Here is the truth: I was 40 tier points away from Silver status on British Airways. Silver Status gets you Fast Track Security access and lounge access. I couldn’t not book a flight to put me over the edge. Plus, I haven’t really gone anywhere for fun in ages. Not since Karen & Bob were here in August and I met them in Paris. I have been trying to be very good about debt lately and managing it down and down and down. Only $16,000 USD in MBA loans left, my friends! (That number was once $120,000 USD, so really, this is progress.) Understandably, spending has been at a minimum. But just 40 tier points to Silver…I wanted it. I wanted it bad. And Helsinki and Athens are the two best flights from London to get you — me — those 40 points.

I’m going to write about my hotel booking experience and hotel stay in another post. In the interim, here are some of my top tips for Helsinki:

Eat at Chef & Sommelier: Thanks to the magic of Twitter and Hermano Primero, I was able to book a last minute table at one of Helsinki’s best restaurants, Chef & Sommelier. It couldn’t have been lovelier. The staff were sweet, funny and above all, lovingly informative when it came time to explain each dish that was set down in front of me. Chef Sasu Laukkonen himself personally presented many of the visually compelling dishes. But as he reminded me, it’s not about how it looks! The restaurant has its own farm so they know where everything comes from. And while I didn’t see it, Sasu explained that there’s a Big Green Egg out back that they use for smoking.

Do a Visit Helsinki Design Walk: I am a lover of all things Scandinavian so I did one of the self-guided walks of Helsinki’s design district. (I did Classics are Forever.) It probably took me about two hours with stops at the shops along the way. It was a great way to see the city and all in all, it’s not a long walk. It’s the shopping stops that make it long.

Shop at Marimekko and Iittala. No visit to Helsinki is complete without visits to these two temples of Finnish design. All the money I saved on my hotel stay (more about that in another post) got spent at Marimekko. I managed to restrain myself at Ittala, although I did want to buy all the Klaus Haapaniemi. (Hi Klaus!) If you don’t know Klaus’ work, drop into an Iitala or check out his shop on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. Tell him I say hi!

Do a Beer Tasting at Bryggeri Helsinki: I had some time to kill after lunch on Saturday afternoon, and the ever-handy Foursquare sent me to this Finnish brewery, right by the waterfront. Who said Helsinki was expensive? I tried two different IPAs for 3.20 euros and mooched off the free wifi. (I find myself relying more and more on Foursquare when I travel. It seems to be the only service besides TripAdvisor that works pretty much everywhere.)

Check out the Design Museum: Are you sensing a theme here? I love Finnish design! All the Scandinavian chairs are mine! I spent about an hour in this compact temple to Finnish design and restrained myself from buying everything in the giftshop. Proudly, I did not steal the beautiful water glasses. Even though I wanted to.

Visit the Mannerheim Museum: For a change of pace, I went on a tour of the former home of the Finnish military leader, Gustaf Mannerheim. And while it wasn’t the most compelling tour I’ve ever been on, it was a pretty house and a nice change of pace from all the Scandinavian chairs I had been staring at the day before. If you are into history, this one is for you.

Have Lunch at Sundmans Krog: I needed lunch down by the waterfront in Helsinki and both TripAdvisor and Foursquare sent me here. It’s a quaint little space popular with tourists, but I enjoyed my salmon and potatoes and was able to use the wifi from the steak restaurant next door, so it worked for me.

Drink All the Beer at Ravintola Savel: My friend John took me out to Ravintola Savel on Saturday evening where we drank a lot of Finnish beer. It was funny because after having dinner at Chef & Sommelier the night before and learning about Malmgard Brewery, I was able to introduce John to Malmgard beers and John has lived in Helsinki for 14 years!

So I think you’re getting it…in Helsinki, I drank a lot of beer and looked at a lot of chairs. I had a good time and really enjoyed my quick weekend trip. So will you! Go now, my US and UK friends, while the Euro is in your favor!

Over the Christmas holidays, I read my friend Matt Kepnes’ book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. I first met Matt back in 2009 in Chicago at a mini travel-blogging conference after BlogHer. He was — and is — living the life that most of us can only dream of, traveling the world and running a successful website all at the same time. Matt, if you ever need a personal assistant, you just let me know.

You should definitely check out Matt’s book if you have a chance. It made me think a bit differently about the things I spend money on when traveling, and that alone made it worth the £9.74 investment. So when I was looking for a hotel in Helsinki, rather than my usual large business-class hotel that earns me points or the luxury boutique hotel with expensive soap and iPhone chargers and bluetooth speakers, I went with the design-led-but-still-cheap Hotel Helka at £59 a night. And while that’s certainly not the $50 a day that Matt gets away with, it was a lot better than the £150 a night I probably would have spent otherwise. Matt, it only took me six years to adopt your principles, but I’m getting there!

