A Seychelles redemption that became an unexpected journey — a reader's success tale

Editor's note: This article mentions several routes that are currently on hold but are anticipated to resume as travel resumes.

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Matthew, whose thorough planning and effort enabled him to book a fantastic luxury vacation to the Seychelles using points and miles. Although COVID-19 ultimately led his family to cancel the trip, there's still much to appreciate about this booking:

"Everyone approaches their points differently. I seek premium cabin travel to far-off beach destinations for my whole family — myself, my wife, and our two now-teenage sons — which requires longer lead times to gather the miles and the right combinations of routes and hotels with ample availability.

In 2013, I treated the entire family to Cathay Pacific first class for a memorable inaugural trip to Bali. In 2016, we traveled in Star Alliance first class, visiting Thailand and China. For our third and potentially final adventure (the kids are heading to college soon), I successfully used miles and points to secure an amazing summer 2020 trip to Seychelles.

Over the years, my wife and I have held several Citi and Barclays cards to accumulate the 600,000 American Airlines miles needed for the air portion of our trip (75,000 miles one-way for business class from the USA to Africa). As a frequent United Airlines flyer, I’m not even sure I’ve ever earned an AAdvantage mile through flying with AA. I monitored award availability trends last summer and successfully booked the flights 331 days in advance (as permitted by AA policy).

For the outbound journey, I managed to secure a one-stop itinerary from my home airport on what TPG Awards recognized as the top international business class product – Qatar Airways' Qsuite. I booked four seats through the American Airlines website, with the IAD-DOH-SEZ route allowing ample time for a layover tour in Doha. I even secured seats in one of the center "pods" for the family.

For our return trip, I discovered a one-stop itinerary through Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways (but not available on the AA website). Etihad operates AUH-IAD on a 787-9 Dreamliner.

Seychelles is a stunning beach destination, yet it surprisingly has limited options for points hotels. My wife and I each obtained a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which provides a 150,000-point welcome bonus*. Using the fifth-night free benefit, I booked two Garden Villas for five nights at 320,000 HH points each at the Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort. Other valuable Aspire card perks for this trip included Diamond status for both of us (offering free breakfast and additional benefits), plus a $250 Hilton Resort credit.

It was a dream trip, but it wasn't meant to be: Due to COVID-19, Etihad canceled our SEZ-AUH flight. I contacted AA to cancel the other flights and hotel reservations, receiving a full refund for everything. I’ll be on standby to try my luck again for 2021."

*after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening the account

The details for the Hilton Aspire Amex card have been independently gathered by Dinogo. The information presented on this page has not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

It's disheartening to cancel any trip, and my sympathy goes out to Matthew and his family for having to abandon what sounded like a dream vacation. While I admire the redemption he orchestrated, I'm even more impressed by the process he followed. Whether your aim is to fly in a premium cabin to a distant beach or take a short economy flight closer to home, there’s much to learn from Matthew’s strategy.

To begin with, he clearly conducted thorough research. He knew exactly how many miles he would need well in advance, and he was aware of the specific date the award calendar opened to ensure he got the first opportunity. This level of timing is crucial, especially if you're trying to secure multiple award tickets or a spot in a desirable premium cabin — even more so if, like Matthew, you're doing both.

Matthew's diligent effort also allowed him to optimize his travel with the two airlines he selected, understanding that Qatar's center-quad Qsuites layout is ideal for a family of four and that a long layover would give them a chance to explore Doha during their journey. The same applies to Etihad, where Matthew recognized that he wouldn't locate these awards on the AAdvantage website. Yet, that didn’t deter him from finding and reserving the seats he desired.

Rather than accumulating points haphazardly without a clear goal, Matthew crafted his credit card strategy specifically around the points necessary for his trip. He amassed 600,000 AAdvantage miles through various Barclays and Citi cards and opened two Hilton Aspire cards (one for himself and one for his wife) to secure complimentary hotel nights in a typically pricey destination. Not many individuals can adapt their brand loyalty like this, switching from one to another based on their travel needs.

Further Reading: Selecting the ideal credit card for American Airlines travelers

I truly enjoy this story and would love to hear more like it! Please send your own award travel success stories to info@Dinogo.com; make sure to include details on how you earned and redeemed your rewards, and use "Reader Success Story" as the subject line. You’re also welcome to share your most regrettable travel blunders; however, due to the high volume of submissions, we may not be able to respond to each story individually.

Wishing everyone safe and joyful travels, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Photo by Kathleen Porter Kristiansen/Dinogo.