Puerto Rico is a beautiful island located in the Caribbean Sea. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States, meaning it is self-governing but is not a state.  It is known for its stunning beaches, vibrant music and dance, and delicious cuisine. The official languages are Spanish and English, and the currency used is […]

Remember when we planned a trip around a flight? Crazy, but true. Our hotel ended up being the Villa Orselina in Orselina, Switzerland. We were looking for a Hyatt stay and found a Small Luxury Hotel we could get to easily from Milan. Here is our Villa Orselina Switzerland review. (This hotel is no longer […]

Kayla sends us a reader success story to Barcelona—one of my favorite cities. Here’s her story: My husband and I recently took a trip away from our four boys (thanks, grandma!) all the way to Barcelona, Spain, to visit my younger brother studying at the University there. We also visited France and Andorra on a […]

We were in New York City for 48 hours after a trip to Switzerland. Although we only stayed at the Park Hyatt New York for one night, it definitely made an impression on me. Here’s my review of the Park Hyatt New York. This trip was the tail end of a trip to Orselina, Switzerland, […]

Most people haven’t heard a lot about Avianca Airlines, a Colombian airline. I’ve never flown on them, but have booked many flights on the Avianca site to fly other airlines (usually United). Avianca is a member of the Star Alliance, so you can find many flights to Hawaii and Europe while traveling with one of […]

How do 8 nights in Italy for $0 sound? My husband and I recently spent 3 nights in Lake Como, 2 nights in Venice, and 3 nights in Florence. The best part? Our stays were completely free, thanks to points! Here’s a breakdown of how I did it…   Lake Como In Lake Como, we […]

I may have found my new favorite award flight search engine. Meet seats.aero award booking engine—ideal for last-minute award bookings (free) or flights further out. The free version lets you look at last-minute flights (3 months out), but it is only $7.99/month or $79.99/year for the Pro version and completely worth it in my opinion […]

All three of us have stayed at the Kimpton Seafire in Grand Cayman. And all three of us would like to go back. We also think it is a great place for a family trip, so our Friday Family Vacation to Grand Cayman is here!   Flights Flights to the Caribbean can be made on […]

On a recent trip to Italy with my husband, I booked a business class round-trip flight on Emirates from JFK to Milan. Emirates operates this as a fifth freedom route, and it’s a popular route with miles and points enthusiasts as it allows you to experience Emirates without flying all the way to Dubai. Throw […]

Taking that flight that offered a “shower in the sky” has been on my bucket list for some time. Did it live up to the hype I had built up in my mind? Hang on, I’m about to spill the beans with my review of Emirates first-class seats Milan-JFK. Flying Emirates first class was a […]

When it comes to travel, one of the most difficult parts is planning it! Where should you go? When should you go? Where will you stay? What will you do? And let’s not forget, how will you pay for it?! Well, if you know us at all, you know that’s the easy part! We’ll use […]

One of the great deals in points and miles is using Virgin Atlantic to save on Delta flights. It always boggles my mind that you can book on one site and fly another airline for even fewer miles than booking on the airline’s site.  These same “magic tricks” can be used to redeem Virgin Atlantic […]

Usually, we plan our flights around where we want to go. We just returned from a trip where EVERYTHING was planned around a flight. Years ago, I saw a commercial with Jennifer Aniston wanting to take a shower on a flight. In the commercial, they told her she needed to be on an Emirates plane. […]

I remember a couple of family trips to Yellowstone Park from when I was young. I always enjoyed looking for a bear, seeing Ol’ Faithful, and enjoying cool mountain air (especially since we were coming from Arizona for summers). In those days, it was a sacrifice for my family to take us there because my […]

Say it isn’t so! United has devalued award flights to Europe! This has long been one of my “go-to” ways to fly to Europe. I guess I’ll have to earn more points in the future because it will now cost 33% more in points/miles when you redeem United miles for European flights. In the past, […]

While we are all about family trips using points and miles, we also believe in couples’ getaways and the value of spending time reconnecting with your significant other. We also love when newlyweds use points and miles to save on their honeymoon. Here are some honeymoon trip ideas—on points and miles, of course!   Costa […]

Costa Rica is a beautiful destination for a family vacation. There are plenty of activities to enjoy and locations to visit that will make for a fun and memorable experience. Jess went there on a family vacation and her daughter, Molly, still talks about it! Friday Family Vacation to Costa Rica is happening today—let’s recreate […]

Recently, I was trying to book a ticket to London for an upcoming trip to visit my daughter. I travel to London frequently and have used many different carriers and points for my trips. I am traveling at the start of 2024 and ended up using an airline transfer bonus to reduce my cost in miles […]

Our reader success story comes from Justine who planned an amazing honeymoon on points/miles to the Maldives and Japan. Here’s her story:   Background My [now] husband and I got engaged in March of 2021, and I immediately went into brainstorming an epic honeymoon (before wedding planning even ). We already had traveled a ton […]

We hear from many of our readers that they’d love to go to London for a family trip. I love London – the red double decker buses, Big Ben, and those red telephone booths are some of my favorite sights. Because one of my daughters has lived there for 17+ years, it is the international […]

One of the perks of most hotel credit cards is getting a free annual night certificate each year. You have to remember to use them during the year that they are issued, though, and last year I almost forgot about using an IHG free night certificate. Yikes! I only had 24 days to use it […]