I also experimented with a new booking site in making my reservation. It’s called Kaligo.com and their (very good) gimmick is that you can earn additional frequent flyer miles with your booking. This was my compromise with myself…cheaper hotel, but get more miles. Plus, I booked my stay using my BA Amex so I got even more miles there. I have the BA Amex Premium Plus Card, which gets you 1.5 Avios for every £1 you spend and 3 Avios for every £1 you spend direct with British Airways or BA Holidays.

Back to Kaligo…here is how they describe themselves on their About page…

A brand you can trust and enjoy, Kaligo.com is a leading global hotel booking platform that rewards customers with incredible miles & points across a wide range of favourite loyalty programs.Launched in 2014, Kaligo offers great rates and a large selection of 300,000 properties across more than 200 countries.

While I saw lots of attractive offers on Kaligo.com for my Helsinki stay — two nights at the Hilton Helsinki boasted 3200 British Airways Avios — per previous, I chose the much more moderate Helka Hotel, which included a bonus of 700 Avios. I was very focused on saving money this trip and The Helka cost me just 59 quid a night. Kaligo’s confirmation noted that I should receive my Avios within six weeks after my stay. I just checked my Executive Club statement and the 700 Avios arrived five business days after I checked out of the hotel.

I can’t think of a reason for not using Kaligo for all my hotel bookings now. If I can get extra miles…why not??? (Although please note that booking through Kaligo may mean you can’t otherwise earn points on your stay.) Sure, I am also a member of Expedia’s Reward Program in the U.S. but to be honest, I have totally no idea how it works. (Fodder for further investigation, of course.)

I liked the Helka overall, but I will admit…I missed my luxury bath products. Also, the bed was not the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in. That being said, the hotel breakfast was awesome — why is it that tourist class hotels include breakfast but luxury hotels do not? The bar area was also pretty cool. I basically tried to spend as little time as possible in my hotel room.

Here’s my little video tour of The Helka…

So in summary…I would definitely use Kaligo.com again for sure. And, thanks to Matt and his book, I will definitely be more price-sensitive when choosing hotels in the future. More money to spend on me!! And all the Marimekko and Iittala in Finland…

Check out these other articles for more details on Kaligo.com:

• Head for Points interview with Kaligo CEO
• Doctor of Credit on Kaligo
• Doctor of Credit analysis of Kaligo vs. Rocketmiles vs. PointsHound

Here is the truth: I was 40 tier points away from Silver status on British Airways. Silver Status gets you Fast Track Security access and lounge access. I couldn’t not book a flight to put me over the edge. Plus, I haven’t really gone anywhere for fun in ages. Not since Karen & Bob were here in August and I met them in Paris. I have been trying to be very good about debt lately and managing it down and down and down. Only $16,000 USD in MBA loans left, my friends! (That number was once $120,000 USD, so really, this is progress.) Understandably, spending has been at a minimum. But just 40 tier points to Silver…I wanted it. I wanted it bad. And Helsinki and Athens are the two best flights from London to get you — me — those 40 points.

I’m going to write about my hotel booking experience and hotel stay in another post. In the interim, here are some of my top tips for Helsinki:

Eat at Chef & Sommelier: Thanks to the magic of Twitter and Hermano Primero, I was able to book a last minute table at one of Helsinki’s best restaurants, Chef & Sommelier. It couldn’t have been lovelier. The staff were sweet, funny and above all, lovingly informative when it came time to explain each dish that was set down in front of me. Chef Sasu Laukkonen himself personally presented many of the visually compelling dishes. But as he reminded me, it’s not about how it looks! The restaurant has its own farm so they know where everything comes from. And while I didn’t see it, Sasu explained that there’s a Big Green Egg out back that they use for smoking.

Do a Visit Helsinki Design Walk: I am a lover of all things Scandinavian so I did one of the self-guided walks of Helsinki’s design district. (I did Classics are Forever.) It probably took me about two hours with stops at the shops along the way. It was a great way to see the city and all in all, it’s not a long walk. It’s the shopping stops that make it long.

Shop at Marimekko and Iittala. No visit to Helsinki is complete without visits to these two temples of Finnish design. All the money I saved on my hotel stay (more about that in another post) got spent at Marimekko. I managed to restrain myself at Ittala, although I did want to buy all the Klaus Haapaniemi. (Hi Klaus!) If you don’t know Klaus’ work, drop into an Iitala or check out his shop on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. Tell him I say hi!

Do a Beer Tasting at Bryggeri Helsinki: I had some time to kill after lunch on Saturday afternoon, and the ever-handy Foursquare sent me to this Finnish brewery, right by the waterfront. Who said Helsinki was expensive? I tried two different IPAs for 3.20 euros and mooched off the free wifi. (I find myself relying more and more on Foursquare when I travel. It seems to be the only service besides TripAdvisor that works pretty much everywhere.)

