How we spent $1.4K on $75K of luxury travel to Japan and Singapore

Welcome to our second World Travel Adventurers (WTA) Savings Report! Here we are going to share about our most incredible family vacation to date, where we saved over $74,000 in just two weeks of luxury travel to Asia. For a general summary of the various trip summary reports to come, refer back to our first WTA Savings Report.

We’ve been fortunate to travel to many incredible countries around the world, but we’d always dreamed of taking our kids to Asia for a dream family vacation.

We took the trip of a lifetime last year and traveled with points and miles to Japan and Singapore. Our bucket list vacation included a First Class flight on Japan Airlines from New York City to Tokyo for just $18 per person plus points, an economy flight from Osaka to Singapore for $125 per person plus points, and Business Class flights from Singapore to New York City for $110 per person plus points.

While in Japan, we stayed at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and Hyatt Regency Osaka, spending only $608 plus Hyatt points for a week’s worth of accommodation. We didn’t have to spend any money on accommodation in Singapore because we have family living there and stayed with them.

So during our 2 week luxury vacation to Japan and Singapore, we paid $1,400.93 for $75,606.57 worth of flights and luxury hotels. That’s a whopping savings of $74,205.64 in one vacation! That figure does not even include money saved on free breakfast or other perks linked to our loyalty programs like lounge access, free parking, and complimentary happy hour. Since we don’t know the exact value of those perks, we cannot add in those savings. However, we estimate at least another $1,000 saved when considering how many free cocktails, glasses of wine and champagne we received!

We will break it down for you in our savings report and inspire you to plan your dream vacation with points and miles!

Flying JAL First Class from NYC to Tokyo for $18 per person

Flying First Class on Japan Airlines (JAL) as a family of four is our greatest award travel redemption to date. Bertaut changed our flight about 5 different times until we finally secured a flight that could accommodate 4 travel reward redemptions in First Class, which is not an easy task.

We were originally flying on two separate JAL flights, each of us flying with one child and one of them departing out of San Diego. I was not happy with that plan and kept encouraging him (he might call it nagging haha) to keep looking for a flight for the four of us. This was our first family trip to Asia after all, so I wanted us to arrive together. Plus, the logistics of flying separately would have made the trip more complicated, so I’m so glad I kept on him to find a flight for us together.

At last four award seats opened up days before our departure date, and we had ourselves 4 JAL first class tickets to Japan and the entire First Class cabin for just $18 per person plus 70,000 Alaska Airlines points. If you want to know exactly how we made that happen, provide us your email below and we’ll send you a PDF explaining the details of HOW we scored all those deals!

We drove from Baltimore to New York City because Japan Airlines doesn’t fly out of Baltimore or Washington D.C. The 14+ hour flight from NYC to Tokyo should have been a nightmare with an energetic preschooler and kindergartener who get cranky when they don’t get enough sleep (what kid doesn’t, right?).

Instead, the long-haul flight was a breeze thanks to flying in the luxurious JAL First Class cabin. We toasted with Salon champagne and sake, had an inflight date night while our kids were happily entertained with movies, and enjoyed outstanding service. Our surprisingly spacious seats fully reclined to beds so we were all able to get a good night’s sleep, which was especially important for the kids.

The flight attendants were great with the kids and even changed our son into his new clothes before our flight landed, which really impressed us! See more photos of our JAL first class flight and read our through review of Japan Airlines First Class. We saved nearly $55,000 on just this flight. Talk about starting off with a bang!

JAL First Class JFK to HND Airfare Savings

Staying in a Park Hyatt Tokyo suite for free

We broke up our stay in Tokyo betweeen the Park Hyatt Tokyo and the Grand Hyatt Tokyo because we wanted to be able to review both hotels. We stayed at the Park Hyatt Tokyo for free with Hyatt points. As Hyatt Globalists (a loyalty program for World of Hyatt guests), we were able use one of our confirmed complimentary suite upgrades.  We would have spent $1,217.40/night in our suite, but instead paid $0 plus points.

Park Hyatt Tokyo is famous from the movie Lost in Translation. We enjoyed complimentary cocktails and canapés in the same bar as Bob and Charlotte, which was a welcome amenity for Hyatt Globalists. Our spacious suite had stellar views of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji and was elegantly decorated.

They also left gifts for our kids at turn-down service and had adorable children’s pajamas and kimonos in addition to plush slippers for everyone to wear during our stay. The atrium pool was a hit with the kids, and we enjoyed live music in the lobby. We also received a sumptuous free breakfast buffet as another perk for Hyatt Globalists. Read our full Park Hyatt Tokyo review for more about this ultra luxurious hotel.

Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel Savings

Staying in a Grand Hyatt Tokyo suite for $150 per night

The Grand Hyatt Tokyo is not quite as luxurious as the Park Hyatt Tokyo, but it’s still a fantastic 5-star hotel and is a great option for families and business travelers. We stayed two nights at Grand Hyatt Tokyo in a suite for just $150 per night using the points plus cash option for Hyatt properties. We booked a standard room and used another one of our confirmed complimentary suite upgrades as Hyatt Globalists.

A huge perk of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo was access to the Grand Club Hotel Lounge. Guests staying in certain rooms, like suites or ones booked with club access, have access to the lounge as well as Hyatt Globalists. The lounge offers check-in and check-out, concierge, breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés, and light refreshments throughout the day.

As a family traveling with kids, the lounge access was not only extremely convenient but also saved us so much money. We didn’t have to dip into the overpriced mini-bar selection because we could get free drinks, cocktails, snacks, dessert, and even complete meals in the lounge.

We also were highly impressed by the level of personalized service the staff gave us at Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Our kids unfortunately both got sick during our stay, and they set up an appointment for us at a nearby international travel clinic. Our stay at Grand Hyatt Tokyo was fantastic and such a great deal with points and cash. Read our Grand Hyatt Tokyo review to learn more about this family-friendly hotel.

Grand Hyatt Tokyo Hotel Savings

Staying in a Hyatt Regency Osaka suite for $55 per night

Our next destination after Tokyo was Osaka, where we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Osaka in a diplomatic suite for only $55 per night plus points. Once again, we booked a regular room on Hyatt points and cash. We used another confirmed complimentary suite upgrade as Hyatt Globalists. We also enjoyed free breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés, and daily tea service in the Regency Club Lounge.

We loved having the flexibility to stop in any time for a drink or snack, which again saved us tons of money as a family of four. We even made dinner out of the evening canapé, which were suprisingly substantial and included a delicious mix of local Japanese cuisine and other global food options. We especially loved the free cocktail service, where we unwinded with a glass of wine while the kids nibbled on tasty treats. For only $55 per night plus points for a diplomatic suite, Hyatt Regency Osaka was an unbelievable bargain! Read our full Hyatt Regency Osaka review for more about this great value hotel.

Hyatt Regency Osaka Hotel Savings

Flying from Osaka to Singapore for $125 per person

After an amazing week in Japan, we flew to Singapore to visit family. Since it was just two short flights, we went for economy tickets instead of splurging for premium seats again. We booked our flights through Delta on points and paid $125 per person in taxes and fees.

Note that taxes and fees vary significantly depending on what country you are departing from and where you are arriving. It’s pretty surprising that our taxes were only $18 per person from NYC to Tokyo but $125 from Osaka to Singapore with a stop in Shanghai. However, you can’t get out of those pesky taxes and fees so you just have to suck it up and pay it on top of your points.

Osaka to Singapore Airfare Savings

Flying Singapore Airlines Business Class to NYC for $110 per person

We stayed with family in Singapore so didn’t need to redeem any points for hotels while we were there. However, there are plenty of opportunities to do so with many hotel chains throughout the city. Our next redemption was our flight home from Singapore. Bertaut and our son flew Singapore Airlines Business Class from Singapore to Frankfurt and Singapore Airlines Business Class from Frankfurt to New York City for just $110 per person in taxes and fees plus points.  I (Alexis) and our daughter flew home separately on First Class Saudia Airlines from Singapore to Jeddah and Saudia Business Class from Jeddah to Washington DC.

Bertaut and our son enjoyed top-notch service from Singapore Airlines: the world’s leading airline. The flight attendants lavished our preschooler with coloring books, toys, and extra treats throughout the flight. Bertaut sipped on premium champagne while our son slurped down juice and watched cartoons. We saved over $11,000 on this particular redemption.

Singapore to Frankfurt to New York City Singapore Airlines Airfare Savings

Want to learn more about HOW we spent $1.4K on $75K worth of flights and hotels thanks to points and miles?

So we just gave you a quick rundown on how we spent about $1,400 on over $75,000 worth of luxury hotels and flights. Do you want to go deeper and get the nitty gritty on HOW we did all that?

If you want to get all the juicy details about HOW we did this, we’ll send it to you in a PDF that you can download and save for future travel planning purposes. We want to help you make your dream vacation a reality for your family, not just impress you with our amazing travel savvy. 😉 Just click HERE, enter your email and we’ll send you all the details of how we traveled our way to Japan and Singapore with travel rewards. If we can do it, you can do it!

If you liked this post, please share it and pin it for later. You may also want to read our first WTA savings report,  which gives an overview of how we saved over $271,000 in 2.5 years of traveling with points and miles while visiting over 25 countries. Also check out our around the world trip for $527!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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