class on the Dreamliner is up to international standards--a fully flat bed with a big TV monitor at each seat.

LOT flies to three North American destinations, all with the Dreamliner.

New York (JFK) <-> Warsaw (WAW)

Chicago (ORD) <-> Warsaw

Toronto (YYZ) <->

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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My shower-in-the-air, room-service-to-my-suite, bar-on-a-plane trip report starts on the ground with the first part of my trip: the included chauffeur service.

With a few exceptions, Emirates First Class and Business Class passengers are eligible for free chauffeur service to and from the airport. This page lists the rules for every airport.

1. Wear ear plugs every night. 

This is by far my number one tip, and I'm shocked that not everyone does it already. Hostel rooms are loud. Someone will come in after you've gone to bed--perhaps turning on the light and rustling through his bag for his toothbrush. Someone will be waking up for a 7 AM bus with an alarm set for 6 AM. Lockers will be opened and slammed. Bags will zip. Plastic will rustle.

Wear earplugs, and you'll sleep through the night.

I'll be giving some activity ideas for New Zealand during my trip here. See Wellington, NZ.

Yesterday I biked the Queenstown Trail in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Queenstown is my favorite place so far in New Zealand for its amazing array of outdoor activities from bungee jumping, sky diving, hiking, biking, boating, and more. I was in Queenstown for four days, and it rained for two complete days.

Pre-departure services and the Global First lounge

United Global First Los Angeles to Sydney

Sydney Airport and Air New Zealand Lounge

Air New Zealand Business Class Sydney to Auckland

United 839
Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD)
Depart: 10:10 PM on Monday, December 31
Arrive: 7:45 AM on Wednesday, January 2
Duration: 14:35
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Seat: 2A (First Class)

After several full meals in the Global First lounge, I headed to gate 77. There were two separate doors, one for the premium cabins and one for the hoi polloi people who haven't discovered miles yet.

Picking a hostel is a crucial part of my trips. Before I talk about how I pick one, let me give a quick advertisement for hostels.

Hostels are not just for young people.

Hostels are great for:

solo travelers of any age
budget travelers of any age
outgoing travelers of any age

My hostel in Queenstown had families with young children, a few solo travelers in their sixties, and everyone in between.

One common misconception is that hostels equal dorms. Most hostels house most guests in dorms, but there are usually private rooms too, often with private bathrooms.

Today I was featured in a MarketWatch article. Here's the relevant section. See two posts below for a good day trip on Oahu. See right below for information on how I found those dirt cheap fares.

Hawaii

“I’m seeing incredible deals to Hawaii for the spring,” says travel writer Scott Grimmer of MileValue.com. The deals he’s talking about include round-trip airfare to Hawaii for about $400 from Los Angeles and $415 from New York (though these usually require flying on select weekdays).

On my recent trip to Oahu, my friends and I explored a number of areas and tried a variety of activities. I'll be summarizing them as possible day trips around Oahu.

On a Friday morning, my friends and I rose early in Kailua in search of a hike. My sister recommended Maunawili Falls, which I had never hiked.

Award travel reservations can usually be made up to eleven months in advance. Often, but not always, eleven months out has the best availability. Eleven Months Out is my new series looking at what you can book today for travel in eleven months.

Thanksgiving is in less than 11 months. Turkey, pie, potatoes, family, and giving thanks may be your highlights, but travel doesn't have to be a lowlight.

According to this thread on FlyerTalk, the Priority Club hotel group will be changing their award chart to mirror other hotel loyalty programs. Read on to see why this change isn't good news for frequent guests.

What does the new chart look like?

I have attached a screen shot of the new award chart below.

Priority Club has decided to split their hotels into nine categories. In comparison, Hyatt has six hotel categories. Starwood and Hilton have seven.