The beauty of Bled Island in Slovenia! Photo by: Evan Berman

In March of this year, I started on a long but fun trip that would see me away from home for a full month and travel more than 20,000 miles, visiting 8 countries and 3 states! To tell the story conceptually, I will split this into 2 trip reports, the Eastern European Experience and the Grand(parent) Tour of US Cities.

March is not a time when most people visit Europe, which is why I wanted to visit then! The trip started out as a way to explore Eastern Europe, an area that I had not spent a ton of time visiting previously. Then, I learned about the Starkbierfest in Munich and my definition of Eastern Europe expanded a bit! 😉 This was one of the more enjoyable trips I had experienced– between the friendly people, amazing food and drink, the terrific flights, and luxurious hotel stays, there is something for everyone!

This is the introduction to the trip, stay posted for reports of each city, flight, and hotel. As with all Trip Introductions, I will include Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Sections.

This introduction is the beginning of the Eastern European Experience. For more information on this trip, follow these links:

Intro (This Article)

Flight: United Economy Class B737-800 CHS-ORD-SEA

6 Hours in Seattle

Centurion Lounge, The Club SEA, and United Club: SEA Lounges

Flight: Turkish AIrlines Business Class B787-9 SEA-IST

Istanbul Airport’s Famous Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B737 MAX 8 IST-BUD

2 Days in Budapest

Dining in Budapest

Hotel: Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center

SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium SkyCourt, and Platinum Lounge (Schengen): BUD Lounges

Flight: Lufthansa Economy Class A320-200 BUD-MUC and A321-200 MUC-ZAG

24 Hours in Munich

Starkbierfest Munich

Hotel: H+ Munchen (Wyndham)

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC

Flight: Croatian Airlines Economy Class Dash 8 and ATR 72-600 (Twin-Prop Plane) ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG

2 Days in Split, Croatia, the Beauty of the Adriatic

Delicious Food in Split

Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Primeclass Lounge ZAG

6 Hours in Zagreb

Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Feelings

2 Days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Restaurants in Sarajevo

Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)

Business Lounge SJJ

Air Serbia Premium Lounge and Business Club: BEG Lounges

Flight: Swiss Airlines Economy Class Embraer E190-E2 and A220-300 BEG-ZRH-LJU

2 Amazing Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Food Scene in Ljubljana

Day Trip around Slovenia: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Bled Castle, and Lake Bled

Hotel Emonec Ljubljana, Slovenia (Rocketmiles)

Flight: Air Serbia Economy Class ATR 72-600 and A319-100 LJU-BEG-SKP

1.5 Days in Belgrade, Serbia

Restaurants in Belgrade

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Hyatt)

3 Hours in Skopje, North Macedonia

Primeclass Lounge SKP

Flight: Wizz Air Economy Class A321-200 SKP-MXP

14 Hours in Milan and Monza, Italy

Hotel de la Ville Monza, Italy, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP

Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK

Conclusion

Who:

I went on this trip by myself but met new friends along the way who happened to be continuing on the same route as me! As I’ve said before, I enjoy travelling alone.

What:

I have long wanted to explore Eastern Europe more and finally had a great opportunity to do so. Turkish Airlines ran a sale for one-way Business Class awards from Seattle, Washington to anywhere in Europe or the Middle East for 31,500 miles. I took advantage of that deal, which brought me to Budapest, Hungary. From there, I wanted to see the nearby countries in and around the Balkans (history and geography lessons will be coming in each city recap!).

I love planes and flying and like most people, a flight on Emirates First Class was high on my bucket list. Since I would be visiting Europe, I searched award availability for Emirates’ MXP-JFK (Milan to New York-JFK) and ATH-EWR (Athens to New York- Newark). Lo and behold there was 1 seat available flying the A380 in First Class from Milan-Malpensa to New York-JFK so I made sure to end my trip in Milan to catch that flight! The final piece? I learned about the Strong Beer Festival that occurs in Munich, Germany in March and made my plans to visit on a Saturday night!

My goals for this trip were clear: taste delicious food, explore Eastern Europe, experience a true German beer festival, and fly Emirates First Class. As you’ll see, I managed to achieve all of them! Points and miles played a major role in this trip, and I look forward to sharing my experiences and insights with you!

When:

The trip was just shy of a 2 week adventure (12 days) with lots of varied experiences. I flew out of Charleston on Wednesday, March 15th and returned to the US on Monday, March 27th (as mentioned in the Intro, I did not head home; rather I continued visiting New York and then Arizona).

