Let’s start with the fact that 2018 was a crap year for me personally due to a job layoff and the ridiculous executive job search.  Add to that, my friends woes (death of a parents, cancer diagnosis and job search drama) and it was tough to find the positives. Real life doesn’t get an Instagram filter, unfortunately much of social media presents the rosiest of worlds.  That said, from a travel standpoint, I still managed to get away and have amazing experiences all made possible with my points. The fact that I could do a little travel this year while unemployed really helped save my sanity and make me feel normal if only for a bit of time.  Travel is like air to me, I need to travel to breathe, to feel normal, to explore and discover in order to reset my mind, body and spirit. So here is the travel year end review filled with chocolate, first class and my crazy elite status flight.

Note: I don’t recommend traveling during unemployment unless you have sufficient savings to pay your day to day bills and travel expenses.  No one should go into debt to travel for any reason. 

Starting the New Year with Fireworks in London

For years, I sat alone on the couch at home watching the midnight fireworks in London (7pm EST) because I’d be fast asleep by midnight.  After years of clubs, house parties and other New Year’s Eve celebrations, I came to enjoy my solitary celebration with pizza, wine and countdown coverage.  But I wanted to be in London at some point (dare I say a bucket list item?) and I was able to do that.  Mind you, the timing wasn’t great, I booked the London NYE fireworks tickets before I was given my layoff notice.  But knowing it might be a while before my next vacation, I used my points for flights and found a great hotel deal at The Mondrian London hotel on Southbank.  I was no longer on the couch alone, I was instead surrounded by thousands of people watching the fireworks live in person in London.  It was really fantastic to see, hear and experience.  I started the New Year off in London full of potential. Full of hope.  Full of possibility.

We Think You Need To Go Away – Hitting the Job Search Wall

I started off with a crazy schedule of networking, recruiter and job interviews when I returned from London in January and by May, my family, friends and social media folks were telling me I needed a break from the madness and the wallowing in chocolate after a few tough losses (one interview process was three months – six phone interviews, two lunch interviews and a 20 minute presentation I needed to create and deliver via webinar). Everything was closing in on me.  I received rejections on a daily basis and to be honest, I felt like a failure every day I didn’t get a job.  My mom was sending me job clippings from the newspaper and then changed her tactic to daily texts of prayers. Haha, no pressure.

Sure, I had a routine to get out of the house and go to the gym but the job search was mentally exhausting to get to the final rounds of interviews only to lose to the internal person.  There is literally nothing you can do to overcome the internal candidate. With the Memorial Day holiday upcoming and knowing that everyone would be on vacation, I booked a last minute trip to Rotterdam for the Traverse travel blogger conference.  I had points for the airfare (British Airways JFK-London) which was the biggest hurdle and allowed myself a bit of spending money from my savings to take the break and see my travel friends.

Three Days in Rotterdam

Rotterdam turned out to be a lovely surprise for my three day conference visit.  With attractions such as De Markthal, the Rotterdam food market, Rotterdam Street Art and Cube Houses there was enough to keep me busy outside of the conference schedule..  The easy to navigate city was less than ½ hr. from the Amsterdam airport by train. I also added a new Rotterdam boutique hotel (Mainport) to my favorites list.

Two Days in Bruges

From Rotterdam, I boarded the train to Bruges.  Like so many, I discovered the city of Bruges via the Colin Farrell dark comedy “In Bruges”.  The old town surrounded by the canal is a lovely tourist destination during the day but it was at night that the quite magic of the city came alive for me. It helped that there were 90 chocolate shops in Bruges to keep me busy with research.  Plus the Triennial Art exhibit was fascinating with the environmental theme and displays around the city. The Bruges Whale is still, to this day, a powerful art piece that resonates with me as a sad reminder of what plastic is doing to our oceans.

Overnight in Ghent (Gent)

Boarding the train from Bruges to Ghent (Gent) was quick and easy as there are multiple trains per hour between the cities.  Gent was just an overnight stay for two days. The 1898 The Post hotel was a newly opened and award winning boutique hotel gem that I never wanted to leave.  Ghent is a city that will surprise you and you should stay for a few days – definitely start with a walking tour, I loved my guide who started his own tour company, Charlie’s Tours Ghent.

RTM to LCY – Rotterdam to London City Airport

While I could have taken the train from Rotterdam (would have been quicker that day in fact), I chose to fly to London City Airport because I needed one flight to complete my Silver Elite status with British Airways.  So my day started in Ghent where I took an early taxi to the local train to Antwerp which stopped a few stations early so I needed to get off and find the other local train to Antwerp where I would then transfer to the Eurostar to Rotterdam, chill an hour in the Marriott lobby and then take the local airport bus to The Hague Airport (Rotterdam) where I arrived two hours early only to be subjected to a two hour delay.    All in, I had more than an eight hour travel day for a 45 minute flight to London (What I don’t do to keep my elite status!). Next time, I’ll take the train.

