In 2023 my personal travel goal is to visit as many exotic and tropical destinations as possible – some new to me and some that I’ve already been to; for the most part, I’m over “city” holidays – I’ve visited all of the major cities I’ve wanted to and explored their culture and sights. That, of course, doesn’t mean I won’t be visiting cities in the future, but rather my main focus is to travel to beachy tropical destinations more often as laying on the beach is obviously more relaxing than visiting a museum.
Cash/revenue ticket prices to some highly popular tropical destinations can be really expensive, but generally there is some award availability to these places using miles – it might be in Economy, but you can usually find it if you are flexible. Keep in mind that it is much easier to cancel and refund an award ticket rather than a cash ticket – so you can book with more flexibility.
Flying on Miles to Tropical Destinations
I’ve highlighted some exotic destinations and what major airlines (that you can redeem miles on) fly there and from what major cities (smaller, regional cities with low or no connectivity are not listed). Remember that the best way to search for award availability is segment by segment and on a partner airline website of the airline that you want to fly. For example, if you want to fly New York to Male via Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways, you should search availability on Air Canada Aeroplan separately for the two flights; once you confirm the availability, you could redeem with any Etihad Airways partner airline.
The cost in miles will vary depending on what route you book, what airline you fly, and the frequent flyer program you use. Remember that the cost in miles and the rules on the award ticket are always determined by the airline issuing your ticket. If the frequent flyer program you are using allows you to change or cancel your ticket for free, then there really is no harm in locking in a ticket and changing it later – just remember there always has to be award availability.
fly to tropical destinations with miles
French Polynesia
All international flights arrive into Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) and then you can book a cash flight on the local airline, Air Tahiti, should you wish to explore other islands in French Polynesia. There’s no good way to use miles or points on domestic flights on Air Tahiti other than perhaps going through a bank travel portal and applying some of your points towards a cash ticket.
- Air France: Los Angeles
- Air New Zealand: Auckland
- Air Tahiti Nui: Auckland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo
- Aircalin: Noumea
- Delta Air Lines: Los Angeles
- Hawaiian Airlines: Honolulu
- United Airlines: San Francisco
Seychelles
All international flights arrive into Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) where you have the option of exploring paradise. There is generally good availability on the shorter international flights, so if you are flying from North America or Europe, multiple flights will be required – but so worth it. The national airline, Air Seychelles, currently has no airline partners that would allow you to redeem their miles on Air Seychelles flights, so it isn’t included in the list.
- Air Mauritius: Mauritius
- Condor: Frankfurt
- Edelweiss Air: Zurich
- Emirates: Dubai
- Ethiopian Airlines: Addis Ababa
- Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi
- Kenya Airways: Nairobi
- Qatar Airways: Doha
- SriLankan Airlines: Colombo
- Turkish Airlines: Istanbul
Mauritius
If you fancy a visit to the tropical destination island of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, you have plenty of flight options available. Having recently been to this gorgeous country, I can confirm that there is plenty of award availability – even in Business Class, if you are flexible. A trip to Mauritius can be combined with a Safari in South Africa, for example.
- Air France: Paris
- Air Mauritius: Cape Town, Delhi, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Perth, Seychelles, Shanghai
- Austrian Airlines: Vienna
- British Airways: London
- Condor: Frankfurt
- Edelweiss Air: Zurich
- Emirates: Dubai
- Eurowings Discover: Frankfurt
- Kenya Airways: Nairobi
- Lufthansa: Frankfurt
- Saudia: Jeddah, Riyadh
- South African Airways: Johannesburg
- Turkish Airlines: Istanbul
Maldives
The most talked about and aspirational destination in the miles and points world is the Maldives – a country made up of many islands and atolls in the Indian Ocean. Not only is it really easy to fly to the Maldives on miles and points (even in Business Class), there are tons of points hotels in the country – all of which will make you want to never return home. Due to the number of flight options into the Maldives, it is relatively easy to redeem your miles for a ticket to paradise.
- Air France: Paris
- Air India: Bangalore, Mumbai
- Austrian Airlines: Vienna
- British Airways: London
- Condor: Frankfurt
- Edelweiss Air: Zurich
- Emirates: Colombo, Dubai
- Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi
- Gulf Air: Bahrain, Colombo
- Iberia: Madrid
- ITA Airways: Rome
- Lufthansa: Frankfurt
- Qatar Airways: Colombo, Doha
- Saudia: Jeddah, Riyadh, Singapore
- Singapore Airlines: Singapore
- SriLankan Airlines: Colombo
- Turkish Airlines: Istanbul
- Virgin Atlantic: London
Fiji
A tropical destination in the South Pacific which leaves you feeling relaxed and refreshed – from the breathtaking beaches to friendly locals to delicious food, why wouldn’t you want to visit? In the past few years, Fiji has become more accessible thanks to Fiji Airways, the flag carrier, expanding their partnerships with various airlines around the world – which only means that getting to Fiji is much easier now than ten years ago.
- Air New Zealand: Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington
- Aircalin: Noumea
- Fiji Airways: Adelaide, Apia, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Vancouver, Wellington
- Qantas: Sydney
- Virgin Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
fly to tropical destinations with miles
All in All: Fly to Tropical Destinations
Aren’t some of these tropical destinations incredible? I’ve been to a few, but not all of them yet – the main reason why I collect miles and points isn’t to redeem them on a domestic ticket that can be purchased for $100, but rather I redeem them for travel around the world – to destinations where a cash ticket would normally cost a significant amount, especially in the premium cabin. When you have miles, the whole world is possible – they really give you the ability to see the world in ways that normally you wouldn’t be able to; for example, many frequent flyer programs offer free stopovers on award tickets whereas cash tickets very rarely have this ability.
With only a few days into the new year, I’m already planning out travels to some of these incredible destinations and I plan to take some family and friends along since travel is always better and more memorable when you are sharing the experiences with someone close to you. Happy New Year, everyone, and enjoy redeeming and collecting those miles!