Marriott is running a 20% off fall flash sale on Sep 25-29 using promo code QRI for stays between Sept 30 - Nov 11. Don't miss it!

Hey Reader! Are you a flights or hotel guy or gal? I know this might be shocking to say but I think a free stay at an epic resort beats out a business class flight. Who's with me?

Alright, so here's what we have going on this month!

• 🏨 Low-key awesome transfer to Marriott
• 🛠️ Renos are in full swing
• 👻 Spooky places to go

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Aeroplan 🤝 Marriott Bonvoy

There's always so much talk about different ways to get more points for flying (why I use the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card in 🇨🇦) but what about the points you need once you get to the destination?

That's where we introduce a secret new feature that Aeroplan added recently that you need to know about.

While I know Aeroplan is mostly for Canadians flying Air Canada, it is one of the top airline loyalty programs in the world with multiple sweet spots so we know there are many non-Canadians that hold accounts and have ways to transfer points to the program.

Alright so here's what we're all stoked about.

Starting in September, you can now transfer Aeroplan points to Marriott Bonvoy. This is almost unheard of because you'll notice that most transfers flow the other way. Aeroplan always wants you to transfer your other points to them and not away from it.

Here's how it works.

It's actually quite simple. You can transfer 1 Aeroplan point into 1 Marriott Bonvoy point (1:1) with a minimum of 500 points and a maximum of 100,000 points per transaction. You also need to be an Aeroplan Elite member. This means you need at least 25K (which you can get very quickly with TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card).

What if you want to transfer more than 100,000 points? Simply do another transaction. There doesn't seem to be a cap there.

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The steps are quite simple and I was impressed with how quickly the points transferred over. It was almost instantaneous.

Is it worth it?

Now this is where my opinion diverges with the other experts. You can hoard Aeroplan points but if you hold on to them forever for the perfect high-value flight that never happens, what's the point.

What really caught my attention is this. When transferring from Marriott Bonvoy to Aeroplan, you get 1 Aeroplan point for 3 Marriott Bonvoy points (1:3). That's absolutely terrible. The other way around, it's 1:1. Excellent!

And yes, you can transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a higher ratio from another card's points program (1:1.2) but if you aren't a member, or have extra Aeroplan points, this might be pretty clutch.

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The travel hackers will say that best value of Aeroplan is to spend it on flights because it's valued at 1.2 cents versus 0.8 cents for Marriott.

Here's where we can prove them wrong. If you look at the above, it costs 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to stay 5 nights at Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa. This would normally cost $3,512 (inclusive of taxes and fees). That's 1.46 cents in value.

So the final question is, where the heck do you find this transfer option? It took me awhile to find it but it's essentially in your "Aeroplan Offers" page after you log in. Scroll all the way down to "Hotel & car offers".

💰 This Months Travel Deals

We've got a bunch of outstanding travel deals that you'll want to take advantage of. Remember, we have our deals group on Facebook. It's free to join if you haven't yet!

• Four Seasons at Home: Speaking of hotels, if you ever wanted pillows or linen sets from a fancy hotel, you can buy them! Makes a great gift for the holidays too.
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• Peak Design: Not sure if you've heard but they launched their new Outdoor line of backpacks, slings, and camera/packing cubes on Kickstarter. This will run until October 16. If you're getting a backpack, save at least $51 off.
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• Europcar: Save up to 15% on car rentals in Italy from October to December. Expires December 31, 2024 and bookings must be made from US, Canada, Australia and Brazil.
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• Enterprise: 15% off autumn offer is valid in 63 countries worldwide. Book from now to November 30, 2024 for car rental between August 19th and November 30th.
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• Free eSIM: Klook is offering free eSIMs as part of their 10th birthday bash. It's free to sign up for an account. This promotion is valid to October 31, 2024.
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• Mountain Hardwear: 65% off select apparel and equipment with coupon code SEP65OFF. Expires September 29, 2024.
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• Booking.com: Save 15% or more with Late Escape Deals! Book now-January 7th for stay dates between October 1st-January 7th.
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• ALL - Accor Live Limitless: Save 10% off stays this fall in North America. Book from now until October 8 for stays between Sep 20 - Dec 30, 2024.
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• G Adventures: Until September 30, you can save 15% on hundreds of trips all over the world, with travel by December 20, 2024. Deal expires September 30, 2024. Valid for USA and Canada customers only.
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• Universal Studios Hollywood: Klook is offering a buy one day, get one day free + a free 5GB eSIM. This is a killer deal if you're planning a trip to LA soon!

Remember, we update our Going Awesome Places Deals page often so make sure you bookmark it. Also, if you want to know about deals right when they come out, join our secret FB group.

