āļø TRENDING TRAVEL NEWS āļø
ā¢ Well, I Declare: Hereās what you need to know to make clearing customs a piece of cake when returning from international trips.
ā¢ Easy Breezy: This budget airline is offering one-way flights from $35 if you book by June 4th.
ā¢ Reopened & Recovering: Grand Canyonās North Rim is welcoming visitors again, but come prepared.
ā¢ Hilton Hotels: Mike just opened this card for its limited-time offer of 130,000 bonus points (after meeting minimum spending requirements) ā read on to learn what heās doing with them.
Good morning and happy Tuesday from Hong Kong!
Iām gearing up for my morning hike before it gets too hotā¦ but first, let me give you the lowdown on some crazy points redemptions from this week:
šš¼āāļø Mike on the Move: Luxury Island-Hopping
š Travel Trivia Reveal
š¤ Travel Trivia Tuesday
Which airport was ranked āMost Family-Friendlyā for 2026? āļø |
šš¼āāļø Mike on the Move: Luxury Island-Hopping
Recently, Iāve been telling you about a trip Iāve planned through the Pacific Island countries.
Well, thanks to a cancelled flight from Nauru Airlines, the entire trip broke. So I cancelled everything. š¤
Instead, I booked a verrrryyy spontaneous trip to Africa ā with stops in Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Seychelles along the way.
Once in Africa, Iāll hit up countries like Mozambique, Eswatini, Comoros, Angola, and more. Itās all in business class, and ALL booked with points. š
Hereās what the trip looks like:
The cash price of the trip is $23,658.
But I didnāt pay cash. In fact, I booked the entire thing for around $500 out of pocket ā including all taxes and fees, visas, etc.
Today, I want to tell you about the first chunk of this trip to showcase some of the tips, tricks, programs, and more that I used.
Part 1: Hong Kong and Sri Lanka
Yesterday, I told you how I used my credits on this card to book 4 nights in Hong Kong for $6, so go check out that newsletter for more details on that.
Anyway, I used Qatar Airways Avios to book Cathay Pacific business-class flights to Hong Kong and onward to Sri Lanka. Each leg cost me 38,750 Avios.
I paid just $15 in taxes and fees to fly from Jakarta, which was a great deal.
Plus, Avios are some of the easiest points to earn since you can transfer to them from every major bank, often with a transfer bonus.
I love flying Cathay Pacific business class, especially thanks to my Atmos Rewards Titanium status, which gets me access to Cathay Pacificās first-class lounge in Hong Kong.
The lounge has free Ć la carte dining, complimentary massages in the spa, and is just amazing.
For my final few nights in Hong Kong, Iāll be moving to the Grand Hyatt.
Thanks to the recent Hyatt award chart changes, the points price of this hotel actually went down.
So I transferred UR points from this credit card to Hyatt to book the stayā¦ Iām excited about it.
Iām also excited to head to Sri Lanka in a few days, especially since Sri Lanka just removed visa requirements (and fees) for U.S. passport holders less than a week ago.
Now, you just need to apply for an ETA online. It only takes about an hour to get approved. Yay!
Last time I was in Sri Lanka, I stayed at the Hilton, which was solid.
This time, I wanted to try something new, so I booked three nights at the Sheraton, which is a great way to start depleting my million Marriott points. š
Part 2: The Maldives
From Sri Lanka, Iāll be flying to the Maldives for the first time! Thankfully, getting there was a breeze.
I used 15,000 Atmos Rewards points to book a lie-flat seat in Sri Lankan Airlines business class.
Even though itās a short flight, itās still always nice to ride in comfort when the pricing is that good.
š” Side Note: Atmos points are pretty hard to earn, but super valuable. Itās one of the reasons Iād highly recommend racking up Bilt Rewards, which is the only program that transfers to Atmos.
Anyway, my goal in the Maldives wasnāt to book the flashiest or fanciest placeā¦
Rather, I wanted something that wouldnāt require a seaplane transfer (I donāt want the extra stress or hassle) and wouldnāt cost me an arm and a leg.
I opted for the SAii Lagoon, a Hilton Curio Collection property.
I recently signed up for this Hilton credit card, so I have lots of Hilton points lying aroundā¦
Plus, I have this premium Hilton credit card, which comes with a semi-annual $200 Hilton Resort Credit.
I can use that credit to pay for the 15-minute boat transfer, food at the resort, and more. Plus, the same card comes with Hilton Diamond Status ā so Iāll get free breakfast, too.
In the end, Iām happy with a relaxing, completely free stay on the beach for a few days.
That was the easy part of the tripā¦ Next week, Iāll fill you in on the next chunk of flights and hotels, which are pretty cool.
Stay tuned. š«”
PRESENTED BY LMNT
š Your new summer situationship
I knowwww youāve heard us scream it from the mountaintops a million times: āLMNT is the best,ā blah blah blah.
But listenā¦ a) it actually is, and b) they have a new limited-time flavor this summer only!
Drumroll please š„ everyone, please meet the new Lemonade Iced-Tea flavor.
Here's what makes this one different: it's not just lemonade with a caffeine packet dumped in.
LMNT uses a full black tea extract, meaning the caffeine comes bundled with L-theanine and polyphenols, the way it naturally exists in the plant. Translation? A steadier, cleaner lift. Less spike, less crash, none of that 3 pm regret.
And of course, it's still built on the classic LMNT formula: 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, plus no sugar, no artificial junk, none of the weird stuff. Just actual hydration that keeps you going.
It's the perfect summer drink. Tangy, refreshing, and it pulls double duty as your afternoon pick-me-up. Catch me drinking it outside all summer while Iām WFH (Working From Hammock).
BUT it's limited-time only, so don't sleep on it (literallyā¦ the L-theanine will help with that š).
Still havenāt tried LMNT? Get a FREE sample pack with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/DAILYDROP.
š Travel Trivia Reveal
A few minutes ago, we asked you which airport was named the Most Family-Friendly in the world for 2026...
If you guessed South Koreaās Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN), you were right!
Image courtesy of Terrazzo
Traveling with kids often gets a bad rapā¦
Thankfully, some airports have figured out how to make tantrum-filled travel days a little easier by providing kid-forward amenities.
And none more so than Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN), which was voted Most Family-Friendly Airport for 2026 in SkyTraxās annual World Airport Awards.
From family security lines that prioritize expectant parents and families with littles, to 24/7 play areas with fun themes, ICN helps the fam actually enjoy their travel days. They even cover some of the practical logistics with stroller rentals and private baby care/nursing areas to help mom and dad feel a little less frazzled.
Singapore Changi, Istanbul, Bahrain, and Amsterdam Schiphol (in that order) round out the rest of the top five for this yearās award winners.
Almost all of these airports offer a dedicated train or metro line to make transfers to the city with kids even easier. Plus, both Incheon and Changi airports boast movie theaters for those of yāall traveling with older kids.
Not a single U.S. airport cracked the top 10, which clearly means itās time to load up the kids and explore some of these fun, family-friendly airports around the world! š
That does it for this Tuesday, folks!
Did you enjoy todayās trivia and redemption summaries? Let me know which one was your favorite, and Iāll see you again tomorrow morning for another newsletter.
Ciao,
With contributions by Sam Anthony, Katie Begnoche, and Alison Carrico.
