Taking a family of 5 on any trip isn’t cheap or easy. But thankfully, we’ve (well, mostly *I*) learned how to use points and miles to take the sting out of a big trip price tag. In February, my family of 5 went on a trip of a lifetime, taking a 2.5-week family trip to […]

Dreaming of a trip Down Under? What if you could stay at luxury hotels for $0? I recently returned from a trip to Australia, where my stepdaughter and I spent five nights in wonderful Melbourne. We took a page out of Pam’s book and did some hotel hopping while we were there, too. Here’s how […]

Jill sent us her reader success story to Australia, and we are so happy to share it with you. I LOVED my trip to Australia earlier this year and know that many of you have plans to travel there, too. Here is her story: When our son moved to Australia in 2018, we expected him […]

I just completed a stay at two Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotels in Queenstown, New Zealand. I have long wanted to try them out and see if we should recommend them. You can book these hotels with IHG points, but they are not branded by IHG. Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotels are boutique and luxury hotels […]

When I started researching hotels for my New Zealand trip, little did I think I would stay at a 5-star hotel in Queenstown with points.  I was looking at using my Hyatt points, and the Carlin Hotel in Queenstown had availability for two nights. It is part of the Small Luxury Hotels brand that collaborates […]

When planning a points and miles trip to Sydney, Australia, I knew I needed to stay at the Park Hyatt Sydney. No other place would do for that part of my stay. I used 40,000 Hyatt points per night for a room that runs over $1000/night in cash. That is a good redemption in my […]

When I decided to go to Australia with points and miles, I knew I would also add on a trip to New Zealand. I always hesitated to go to both places due to the distance involved. Fast forward to many LONG trips taken, like to the Maldives, Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, etc., and Australia and New […]

I have long wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand as my London-based daughter and her husband have raved about both. I knew that their summer happens during my cold, snowy Colorado winters, so I started planning. Knowing that ANA business class to Australia was a great deal, I began my search there!  It […]

One of my travel hacking goals has been to go to Australia and New Zealand. I knew that flying ANA to Australia in business class was a great deal, but it was also difficult to find availability. At the end of the pandemic and right after Australia and New Zealand had reopened, I began to […]

I just spent 5 days in Bora Bora, and it was paradise. Even though we had a lot of rain 😩. You know it is a great resort when you are dying to get more points so you can come back again, even when the weather the first time wasn’t the greatest. I enjoyed it […]

Alex and I (along with another of my daughters, Kasey) just got back from Bora Bora. I often wondered how it would compare to our trips to the Maldives. We were constantly comparing the two trips. And I must tell you that we weren’t totally on the same page. Here’s our rendition of she said, […]

Sophie’s reader success story to Tahiti is one I was excited to read. We know many of you would also like to go there. Here is her story: Back in October and November 2021, my husband and I were planning our December wedding (late planning, I know, but we had a short engagement). In October, […]

My points and miles trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora was one that I was so excited about that I had trouble sleeping for two nights before departure. Both were destinations that I had wanted to go to for some time. After a recent trip to the Maldives, I also wanted to compare the trips […]

I’m not sure if I’m writing this post for our readers or for me. One of the places I most want to go to is Bora, Bora. I figured if I wrote a post about how to travel hack to Bora Bora, I’d be closer to making it happen, so here goes.  Let’s use points […]