Hello travellers!

I’m now back “home” at my base in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand after my two week trip to Sri Lanka.

After watching the cricket and getting a chance to see a little bit of Sri Lanka, it is now firmly on the list of places I want to go back to. I know there are National Parks, beautiful beaches and some stunning hikes I need to go and see that I just didn’t have the chance to when I was there.

But back in Chiang Mai, I’m back into the swing of working, updating my blog and keeping up a busy social life.

I took my first proper road trip on my scooter about an hour out of town to Mae Kampong with friends.

It’s a beautiful traditional village in the lush green mountains surrounding the city. We drove up to a viewpoint for some stunning views before coming back down to have a coffee with a river running through the jungle next to us.

I can’t believe I have been here nearly 6 months and that was the first time I had been out of the city for a proper exploration! More of that will need to be done!

But now, onto what I want to really talk about….

After my flights back from Sri Lanka, I hit the Gold frequent flyer tier with Qatar Airways.

Why is that important?

It means that I get some extra perks when flying on any of the airlines within the oneworld alliance which include Qatar Airways, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines and many more.

These perks offer real value to me such as free seat selection and lounge access. Picking a seat on a flight can be up to £100 so the savings really add up if you take a number of flights per year.

I find the lounge access also helps reduce stress when waiting at the airport, and the food and drinks on offer are an added bonus. Not having to wake up early for breakfast but knowing I can get a coffee and snack in the lounge before a flight gives me real peace of mind as well as saving me money on expensive airport food.

Along with other perks such as increased luggage allowances and business class check in, I gain over £2000 worth of value from the status each year.

I used to have the equivalent status with British Airways but I changed out of that scheme early last year after they made some detrimental changes.

There are two main ways to get an airline status.

I took the second option and with the help of some spreadsheets, savvy flying and indirect routings, I’ve got another year to enjoy some luxuries when flying.

Check out the posts below for more on gaining airline status:

Travelling is of course my passion, but another passion of mine is sport.

And when you combine the two, I’m in heaven.

I’ve got a full review of Europe United, a story of Matt Walker who travels around Europe watching a football match in every country that is affiliated with UEFA, the European governing body.

From microstates such as Gibraltar and Andorra, to the far reaches of Georgia and some Premier League action thrown in as well, this book is a mix of travel memoir and sport reporting.

You can find my review of the book here.

Or you can buy it directly here.

Keep travelling and look forward to next month when I’ll be talking about one of my favourite destinations in Europe you (probably) haven’t been to.

Safe travels,

Dan