We own a condo in Budapest. No real estate tax, HOA $120/month, utilities $160/month. We usually stay there between April and October. The rest of the year we traveling in SEA, or South America. This approach is very cost effective and convenient. Great base for traveling in Europe.
@@StateOfWellBeing No, actually my son lives in it in wintertime. But the maintenance of the apartment is so low that even without that I would not rent it out.
We went on an Alaskan cruise in May 2023 on NCL Bliss, and it was a nice ship! By booking the 2nd week vs the 4th week of May (our original plan), we booked a balcony room for $200 cheaper than an inside room! Thanks for the helpful videos on all of your channels! Enjoy your cruise!
Norwegian offers a Veterans Discount of 10%, I think. A couple of the other cruise lines give onboard credit to veterans based on your cabin category. Celebrity has a Military discount checkbox during booking but I think it also applies to veterans. Princess gave us onboard credit on our Alaska cruise. Such a great way for corporations to acknowledge and thank our service members.
19:08 We were on the Norwegian Bliss a few weeks ago in mid-October for an Alaskan cruise from Seattle. It was our first Norwegian cruise and we enjoyed the ship. That transatlantic cruise you mentioned on Bliss is very nice with the stop at the port near Paris.
Greatly disappointed in IHG not holding an 11-11 sale, considering we bought max points, hoping to parlay them into 6 months of hotel stays versus the 3 months we ended up booking
So I just noticed something interesting. I was looking to book a hotel in Charleston, SC and the cost would be 206 or 33,000 points. That is 160 points per dollar. If we buy points at 100% bonus, that gives us 200 points per dollar, so we are getting more bang for our buck. So if we bought $2000 of points and got 100% bonus, we would have 400,000 points. In the above, if we spent $2K we could stay for 9.7 nights. If we used our points we could stay 13.33 nights. This is a good deal and we have 37% more buying power with points(we save about $721 with a $2000 investment). HOWEVER, in Japan for the same dates, a hotel was 201 or 45,000 points. Japan is 223.88 points to the dollar. So $2K would get us 9.95 nights and 400,000 points would get us 8.88 nights. So we LOSE money by buying with points. In Thailand(same dates) a hotel was 151 or 29,000 points. Thailand is 192 points/dollar. $2K gets you 13.2 nights. 400,000 points gets you 13.79 nights. The deal only saves you maybe $75 over an investment of $2000. So look into the places you want to stay and calculate the exchange rates on points to determine value. The lower the points to price ratio, the better. And YES, I know the above doesn't take into account the fourth night free but is still valid in terms of ratio of point to dollar.
@@PanamaChele7373 You're quite welcome. I was learning as I wrote it. I had intended to buy the points at a discount, but realized why bother if I was planning to go to Japan mostly...
Love you guys and wish I could make it to your lives, but I always watch after the fact. :-) Did you go to the physical LA office and get the DTV on the spot? I heard it's a physical card and I figured you wouldn't want it sent to your new DL address, or can you use a different mailing address like your daughter's to get the actual DTV? I've been thinking about getting it, but didn't know whether better to go to the embassy, or to just do it online and then wasn't sure where to mail it to if I'm a nomad...
Just watched the live, and heard you mention the Norwegian Bliss transatlantic from Miami to Southampton on Jan 4th. We will be returning from Southampton on the Norwegian Bliss on Feb 2nd. We paid $719 each for this cruise. This will be our second time on the Bliss and it's a beautiful ship with a huge viewing lounge. It usually does the Alaskan cruises from Seattle. We're hoping that it's going into Southampton for a spruce up and that we'll be the first ones on there with the new carpets.
Both my husband and I have the IHG credit cards individually - the buy points offer is at 80% bonus. Too bad, I would have bought more points if we got the 100% bonus.
IHG will let me buy double points but I can’t find any hotels in Thailand that would cost less with points that just paying for them even with the “free” points.
Have been with IHG for a few years and had also bought many points over the years. Currently, I got offered for 20% extra points. lol Not sure what’s going on with IHG; status Challenge is long overdue! I hope there is one for next year!
The five year Thailand visa you said you can stay for six months at a time. Does that mean you can leave the country to another Asian country for a day and then come back or what does that mean? Have you done a video on that?
I’m ready to move to Bangkok to escape the inflation we are about to experience in the states. What are your thoughts on inflation in south east Asia while when Trump raises tariffs?
