How to use hotel points for luxury yacht cruises

When you think of a luxury yacht, you probably think of handsome billionaires with too much money who spend all day tanning and all night sipping champagne off the Amalfi Coast.

 

Well, I have some good news. YOU could be that person if you want to be. Well, maybe not the billionaire part. But definitely the handsome part, you stud 😉

 

In all seriousness, you don't have to be a billionaire to enjoy a luxury yacht ride. In fact, you don't need any money at all.

 

That's because you can use Marriott Bonvoy points to book experiences on Ritz-Carlton's yacht collection, the same way you'd book normal hotel rooms.

Additionally, you can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points if you pay for a Ritz yacht cruise with cash. But before you get super stoked, I'll just be upfront - rooms be HELLA expensive, costing at least a few thousand dollars for a 5-night cruise... yea, it's some pretty fancy stuff.

 

But that's exactly why this is so cool - the fact that anybody can earn points and redeem them for a free cruise that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars is what travel hacking is all about.

 

What makes this extra great for Marriott Bonvoy fans is that you can also take advantage of elite status benefits on these cruises, though these benefits are a bit different from the standard hotel perks.

Redeeming points works a little bit differently from hotel rooms, too. Basically, you can redeem points at a flat rate of 180,000 points for $1,000 of savings. Even if you don't have enough points for the full cruise, you could cash out your points to significantly reduce an otherwise unfathomably expensive experience.

 

Overall, this will definitely be good news for people who either have a ton of Marriott points lying around or for those who want to save up large sums of points for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

One of the most common questions I get from readers is "what is the best/cheapest way to use cell phones when traveling abroad?"

 

I've grappled with this very question myself for years now, and have tried out tons of different tactics for maximizing my dollar when it comes to cell phone usage.

 

While there's no "one size fits all" answer here, I wanted to share something that I've been having a lot of success with on the trip I'm currently on.

 

In case you've never heard of them, eSIM cards are virtual SIM cards that allow you to use your phone abroad without the need to physically swap out cards.

 

There are a number of companies that offer this service, but I've had a lot of success with the app Airalo. We have no relationship with them, but if someone from Airalo is reading this... hey there 👋🏼 feel free to reach out.

Here is how it works:

 

It's that easy. The only prerequisite is to make sure your phone is eSIM compatible. Most devices that are only a few years old or newer work fine, but be sure to check ahead of time. A simple Google search will give you the answer.

 

Here is why I've recently fallen in love with using eSIMs:

 

Regional packages: eSIM services typically offer regional packages that work in multiple countries.

 

For example, for most of the last month, I've been using a "Europe" package that worked in all 9 European countries I visited. If I was running low on data, I could easily top up the SIM with 1 or 2 gigabytes of data at a time.

 

 

Convenience: Being able to download a variety of SIM packages for any country in the world in just a few seconds is amazing. Additionally, because it's an app, it's very easy to always know how much time and/or data you have left on your plan. Here is what my phone home screen typically looks like, with my eSIM right at the top:

Aside from the embarrassing lack of exercise on my Apple Fitness widget, I love being able to just look at my home screen and know how much data I'm using.

 

Affordability: While it's not the cheapest way to use your phone abroad (I'll elaborate in a bit), it's definitely FAR more affordable than most phone plans that charge you a flat rate per day for roaming abroad.

 

For example, I'll be heading to Thailand next week, where I plan on getting one of the following eSIM packages:

Rather than pay $10 per day to use my phone plan from home for a week (for $70 total), I can pay $10 total and have unlimited data on my phone for my entire stay there.

 

As you can see, the savings can really start to add up over time, especially on a trip where you're moving around through multiple countries or continents.

 

 

 

For one, eSIMs typically only give you data to use and do not work with voice calls or SMS messages, though there are some rare ones that include voice calling as well. Depending on your situation, this could be a dealbreaker.

 

Personally, I don't mind. As an iPhone user, I primarily communicate through iMessage or Whatsapp anyway, which works normally on data. If you were in a situation where you needed to make a call or receive an SMS message, you'd have to turn on your normal data plan and would be charged that nasty $10 daily fee, negating much of your savings from using the eSIM in the first place.

 

But here's a quick cheat code for that situation: Call a friend in your home country using FaceTime audio or another data-based app through their computer. Then, have them call the number for you on their phone and hold it up to the computer. It sounds tedious, but I've managed to save a lot of money by doing this instead of turning on my expensive phone plan for a day just to make a 5-minute call. To you and the person on the other end of the line, it's virtually indistinguishable from a normal phone call.

 

Second, it's not quite as cheap as buying a local SIM card in many cases. In Panama, for example, I was able to buy a 30-day, unlimited data SIM card at the airport for only $25. On my go-to eSIM app, I'd pay almost that much money for only 2 or 3 gigabytes.

 

In that case, it made sense to buy a local SIM.

 

Overall, the more I use eSIMs, the less I'm buying local SIM cards or using my plan from home. I love the convenience, flexibility, and generally affordable prices. Next time you travel abroad, check out some eSIM providers to see if they could make your life easier.

Yep... humans can be... bad.

 

Late last month, an American man attempted to fly from Germany to Singapore with a live, albino alligator in his suitcase.

 

What makes this story even more tragic is that albino alligators are nearly extinct, with only around 200 of them remaining on this planet. Presumably, this guy was trying to bring the poor creature to Asia, where such animals can sell for well over $100,000 on the black market.

 

Thankfully, he didn't make it very far after entering the airport. When his bag went through the security checkpoint, airport security noticed something a little... odd.

After investigating, they found this 3-foot-long alligator wrapped in plastic wrap with only its nostrils exposed. I don't know about you, but things like this make me pretty upset. I know alligators can be pesky, especially if you live in a place like Florida where they can make your life difficult. 

 

Still, I feel really bad for this poor fella for having to go through this traumatic experience. Thankfully, German authorities brought the alligator to a wildlife sanctuary where it regained its health and is now in excellent shape.

 

What became of the not-so-sneaky alligator smuggler? They took his phone and let him continue to Singapore. 😑

 

Allegedly, he is still facing charges in Germany. But I highly doubt he'll be setting foot back in the country anytime soon...

 

Anyway, this ranks pretty high on the list of weirdest things people have attempted to sneak past airport security.

That's all for today! I'm going to go crawl back into bed and try to shake this nasty cold...

 

What is your go-to strategy for using your phone while traveling? Would you shell out all of your hotel points to experience a Ritz-Carlton cruise? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.

अलविदा,

Head Writer, The Daily Drop