✏️What's New on the Site

We've written about a few amazing trips we've taken and refreshed updates to older articles. Keeping everything fresh over here!

• ​3 Day Gros Morne National Park Itinerary (with Map)​
• ​Where To Stay In Yosemite National Park​
• ​1 Week In Cape Town Itinerary – Wine, Sharks, Lions, Tables, And Townships​

Most Affordable Weeks To Fly This Fall​

Expedia did a study for their Fall Travel Outlook and they shared what they learn about the best times to fly these next few months.

TLDR:

• Lowest international flights - Week of October 20 - Average ticket is $260 lower than the summer
• Cheapest day of the week - Monday - Save 15% off
• Lightest travel crowd - Week of November 10 (ideally on Monday)
• Cheapest season - Fall - Historically 10% lower than summer
• US fall deals - Top 3 are Seattle, Honolulu, and Houston
• International fall deals - Top 3 are Toronto, Santo Domingo, and London

Thursdays are the busiest days to fly, but travelers taking to the skies on Mondays could save about 15 percent off the cost of their domestic trip. When it comes to international flights, travelers can save by departing on a Saturday.

☝️ What's Next at Going Awesome Places

From knee surgery recovery, we go heads deep into basement renovations.

We don't exactly have a big space down there but it's been left unfinished since we moved in so at the beginning of the year, we planned to turn this into a usable space.

Taking inspiration from our friends at ConvertKit and their Kit Studios, we hope to turn this into a bit of a filming studio as well so we're excited about that. I can finally move out of the make-shift dining room set up that I've been using for all of our Peak Design videos.

More to come :)

🍪 Travel Tidbits

Spooky destinations for October

Feel like immersing yourself fully into the Halloween spirit but like, a bit different? Skip the obvious choices of New Orleans and Salem and try some of these lesser known Halloween festivals around the world:

• Kawasaki Halloween Parade: Head to Japan for the ultimate costume competition, with locals and visitors competing for a prize of ¥500,000. Even if you don't participate just seeing the incredible work that goes into the costumes is worth the trip. Get all our Japan tips here.
• Foyle Halloween Carnival: Visit Derry in Northern Ireland for a festival spookily known as The Awakening. It is also the largest Halloween festival in Europe. Expect fireworks, carnivals, costume contests, amazing street food vendors, and music shows. Get all our Ireland tips here.
• Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado: Stay at the iconic hotel from The Shining and explore the fall foliage in the local area while you are there. In October the hotel hosts ghost tours including a nighttime Shining tour for extra spookiness. If you don't fancy risking redrum you can easily take a day trip from Denver.
• Paris Catacombs: One of the spookiest places in France is the catacombs in Paris, this ancient burial site is lined with actual human bones and tombs. It spreads for miles underground and can only be accessed with a knowledgeable guide, this isn't somewhere to explore alone! Visit Paris and see for yourself.
• The Winchester House, San Jose, California: This is one of those places that is weird, wonderful and spooky all year round. The original owner Sarah Winchester and her husband believed that they needed to ward off spirits by building this wacky house with staircases leading to nowhere, hidden rooms and hidden details that are just straight up creepy. For spooky season they offer a nighttime tour, perfect for optimal freakiness. Stay in San Jose for easy access to the house.

Travel news

Here's the latest from the industry with a few articles that we think you'll enjoy.

• ​Free Domestic Flight in Japan: Japan Airlines is offering free domestic flights with the purchase an international flight into Japan. If you're planning on going, you need to check this out!
• ​World's Best Airline Rewards Programs: You won't guess which airline loyalty programs made it to the top 10.
• ​Stay Young Thanks to Travel: Learn about a recent study that says travel slows down the aging process.
• ​Study Shows Gender Plays Significant Role in Selecting Travel Destinations: A new survey by Global Rescue reveals that women and men have very different ideas for their dream travel destinations.
• ​The 10 Most Expensive US Cities to Rent a Car This Fall: Prices for car rental don't seem to be dropping, and they can add extra expenses to your trip. Try our car rental coupon codes to get deals.
• ​Cancun Airport fines travelers bringing multiple devices: A great excuse to leave your devices behind, Cancun has limited travellers to just one portable device per person, with hefty fines if you bring extra.

Get the perfect shot for the ultimate trip envy

With the rise of social media we are flooded with friends and loved ones on trips, getting that perfect picture just to make everyone back home envious.

As travel bloggers we are absolutely the worst for it! *sorry, not sorry

But that does mean we are awesome at getting that perfect shot, so steal ideas from us to make those back home wish they were there on your next trip.

What are your fall plans? The leaves are already changing where we are and the temperature is dropping soon. We're also thinking about where we should go after our renos are done. If you have any ideas, let us know 😃.

Will Tang
​Chief of Awesome, Going Awesome Places

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