One time I was at an ATM at the airport in Greece and the machine prompted me to convert the money, but I chose not to. The next screen gave a triple negative that was very confusing and I ended up selecting to take the conversion rate although I thought I declined the conversion rate and I still ended up paying. 😅 🤑
Appreciate anyone answering We have chase sapphire reserve Husband would not get another IHG card “Spreading out our points too much” What’s the benefits of so many cards ? Thx Linda
Hi Rob and Allie, just watched the video as when you did it Live it was very late here in Portugal. Question: We've applied for IHG card. Do you know if they respond quickly or slowly? Excellent credit here-800++. Maybe it's the 5 Credit Card rule as my wife applied. Maybe I should apply too? Do they allow two cards in one household? Thanks , JP Porto--
They just released before Sunday noon EST 200K 100% bonus. $2K for 400K pts. 11/19/24: just got an email from IHG - offering up to 300K 100% bonus. $3K for 600K pts. Insane!
@@shermarynlebay3636 They have a few videos on how to maximize your points with the cards. IHG with the right card will give you a free stay every 4 days of stay.
Love you guys and wish I could make it to your lives, but I always watch after the fact. :-) Did you go to the physical LA office and get the DTV on the spot? I heard it's a physical card and I figured you wouldn't want it sent to your new DL address, or can you use a different mailing address like your daughter's to get the actual DTV? I've been thinking about getting it, but didn't know whether better to go to the embassy, or to just do it online and then wasn't sure where to mail it to if I'm a nomad...
Will you be doing your own 11-11 sale for your bundle course? 🤔😊
We own a condo in Budapest. No real estate tax, HOA $120/month, utilities $160/month. We usually stay there between April and October. The rest of the year we traveling in SEA, or South America.
This approach is very cost effective and convenient. Great base for traveling in Europe.
out of curiosity do you just rent it out nov-march?
@@StateOfWellBeing No, actually my son lives in it in wintertime. But the maintenance of the apartment is so low that even without that I would not rent it out.
How do you stay that long in the Schengen zone? What visa do you have?
Brilliant
@@shermarynlebay3636 I have US and Hungarian Passport.
We went on an Alaskan cruise in May 2023 on NCL Bliss, and it was a nice ship! By booking the 2nd week vs the 4th week of May (our original plan), we booked a balcony room for $200 cheaper than an inside room! Thanks for the helpful videos on all of your channels! Enjoy your cruise!
Norwegian offers a Veterans Discount of 10%, I think. A couple of the other cruise lines give onboard credit to veterans based on your cabin category. Celebrity has a Military discount checkbox during booking but I think it also applies to veterans. Princess gave us onboard credit on our Alaska cruise.
Such a great way for corporations to acknowledge and thank our service members.
19:08
We were on the Norwegian Bliss a few weeks ago in mid-October for an Alaskan cruise from Seattle. It was our first Norwegian cruise and we enjoyed the ship. That transatlantic cruise you mentioned on Bliss is very nice with the stop at the port near Paris.
I was flying back from Doha during this live stream. Looking forward to the group cruise 🚢 👍🏽
You two are amazing! Love your honesty!
No IHG 11-11 sale so sad 😢😢😢😢
I could not find the 11/11 sale either 😝
We thought that backdrop looked familiar! HAHA! Safe travels you guys. Hope to implement some of our new things learned from you in 2025. Let's go!
So awesome and you said Hi to me too!!! Safe travels!!!😊
Sorry I missed the live. I got the email for IHG 100% but I want to see if I should wait for the 11/11 sale?
It’s the 11th and I see no sale which is so sad 😢😢
Greatly disappointed in IHG not holding an 11-11 sale, considering we bought max points, hoping to parlay them into 6 months of hotel stays versus the 3 months we ended up booking
So I just noticed something interesting. I was looking to book a hotel in Charleston, SC and the cost would be 206 or 33,000 points. That is 160 points per dollar. If we buy points at 100% bonus, that gives us 200 points per dollar, so we are getting more bang for our buck. So if we bought $2000 of points and got 100% bonus, we would have 400,000 points. In the above, if we spent $2K we could stay for 9.7 nights. If we used our points we could stay 13.33 nights. This is a good deal and we have 37% more buying power with points(we save about $721 with a $2000 investment). HOWEVER, in Japan for the same dates, a hotel was 201 or 45,000 points. Japan is 223.88 points to the dollar. So $2K would get us 9.95 nights and 400,000 points would get us 8.88 nights. So we LOSE money by buying with points. In Thailand(same dates) a hotel was 151 or 29,000 points. Thailand is 192 points/dollar. $2K gets you 13.2 nights. 400,000 points gets you 13.79 nights. The deal only saves you maybe $75 over an investment of $2000. So look into the places you want to stay and calculate the exchange rates on points to determine value. The lower the points to price ratio, the better. And YES, I know the above doesn't take into account the fourth night free but is still valid in terms of ratio of point to dollar.
❤ Awesome breakdown ~ analysis & examples!!! Luv it thank you
@@PanamaChele7373 You're quite welcome. I was learning as I wrote it. I had intended to buy the points at a discount, but realized why bother if I was planning to go to Japan mostly...
