Award Travel

Our Time in Krakow, Poland

Posted on June 9, 2026 by 2btravel

Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction
Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW
Lodging Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow
Our Time in Krakow, Poland
Flixbus from Krakow to Budapest
Lodging Review: Corinthia Budapest Hotel
Our Time in Budapest, Hungary
Our Time in Kalocsa, Hungary
Our Time in Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia
Our Time in Belgrade, Serbia
Our Time in Golubac, Serbia
Our Time in Vidin, Bulgaria
Our Time in Ruse, Bulgaria
Our Time in Bucharest, Romania
Lodging Review: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Flight Review: SWISS Airlines 777-300 ZRH-ORD

I feel like I let myself down during our time in Krakow. We did hit some bumps that I couldn’t have foreseen but I definitely could have planned our time better. But here’s an overview of the things we saw and did on our visit.

First, the bumps:
– While our original flights had us landing in Krakow at 4:20 PM, due to the air traffic control issues in Chicago we missed our original connection and didn’t land until just after 5 PM. While that’s not much of a delay, in itself, the sheer fatigue we were feeling after not departing from Chicago until nearly 11 PM really knocked us out.
– My traveling companion had a bit of a sinus bug which left her feeling worn out for about the first week of our trip. Thus we didn’t stay out and experience the city as we otherwise might have. That lead to us dining at the hotel more and experiencing local restaurants less.
– I asked ChatGPT for things to do during our stay. I had it exclude Auschwitz since we’d already visited Dachau a few years ago. Since I don’t drink alcohol I also had it exclude wineries and breweries. While it gave us a good plan, I left it at that and didn’t follow up to see if we needed to buy tickets online ahead of time. That caused us to miss one attraction we’d have like to have seen, Oskar Schindler’s Factory.

We didn’t have great weather in Krakow. It rained off and on our whole first day, a Friday, and eased off on the weekend. But it was overcast almost the whole time and quite humid. In early-to-mid-October the temperature was in the upper-50sF which meant a jacket felt nice.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Getting There and Back

While this had been on our agenda for a later day, since it was raining we thought this would be a good place to stay dry. While it’s possible to reach the salt mine from the hotel using public transit, it would take quite a long time, so we opted for an Uber. It was only about $11.25 going to the Salt Mine at 9:30 AM on a Friday but it was about $22 on the way back around 1:30 PM. I guess because the salt mine is a tourist attraction? It just seemed odd. I was fortunate that the salt mine has a couple of areas with strong WiFi: the cafe and the gift shop. I was having issues with my data-only eSIM card but was able to use the WiFi to pick up an Uber for the return trip. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Europe, Historical Site, Poland, Trip Report | Tags: Europe, Historical Site, Krakow, Poland, Trip Report | Leave a comment

Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW

Posted on June 5, 2026 by 2btravel

Our flight to Warsaw didn’t have the most auspicious beginning but it wasn’t the airline’s fault. Due to the government shutdown, many air traffic control folks had called in “sick” so that caused delays which stacked up over the course of the day. Our flight on LOT was due to depart at 9:40 PM but the inbound flight didn’t even arrive until about 8:50 PM. Looking back on it now, the ground and flight crews did what they could to get us on board as quickly as possible, but it still took just over two hours before we could depart.

We checked in at the LOT counter in O’Hare’s Terminal 5 about 7 PM. There was not much in the way of lines, even for my friend who was flying in economy. I found it interesting that the desk agent initially spoke to me in Polish. I suspect many Americans aren’t even aware of LOT but I had no issues on my prior trip with them and was glad to fly them again. link

Of course arriving 2.5 hours ahead of time gave us lots of time in the concourse. I was glad to see that the construction was (mostly) completed since my last visit a couple of years ago. There were certainly a lot more restaurant choices. While I was eligible for the lounge that LOT shares with other airlines, my friend was not and a pass would have been about $60 so that was a hard pass. We’ve both given up our credit cards that offered Priority Pass access so we just found a quiet area to hang out in while we waited. We migrated over to our gate shortly before the aircraft arrived and, all things considered, we were able to board reasonably quickly at about 10:10 PM.

