The Hardest Destinations for Travelling on Points

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In opposition to the easiest destinations for travelling connected points, immoderate parts of the satellite are overmuch much hard to publication with points. This could beryllium owed to geographic location, popularity, a deficiency of grant availability, oregon a big of different factors.

Compared to the “easy” destinations similar Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, what are immoderate places astir the satellite wherever you’d person to enactment a just spot harder to publication your imagination travel connected points?

1. Hawaii

This mightiness beryllium surprising, oregon adjacent a spot controversial, but Hawaii is precise overmuch 1 of the much challenging places successful the satellite for maximizing the worth of your points.

Now, determination are plentifulness of options for booking question to Hawaii portion leveraging loyalty programs, and immoderate of them whitethorn adjacent look similar precise charismatic saccharine spots connected paper.

For example, utilizing Aeroplan points, it’s theoretically imaginable to publication Vancouver–Hawaii flights for arsenic fewer as 12,500 oregon 25,000 Aeroplan points successful system oregon concern class, respectively, which mightiness onslaught you arsenic an awesome saccharine spot.

The occupation lies successful Hawaii’s sheer popularity among North American travellers.

Any saccharine spots that beryllium connected insubstantial are precise overmuch hotly contested, and you’d beryllium hard-pressed to find Air Canada concern class seats that are really bookable successful the portion of 25,000 points one-way nether Aeroplan’s dynamic pricing exemplary for Air Canada flights (not to notation a likewise low-priced spot connected the non-stop Dreamliner services from the Eastern Canada).

Rather, you tin expect to wage overmuch much for these flights with dynamic pricing, particularly during highest season.

You’ll brushwood the aforesaid challenges connected the edifice side: Hawaii is location to tons of properties with the large chains, but they’re invariably priced highly expensively, some successful points and cash. This is particularly existent during engaged question periods, arsenic prices tin spell done the roof.

For example, the Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore has prices that scope from 58,000–73,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per nighttime implicit the summertime months. In galore different parts of the world, that aforesaid fig of points volition get you a overmuch nicer hotel.

At the extremity of the day, the large edifice chains know that they tin complaint a immense premium for their Hawaii resorts. After all, there’s ever a dependable proviso of travellers from the North American mainland who are looking for an “easy” formation abrogation successful which they don’t request to fuss with agelong flights and connection barriers, and who are much than consenting to wage the $500+/night currency rates for everything that Hawaii has to offer.

That aforesaid reasoning besides plays into the reduced elite treatment that you’ll often brushwood astatine North American hotels (including Hawaii), particularly erstwhile compared to different parts of the world.

For example, arsenic a Titanium subordinate astatine the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort Maui, you mightiness beryllium amazed to larn that your complimentary breakfast is constricted to a pastry, effect cup, and java from Starbucks – each portion the edifice charges a $35/night edifice interest for the privilege of utilizing formation chairs!

Maui is simply a large spot for whale watching and spectacular sunsets, but possibly not for outstanding worth from points redemptions oregon large elite treatment.

2. South America

If you deliberation backmost to our treatment connected the “easiest” destinations to publication connected points, you mightiness callback that they’re mostly arranged on a unsmooth round-the-world way wrong the bluish hemisphere, with a flimsy dip beneath the equator into South East Asia.

The much challenging parts of the satellite for extracting worth from your points, then, mostly prevarication successful the confederate hemisphere – all for somewhat antithetic reasons, starting with South America.

From a North American perspective, the biggest hindrance to an “amazing points trip” successful the accepted consciousness is simply a lack of premium-quality hose products that service the trans-Americas market.

After all, if you’re headed to Europe oregon Asia, oregon so Africa oregon Australia, you could take among galore of the world’s starring airlines to get you there.

But flying down to the Americas leaves you with alternatively slim pickings, arsenic you fundamentally person 2 coagulated options astatine your disposal:

You could purpose for a elemental and convenient nonstop travel connected Air Canada, United, oregon American Airlines concern class, though it tin often beryllium pugnacious to find well-priced grant availability.
Alternatively, you could take a much absorbing routing connected Copa Airlines oregon Avianca, possibly with a stopover on the way; however, some of these airlines’ onboard products are mean astatine best.

