Packing is not fun

Gadzooks, after all these many months of planning, I only have two weeks to go before our trip.  As excited as I am about the trip, packing is not a task that I look forward to.  I guess I will start this weekend to avoid packing at the last minute.  I envy my brother James as he is just taking a carry-on bag with him for his trip.

Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Club

Pat and I joined the Marco Polo Club for a $50 annual membership fee.  The benefits will extend to the card holder's partner so both Teri and Kacy will be able to enjoy the same privileges as Pat and I.  The main advantages are that we get priority check-in and boarding. Moreover, Cathay Pacific also gave us Marco Polo Club luggage tags which hopefully means our luggage will be among the first off of the plane.  We shall see if it is worth it or not.  

Per the Confessions of a Sensitive Man blog,

"I was hesitant in applying to the Marco Polo Club, the first airline membership for which I had to pay a sizeable fee. In the end, the entire check-in to arrival process finessed an otherwise exhausting journey to be with my girlfriend.  Cathay Pacific did a fantastic job of making the experience simple, and simple travel is most desirable for a long trip. For example, the Marco Polo Club membership allowed me to basically bypass long lines at the check-in counter and the gate, expediting the check-in and boarding process at a speed I had never imagined." 

For good measure, we are also members of Asia Miles frequent flyer program.  There are certain discounts you can get on shopping items but the main reason is for the miles.  However it does take 60,000 miles for a round trip ticket from SFO to HKG.  Thus far, I only have 32,000 miles and even after this trip, I will only have around 49,000 miles.  As my next major trip will hopefully be to Europe, I doubt that I can obtain the additional Asia miles before my current balance expires.  Oh well, we shall see.