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The tools I use every week to track our points, organize cards, and make sure we never miss a deal. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to keep it all straight, these are for you.
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People assume that because I talk about points and miles a lot, I must be a spreadsheet-loving, detail-obsessed person who never gets overwhelmed. That’s… not exactly true.
The truth is, I have a love-hate relationship with travel credit cards.
I love what they’ve done for our family—I mean, we’ve stayed in five-star resorts for free, flown to Hawaii in peak season, and saved thousands of dollars on school break travel. But the mental energy it takes to keep it all running? That’s real. Especially as a mom managing a household, sports schedules, and a business.
People assume that because I talk about points and miles a lot, I must be a spreadsheet-loving, detail-obsessed person who never gets overwhelmed. That’s… not exactly true.
The truth is, I have a love-hate relationship with travel credit cards.
I love what they’ve done for our family—I mean, we’ve stayed in five-star resorts for free, flown to Hawaii in peak season, and saved thousands of dollars on school break travel. But the mental energy it takes to keep it all running? That’s real. Especially as a mom managing a household, sports schedules, and a business.
A few years ago, if you had asked me whether it was worth traveling over school breaks, I would’ve laughed and said, “Only if we win the lottery.”
Because as someone who has worked in the travel industry for most of my adult life—first as a travel agent, then for an airline—I knew the golden rule of getting a good deal: Travel off-peak. That’s where the savings were. That’s where the wide-open seats, low hotel rates, and promo codes lived.
But when our kids got older, everything changed.
Long flights? Road trips? Laundry that never ends? Audiobooks are one of my favorite ways to make the most of all of it—and to sneak in a little joy or inspiration during the chaos of everyday life. This list includes the audiobooks I’ve actually loved (or can’t wait to listen to). If you don’t have an Audible account yet, you can try it free here.
When I first started learning how to travel with points, I remember feeling completely lost. I’d heard of families flying to Hawaii for pennies and booking dreamy resorts with “just points,” but every time I looked into it, I ended up with 18 tabs open and zero clarity. I knew it was possible, I just couldn’t figure out how.
We haven’t taken the kids to Walt Disney World yet, but my kids are huge Harry Potter fans, so when Universal announced the opening of Epic Universe, we knew we were headed back to Florida. And since we were already flying across the country, I figured—it’s time. Let’s finally do Disney World.
Many people think you have to choose: either earn cash back and keep things simple, or go all-in on transferable points and max every redemption. But once you really got into this points world—planning trips like our family vacation to Cancun that would’ve cost over $14,000 out of pocket—you realize it’s not ALWAYS about getting the absolute most value out of your points. You just have to know when each option makes the most sense.
It started with a moment of sticker shock. I was pricing out a Universal Orlando vacation for our family of six—and when I saw the total, I actually laughed out loud. Not the fun, theme-park kind of laugh. The “surely this is a mistake” kind.
One of the questions I get the most usually goes like this—
“Do you choose where you want to go first, or do you just wait for a deal to pop up and plan around that?”
When we first started using points, I remember staring at our balance of 100,000 and wondering: how far can this actually take a family of six?
I had seen people use that many points for one first-class flight or two nights at a luxury hotel. But I knew there had to be a better way—especially if I wanted to stretch those points into real family vacations. And the good news? There absolutely is! We’ve used 100k points for a full week of hotel stays, roundtrip flights for four, or two rooms at a resort where my husband and I got our own room. That’s the magic of smart redemptions.
I used to believe a dream trip to Kauai with our family of six would stay just that—a dream. Between flights, hotels, and food, we were staring at a price tag at around $15,000. Not exactly in the budget for a family of six. But once I discovered how to stack travel rewards, everything changed.
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Ready to turn your everyday spending into unforgettable family travel? This 4-part course is your step-by-step guide to earning free flights and hotel stays using credit card points. Whether you're just curious and want to start with one section, or you're all in and ready for the full bundle, there's an option that fits your pace. Enroll once and get lifetime updates, plus access to a private Facebook group where moms just like you share tips, wins, and support. This isn’t just a course—it’s a total mindset shift for how your family travels.
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I used to believe a dream trip to Kauai with our family of six would stay just that—a dream. Between flights, hotels, and food, we were staring at a price tag at around $15,000. Not exactly in the budget for a family of six. But once I discovered how to stack travel rewards, everything changed.
