by Mike Wood | Jun 23, 2026
During our nine months of living abroad we stayed in about 100 different properties. Here were our best redemptions: Finch Hattons luxury safari tent camp, Kenya. We paid 375,000 Virgin Points for three nights and saved $6,000. Then it was so good that we...
by Mike Wood | Jun 16, 2026
Start of ninth month. This month was actually one month plus one day. May 15 – 27: On a tour of Madagascar. Madagascar was one of two countries (the other being Ethiopia) where due to the poor infrastructure and safety concerns, we weren’t able to set up...
by Mike Wood | Jun 14, 2026
We went to see the Escher exhibit at the Somerset House in London. Escher was the master of tesselations, visual, paradoxes, and optical illusions.
by Mike Wood | Jun 14, 2026
Things that we lost or that broke during our nine months of living abroad: Mike’s TSA lock, our silicone rings, one pair of underwear (replaced), one earring (replaced with a new set), a washcloth, a lens cap for binoculars (we replaced it), the case for my...
by Mike Wood | Jun 14, 2026
Is it possible to book a 10-day African safari for a family of eight and pay for it with points? The answer is that by using points and miles you can pay for about 90% of your lodging and international flight costs. But when you factor in other costs that don’t...
by Mike Wood | May 27, 2026
Madagascar was our final country In Africa (save for another trip back to Kenya to take our kids on Safari). And Madagascar didn’t disappoint. We had originally planned to come here in December. But due to political unrest (they ousted their president – Hey...