Check out the Design Museum: Are you sensing a theme here? I love Finnish design! All the Scandinavian chairs are mine! I spent about an hour in this compact temple to Finnish design and restrained myself from buying everything in the giftshop. Proudly, I did not steal the beautiful water glasses. Even though I wanted to.

Visit the Mannerheim Museum: For a change of pace, I went on a tour of the former home of the Finnish military leader, Gustaf Mannerheim. And while it wasn’t the most compelling tour I’ve ever been on, it was a pretty house and a nice change of pace from all the Scandinavian chairs I had been staring at the day before. If you are into history, this one is for you.

Have Lunch at Sundmans Krog: I needed lunch down by the waterfront in Helsinki and both TripAdvisor and Foursquare sent me here. It’s a quaint little space popular with tourists, but I enjoyed my salmon and potatoes and was able to use the wifi from the steak restaurant next door, so it worked for me.

Drink All the Beer at Ravintola Savel: My friend John took me out to Ravintola Savel on Saturday evening where we drank a lot of Finnish beer. It was funny because after having dinner at Chef & Sommelier the night before and learning about Malmgard Brewery, I was able to introduce John to Malmgard beers and John has lived in Helsinki for 14 years!

So I think you’re getting it…in Helsinki, I drank a lot of beer and looked at a lot of chairs. I had a good time and really enjoyed my quick weekend trip. So will you! Go now, my US and UK friends, while the Euro is in your favor!

Book a Helsinki Tour

The post 8 Tips for a Weekend in Helsinki appeared first on Passport Delicious | London Restaurant Blog and Reviews | Londonelicious.

Over the Christmas holidays, I read my friend Matt Kepnes’ book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. I first met Matt back in 2009 in Chicago at a mini travel-blogging conference after BlogHer. He was — and is — living the life that most of us can only dream of, traveling the world and running a successful website all at the same time. Matt, if you ever need a personal assistant, you just let me know.

You should definitely check out Matt’s book if you have a chance. It made me think a bit differently about the things I spend money on when traveling, and that alone made it worth the £9.74 investment. So when I was looking for a hotel in Helsinki, rather than my usual large business-class hotel that earns me points or the luxury boutique hotel with expensive soap and iPhone chargers and bluetooth speakers, I went with the design-led-but-still-cheap Hotel Helka at £59 a night. And while that’s certainly not the $50 a day that Matt gets away with, it was a lot better than the £150 a night I probably would have spent otherwise. Matt, it only took me six years to adopt your principles, but I’m getting there!

I also experimented with a new booking site in making my reservation. It’s called Kaligo.com and their (very good) gimmick is that you can earn additional frequent flyer miles with your booking. This was my compromise with myself…cheaper hotel, but get more miles. Plus, I booked my stay using my BA Amex so I got even more miles there. I have the BA Amex Premium Plus Card, which gets you 1.5 Avios for every £1 you spend and 3 Avios for every £1 you spend direct with British Airways or BA Holidays.

Back to Kaligo…here is how they describe themselves on their About page…

A brand you can trust and enjoy, Kaligo.com is a leading global hotel booking platform that rewards customers with incredible miles & points across a wide range of favourite loyalty programs.Launched in 2014, Kaligo offers great rates and a large selection of 300,000 properties across more than 200 countries.

While I saw lots of attractive offers on Kaligo.com for my Helsinki stay — two nights at the Hilton Helsinki boasted 3200 British Airways Avios — per previous, I chose the much more moderate Helka Hotel, which included a bonus of 700 Avios. I was very focused on saving money this trip and The Helka cost me just 59 quid a night. Kaligo’s confirmation noted that I should receive my Avios within six weeks after my stay. I just checked my Executive Club statement and the 700 Avios arrived five business days after I checked out of the hotel.

I can’t think of a reason for not using Kaligo for all my hotel bookings now. If I can get extra miles…why not??? (Although please note that booking through Kaligo may mean you can’t otherwise earn points on your stay.) Sure, I am also a member of Expedia’s Reward Program in the U.S. but to be honest, I have totally no idea how it works. (Fodder for further investigation, of course.)

I liked the Helka overall, but I will admit…I missed my luxury bath products. Also, the bed was not the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in. That being said, the hotel breakfast was awesome — why is it that tourist class hotels include breakfast but luxury hotels do not? The bar area was also pretty cool. I basically tried to spend as little time as possible in my hotel room.

Here’s my little video tour of The Helka…

So in summary…I would definitely use Kaligo.com again for sure. And, thanks to Matt and his book, I will definitely be more price-sensitive when choosing hotels in the future. More money to spend on me!! And all the Marimekko and Iittala in Finland…

Check out these other articles for more details on Kaligo.com:

• Head for Points interview with Kaligo CEO
• Doctor of Credit on Kaligo
• Doctor of Credit analysis of Kaligo vs. Rocketmiles vs. PointsHound

The post Traveling More Cheaply AND Using Kaligo.com appeared first on Passport Delicious | London Restaurant Blog and Reviews | Londonelicious.