LOT Polish 787-9

LO 4 ORD-WAW
Boeing 787-9
Departs: 2140 (actual 2246)
Arrives: 1350+1 (actual 1430)
Seat: 3C (Business Class) Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Flight Review, LOT Polish, Star Alliance, Trip Report | Tags: Award Travel, Flight Review, LOT Polish, Star Alliance, Trip Report | Leave a comment

Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction

Posted on June 1, 2026 by 2btravel

I’m kicking off year 12 of this blog with my next trip report and this one includes some eastern European countries I’d never visited.

This year’s trip centered around a river cruise on the eastern part of the Danube. We’d previously cruised the western part of the river back in 2016. That trip left from Erlangen, Germany (just outside of Nuremburg) and ended in Budapest, Hungary. This trip departed from Budapest and ended in Bucharest, Romania.

As the cruise/tour was only 10 days, we decided to go to Krakow, Poland for a few days ahead of the cruise to visit yet another country we’d not been to.

Transportation

I flew from Memphis to Chicago to meet up with my friend who lives in the area. I used cash for a round-trip positioning flight on American Airlines. From there we flew LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw and connected to Krakow. The government shutdown in October meant our flight out of Chicago was delayed causing us to miss our connection. Fortunately we were accommodated on the next flight to Krakow and even ended up in exit row seats. I used 70K Air Canada Aeroplan miles + $78.03 for my business class seat which would have sold for about $3064, giving me a fantastic value of about 4.38 cents per point. My friend used 40K Aeroplan miles + $78.03 for her seat in economy. While her ticket “only” worked out to about 1.4 cents per point, it still saved her over $500 out of pocket. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cruises, Europe, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton, Hungary, JW Marriott, LOT Polish, Marriott, Other Hotels, Poland, River Cruise, Romania, Serbia, Star Alliance, SWISS, Trip Report, Viking | Tags: Award Travel, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Hungary, JW Marriott, LOT Polish, Marriott, Poland, River Cruise, Romania, Serbia, SWISS, Trip Report, Viking, Viking Ullur | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Hyatt House Denver Airport

Posted on February 2, 2026 by 2btravel

(credit: hyatt.com)

I stayed at the Hyatt House Denver Airport for one night ahead of a ski trip. It happened to be the weekend the severe snow and ice hit much of the eastern US so there were a lot of canceled flights and the hotel was quite busy.

Arrival

The hotel shuttle leaves the airport every 30 minutes at :15 and :45 after the hour. It departs the hotel at the top and bottom of each hour. It’s not a 24-hour service but I think the first hotel departure is in the 3 AM hour. The instructions I’d received via email say to wait on Island 3 outside door 512 on the baggage claim level but at least for right now there is no door 512 as there’s construction in that area. So just leave via door 510 or 514 and you’ll be fine. These even-numbered doors are on the United side of baggage claim so if you flew in on another airline you’ll likely need to cross to the other side of the building. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Hotel, Hyatt, Hyatt House, Lodging Review | Tags: Award Travel, Colorado, Denver, Denver Airport, Hyatt, Hyatt House, Lodging Review | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Atwell Suites, Denver Airport

Posted on March 13, 2025 by 2btravel

I once again had the opportunity to stay at a Denver airport-area hotel as I arrived a day before my ski club. This time I selected the Atwell Suites Denver Airport, as it was an IHG property and I could use the free night certificate I have with my IHG Select credit card.

I have to admit I’d never heard of the Atwell brand but, in general, I quite liked the hotel. It’s located just off Tower Road, a main thoroughfare that has many similar hotels lining each side. It has its own private shuttle. I had a friend pick me up at the airport but it was very nice not to have any other stops on the way back to the airport the next day.

