Cruises don’t usually pop up in the same way flights and hotels do when you’re looking for award travel. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use points—or cashback—to make one way more affordable.

My first minimum spend was like $3,000, and thinking I had to spend that amount kind of freaked me out. But here’s the secret, if you track your spending, you will find you probably spend that much anyway.

This is the behind-the-scenes of how I track our points, stay on top of payments, and plan trips without losing my mind.

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.

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.

If your bag doesn’t show up, don’t panic (or at least try not to!). Follow these steps to get it back as quickly as possible:

As a mom, planning a family vacation often feels like a juggling act between your dream destinations and what your budget will allow. Whether you’re dreaming of exploring the ancient streets of Rome, relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii, or embarking on a magical trip to Disney, making those dreams a reality might seem impossible. But what if I told you there’s a way to afford a vacation anywhere in the world without breaking the bank?