Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 34 seconds
Ever heard of Tavukgöğsü? This Turkish dessert is similar to a traditional milk pudding but with one twist… shredded chicken. Yeahhh… hungry? Read more here.
Good morning from the chaotic mess of flight delays and crushed travel dreams, a.k.a. New Delhi International Airport.
I’m on a quick layover before going to the culinary capital of the Indian Punjab, Amritsar—a bucket list city that I could NOT be more excited to see.
But more on that later.
For now, let’s get to the good stuff:
🏃🏼♂️ Mike on the Move: Travel hacking through India
✈️ Book your seat on the first commercial electric plane
🍕 Earn points for eating food
🏃🏼♂️ Mike on the Move: Travel hacking through India
As I mentioned, I’m on the move again (yay).
This time, I’m out for vengeance. If you’ve been reading Daily Drop for the last year, you may remember my last visit to India was HORRIBLE (I was alone and very, VERY sick).
So I’ve decided to give it another go, this time visiting some of the less… smoggy… parts of the country.
My trip here started out with what I still believe to be the single best travel hack of all time: dirt-cheap flights.
I flew from Warsaw to Delhi for just over $200, which was a huge steal.
918 Polish Zloty (PLN) is about $218 USD
Given that it was an eight-hour, nonstop flight on LOT Polish Airlines (a fantastic airline, by the way), it wasn’t difficult to justify paying cash over trying to book an award flight.
From there, it was easy to fly up to Amritsar, as domestic tickets on any of India’s amazing airlines are never expensive.
In my case, the flight from Delhi to Amritsar cost just $37. Looking out over the next year, this ticket is never priced higher than $45.
Gotta love Indian aviation…
In Amritsar, I’ll be staying at the Hyatt Regency, a Category 1 hotel that costs just 3,500 Hyatt points per night.
I transferred just 14,000 points to Hyatt from this card to book my 4-night stay, which I was pretty stoked about.
Although the cash rate is usually under $100 per night, it’s hard to beat that 3,500-point price, which is just another example of why Hyatt’s loyalty program is so valuable.
From here, we’ll be heading down south to Jaipur, the city that never sleeps.
Wait, I might be thinking of a different city… 🤔
Anyway, I’m SUPER excited about this leg of the trip for a few reasons.
First, I’ve always wanted to see Jaipur. But also, there are some fun travel hacks to do in this neck of the woods.
I used a Hyatt Free Night Certificate to book a night at the really cool-looking Alila Fort Bishangarh, which is located about two hours north of Jaipur.
Can you believe this is a hotel…?
This is a 5-star, luxury hotel built inside of a renovated old fort, and looks really unique and luxurious.
I’m currently traveling with my best friend, and I wanted to book this as a special surprise.
I don’t think he reads Daily Drop. But if he does, then... Hey Tonio. 👋🏼 … Surprise… 😬
Since the hotel is a Category 4 Hyatt property priced at 18,000 points or almost $400 after tax, it’s pretty much the highest possible value I could get from the certificate that I used.
I think these bookings in India are great examples of just how far you can stretch points, miles, and certificates.
I also think it’s a great example of how, sometimes, you don’t even NEED points and miles to score the best deal. So never forget to pull up Google flights to see if there’s a nice, cheap flight that could work.
✈️ Book your seat on the first commercial electric plane
It is an exciting time to be alive. AI is taking over the world, meat is being grown in labs, and gorillas are learning how to dance better than humans.
But what’s really exciting is that SAS (Scandinavian Airlines), has officially scheduled its first flights operated by electric-powered planes.
And to make things crazier… you can already book your seats on them.
Yes, you heard that right—electric-powered planes! It's like we're living in a sci-fi movie, but without the alien invasion... for now. 👽
Let me tell you more:
You can currently book flights on SAS for electric-powered flights set to take place in 2028
Flights are available to book in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway
The cost of the flight is 1946 Kronor (Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian)
Making a reservation is free, and the payment will be taken 30 days prior to the flight
I doubt many of you are thinking this far ahead, but I think it’s pretty cool that you can sign up to take part in one of the most important innovations in aviation for just over a hundred bucks.
I also think it’s fun that the price (1,946 DKK, SEK, or NOK) pays homage to the year the airline was founded (1946).
You can check out the SAS website if you want to book a flight or visit this page to learn more about these new electric planes.
Hopefully, see some of y’all in five years in Scandinavia. 😉
🍕 Earn points for eating food
You may not realize just how many ways there are to earn hotel points out there. Sometimes, you don’t need a credit card, elite status, or even a hotel stay to earn points.
In fact, sometimes it can be easy as… wait for it… pie.
Marriott Bonvoy’s “Eat Around Town” program is currently offering a huge bonus for earning hotel points just for eating food.
Here are the deets:
Until June 30th, earn 8x Marriott points at participating restaurants
That’s all. It’s pretty simple… but here’s how it works:
You enroll in Eat Around Town and link various credit/debit cards to your account. When you use one of those cards to pay the bill at a participating restaurant, you’ll earn Marriott points.
Overall, this is a great way to rack up some quick points and discover some new places to eat in the process.
I know whenever I find myself in the U.S., I always try to look at dining portals like this to maximize my point earnings.
To sweeten the pot further, new members of Marriott Eat Around Town can earn 6,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points in their first 60 days.
I always tell people not to overlook opportunities like this to earn some quick and easy points. 6,000 points are enough to book a free cheap hotel night somewhere, which is not a bad deal at all.
It’s not as sweet as a big signup bonus, but it’s definitely worth checking out to slowly top up your points balances.
Want to help Daily Drop take over the world? Share our newsletter with your friends/family/pets/colleagues/enemies and win some rewards in the process!
Sign up for Daily Drop to grab your referral link!
…or you can just buy these prizes from our website if you want to keep us all to yourself. 😉
That’s all for today, friends. All this food talk is getting me hungry, but before I go out and stuff my face with Indian food, tell me something:
(I realize this is merely a small sampling of cuisines) |
Only Email Recipients can participate in polls. |
Take care and have a delicious rest of your day ❤️