Val’s bridesmaid Mahlet was getting married in Ethiopia and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a visit to a leading country that headquarters the African Union. Even though we attended Mahlet and Heath’s American wedding in Chicago, we had plenty of points to travel westward in style, and so we did!
Contents
Accessing the Amenities
We had the time to lounge hop across 11 different airport lounges (VIP One, Lufthansa Business, Turkish Airlines, and Air France in JFK; Marhaba and Crystal by Aspire in GVA; IGA in IST; Ahlein and EgyptAir Alioth in CAI; Plaza Premium and Sheba Cloud Nine in ADD) in a one-week vacation period. The last of that list in ADD felt the most spacious ( most deserving of its titular Cloud Nine naming) and supplied the most diverse spread of food and beverage.
Swiss Air Lines gave out metal tins for their amenity kits, and their lie-flat seats were equipped with massage capabilities. This was the second Conrad Hilton we stayed at together (the first being Conrad Centennial Singapore), and the level of service remained exceptional. Our dedicated concierge contact also gifted us with their hotel mascot (a plush seagull with the Conrad insignia—which looks so much like the Greek letter “Λ” Lambda). Like the Grand Hyatt Athens, the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus served raw honeycomb in their executive lounge, which Val and I had access to as Hilton Diamonds. We overindulged in their free Turkish coffee and Turkish delights.
In my previous trip to Singapore, I unknowingly earned Star Alliance Gold status, which was set to expire at the end of January 2024, so I made the most of it by skipping horrendously lengthy lines (which was useful for flying from Istanbul to Cairo). Some people might find this perk frivolous, but it really helps in a pinch to know that you don’t have to worry about running out of overhead bin space (resulting in wasted time at baggage claim). Plus, the amount of gold we saw throughout the trip (decorated on Byzantine-era mosques and across museum artifacts of North Africa) made walking on the Star Alliance Gold Track red carpet airport slightly more fun.
In planning my own wedding, I recognized how important it is for guests to book with the wedding block, so Val and I made sure to book at the recommended accommodation even when it wasn’t going to be on points and miles. Mahlet and Heath chose a fantastic gathering point in the Hub Hotel in Addis. Their free breakfasts are immensely nourishing, and Val loved the colorful variety of naturally squeezed fruit juices (ranging from guava to watermelon to carrot). We were also served free coffee (Ethiopia is purportedly where coffee originated) in the hotel foyer when waiting for the wedding party to gather.
While on Ethiopian Airlines for our trip home, we devoured injera and its accompanying fixings, received a second set of amenity kits (neon green hanging dopp kits) served by different cabin crew, and had plenty of time to rest in lie-flat seats in between in-flight entertainment. Val has accompanied me on a number of grand adventures across the globe (with me as Player 1); this trip would make our 6th continent visit together, and this time I played the role of Player 2 as she was finally able to put her hard-earned points to good use. This was the first time Val redeemed her Chase Ultimate Reward points—she signed up for the Sapphire Reserve while in medical school prior to the pandemic—for a nearly 18-hour long flight with a Western Africa pit stop for the aircraft to refuel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It was because we traveled westward that we were able to depart ADD and arrive in JFK on the same MLK Day in the States.
Packed with planning tribulations, I originally began planning for a points and miles trip to Morocco in the spring of 2023, which we later canceled because of a devastating earthquake. I then booked a business class flight via Air France to Israel in September 2023 (Val and I both have been meaning to see Petra in Jordan), but that was canceled by the airline due to the area’s ongoing conflict. When we finally committed to exploring Turkey (a new country for Val) and Egypt (a new country for me), I learned that Avianca LifeMiles had internal issues when transferring points to Ethiopian Airlines—an issue that would not get resolved no matter how many times I tried calling Avianca’s customer helpline. Travel hacking isn’t the easiest hobby, but I’m not the type of problem solver who would back down from a challenge—not ever.
Crossing Cultural Currents
By proxy of the sheer number of spas available throughout Addis, we observed how seriously wellness is prioritized in Addis. Val and I did a couples massage (as we typically schedule in any international trip together) for our first night in Addis at a Dagi Spa, and then booked our own sessions for a second night (she did an exfoliation session while I doubled down on deep tissue and reflexology).
Even as a modern city in Africa, there were still many vendors in the markets that could not accept a credit card. We were fortunate to have an ATM at our hotel where we could exchange USD for Birr. In lieu of Lyft, Uber, or Grab, we navigated around town using their local taxi app, and even then, most drivers expected us to pay in Birr instead of through the app. In the cab rides, I tried to make out meaning from billboards that used Amharic text.