The hotel has a very modern feel. As I understand it, this building is only a couple of years old so it’s still in quite good shape. The front desk was straight ahead upon entering. I arrived quite early, before noon, and asked if I could get a ground-floor room since I was wrangling both my skis bag and a larger wheeled duffel. None of those rooms were ready yet, but that was fine as my friend and I went off for lunch and a free tour through the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which is now a wildlife preserve. While we were in the Arsenal I received a call that my room was ready. Continue reading →

Categories: Atwell Suites, Award Travel, Chase, Colorado, Hotel, IHG, IHG Rewards Card, Lodging Review, North America, United States | Tags: Atwell Suites, Colorado, Denver, Hotel, Hotel Review, Lodging Review | Leave a comment

2024: The Year in Travel

Posted on December 31, 2024 by 2btravel

As each year draws to a close I like to take a look back at my trips over the past twelve months. I did not have any work travel this year (and am not sure I ever will again thanks to Zoom & WebEx!) so my travel patterns were very normal for me.

Here’s how my travel looked on the map:

My 2024 Flights – made with gcmap.com

Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Denmark, Europe, Norway, Park City, Sweden, Trip Report, Year in Review | Tags: Award Travel, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Denmark, Europe, Flight Review, Lodging Review, Norway, Park City, Sweden, Trip Report, Year In Review | Leave a comment

Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM

Posted on December 11, 2024 by 2btravel

Introduction: Late Summer in Scandinavia
Flight Review: American Airlines B737-800 First Class, MEM-DFW
Flight Review: Finnair A350-900 Business Class, DFW-HEL
Flight Review: Finnair E190 Business Class, HEL-CPH
Lodging Review: Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn
Our Time in Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Best Western Hotel Hebron, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Next House, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö
Our Time in Malmö and Ystad, Sweden
Lodging Review: IKEA Hotell, Älmhult, Sweden
Our Time in Älmhult, Sweden and High-Speed Train to Stockholm
Lodging Review: Motel L Älvsjö, Stockholm
Our Time in Stockholm
Flight Review: SAS A320neo Economy Class, ARN-OSL
Lodging Review: Comfort Hotel Grand Central, Oslo
Our Time in Oslo
Lounge Review: SAS Lounge, Oslo airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A320-200 Business Class, OSL-FRA
Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP
Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM

Why I Booked This Flight

When I look for award space for international flights, I basically just look for flights to any city which has a non-stop flight back to Memphis. I don’t even try to book all the way back to my home city because I typically book so far in advance that there are no saver-priced flights between an international hub and Memphis. This also gives me a lot more flexibility as to where I land within the US. This time I was fortunate that the flight I found got me back to Minneapolis and the connection there will get me home to Memphis earlier than any of the other connections.

How I Booked This Flight

I booked this flight using Delta Air Lines SkyMiles. I originally booked a premium economy flight for 24,500 miles and $5.60 because I didn’t have enough miles for the domestic first class seat. I later realized I could have transferred some in from my American Express Membership Rewards account. As I logged into my Delta account to see about canceling my award ticket so I could rebook it in domestic first, I received an upgrade offer. So I transferred over enough points for the upgrade for $9. (Amex charges a fee when transferring miles to US-based airline programs) I then paid an additional 14,500 miles for the domestic first class seat. Whether I flew premium economy or business class, it wasn’t much of a bargain either way. But that was not the point for this flight. It’s the tail end of my international vacation and I wanted to fly in domestic first, so I did.

Delta Boeing 737-800 credit: delta.com

DL 2713 (MSP-MEM)
Boeing 737-800
Seat 4A (Domestic First Class)
Depart: 03:15 PM (actual 03:25 PM)
Arrive: 05:16 PM (actual 05:14 PM) Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Delta, Flight Review, SkyTeam, Trip Report | Tags: Award Travel, Delta, Flight Review, SkyTeam, Trip Report | Leave a comment

Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP

Posted on December 10, 2024 by 2btravel

Why I Booked This Flight

I booked this flight as I found reasonably-priced award space from Frankfurt to a US city with a non-stop flight back to Memphis. As I mentioned in the last post I was basically searching the whole eastern half of the US, looking for an award flight back. As it turned out, flying into MSP would allow me to catch a flight that would get me home earlier than from anywhere else, so that was a bonus.

