We’d been stockpiling United miles for months and had finally saved enough for 2x round-trip tickets in first class, a cost of 140k miles each. After some painstaking (but exciting) mapping, routing and time on the phone with United award booking representatives, our itinerary ended up looking like this:

By using United award miles, we were able to take advantage of their routing rules to have 1 free stopover, 1 free open-jaw and 2 long connections that allowed us enough time to explore the city (aka 2 more free stopovers).  It looked like this:

1. Depart New York-JFK on Lufthansa to Frankfurt-FRA. We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany and had an appx 23 hours layover, this allowed us to stay the night without it counting as a stopover.
2. Next flight was Frankfurt-FRA to Bangkok-BKK –> Denpasar-DPS (Bali). This was the beginning of our open-jaw.
3. After about a week in Bali, we purchased a cheap ticket on Air Asia from Denpasar-DPS to Jakarta-CGK and explored the Indonesian capital for 2 nights.
4. From Jakarta-CGK, we flew to Male-MLE in the Maldives via Singapore-SIN. The flight out of Jakarta concluded our open-jaw segment and we purposely picked an 8+ hour layover in Singapore, which allowed enough time to explore the city for a few hours.
5. With the Maldives counting as our stopover, we stayed for a little less than a week and then began the trek home flying from Male-MLE –> Singapore-SIN –> Tokyo-NRT –> Newark-EWR. This concluded our United award ticket.

We were able to fly some pretty cool First Class cabins on this award ticket and visited some beautiful – and unique – places. We booked this ticket last summer for appx 140,000 United miles + $120 in taxes but, since United’s award devaluation, this same trip would now cost 260,000 United miles!

Here’s the overview of our trip and an outline of future posts:

– Award-Booking Honeymoon trip with United miles…All in First Class

– Finagling our way into Luftansa First Class with VERY last minute changes

– Lufthansa First Class Lounge – New York JFK Airport

Uh…white table cloth dining with a waiter in an airport lounge? Off to a great start!

– Aboard Lufthansa’s B747 First Class Cabin – New York to Frankfurt

Well done again, Lufthansa. Who wants a seat that turns into a bed when you can just have both?!

– Bratwursts galore! Sightseeing around Frankfurt, Germany

The Frankfurt Christmas Market was in full swing; I’ve never been one to turn down a glass (or 8) of hot wine

– Lufthansa First Class Lounge Review – Frankfurt-FRA Terminal B

Ok, just stop it already, Lufthansa, an jamón ibérico slicing machine at my full disposal?!

– Thai Airways A380 Royal First Class – TG 921 Frankfurt-FRA to Bangkok-BKK

Best way to fit in when you’re flying for free and your neighbor dropped $6k? Take LOTS of pictures

“Would you like some caviar?” Me: “Uh, hell yes, what kind of question is that–sounds expensive… and awesome.”

– Thai Airways Royal First Lounge and Royal Orchid Spa – Bangkok-BKK

Yes, this is a full-on private spa room inside the Bangkok airport and yes, it was free for first class flyers!

– Thai Airways B772 Royal Silk Class – TG 431 Bangkok-BKK to Denpasar, Bali-DPS

– W Retreat & Spa Bali Seminyak – Bali, Indonesia – Hotel Review Part 1: Booking, Check-In and Room

– W Retreat & Spa Bali Seminyak – Bali, Indonesia – Hotel Review Part 2: The Restaurants

A menagerie of sorts for breakfast!

– Photo Gallery: Around Bali

– Exploring Bali: Tanah Lot

McCown was like a local celebrity in Bali:  tons of Indonesian girls demanded a picture with her. #localceleb?

– Exploring Bali: Taman Ayun

– Villa Semana – Ubud, Bali

Staggered rice terraces of Ubud, Bali next to our hotel

– Photo Gallery: Around Ubud

At the Ubud Palace in Bali:  Puri Saren Agung Ubud

– Lounge Review:  CIP Lounge Denpasar-DPS Domestic Terminal

– Air Asia – Denpasar to Jakarta

First economy class flight of the trip. I feel dirty and poor.

– Keraton at The Plaza Hotel, Jakarta

– Photo Gallery and Walking Tour: Around Jakarta

– Esplanade Lounge – Jakarta

– Singapore Airlines “First Class” – Jakarta to Singapore

– Photo Gallery: Exploring Singapore

– Singapore Changi Airport

Yes, this is inside Singapore’s airport!

They also have a giant butterfly garden!

– Lounge Review: KrisFlyer Silver Lounge – Singapore

– Singapore Airlines Business Class – Singapore to Male, Maldives

– Male, Maldives & Hotel Octave

Ferry from Male airport island to the main Male island…they have a surplus of islands around here

– Lounge @ MLE Domestic Terminal

– Maldivian flight – Male to Kooddoo 

– Park Hyatt Maldives

– Plaza Premium Lounge – Male International Terminal

– All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class – Singapore to Tokyo

– United Airlines BusinessFirst Cabin – Tokyo to Newark