If you want the pura vida experience, head to Costa Rica. Sunshine, water, great food, and the nicest people – what’s not to love? Even better, using points and miles to Costa Rica for an amazing vacation is easy to do. I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica with one of my […]

This blog post is a tale of two Hyatt all-inclusive resorts in Mexico. One for couples and one for families. But first, did I meet my favorite Mexico resort (perhaps my favorite resort EVER)??   Hyatt All-Inclusives in Mexico Let’s first get you up to speed. Alex and her family asked my husband, me, and […]

Do you love Hyatt but have a large family? Or love a good condo and want to cook your meals instead of going out to eat? Here are some Destination by Hyatt options that could appeal to you. Destination by Hyatt is billed as a hotel and home in one. Currently, there are 59 destinations […]

Our fabulous Digital Business Manager and Facebook Group Moderator, Megan Condello, wrote up a trip report about 10 days in Morocco using points and miles. She usually uses a combination of cash, points, and miles for her trips, and this was no different. She paid for her hotels with credit cards and earned points and […]

I just returned from another vacation to Oceanside, California, and after staying at the incredible Seabird Resort, I had to do a Family Friday Vacation to Oceanside post. I promise you, this Hyatt hotel will not disappoint – I can’t wait to return myself. Check out all the pictures below – every spot was so […]

Recently, my husband and I were heading to Arizona for a wedding. Coincidently, I noticed that we had an 85K Marriott annual certificate expiring simultaneously, so I started to figure out how to use it for part of our stay in Arizona (we’d stay with my sister for the rest of the stay). We ended […]

Recently, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City in Salt Lake City, Utah. The purpose of this trip was some family time with family from London, along with Alex’s family. My daughter, Lindsey’s husband, was in Salt Lake on business, so we made that our main base and naturally, wanted to stay at […]

Today, I had the option of two different Venture Mile redemptions for my trip to Italy next Fall. I have a multi-city trip planned starting in Rome, on to Lake Como, and finishing in Cinque Terre. In Rome and Lake Como, I will use Hyatt hotels for my stays, but there are no chain hotels […]

British Airways Avios are a great way to book flights because three transferable currencies transfer to them (AMEX, Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One). The other transferable currency, Citi ThankYou Points, transfers to Qatar Airways, which also uses Avios (and you can transfer Avios between Qatar and British Airways once you link them), so essentially, you […]

I’ve found a new place to position myself for flights to Europe. I had to find last-minute flights to Europe this summer and ended up positioning through the Calgary Airport. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to do it in the future. You might also consider it a place to position as it is not […]

As much as I love Turkish Airlines, it can be a pain to book a companion’s flight. We’ve been needing a post on booking for someone else with Turkish miles for a while – here it is. For most airlines, you can book a flight for another person without any problem or extra step. However, […]

Our latest reader success story to Spain using points/miles comes from Meghan. Here it is in her words: Our son is in a dual language program with Spanish.  We are trying to travel, at least once a year, to a Spanish-speaking country to help him build his real-life skills (especially since Mom & Dad aren’t […]

Recently, we went out of town to watch our grandson’s soccer tournament. Luckily, we have credit card points so it made it an easy decision to tag along on Alex’s family trip to Idaho Falls. I can’t even imagine how much people spend when they use cash to go out of town for their children’s […]

It’s no secret that Hyatt is our favorite program to earn points for because of their outsized value. When you can stay at a luxury Hyatt for 40K points per night versus paying double or triple that for a Hilton, Marriott, or IHG hotel of the same caliber, it only makes sense. Many of our […]

The Grand Canyon is a massive natural wonder located in Arizona, USA. It is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River and is a popular destination for nature enthusiasts and tourists from around the world. Our Friday Family Vacation is to the Grand Canyon National Park.   How to Get to the Grand Canyon: […]

The Southwest Companion Pass is among the best deals in the points and miles world. Either I or my husband have had the Southwest Companion Pass off and on for the last six years. When you earn the pass, you get to fly someone with you for free (minus taxes and fees starting at $5.60) […]

In this episode, Jess and Alex break down one of the greatest deals in travel – the Southwest Companion Pass. Learn how you, too, can make it part of your award travel strategies! Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on YouTube Welcome back, travelers! It’s just Alex and Jess here today. Pam is […]

Booking domestic United flights through Turkish Airlines can save you a ton of points. It’s also been a painful process recently because it has required either calling Turkish Airlines or emailing a ticket office. Well, up until now that is! You can now book Star Alliance award flights via the Turkish Airlines website. Here’s how […]

Capital One Venture Miles is a transferable currency that can greatly add to your credit card portfolios. You can use them to book through the Capital One travel portal. You will get better value by transferring the miles to transfer partners, though, so let’s go over how to transfer Capital One Venture Miles.   Step […]

Well, I’m back to hotel hopping again. My sister and I are on our annual girl’s trip and are starting in the Big Apple. You know me, I can’t help hotel hopping (although we aren’t hopping around on the rest of our trip). There are so many hotels in NYC to stay at, and I’d […]

I recently returned from a trip to Australia, and I had the pleasure of flying Qantas business class from LAX to Sydney (and back). So, what did I think? Keep reading to find out…   The Redemption Australia has been at the top of my bucket list for years, but I’ve been holding out for […]