How I Booked This Flight

I booked this ticket in January, before United’s most recent changes to MileagePlus. I was able to use 88,000 United Airlines MileagePlus miles plus $100.40 for the segment from Oslo to Frankfurt and this connection from Frankfurt to Minneapolis-St. Paul. Those 88,000 miles are worth about $968 and the cash price for these two segments was $4022, so I definitely got the better deal. It’s entirely possible I could have used fewer miles with Avianca or Air Canada but I have never been comfortable using Avianca miles – only because I’ve heard of issues in case of irregular operations – and I did not realize the search engine I’d been using was having issues communicating with Air Canada at the time so it was not displaying that option.

Boeing 787 – photo from lufthansa.com

LH 482 (DFW-HEL)
Boeing 787-9
Seat 4K (Business Class)
Depart: 11:10 AM (actual 11:19 AM)
Arrive: 01:15 PM (actual 01:14 PM)

Pre-Boarding

I’d planned to write a review of the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge near the Z gates, but it was so crowded that I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos. It wasn’t over-crowded, I was able to find a seat, but I was glad I wasn’t traveling with anyone because finding two seats together felt impossible. I just had tea and a scone before making my way to gate Z15, which was only a 2-3 minute walk. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Flight Review, Lufthansa, Star Alliance, Trip Report | Tags: Award Travel, Flight Review, Lufthansa, MSP Airport, Star Alliance, Trip Report | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö

Posted on November 28, 2024 by 2btravel

Story Hotel Studio Malmö

Location

The hotel is super-convenient to the Malmö Train Station. If you come up through the main part of the train station and exit, keep the station behind you and you’ll be facing north. Turn left and walk across a bridge over a canal. Turn right and walk beside the canal (it’s a pedestrian area) and walk until you reach the next street. The Story Hotel is on your left! Once you’re familiar with the area, as you’re heading from the hotel back to the train station you can use the entrance that goes under the street that bridges the canal and enter that way.

How This Stay Was Booked

The Story Hotel is a category 1 Hyatt, which meant I was able to book one night using the free night certificate I get with the Chase World of Hyatt Visa. There were no rooms that allowed for three adults, but it was so cheap that I was fine spending 5000 points per night for two rooms. So total cost was 15K points + one free night certificate for two rooms where the refundable rate was $259/night though I could get a corporate discount for $233/night. If I value Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, it means we got each of the rooms for $75 per night which is quite a bargain! Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Europe, Hotel, Hyatt, Lodging Review, Sweden, Trip Report | Tags: Award Travel, Europe, Hotel, Hotel Review, Hyatt, Lodging Review, Story Hotel, Trip Report | Leave a comment

Our Time in Copenhagen

Posted on November 25, 2024 by 2btravel

Københavns Museum

As I’d arrived a day before my friends, I wanted to spend the afternoon doing something I knew would not be of interest to them so that once they arrived we could do something we all enjoyed. So I went to the Københavns Museum (Museum of Copenhagen) to try to get a sense of the city’s origins and history. In retrospect this was probably not the kind of place I should have visited after a night of no sleep and hustling through airports. I confess I didn’t get a whole lot out of it but at least it wasn’t very expensive. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Denmark, Europe, Trip Report | Tags: Award Travel, Copenhage, Denmark, Europe, Trip Report | Leave a comment

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Award Travel

Our Time in Krakow, Poland

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Getting There and Back

Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW

Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction

Transportation

Lodging Review: Hyatt House Denver Airport

Arrival

Lodging Review: Atwell Suites, Denver Airport

2024: The Year in Travel

Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM

Why I Booked This Flight

How I Booked This Flight

Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP

Why I Booked This Flight

How I Booked This Flight

Pre-Boarding

Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö

Location

How This Stay Was Booked

Our Time in Copenhagen

Københavns Museum

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