Review: Lufthansa Business Class Washington-Dulles to Munich

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We arrived at Dulles much later than previously planned due to some absolutely terribly weather in Washington, DC. What usually is about a 75-90 minute trip to Dulles via taxi and the 5A bus, turned into a 3:15 nightmare of a trip from our home in Dupont Circle out to Dulles Airport.

Luckily, we had planned on leaving plenty of cushion to get there, because we wanted to relax in the lounge prior to our flight. As it turned out, we only had about 30 minutes in the lounge before we boarded our A330-300 bound for Munich, directly from the Lufthansa lounge at Dulles.

I’d previously only been into the Senator Lounge at IAD, but we did not have access for this trip, as we were “only” business class passengers, and I no longer have Star Alliance Gold status.  The Lufthansa Business Lounge is figuratively and literally a few steps down from the Senator Lounge, as it’s located downstairs, below the Senator.  It lacks the tarmac views and hot entrees of the Senator Lounge, but was not nearly as crowded and was perfectly fine for a couple of pre-flight drinks.

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge at Washington-Dulles

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge at Washington-Dulles

Dining area at LH Business Class Lounge IAD

Dining area at LH Business Class Lounge IAD

Food selections at IAD Lufthansa Business Lounge

Food selections at IAD Lufthansa Business Lounge

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Posted in: Airlines, Award Travel, Deals, Flight Reviews, Food, Germany, Lufthansa, miles, Munich, Oktoberfest, Travel, Travel Hacking, Trip Reports \ Tagged: , , , , ,

Ten Tips for Planning an Oktoberfest Trip to Munich

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My favorite trip  of the year is always my annual pilgrimage to Munich for the World’s largest festival — Oktoberfest!

This coming year will be the sixth year in a row that I’ve attended the Wiesn in Germany, so I’ve learned on the fly, but at this point,  I think I know what I’m doing pretty well.

Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival that runs every year,  from the late September to the first full weekend in October.  Plan these dates accordingly.

Planning a trip to this foreign festival can be a daunting task, but here are ten tips along with several guides and recommendations: Continue Reading →

Posted in: Advice, Airlines, Award Travel, Cities and Places, Delta, Europe, Germany, Hostels, Hotels, How to Guide, Lufthansa, Marriott, Munich, Oktoberfest, Sheraton, Special Events, SPG, Travel, Travel Hacking, United, US Airways \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Review: United Business First Dubai to Washington

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After spending an enjoyable three days in Dubai, we arrived at Dubai International Airport where we went through check-in, immigration and security without a hitch.  We had about an hour or so to kill before we needed to go to the gate for another round of security, so we headed to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge for a bit.

This lounge isn’t the largest lounge in the world, but there were a few options of cold appetizers as well as beer, wine and soft drinks.  I had a drink and a quick bite to eat as my buddy and I relaxed a bit before our impending long haul back to Washington.

Lufthansa Senator Lounge - Dubai

Lufthansa Senator Lounge – Dubai

It was finally time to get to the gate, so we made the ten minute trek through the expansive Dubai Terminal 2.   Since this was a flight back to the United States from Dubai, there was an additional security screening at the gate.  They took business class passengers first, but that only meant that we were allowed into the holding pen first at the gate, as boarding had not yet started.  Finally, after about thirty minutes of sitting around, we boarded our United B777-200.

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Posted in: Advice, Airlines, Analysis, Asia, Dubai, Flight Reviews, Food, Lounge Reviews, Lufthansa, miles, Status, Travel, Trip Reports, United \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Weekly Roundup – 12/12/2014

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First of all, my apologies — I’ve been M.I.A. for the last couple weeks.  Frankly, life has gotten into the way, as I’ve been busy with work, finding a new place for when my lease expires next month, and of course spending time with my family over Thanksgiving.  Once everything settles down, I will start posting a little more, as I still have trip reports and how-to guides and all sorts of stuff I want to write about!

In the meantime, I’ll briefly touch on a few things going on in the World of travel, points and miles — a weekly roundup of sorts.  It’s been a relatively slow week, but there’s still stuff happening!

Me in Lufthansa B744 First Class, sans falcon

Me in Lufthansa B744 First Class, sans falcon

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Posted in: Air New Zealand, Airlines, ANA, Award Travel, Hyatt, Lufthansa, miles, Southwest, Travel, Travel Hacking, United \ Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Ten Tips for Planning an Oktoberfest Trip to Munich

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My favorite trip  of the year is always my annual pilgrimage to Munich for the World’s largest festival — Oktoberfest!

This will be the fifth year in a row that I’ve attended the Wiesn in Germany, so I’ve learned on the fly, but at this point,  I think I know what I’m doing pretty well.

Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival that runs every year,  from the late September to the first full weekend in October.  Plan these dates accordingly.

Planning a trip to this foreign festival can be a daunting task, but here are ten tips along with several guides and recommendations: Continue Reading →

Posted in: Advice, Airlines, Award Travel, Cities and Places, Delta, Europe, Germany, Hostels, Hotels, How to Guide, Lufthansa, Marriott, Munich, Oktoberfest, Sheraton, Special Events, SPG, Travel, Travel Hacking, United, US Airways \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Oktoberfest 2013 Trip – Frankfurt, Munich, London, and Edinburgh

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Well, it’s that time of the year again — it’s time to head over to the happiest place on Earth — Oktoberfest!  This will be my fourth year in a row that I’ve attended the world’s largest festival, and every year it’s the highlight of my year!This year, I will be meeting eight friends in Munich for Oktoberfest, and then will be proceeding on to hit some other parts of Europe.  Tonight, I will be flying from Washington-Dulles to Frankfurt in United BusinessFirst.  I’ll be staying the day and night in Frankfurt, and will train down to Munich on Friday morning commence the Oktoberfest activities!   Once again, we will be staying at the Four Points Sheraton Munich Central — easily the best location in Munich for Oktoberfest, as it is only two blocks away from the front gate!

OktoberfestAfter three days of beer, brats, and dirndls, I will separate from the group and fly to London with a friend from grad school where we will stay for four days at the Waldorf Hilton.  Finally, we will train up to Edinburgh, Scotland for the last three days of the trip at the Glasshouse Autograph Collection.

Will anyone else be in Munich for Oktoberfest this coming weekend (Closing Weekend – October 4-7)?

I’d also love recommendations for things to do, places to see, and for restaurants, and bars in both London and Edinburgh!

I can’t wait to throw on the lederhosen and boots and get this thing started!

Posted in: Airlines, Europe, Food, Germany, Hotels, Lufthansa, Oktoberfest, Travel, Trip Reports, United \ Tagged: , , , , , ,