But connected the agleam side, flights between antithetic South American countries are often disproportionately expensive, making it a large woody to redeem points for intra-continental hops. Keep an oculus retired for galore of the fifth-freedom flights wrong South America.

There are besides galore decent edifice redemptions to prime from, adjacent if the prime isn’t going to stroke you distant similar South East Asia oregon the Middle East – specified arsenic Tambo del Inka adjacent Cusco, the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, oregon the JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro conscionable to sanction a few.

Overall, South America has plentifulness going for it successful presumption of maximizing your points, with the large caveat that the northbound and southbound flights don’t rather springiness you the aforesaid aspirational fruits of labour arsenic different parts of the world.

Then again, whether you determine to maximize your slumber connected a non-stop overnight formation and deed the crushed moving the adjacent day, oregon to interruption up the travel and spot much of the Hispanosphere successful Panama oregon Colombia, it’s just to accidental that some options tin lone adhd to, alternatively than detract from, the wide acquisition of a South America trip.

3. South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa

Similar to South America, Sub-Saharan Africa is simply a portion wherever grant question tends to beryllium of astatine slightest a moderately, if not rather overwhelmingly, difficult. And arsenic 1 of the astir fashionable and well-served destinations wrong this region, South Africa volition beryllium a earthy absorption for overmuch of the discussion.

There’s often the aforesaid trade-off betwixt availability and quality that you mightiness brushwood with travelling to South America: airlines similar Swiss, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Singapore Airlines connection a amended onboard product, but tin beryllium trickier to publication with points owed to competition, whereas EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines thin to person ample availability and a convenient routing astatine the disbursal of the aspirational touch.

Once you look extracurricular of South Africa and towards immoderate different Sub-Saharan African country, the formation options proceed to dwindle successful number, with Ethiopian Airlines fundamentally acting arsenic a mainline bearer for the full region.

There are a fistful of fifth-freedom routes by TAP Air Portugal, Brussels Airlines, oregon Turkish Airlines that you could publication utilizing Aeroplan short-haul awards, but these are the objection alternatively than the norm.

Then, there’s besides the contented of cost. With Aeroplan, you tin expect to wage 90,000–110,000 Aeroplan points for a one-way concern people formation connected astir journeys to a Sub-Saharan African destination from an North American origin.

If you’re headed to this portion of the world, determination are a fewer oneworld saccharine spots worthy paying attraction to instead, specified arsenic 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles oregon 95,000 Avios for Qatar Airways Qsuites via Doha.

Hotel redemptions are different redeeming factor: Sub-Saharan Africa is peppered with low-priced hotels crossed astir of the large chains, which sometimes complaint higher prices if you were to wage with cash.

Therefore, you should beryllium capable to find bully worth successful your edifice loyalty points wherever you go, whether that’s successful 1 of the nationalist capitals oregon connected the doorstep of a godforsaken safari – though you should inactive expect to wage apical dollar for astir of Africa’s “true” luxury safari experiences.

Of course, the JW Marriott Masai Mara is an objection to this rule, and a enactment present represents 1 of the champion uses of Marriott Bonvoy points, implicit with all-inclusive dining, safaris, and more.

That brings america to a last consideration: the travel costs different than your formation and hotel thin to beryllium beauteous important successful Africa, too.

This isn’t Paris oregon Bangkok, wherever you tin rotation into municipality for a week and walk each infinitesimal exploring a caller portion of town. Instead, overmuch of what Africa has to connection lies beyond its metropolitan areas, waiting to beryllium discovered with the assistance of organized tours and knowledgeable guides – often astatine a important expense.

That’s 1 much origin to see if your superior extremity with Miles & Points is to publication a memorable travel with minimal out-of-pocket spending. Consider utilizing secondary fixed-value points currencies, specified arsenic CIBC Aventura Points, Scotiabank Scene+ points, TD Rewards Points, oregon BMO Rewards points to offset these costs.

4. Oceania

Finally, Oceania remains 1 of the astir challenging parts of the satellite to sojourn connected points. It’s by nary means impossible, but to marque it happen, determination are rather a fewer ducks that you’d request to get successful a enactment first.

In particular, the existent disfigured duckling is flight availability, which has historically been rather hard to way down successful this far-flung, yet precise fashionable country of the globe.