Connection in London

Arriving in London City, presents the best views as the landing approach is over the Thames.  Always book a window view!  From London City airport, I was easily able to navigate to the tube line that was direct to Southwark and walk to The Mondrian Hotel on the Thames. This was my second stay at the hotel and in the neighborhood (Southbank and Southwark) and I was really liking it.  During the day, I ventured to Borough Market or The Tate Modern (free rooftop viewing platform) and at night I could walk along the water and over the Millennium Bridge to The City and St. Paul’s for the most glorious views of the city aglow.

First Class London to Philadelphia on the Dreamliner

Flying home in First Class on BA was crazy as the newly opened First Security at LHR was having issues and it took nearly 45 minutes to get through (normal security would have been faster) which cut down my time in the British Airways Concorde Room. While a bit frazzled because I still had to plan time to get to B Gates, I was richly rewarded onboard.  I had chosen the later flight because the Dreamliner (787-9) is back on the seasonal schedule and had the new BA First product.  Even better is that the cabin of eight had only me and another passenger so I had half of the cabin to myself with my own dedicated flight attendant.  I was unemployed and this was surreal to be flying home international first class. I kept telling the FA that I was fine and it was too much to fawn over me but she was a star!  For nearly eight hours, I forgot about everything and let someone take care of me with food, wine and chocolate.  I escaped into the movies on the entertainment system.  Thank you Avios points!

Summer of Interviews and Job Rejection

When friends and family were traveling in the summer, I was confined to my house and consumed by the job search.  I started the summer with three Fortune 500 interview processes after returning from my European escape.  I also had smaller firm interviews in process as well.  Juggling a few diverse opportunities was promising as I kept my hopes in check.

One interview process consisted of ten (yes 10!) interviews, another rejected me then changed their mind to bring me onsite to interview and then reject me again.  Each process was three to four months of interviews and waiting.  Sadly, a few days after Labor Day, all of the companies rejected me in favor of the internal candidate (I wonder if I ever had a chance?).  A summer spent scrambling to get noticed, to be heard, to be considered.  A summer spent in my interview suit (which I want to burn) meeting people, attending network events and dreaming of the beach in Gozo.  I could have spent the summer at the beach and had the same result – starting from scratch.

New York Travel Conference – SKIFT Forum

So I started over yet again in September and by chance, had an amazing opportunity present itself. There’s a fabulous travel industry conference that I’ve always wanted to attend, the Skift Forum.  I had the last minute (three days in advance notice) opportunity to attend the 1.5 day conference that’s often been called “the TED of Travel”.  Again, points saved this trip as I was able to use my Marriott (former Starwood) points to stay at The Moxy NYC.  For two days, I forgot I was (still) unemployed.  For two days, I talked about travel and felt visible again.  Watch the videos from the Skift NYC Forum to learn more about the travel industry leaders and upcoming visions.

How to Travel for Less Class

One cool thing I was able to do was teach a weekend class “How to Travel for Less” at Main Line School Night (adult enrichment classes) in October.  I was a bit apprehensive wondering if anyone would sign up (and pay) for the class but ten travel enthusiasts did.  I spent time creating a packed presentation with tips, tricks and tons of travel information. It was a fun and interactive class to make sure I addressed each person’s personal reasons for attending.  My class reviews were 5 star which made me happy and I was invited back in the spring to present the class again.

Travel in Review

Despite the open calendar and chunk of free time which had me itching to travel to escape this drama, I was grounded because I didn’t want to spend any more money from savings.  I wasn’t sure when the job search would end but knew when the money would run out. How I wanted to run away and explore the world with the free time.

So 2018, I’m glad to see you go from a personal work standpoint because you’ve tortured me (and my friends), made me feel less than and made others ask me “what’s wrong with me” (answer: nothing).  From a travel standpoint, I was able to enjoy a new country (Belgium) that had long been on my list (Belgian friets and chocolate oh my) and return to London to see friends. As I’ve often counseled people who want to travel for less, it can be done if you are strategic with points accumulation/diversification and when to redeem.  Thankfully, my points accounts, chocolate, cookies and travel saved me and helped me stay (somewhat) sane in the year of the job search.

Note: Thank you for all of the support during this tough year.  I’ve appreciated the kind words and notes.  I still have many posts to share from the travels of the year both on the blog and on PhilaTravelGirl Instagram account.  As always, if you have any questions, just contact me.