We shopped and haggled for traditional melse outfits, tried out Kaldi’s (their version of Starbucks where I was randomly stung by a bee—a first-ever experience for a man in his 30s), and visited Mahlet’s family’s home for a cookout (where we saw the cow that would eventually get slaughtered for the ceremony the following day). The Melse ceremony was extravagantly decorated and we had a great time getting to know all sorts of people in the newlywed’s circle.
Evaluating the Excursions
We squeezed in the following sites through meticulous hour-by-hour planning:
🇹🇷 Turkey in 2 days: Hagia Sophia Mosque, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Lunch at Sultanahmet Square, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar.
🇪🇬 Egypt in 1 day: Egyptian Museum, Pyramids of Giza, Great Sphinx, Camel Ride at Valley Temple.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia in 3 days: Shiro Meda Market, St. George's Cathedral, National Museum of Ethiopia, Dagis Spa (x2), Kaldi’s (x2).
I strategically booked guided tours on Viator or Airbnb (I still have a couple thousand dollars left in employee credit to spend) so that we could either bring our carry-on luggage with us in their vehicles or consume a meal as we trekked. All of my guides suggested I leave a review on their tours, which I have included below.
In our 10-Hour Private Layover Tour: Giza Pyramids and Egyptian Museum from Cairo Airport (via Viator), our tour guide Ahmed Elsayed curated a memorable layover trip with outsized value. He expertly shared his cultural knowledge of all the historic places we visited and gave us fantastic tips on where we could get souvenirs from Egyptian artisans for our friends back home. We were also accompanied by a friendly driver who stored our luggage safely as we entered museums, pyramids, and local businesses. One of my favorite moments in our layover trip was getting to ride on the friendly camels against the beautiful landscape of Egypt.
In Discover Unique Basilica Cistern Private Guided Tour (via Airbnb), Ayhan served as a friendly expert who excelled at storytelling the Basilica Cistern's rich history, architectural design, and influence on pop culture. He knows how to take captivating photos on his tours, and he personalized our experience at the start and end of the tour with unexpected gifts. I highly recommend his services to anyone visiting Istanbul in a short time crunch.
In Istanbul Dinner Cruise and Entertainment with Private Table (via Airbnb), our organizer Kazım went the extra mile to ensure my group had excellent transportation to and from the cruise. The Mediterranean multi-course dinner that was included in the cruise filled our bellies and we even stepped out to the deck to glean evening glimpses of backlit Istanbul landmarks.
Summing the Savings
The retail value of the trip was worth $17,881.73. When I subtract $2,880.15 of actual travel expenses, my points hobby netted us $15,001.58 USD in added value for this season of autumn travel. As I mentioned in my Maldives post where I saved over $40K USD, the formula I use to calculate cent per point is:
CPP = 100 * (Cash Prize - Expenses) / (Award Prize)
Flights for two people (spent a total of $2,086.76 on flights worth $16,712):
2 business class flights on Swiss Air Lines from JFK to GVA retailed for $10,263. Through Avianca Lifemiles, we were able to tack on an additional economy flight from GVA to IST (there were no ‘European business class’ offerings available on this flight operated by Turkish Airlines) that retailed for $305 for two people.
Redeemed via 125,280 Avianca LifeMiles transferred at a 1:1 rate from Capital One Miles for a Swiss Air Lines flight (and $159.40 in taxes and fees)
CPP = 100 * ((10,263 + 305) - 159.40) / (125,280) = 8.31 CPP
2 economy (positioning) flights on EgyptAir from IST to CAI (which I specifically timed for a full day layover) to ADD turned out to be the most expensive purchase on this trip, which cost $1,825.76 (I could have redeemed this on points but the CPP would not have been worth it).
2 business class flights on Ethiopian Airlines from ADD to JFK retailed for $6,144.
Redeemed via 176,000 United miles transferred at a 1:1 rate from Chase Ultimate Reward points (and $101.60 in taxes and fees)
CPP = 100 * (6,144 - 101.60) / 176,000 = 3.43 CPP
Lodging for two people (spent a total of $413.37 on lodging worth $665.37):
We initially booked a King Deluxe that received a free upgrade to a King Executive Room with Bosphorus View, and with a couples massage factored in, only paid $185.82 USD for the first night in Istanbul.
Redeemed a Free Night Certificate at Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus. We were upgraded to a Park Suite for the second night of our stay, which retailed for $252.
We stayed 2 full nights at the Hub Hotel, which amounted to $227.55 for the Standard Queen Room for a 7:00 am early check in plus two nights.
Travel Incidentals (spent a total of $380.02 on travel incidentals worth $504.36):
Lyft: $190.99 to and from JFK
Uber: $77.89 to and from IST
Airbnb: $124.34 for 2 guided tours (free with employee credit)
Viator: $111.14 for 1 guided tour
Here are our travel receipts:
See more photos of our trip (runes, rooms, and routes) in our Google Photos album.
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