I didn’t start 2022 thinking I would be doing all the travel that I ended up doing. Some unexpected opportunities came my way, like getting invited to go to Bora Bora with my mom and sister. I guess I was making up for all the missed travel in 2020. It ended up being my best year of travel yet!

 

2022 Travels

My first trip of 2022 was in February during President’s Day weekend to Scottsdale, Arizona. We used Southwest Rapid Rewards for our flights and stayed at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale. It was the perfect winter escape! The first two nights of the stay were hosted but then we used our points for the third night. We had a great time and will totally be back some time.

 

 

In March, Mitch and I went on the vacation of my dreams…The Maldives! It was even better than I expected. We used Marriott points to stay 5 nights at Le Meridien Maldives. We flew Emirates business class there and Qatar Qsuite home. It was a perfect! You can read about how I booked it here.

 

 

In April, my mom and I took my oldest son on a trip to Washington D.C. for his 10th birthday. It was so much fun! This is my first time traveling with just one kid like this and I am sold. Watching him walk the city streets with some newfound confidence was so much fun for both my mom and me. We flew on Southwest using points for me and  Southwest Companion Pass for him. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Washington thanks to free night certificates from the World of Hyatt card. Next year I have another one turning 10 so I need to get thinking about where we’ll go with him!

 

 

My next trip was a redo after a girl’s trip with my mom and sisters in 2020 was canceled. We were supposed to go to Morroco and Spain but instead, we switched to Croatia. We used points for our flights and then split the cost of Airbnb between the five of us, making it a very affordable trip! Everyone agreed that we loved Croatia and would totally go back.

 

 

In June we went on one of my most anticipated trips of the year, Cancun! I was so excited to take my family back to the Hyatt Ziva Cancun after first going there with my mom in 2021. I knew they would love it and they did! We used Southwest for flights and Chase Ultimate Rewards transferred to Hyatt for the all-inclusive resort.

 

 

During the summer months, we used some free night certificates for hotel stays for sports as well as some Hyatt points. We spent a night in Idaho for a baseball tournament as well as spent a few nights in Park City for a soccer tournament. Using points and miles to make kids’ activities more affordable is so nice!

I also used Southwest Rapid Rewards to fly my kids and me home from Colorado after visiting my parents and my boy’s cousins. It is always one of our very favorite trips of the year! You can’t beat making memories with family. We drove out with my husband, but he had to leave earlier because of work, so the kids and I flew home.

 

 

In August we got a big change when we announced that Jess was the team’s newest member! To celebrate the new partnership and get working on new goals we met up at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. We were only there for two nights and are all planning trips back there. In fact, Jess and I already have one on the books!

 

 

Next up, Mitch and I headed to Maui! We wouldn’t have gone on this trip when we did (due to it being a busy travel year), but when Marriott announced they were getting rid of their award chart and prices in Hawaii would be going up, we knew we needed to cash in some Marriott points for one more stay at the Wailea Beach Resort! It’s no secret we love this place. We flew on Southwest using a points + Southwest Companion Pass.

 

 

In October, my mom and I headed to Paris. October is one of our favorite months to travel; there are fewer crowds but still nice weather. It was perfect in Paris! You can read about our trip here.

 

 

A few days after coming home from Paris, I took my family to Oceanside, California, since my kids had school off for fall break. We flew on Southwest and stayed at The Seabird Resort. It was such a cute hotel, and the location was perfect, right across the street from the beach. The kids pretty much boogie-boarded in the ocean and swam in the pool for three days straight. We would totally come back here.

 

 

On to November. I still can’t believe I could visit The Maldives and Bora Bora in my lifetime, let alone in the same year! We used United miles for our flights, and my mom booked the Hilton Conrad Bora Bora using her points. Thanks so much for inviting me, mom!! You can read about our stay here.

 

 

Finally, December. Wow, it’s been a year of travel! In December, my mom, Jess, and I met up for four nights at the Hyatt Andaz Mayakoba. This resort was a first for all of us. We really enjoyed the area and how Mayakoba is set up. Stay tuned for a blog post all about our stay.

 

 

Lastly, a few nights before Christmas, I used a Hyatt free night certificate to try out the new Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City that opened in October. This was a great staycation and made even better thanks to my obtaining Hyatt Globalist status! We got upgraded to a king suite and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the club lounge.

 

 

Cards Opened in 2022

In 2022, I opened five cards, and Mitch opened four cards.

Alex’s Cards:

• Southwest Performance Business– This was to finish off getting the Southwest Companion Pass. I had opened the Southwest Plus just before the end of 2021.
• Capital One Venture X– This card has become one of my favorites!
• American Express Gold– I got this card with a 90,000-point welcome offer. It’s now my go-to card for eating out and grocery shopping.
• World of Hyatt Business– Can never have too many Hyatt points!
• Chase Ink Business Unlimited– I had to take advantage of the limited-time offer!

 

Mitch’s Cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred– It had been over 48 months since his last bonus on this card so we downgraded his current one, waited a couple of weeks, and had him reapply for it.
• Barclay AAdvantage Aviator Business– This was a nice limited-time offer
• Chase Ink Business Unlimited– Limited-time offer
• Chase Ink Business Cash– Can never have too many Chase Ultimate Rewards!

 

Altogether, from welcome offers on the cards we opened in 2022, we will have earned 760,000 points. That does not include any points earned on meeting the minimum spend or points from referring each other to those cards.

 

Cards Canceled/Downgraded in 2022

• United Business (Alex)- canceled
• Barclay AAdvantage Business (Alex)- canceled
• Barclay AAdvantage personal card (Mitch)- canceled
• Chase Sapphire Preferred (Mitch)- downgraded to Flex

 

Plans for 2023

Here are the trips I have booked for 2023 so far

• Houston (all ladies meet up with some other points and miles content creators I’ve become friends with from IG)
• St. George, UT for a soccer tournament (using free night certificates for the hotel stay)
• Grand Caymen Island
• Kaui and Maui
• New York City
• Big Sur
• Huntington Beach

 

Bottom Line

I hope 2022 was a wonderful year for you as well. Let me know in the comments how you used points this year or what you have planned for 2023! We can’t wait to see where points and miles take you.