After a fantastic introduction to Japan, we flew to Bangkok to join our tour. Our Thailand tour was led by Ben Komenkul, who has spoken at conferences we attend and teaches others how to travel on points. Ben, along with his wife Karla and their daughter Nai Lee, put together an incredible itinerary for us in Bangkok and Phuket. They took great care to make sure we had the best experience possible. Ben planned everything thoughtfully and arranged wonderful local guides and drivers. Every detail was covered—snacks always ready, amazing experiences, and great communication throughout the trip.

Bangkok highlights

✨ Thai massages – we had a 2-hour one the day we arrived and many more throughout Thailand

🍜 Incredible food – Ben handled all the ordering and we ate family-style; some of the best meals we’ve ever had, from Michelin-star spots to a magical treehouse setting (with a cool boat ride to get there)

🏯 Visit to the Imperial Palace – absolutely spectacular

🛺 Tuk-tuk food tour – zipping around the city while sampling amazing dishes

👘 Traditional Thai outfits & photo shoot – way more fun than we expected

🌇 Rooftop farewell dinner – Ben arranged a lovely reception with dinner for us with the General Manager and top hotel staff since so many of us on the trip had top tier status

💛 The Thai people – incredibly warm, kind, and welcoming

How We Did It

✈️ Flight

Tokyo-Bangkok We flew Japan Airlines business class, which we booked through American Airlines (they’re in the same alliance). We spent 30k points + $33.60 per person — with a connection through Osaka 🙌

🏨 Hotel

We stayed at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit. We booked two rooms by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt—5 nights for 60k points per room.

This was a beautiful 5-star hotel with a great club lounge and breakfast. It was located next to a subway station, which worked out perfectly for our free day.