Hi,
I am new to mileage redemptions. My wife and I were able to accumulate about 145k miles recently with Delta. I realize Delta has the worse redemptions but unfortunately they are one of the biggest airlines in our area.
That being said we found tickets to Lisbon, Portugal for 60k miles each. I looked the dollar cost and it was just under $1,400. Is that a pretty good redemption? Internationally the saver tickets seem to go only as low as 60k. I was hoping to be able to accumulate enough for a 100k saver(in first class) but I ultimately decided that I am letting my perfectionism get the best of me and in a few months those seats might not be available. I guess I am looking for some validation here...was that a good redemption? Any tips for better redemptions? I searched for quite a while to find the right balance between timing and savings. For example I saw better deals sometimes but they would add 10 hours on our trip--not worth it to me.
Secondly, I am curious about anyone's experience traveling to Lisbon in general. I have never been to Europe and haven't travelled internationally in 10 years. I also have a chronic pain issue that requires me to rest quite a bit but doesn't require much medical attention. It's just a fair amount of pain to deal with so I have to go easy. Would most people say that two weeks is ideal? Or is something like 10-11 days adequate? I went with 10-11 days and a relative was saying it's barely enough time. Again, I guess I am a little pensive so thought I would just "dip my toes in." I intend to do more slow travel than major sightseeing.
Another bonus: my wife has cousins there(whom I don't know too well) but they have welcome us to use their guest bedroom so that should defray some costs. We don't intend to stay there the whole time...but it will help. Even better the cousin happens to run a business that provides local "street food" tours.
Any advice, wisdom, or geeky travel advice appreciated!
-Tenative Traveler