I just got a Marriott Bonvoy card and tried to take advantage of the 2:1 sale. I couldn’t buy - you have to be a member for 30 days to buy 2:1 points.
You talk about not owning anything besides what you take with you. How do you manage seasonal clothing, coats, sweaters, etc?
ha! How did I miss this live? I even had the notify me on! lol Oh well. Talk to you soon. 😊
Where does Rob get his eye glasses. I love the black with the orange accent on the side. Thank you!
Love you guys and wish I could make it to your lives, but I always watch after the fact. :-) Did you go to the physical LA office and get the DTV on the spot? I heard it's a physical card and I figured you wouldn't want it sent to your new DL address, or can you use a different mailing address like your daughter's to get the actual DTV? I've been thinking about getting it, but didn't know whether better to go to the embassy, or to just do it online and then wasn't sure where to mail it to if I'm a nomad...
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Just watched the live, and heard you mention the Norwegian Bliss transatlantic from Miami to Southampton on Jan 4th. We will be returning from Southampton on the Norwegian Bliss on Feb 2nd. We paid $719 each for this cruise. This will be our second time on the Bliss and it's a beautiful ship with a huge viewing lounge. It usually does the Alaskan cruises from Seattle. We're hoping that it's going into Southampton for a spruce up and that we'll be the first ones on there with the new carpets.
There's a $20 per day service charge. Is that mandatory? If so, it brings the cruise up close to $1000.
Which Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok do you recommend? Thanks!
Both my husband and I have the IHG credit cards individually - the buy points offer is at 80% bonus. Too bad, I would have bought more points if we got the 100% bonus.
Sad to not see anything from ihg for 11.11. Not much from anyone else.
IHG will let me buy double points but I can’t find any hotels in Thailand that would cost less with points that just paying for them even with the “free” points.
There’s an AMtrak stop in Cleveland. You HAVE to go to a Cleveland Guardians game next year!!
Is the Celebrity reposition cruise still open.
Have been with IHG for a few years and had also bought many points over the years. Currently, I got offered for 20% extra points. lol Not sure what’s going on with IHG; status Challenge is long overdue! I hope there is one for next year!
Hi, where do I see this offer? Thanks
@@xeniaroldan7728 They sent me an email. You can also sign into the IHG site and buy points there. It tell you how much bonus base on your account.
While nothing super special they are still offering 100% bonus on purchased points. At least for me.
Mine is at only 60% 😢
The five year Thailand visa you said you can stay for six months at a time. Does that mean you can leave the country to another Asian country for a day and then come back or what does that mean? Have you done a video on that?
I’m ready to move to Bangkok to escape the inflation we are about to experience in the states.
What are your thoughts on inflation in south east Asia while when Trump raises tariffs?
One time I was at an ATM at the airport in Greece and the machine prompted me to convert the money, but I chose not to. The next screen gave a triple negative that was very confusing and I ended up selecting to take the conversion rate although I thought I declined the conversion rate and I still ended up paying. 😅 🤑
Appreciate anyone answering
We have chase sapphire reserve
Husband would not get another IHG card
“Spreading out our points too much”
What’s the benefits of so many cards ?
Thx
Linda
Only get them if you are going to use them in a year or two. Points devalue over time
@ thanks
Hi Rob and Allie, just watched the video as when you did it Live it was very late here in Portugal. Question: We've applied for IHG card. Do you know if they respond quickly or slowly? Excellent credit here-800++. Maybe it's the 5 Credit Card rule as my wife applied. Maybe I should apply too? Do they allow two cards in one household? Thanks , JP Porto--
I applied for the card last week online and it was an instant response.
My response was instant when I applied.
I'd so luv to be with you 2. Cheap living. Pensioner
They just released before Sunday noon EST 200K 100% bonus. $2K for 400K pts.
11/19/24: just got an email from IHG - offering up to 300K 100% bonus. $3K for 600K pts. Insane!
I am new to this. Do you need the credit card to get this offer? I signed up as a member of IHG but there is no message about extra points there.
@@shermarynlebay3636 They have a few videos on how to maximize your points with the cards. IHG with the right card will give you a free stay every 4 days of stay.
Which card is it the IHG Chase?
@@shermarynlebay3636 I don’t think so, but not sure as I never bought; but I do have their IHG cards.
@@justcruisinmom1682 yeah it’s IHG promotion.
Love you guys and wish I could make it to your lives, but I always watch after the fact. :-) Did you go to the physical LA office and get the DTV on the spot? I heard it's a physical card and I figured you wouldn't want it sent to your new DL address, or can you use a different mailing address like your daughter's to get the actual DTV? I've been thinking about getting it, but didn't know whether better to go to the embassy, or to just do it online and then wasn't sure where to mail it to if I'm a nomad...