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I know that it’s only early August, but I just booked my Halloween plans. While I might be groaning that decorations and candy are filling up retailers’ shelves already, it was the right time to plan travel. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and this year I plan to do it up big with a trip to Romania and Austria.
We’ll go to a party in Bran Castle in Transylvania (the famous locale spawned the original vampire legend of Count Dracula) and Prater (the Viennese amusement park) for its annual Halloween parade.
Flights
I booked my outbound trip through FlyingBlue for the two of us to fly from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP). Two seats in Business Class on KLM cost 215,000 miles plus $456 in taxes and fees. This will get us to Romania the quickest and most painless way.
We’ll then fly from Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) to Vienna International Airport (VIE) on Austrian. Business Class tickets were only $294 for two, so I paid cash for this flight. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Vienna.
Coming home, we’ll fly from Vienna International Airport (VIE) to Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). I booked these tickets using United MileagePlus miles. The two tickets cost 166,000 miles and $200.
Overall, this trip will cost (for two passengers):
- 215,000 FlyingBlue miles
- 166,000 United MileagePlus miles
- $950
All flights are in Business Class.
Hotels
We’ll be staying at four hotels for this trip in Romania and Austria.
The Marmorosch Bucharest, Autograph Collection is first for one night. I booked a Titanium, 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King for $402.
We’ll then spend one night at Bran Chalet. This cost $91 in a Double Room with Balcony and Castle View.
Then we have one night at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel. This cost $295 for a 1 King Bed, Executive Lounge Access, Executive Suite.
Finally, we’ll spend two nights at the Park Hyatt Vienna. I redeemed 120,000 points here for a Diplomat Suite.
Overall, this trip will cost (for two passengers):
- 120,000 World of Hyatt points
- $688
As I mentioned, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love getting dressed up and can’t wait to celebrate in Europe this year. My costume from 2021 is above. If you’re looking for something to do closer to home, the McKittrick Hotel (the venue for Sleep No More) in New York City throws an amazing party.
Anthony’s Take: This trip would cost over $20,000 if I paid for it all in cash. Business Class flights, suites, and more will end up costing me about 10% of this cost since I’m redeeming miles and points for a lot of it. I’m psyched to go explore Transylvania. Anyone have any tips?
(Image Credits: Marriott, Booking.com, Hyatt.)
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2 comments
381,000 miles AND $950 for a two-person trip to Europe and back in business. What has happened to the Miles and Points game? Sad. Sorry to be negative. You’ll have a blast. I’d make sure to check out the other Dracula Castles while in Romania. Bran is the most famous but there are several others. https://www.thetravel.com/the-dracula-castles-in-transylvania/
Devaluation is real. The days of easy, cheap Business Class award tickets are gone. Thanks for the link and suggestion.