Where:

The final itinerary was as follows: CHS-ORD-SEA-IST-BUD-MUC-ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG-ZRH-LJU-BEG-SKP-MXP-JFK. There are lots of confusing connections, so I will review mostly by airline rather than simply by route. Here is the schedule of flights (by airline flown):

1. United Airlines Economy Class Flights: Charleston, SC (CHS) to Seattle, Washington’s Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA) via Chicago, Illinois’ O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
2. Turkish Airlines Business Class Flights: Seattle to Istanbul, Turkïye’s Istanbul International Airport (IST), then Istanbul to Budapest, Hungary (BUD)
3. Lufthansa Economy Class Flights: Budapest to Munich, Germany (MUC), Munich to Zagreb, Croatia (ZAG)
4. Croatian Airlines Economy Flights: Zagreb to Split, Croatia (SPU), Split to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (SJJ) via Zagreb, and Sarajevo to Zagreb
5. Air Serbia Economy Class Flights: Zagreb to Belgrade, Serbia (BEG), Ljubljana, Slovenia (LJU) to Belgrade, and Belgrade to Skopje, North Macedonia (SKP)
6. Swiss Airlines Economy Flights: Belgrade to Ljubljana via Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH)
7. Wizzair Economy Class Flight: Skopje to Milan, Italy’s Malpensa International Airport (MXP)
8. Emirates First Class Flight: Milan-Malpensa to New York, New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Here is a map of that itinerary, courtesy of Great Circle Mapper:

Why:

I alluded to the fact that I have long wanted to explore Eastern Europe and experience a beer festival in Germany. This desire, coupled with the incredible deal on Turkish business class to Europe for 31,500 miles one-way meant that I was heading to Eastern Europe in March!

How:

The city-specific articles will provide exact pricing, but here’s what I spent:

Flights:

I purchased flights with a mixture of points and cash. In total, I used 46,500 Capital One Miles, 88,000 AmEx Membership Rewards Points, 20,200 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, and 5,000 United Miles (in addition to those transferred from Chase) & $1,313.17 for the flights on this trip.

• CHS-ORD-SEA: $196.69 (United Airlines)
• SEA-IST-BUD: 31,500 Turkish Miles & Smiles & $267.60 (Turkish Airlines)
• BUD-MUC: 6,500 United Miles & $35 (Lufthans Airlines)
• MUC-ZAG: 6,000 United Miles & $48.80 (Lufthansa Airlines)
• ZAG-SPU: $69.91 (Croatia Airlines)
• SPU-ZAG-SJJ: 6,200 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points & $59.70 (Croatia Airlines)
• SJJ-ZAG: 6,500 United Miles & $20.90 (Croatia Airlines)
• ZAG-BEG: $163.85 (Air Serbia)
• BEG-ZRH-LJU: 17,410 Air Canada Aeroplan Points (Swiss Airlines)
• LJU-BEG: $98.30 (Air Serbia)
• BEG-SKP: $91.02 (Air Serbia)
• SKP-MXP: $116.40 (Wizzair)
• MXP-JFK: 85,000 Emirates Skywards Miles & $145 (Emirates)

Hotels:

• Budapest,Hungary: $221.37 for 2 Nights in Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center (Wyndham)
• Munich, Germany: $97.91 for 1 night at H+ Munich (München) (Wyndham)
• Split, Croatia: $131.21 for 1 night at Hotel Vestibul Palace (SLH/Hyatt)
• Belgrade, Serbia: 16,500 Chase Points (transferred to Hyatt) for 3 nights in Hyatt Regency Belgrade
• Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina: $146.10 for 1 night at Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)
• Ljubljana, Slovenia: $204.57 for 2 nights at Hotel Emonec Ljubljana (Rocketmiles)
• Milan, Italy: $156.12 for 1 night at Hotel de la Ville Monza (SLH/Hyatt)

The total was 16,500 Chase Points and $958.28.

For those keeping track at home, that’s $2,271.45 and 46,500 Capital One Venture Miles, 36,700 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, 88,000 AmEx Membership Rewards Points, and 5,000 United Miles for premium cabin flights to and from Europe (and economy within Europe) as well as lodging for 2 weeks!

The final totals for all expenses, broken out by category and location will be found in the Conclusion article.

Highlights Include:

• Exploring the beauty of Slovenia, including Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, and Lake Bled
• Flying Emirates First Class
• Tasting the delicious cuisines of many different European countries
• Experiencing an authentic German beer festival
• Staying in luxury hotels, courtesy of Hyatt’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World

I planned this trip roughly 3 months before leaving and found a great deal. You can as well, with the tips from this website. Stay tuned for more! As always, reach out with any questions and keep Maxing Out Memories!