Istanbul Airport

This one's not too exciting, but I managed to score a first class flight on Turkish air using free points I got from a credit card. I have a 7 hour layover in Istanbul.

The Turkish Air business class lounge at IST is one of the best. Why not stay awhile and enjoy it? I could have booked a more direct flight through Bucharest to Moldova for $300. But two first class flights with a world class lounge in the middle, for free? I'll take it. It wasn't that long ago that I was taking the chicken buses to save money.

My 10:00 a.m. flight from Cluj included a delicious breakfast on board. I had more legroom than I've ever seen on any plane. Service was impeccable. Oh man, I could get used to this. I previously booked a free business class flight on my trip to Munich. And I booked a free business class flight for Deanne on her trip to Moldova using points from her credit card offer. The points game is something I took up in retirement and it's paying off.Read more