They say 2025 will be "the year of bridges" here's how to use them to your advantage to "travel with points"
There is an article that in the mainstream media, and non-traditional media, is blowing up these hours is one of those pieces that [...]
There is an article that in the mainstream media, and not, is depopulating these hours is one of those pieces that in "dump" days of news guarantee easy clicks and engagement and help sites' statistics rise from the low tide of a period where people think about everything except reading the news. I'm talking about the articles about how many bridges can be built during 2025. reading the different sources all agree: next year will be a boon for those who want to use up little vacation time and take many days away from the desk.
How to use points to travel in "bridges"
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When I tell how to use the points I always say that you have to be flexible in dates and destinations. Arriving in Kyoto instead of Tokyo, leaving a day earlier or a day later can make a difference and find the free seat at a cheaper price.
The nice thing when it comes to bridges is that they are often "national" holidays that are not reflected on other countries' calendars. This is not a generalized high season, but only for Italian travelers, and this means that the hotel where you will want to stay will not be overpriced and you will not run the risk of going to a Sold Out establishment, although it is always possible that a local holiday coincides with one on the other side of the world.
For example, I happened to end up in Korea during their "Thanksgiving Day" and find myself surrounded by masses of people on vacation like me. That is why I always, and in any case, recommend looking to see if holidays are also planned at your destination in order to avoid ending up in China during Chinese New Year in Dubai during Ramadam or in Bangkok during the King's complenno days.
The classic example is the spring bridges, those that over the course of 2025 will allow for an epic row. Easter this year falls very high, that is, on April 20, and Easter Monday on the 21st: we will be able to hook into April 25, scheduled for Friday, which in turn hooks into the following weekend. Thus a total of 9 days of vacations with the investment of only 3 days off.
Easter is high season everywhere, even where the religion is not the Christian religion, but April 25 is only our own just as May 1 is not a holiday all over the world. This opens up the possibility of flying using carriers that consider April 25 as just another day, carriers that consider June 2 as the eve of summer, and December 8 as just another day after black friday.
Some examples for traveling during bridges with points
Here, then, is where looking for an award ticket with carriers that do not have these holidays on their national calendar helps you spend less, or have an easier time finding the desired combination to redeem the award ticket. For example, a week in Phuket with Qatar from Milan during the spring bridges is still bookable with no problem at the lowest possible price.
Same for taking advantage of the June 2 bridge to fly to Japan using FB miles, there are still many dates with tickets starting at 77k points one way in business class.
Similar situation if you decide to fly to New York using Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points, still plenty of saver seats to fly from Frankfurt to the Big Apple for just a few euros.
In conclusion
Of course if you don't have flexibility all you can do is plan ahead, but this is a classic example of how a few months later it is still possible to redeem award tickets for hot periods and save thousands compared to a cash ticket.
