trip construction

Building trips from the ground up. Routing, sequencing, hotel strategy, positioning, timing, and the moving pieces behind complex itineraries.

Netherlands

Three Expiring Marriott Certificates: A Different Optimization Problem

Aug 26, 2026

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7 min read

Three Expiring Marriott Certificates: A Different Optimization Problem

Three certificates nearing expiry, one Amsterdam weekend, and a new way to measure the value an expiring FNC is actually delivering.

ExpatVista

Santorini

Aug 4, 2026

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4 min read

Santorini Flights: Why I Paid Cash Instead of Using Points

Award flights looked tempting, but airport choice, flight times, Amex airline credits and three hotel stays made cash the better decision.

ExpatVista

Family Travel

Jun 25, 2026

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2 min read

Oslo in May

AN EXPATVISTA COLLECTION

ExpatVista

IHG

Jun 19, 2026

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5 min read

Crowne Plaza Managua Review

A former InterContinental overlooking Lake Managua, and our base for exploring Managua after Calala Island.

ExpatVista

Amex Platinum

May 26, 2026

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4 min read

Oslo Hotel Math

Why the expensive hotel belonged on the cheaper nights, why the family hotel handled the expensive ones, and why this was never going to be a one-hotel trip.

ExpatVista

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) for Business Class

Apr 29, 2026

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3 min read

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) for Business Class

Why the only number that mattered wasn’t 5 cpp, but a $500 upgrade on a long-haul return

ExpatVista

Hotel Reviews

Mar 26, 2026

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3 min read

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review

One night at Potsdamer Platz, included with our Marriott Gourmet Odyssey package

ExpatVista

Expat Logistics

BritRail Passes in the UK: When They Make Sense for Visitors

Mar 12, 2026

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3 min read

BritRail Passes in the UK: When They Make Sense for Visitors

A prepaid rail framework for non-UK residents

ExpatVista

hotel strategy

Jan 23, 2026

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4 min read

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

One Marriott Moments booking set the date. We built the rest of the weekend around it.

ExpatVista

Points Accounting

Jan 23, 2026

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3 min read

The Berlin Stay, in Numbers

What three hotel nights and the Gourmet Odyssey actually cost

ExpatVista

Capital One

Jan 22, 2026

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4 min read

How I Booked EgyptAir Business

Using LifeMiles for Kenya flights, comparing transfer strategies, and one decision I’d make differently.

ExpatVista

Expat Logistics

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

Jan 16, 2026

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3 min read

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

How visitors and expats reduce UK train fares without learning the system

ExpatVista

Amex Platinum

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR): When It Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Jan 8, 2026

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5 min read

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR): When It Works (and When It Doesn’t)

When the fixed credit works, and when the pricing cancels it out

ExpatVista

IHG

Three Free Night Certificates, One Weekend

Jan 8, 2026

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3 min read

Three Free Night Certificates, One Weekend

How uncapped FNCs unlocked rooms that pricing said shouldn’t exist

ExpatVista

Miles & Points

Not All Free Night Certificates Are the Same

Dec 31, 2025

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2 min read

Not All Free Night Certificates Are the Same

Why a 35K Marriott certificate and an uncapped Hilton certificate require completely different decisions

ExpatVista

IHG

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

Dec 28, 2025

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4 min read

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

Certificates, expiry risk, FHR timing, and why sequencing mattered more than value

ExpatVista

trip construction

Three Expiring Marriott Certificates: A Different Optimization Problem

Santorini Flights: Why I Paid Cash Instead of Using Points

Oslo in May

Crowne Plaza Managua Review

Oslo Hotel Math

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) for Business Class

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review

BritRail Passes in the UK: When They Make Sense for Visitors

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

The Berlin Stay, in Numbers

How I Booked EgyptAir Business

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR): When It Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Three Free Night Certificates, One Weekend

Not All Free Night Certificates Are the Same

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

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