After so much time at home this year, jetting off for a holiday to just about anywhere sounds like a dream right now. Even the novelty of a morning airport pint would suffice. But there’s no reason you can’t be working towards your 2021 holiday plans from the comfort of your own home.
When you join the British Airways Executive Club (it’s free and easy, FYI), you can collect rewards on your everyday spending and Christmas gifts, to put towards your next flight. Simply find your favourite retailer on the British Airways Avios eStore and click through, then make your purchase in the usual way. Your purchase will be tracked and you'll earn Avios as you spend. And with access to over 1,200 retailers, including Nike, Apple, MR PORTER, Gucci and MATCHESFASHION as well as John Lewis & Partners, M&S and many more, the rewards are sure to add up quickly.
Below, three editors share the destinations they’re dreaming of right now and the gift ideas (all shoppable through the eStore or Rewards app) to match their wanderlust, to inspire you to turn your Christmas spending into extraordinary travel for 2021.
Nick Pope, Deputy Digital Editor
“I’d been dreaming about the neon-laced streets of Akihabara, Tokyo, long before I actually walked them, and yet the real thing still felt like a mind-boggling hallucination – it’s hard not be overawed by the futuristic beauty and energy of everything around you. But take the time to explore and you’ll soon discover that Tokyo is a city that values the importance of taking things slow, from the meticulous mastery of sushi restaurants like Kyubey to the healing serenity of the Hoshinoya hotel’s hot-spring onsen (traditional bathhouse).
“This Christmas, I’ll be shopping for gifts that remind me of my favourite place. This smart-casual Blue Blue Japan camp collar jacket is perfect for work Zoom meetings, as is the Nintendo Switch, if you can keep it out of shot. Every home cook in your life deserves a mighty Japanese kitchen knife, and every outfit they wear is better off with a classic Seiko watch. And after I’ve bought all of that and checked my bank balance, I should have just enough to treat myself to a much-needed bottle of Suntory.”
Total Avios to put towards your next flight: 9,937
Murray Clark, Digital Style Editor
“Pardon the cliché, but the Seychelles – a green sprinkling of an archipelago in the Indian Ocean – looks like absolute paradise. It also serves as an ideal springboard to visit the various conservation islands of Curieuse, Cousin and St Pierre, with their beautiful beaches, crystal-clear sea, snorkelling and extensive wildlife, including baby giant tortoises and lemon sharks.
“For gifts: go for the sort of sunglasses that will a) sit with island life, and b) protect against the rays, like Cartier’s oversized (and underrated) gold-toned aviators. You’ll need a proper camera too, such as the Olympus Trip 35mm, because postcards won’t do it justice and your phone should be firmly put away. But the most important item? A backpack. Choose one that’s hardy, because there’s so much to explore, and roomy, because you’ll definitely book an extra night or 10.”
Total Avios to put towards your next flight: 15,150
Jamie Carson, Luxury Content Lead
“Before the world went all, y’know… 2020, I was dreaming of a Caribbean escape to Jamaica that would match Jack Sparrow in terms of rum consumption and general deviance. Those plans are on hold for now and my vampiric Northern skin will have to wait a little longer to be touched by the golden sands of Seven Mile Beach.
“This Christmas, I’ll be shopping through the Avios eStore for Caribbean gifts to hold us over until 2021. From Appleton Estate’s sensational aromatic rum and Fortnum & Mason’s coffee beans to vintage travel posters, ‘From Appleton Estate’s sensational aromatic rum and Fortnum & Mason’s coffee beans to vintage travel posters, ol’ Saint Nick will be ecstatic when he finds out that he doesn't have to hit up the Amazon warehouse this year for the regular order of socks and bath bombs. I’ll also be treating myself to this slightly festive jacket by Scottish-Jamaican designer Nicholas Daley, because it’s been an absolute year and I kinda need it. Pretty sure that’s how ‘self-care’ works, right?”
Total Avios to put towards your next flight: 3,918
Collect every time you shop online with over 1,200 top brands and retailers. Start shopping today at ba.com/estore, or download the British Airways Executive Club Rewards app from the App Store or Google Play.
All Avios amounts quoted in this piece were correct upon date of publication. The Avios redemptions on all products mentioned exclude VAT. Standard British Airways Avios eStore Terms and Conditions apply. Please visit shopping.ba.com/terms for more details. Retailer offer terms and conditions can be found on each individual retailer’s eStore
