I once built an international itinerary around a six-hour flight. That was not a mistake. It was exactly what I wanted to do.
Sometimes the journey is the experience.
I had wanted to experience Etihad First long before the award appeared. When an unusual points opportunity made it accessible, I built the trip around that flight.
It turned the usual logic of travel planning on its head: the flight was the destination, and the rest of the itinerary followed.
A redemption worth remembering.
The private suite and attention to detail made those six hours special. What mattered was not how impressive the theoretical cash value looked. It was that we had genuinely wanted the experience.
That distinction has shaped how I think about travel rewards ever since.
The flight came first. The itinerary came second.← Back to all stories