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- I need to address the rumours about my recent trip š¬
I need to address the rumours about my recent trip š¬
How to fly business class for cheap, stay in a villa with a rolling bed and the best travel deals in the Amazon Spring Sale.
Chelsea Dickenson
March 21, 2024
Your must read travel round up āļø
Okay, Iām ready to address the rumours.
I know some of you will have seen it on my Instagram already but I need you to know the truth.
Yes.
I did fly business class.
Yes, I did love it.
Yes, I did think about dumping James, finding myself a rich husband and changing my name to luxuryholidayexpert (only for like, 3 seconds James bbz donāt worry).
But I need you to know that I absolutely did not pay full price for it.
At Ā£3000 for a return ticketā¦ CAN YOU IMAGINE?!
The truth is - as many of you will have guessed - I used points and miles! And after two years of saving them up, I had enough to fly both me and James to India and back.
It was the best thing ever but itās making me laugh whenever anyone says āoh you canāt go back nowā becauseā¦ er guys, yes I can and yes I will. Happily!
I mean, we all end up in the same place at the end anyway right?!
But if you do fancy flying business at least once in your life, myself and the team here at Cheap Holiday Expert have pulled together our beginnerās guide to points and miles.
Hereās what else you can expect this week:
Is AMEX Platinum worth the splurge? š³
Viray vacay: Rooms with rolling beds (yes itās a thing!) ā”ļøšļø
How you can stay in amazing homes for free š”
When can we say goodbye to 100ml liquid restrictions? š«
My deal of the week: the best travel deals in the Amazon Spring Sale š
Points mean prizes š
Okay, Iāve already wanged on about points and miles in the intro but if youāve ever been interested in whether it could work for you, weāve summarised everything you need to know to get you started.
The main thing to know is that you donāt have to fly a lot to earn points and air miles - you can earn them in loads of other ways and often on things youāre already paying for.
I also wanted to share my deep dive on the AMEX Platinum Credit Card which was great for allowing me to collect points quickly but came with quite the steep annual feeā¦ And so I did an honest (and extremely thorough!) review on whether itās worth it.
 Our beginners guide to points and miles What you need to know, how you can start to earn points (for free!) and how I earned enough to fly upper class to India. |  Is the AMEX Platinum card worth Ā£650 a year?! It seems like an instant no but with so many people swearing by it, I tested it out for a year to see if it would save me money. |
Viral Vacay š²
Where we track down the accommodation thatās gone viral, find out how much it actually costs and if needs be, suggest a cheaper alternative šµļøāāļø
 | What is it? How viral? How much? Cheaper alternative? Cheaper still? |
Seen a viral video you want me to do this for? Reply with it to this email! š§
Most clicked š±ļø
Thereās a couple of articles that Cheap Holiday Expert readers are LOVING right now, so we thought we should share them with you so you can see what all the fuss is about.
Weāve got the intel on how you can stay in some amazing places FOR FREE (no but actually) and if youāve heard rumours that the 100ml liquid restrictions are on their way out, youāre right! But perhaps donāt unleash those party poppers just yet..
 Get Free Accommodation by House Sitting I spent 2 weeks in Paris looking after a cat called Biscotte, all thanks to house sitting! Thereās quite a few websites to choose from (Trusted Housesitters are the biggest!) so hereās how to get started. |  Is the 100ml Liquid Rule for Cabin Luggage Changing in 2024? Many UK airports are now in the process of rolling out new 3D scanning technology, so weāve found out which airports will be ditching restrictions and when, so you can get excited for your decanting days to be over! |
My deal of the week
Amazon are running āSpring Deal Daysā between 20-25 March and so Iāve whizzed through all my previously recommended items to see if any have come down in price.
Are they actually a good deal though?
Good question my fellow cynics š Iāve checked all these deals on camelcamelcamel which tracks the previous prices of items so that we can double check itās actually a good deal.
Travel Adaptors & Power Banks
 | Having tested a lot of these, this is the best Iāve ever come across thanks to its high power and ability to charge loads of devices at once. This is a great little on the go powerbank and itās one of the best savings Iāve seen in this current sale. I use the 20000mAh and itās heavy duty, but the 10000mAh has the better saving. |
Luggage
 | Itās the right size for Ryanairās small cabin bag allowance, but with a quick zip it will also work for easyJetās bigger allowance too! A backpack that fits Ryanair - I love how many pockets this one has. Now, I donāt love this bag - the two above are better! But if you do want the Viral Ryanair Bag, itās at its lowest price point at the moment. Not luggage, but similar to an Airtag, it will help you find it should you lose it! |
Headphones
 | I speak about why I love noise cancellation headphones on flights here, and also reference a great pair for under Ā£50! But two of the more fancy options are in the current sale. Iāve tested these and for the price, theyāre really good. However, I was won over by the fancier pair! But thatās because I use them in my day job too. Theyāre also cheaper than a lot of the competitive products out there. |
And a final few!
 | I love how tiny this is which makes it perfect for taking away on holiday with you. Would make a great gift too. A great price and yep, I do spy a zip there should you want to use it for packingā¦ I couldnāt do my job without my Adobe editing software and the Adobe Creative Cloud is currently in the sale too! |
Whatās got the team excited this week? š„³
From bargains to news and travel experiences, hereās what weāve been getting distracted with this week.
Merowe: āI was just in the Philippines, where I spent some time with the Aeta tribe. The Aeta have African origins and are descended from the first people to arrive in the Philippines. The ultimate honour, they asked me to be godparent to the baby you see in this pic!ā
And thatās a wrap!
Thatās all for this week ā thanks if you made it this far and why not let me know you did so by answering the poll below ā¬ļø
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You can only take one of these on a long haul economy flight - which do you go for?Tap your answer |
Next time, Iāll be taking you through my recent trip to Universal Orlando so expect loads of tips about how to do it for less.
See you then!
Chelsea x
but tell me why we look so good in bizniz class babes???!?!?!?!?
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