Like most of our readers, I usually pick our next trip destination and then plan and book everything for our family. I’m lucky that my husband is always up for whatever big plans I have for us, but I still occasionally ask if he has any ideas or requests. When I asked him what his […]

When we planned our trip to Singapore, we decided to country-hop to Kuala Lumpur on points & miles, too. Kuala Lumpur is Malaysia’s capital city and is known for its iconic Petronas Twin Towers, bustling street markets, and delicious street food. We had heard great things about it – what were our thoughts?   Flights […]

Somehow, I got roped into flying Singapore Airlines in premium economy to Singapore—a long 17-hour flight. It all started when an unbelievable deal was available on Singapore Airlines thanks to a global redemption sale they were having with 25% off economy and premium economy seats. Instead of redeeming 75K miles each way in premium economy […]

Singapore has long been on my radar to visit. When Singapore Airlines had a recent sale on Premium Economy seats, Jess convinced Alex and me to make a trip. You can read about how I survived Premium Economy here. Did Singapore on points and miles live up to the hype that I had about it […]

When we decided to go to Singapore, we knew that we wanted to stay at the Andaz Singapore. Standard rooms are available for 25K Hyatt points/night as it is a Category 6 hotel. We could have fit the three of us in a standard room, but we redeemed a Suite Upgrade Award for an Andaz […]

We often hear that people are interested in using credit card points and miles for cheap travel, but worry about the learning curve, the organization, and the time it takes to master everything. If this grandma of 21 can do it, you can, too! Let me take you on a month of my travels and […]

I’ve used credit card points to stay at two amazing beach resorts within the last year. The Kimpton Roatán vs. the Kimpton Seafire is on tap today. Who will emerge victorious in this battle of the Kimptons?  Head to Head: Kimpton Roatán or Kimpton Seafire—which comes out on top?   How to Book Both of […]

I just completed my first stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán in Honduras. What were my thoughts? Would I return? Stay tuned as I tell you all about it.   Flights to Honduras My United flight to Honduras included an overnight stay in Houston. This flight was bookable for 40K United miles round-trip (20K United […]

Big news for those who fly United Airlines—United now allows miles pooling! This is especially beneficial if you are traveling with someone with elite status who can book a better seat. For instance, I am Platinum Elite on United. My daughters and I are planning a trip this summer to Portugal. There is a very […]

Virgin Red is Virgin’s group-wide rewards club while Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flyer club. While they’re technically two separate programs, you can link your accounts and share points between both. American Express, Chase, and Citi all transfer to Virgin Atlantic. Capital One transfers to Virgin Red, but by linking your accounts, you can […]

Recently, I chatted with a reader who found a flight to Amsterdam from the United States on Avianca in business for a good redemption price. This flight would be on a United airplane. She transferred her points and couldn’t book the tickets. She called Avianca only to be told by the agent that what she […]

We just returned from Huntington Beach and Disneyland on points and miles. This time, we took another squad with us—five of the cutest, confident cousins who let us tag along on their adventures and pick up the bill. They range in age from eight to twelve, and all of them remind us that they are […]

Yes, it’s true—SLH (Small Luxury Hotels) and Hyatt are parting ways. And now we have a date for this split—May 15, 2024. Alas, we’ve enjoyed this partnership, but all is not lost as they will be partnering with Hilton soon (date not yet known). What does this mean for each of us? For instance, I […]

Recently there were some Turkish Airline redemption changes and it wasn’t good news. We used to find some absolutely amazing deals to Europe for as little as 45K miles one way in business class. Jess flew to Greece and Istanbul that way and I have a trip for later this summer to Italy for 45K […]

Today, I’m talking about the most expensive trip I’ll take this year, and it’s because I couldn’t use points/miles to book it. Let me explain. My husband and I have old friends (old as long-time friends and old as in age because we are all grandparents!😜). They go to Arizona yearly with their fifth wheels. […]

Do changes in the points and miles world discourage you? We’ve been in this game for about 8 years and have seen a lot of changes. Are they discouraging? At times. Do they make us want to quit redeeming points and miles for nearly free travel? NEVER! There will always be changes to award charts, […]

Booking flights and hotels is definitely more complicated than earning credit card points and miles. Luckily, we have so many search engines to help us book award travel for both.  We have talked about some of them in separate posts, but I wanted to put them all down in one post and link to the […]

We keep most of our hotel-branded credit cards year after year. This is because the benefits of the cards typically outweigh their annual fees—especially those hotel cards that come with an annual free-night certificate. And some of our favorite free-night certificates that come with our credit cards are from Marriott!  Two of the Marriott-branded credit […]

Japan is on many people’s travel bucket lists! And for good reason. I loved my recent trip to Japan! Since so many people are interested in traveling there, here is the Ultimate Guide to booking flights to Japan. On points and miles, of course! I like to check out nonstop options for the city I […]

When planning my trip to Japan, I knew I wanted to visit Kyoto and I knew I wanted to stay at the Park Hyatt. How did it stack up? Would I stay again? Keep reading to find out… Quick Rundown How we arrived: Bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, then taxi from Kyoto Station to […]

I recently returned from Japan, and because I wanted a luxurious start to my trip that would get me ready for Japan right away, I chose to book my outbound flight in Japan Airlines business class. So what did I think of Japan Airlines business class? Keep reading to find out….   Quick Rundown U.S. […]