In theory, it’s possible to snag reasonably priced non-stop transpacific Air Canada concern class flights from Vancouver to Sydney, Brisbane, oregon Auckland – but it usually requires booking astatine the past minute, sometimes adjacent wrong a fewer days of departure.

It’s nary antithetic for spouse airlines. United Polaris concern class awards from the West Coast to Australia are precise overmuch a uncommon occurrence, and you’re astir apt to brushwood grant abstraction wrong a week oregon 2 of departure.

If you’d similar to sojourn French Polynesia, beryllium definite to support an oculus retired for flights via San Francisco with United. While the availability typically doesn’t get released until adjacent to departure, you mightiness beryllium capable to people a spot successful concern people for conscionable 55,000 Aeroplan points.

Air New Zealand is notorious for being among the astir restrictive airlines successful each of Star Alliance successful presumption of releasing immoderate system oregon concern awards. If you spot a transpacific Air New Zealand concern people award, publication it present and inquire questions later.

As for Fiji Airways with Alaska miles, it’s a coagulated saccharine spot connected insubstantial astatine 75,000 Alaska miles for a one-way concern people travel with a stopover successful Fiji. However, successful practice, you’d beryllium precise fortunate to find concern people awards connected the Los Angeles, San Francisco, oregon Vancouver routes.

The world is that the immense bulk of Oceania-bound travellers who privation to alert connected points volition request to way done Asia oregon the Middle East 1 mode oregon another. However, you’re apt to contend with the aforesaid grant availability issues, arsenic transpacific grant flights successful premium cabins are harder to travel by than ever before.

If you tin snag immoderate grant seats, you’ll besides bask immoderate of the amended airlines retired determination to marque the travel precise comfy erstwhile you’re taking the agelong mode to get there. Keep an oculus retired for flights with ANA, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines, and besides see flying into a smaller marketplace similar Brisbane oregon Perth and past hop astir connected Qantas oregon Virgin Australia awards, which are precise casual to travel by.

But having said that, connecting done Asia means that you’re looking astatine a 24-hour travel from North America, truthful you mightiness good beryllium tempted to interruption things up with a stopover on the mode – which would past present a full different magnitude into your trip. You tin spot however booking a travel to Australia oregon New Zealand connected points tin get precise analyzable precise quickly.

Looking astatine accommodations, higher-end hotels successful Australia and New Zealand thin to travel with a tenable terms point, reasonably beardown quality, and generous elite treatment. There are immoderate gems retired there, specified arsenic the Westin Perth, the W Brisbane, and The Tasman Hobart, and immoderate world-class properties, specified arsenic the Park Hyatt Sydney.

In the large picture, erstwhile you harvester the geographic isolation of Australia and New Zealand with their popularity among North American travellers arsenic affable English-speaking upside-down countries, you extremity up with a important situation if you’re looking to publication a travel connected points.

A spot of beforehand readying tin spell a precise agelong mode if you’re readying a travel to this portion of the world, but you besides mightiness person to trust connected last-minute grant availability, which tin beryllium a spot daunting.

However, it’s good worthy the effort, and Oceania arsenic a full has a batch to connection to galore antithetic types of travellers.

Conclusion

Some places astir the satellite get the abbreviated extremity of the instrumentality erstwhile it comes to grant question saccharine spots, whether they’re a spot excessively adjacent to location (like Hawaii) oregon a spot excessively acold distant (like assorted parts of the confederate hemisphere).

Travellers heading to these regions indispensable woody with a narrower enactment of airlines, hard-fought battles for grant availability, and – successful the lawsuit of Hawaii, and to immoderate grade the remainder of North America excessively – a miserable level of elite attraction that’ll marque you wonderment what connected world your mattress runs were each for.

But don’t forget: astatine the extremity of the day, the existent “value” of a travel is subjective to you arsenic an idiosyncratic traveller.

If South Africa and Oceania are the places that tug astatine your heartstrings, past that’s wherever your points volition spell furthest for you in spite of the challenges on the way; there’s nary constituent visiting Dubai’s godforsaken resorts oregon East Asian metropolises alternatively conscionable due to the fact that they mightiness fetch worth connected insubstantial much easily.

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