People often ask how they can travel more like we do. The truth is, it comes down to two things. First, learning how to find cheap flights so getting to new places stays affordable. Second, understanding how travel works. The airlines, the routes, the timing, and the opportunities most people never notice.
Continue reading “Travel More: A Beginner’s Guide to Cheap Flights and Understanding Travel”
A few years ago, I thought business class flights, luxury hotels, and international adventures were things other people got to experience. Then I discovered miles and points.
If you’re reading this, you’re already ahead of most people. A lot of people say, “I wish I could travel more” or ” I want to know how to use miles and points,” but never take the next step to figure out how. Learning how miles and points work is that next step.
Since getting into this hobby, we’ve flown business class to Tahiti and Thailand, explored places like Japan, Finland, Turkey, and Taiwan, and even planned a safari in South Africa. The best part? This hobby isn’t reserved for experts, frequent flyers, or people who spend thousands of dollars a month. Anyone can learn the basics, start earning points, and unlock more travel for less.
This post is just about that: the basics. Not every strategy, not every program, just what you actually need to know to take your first step.
Before we talk about earning points, it helps to understand the different kinds you’ll come across.
There are three main types: airline points, hotel points, and bank points.
Airline points are tied to a specific airline, like Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus. Hotel points work the same way, with programs like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.
Then there are bank points, often called transferable points. These come from banks like Chase, Capital One, American Express, Bilt, and Citi.
These are my favorite because they’re flexible. You can use them through your bank’s travel portal to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. There’s no need to commit to one airline or hotel chain up front. Flexible points give you options, and those options become more valuable as you learn.
There are three common ways to earn points.
Loyalty Programs (~1% of our points) If you fly often or stay in hotels regularly, you’ll naturally earn some points this way. Nice to have, but for most people it builds slowly.
Everyday Spending (~14% of our points) Once you have a travel rewards card, your normal purchases start earning points — groceries, gas, restaurants, bills, all of it.
Credit Card Welcome Bonuses (~85% of our points) This is where almost all of our points have come from. Travel credit cards often offer large welcome bonuses after you spend a certain amount in the first few months. One welcome bonus can be enough for a flight, several hotel nights, or the start of an international trip.
Combined with everyday spending, welcome bonuses are by far the fastest way to build a meaningful points balance. That’s why learning to use travel credit cards responsibly is the biggest step in this hobby.
This is usually where people start feeling overwhelmed, and where I did too. My first credit card was just a basic card from my local bank. I had no idea there was an entire world of travel rewards cards.
Most travel cards offer a welcome bonus after you spend a certain amount in your first few months. For example, 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000. That doesn’t mean spending money you weren’t already planning to spend. The goal is to put your normal expenses on the card, pay it off every month, and earn rewards from purchases you were already making.
Our first travel rewards card was the Capital One Venture, and we still recommend it because it made the learning process simple. Another great beginner option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which also doubles as an excellent long-term travel card.
The best first card isn’t necessarily the one with the biggest welcome bonus or the longest list of benefits. It’s the one you’ll actually understand, use responsibly, and learn from.
That’s really all you need to get moving:
You don’t need to know every airline program or understand advanced strategies before you begin. The people who seem like experts today usually got there the same way — they earned one bonus, took one trip, and built their knowledge from there.
Once you’ve earned your first points, the next question is always the same one we asked ourselves: now what do you actually do with them?
That’s exactly what we cover in the next post.
Our trip to the islands of French Polynesia was incredible. We had high hopes, and they were all met. I can vividly remember as a kid thinking it would be so cool to go to Tahiti and to fly in business class. Two things I never thought would happen, but here we are. Check out our itinerary.
Continue reading “French Polynesia: Our Itinerary”
This post isn’t about which beach was the best or what we did with our days (that’s coming next). It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we made the trip happen: business-class flights to Tahiti, a quiet stay on the island of Huahine, and how we used a mix of points, miles, and cash to make it work. If you haven’t caught on yet, we use miles and points for just about everything. So while the social media clickbait might sound like we spent a fortune, the real story is how we didn’t. Here’s what we spent, what we saved, and how we made it all come together.
Continue reading “French Polynesia: What We Used and What We Paid”
The whole purpose of our blog is to showcase our travels and how we make them happen. This post is no exception. This was originally written when we booked this trip in 2024, but the same strategy still applies. With miles and points, the world is open to anyone. This is how we booked Tahiti in business class with miles and points.
Continue reading “Trippin’ to Tahiti: Tahiti in Business Class with Miles and Points in 2025”
I know, it sounds backward. Why would anyone drive to the airport to buy a plane ticket? Well, I would. And I did. It turns out there’s a little-known trick with ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier, and buying tickets at the airport can be cheaper than booking online. I recently tested it out, bought a ticket at the counter, and came away with some savings and a few lessons. Here’s how it worked, how much it saves, and what you need to know when buying a Frontier ticket at the airport.
Continue reading “How to Save Money by Buying a Frontier Ticket at the Airport”
From the beginning of our travels, an African Safari has been high on our bucket list. As we stated in “The Plan for Japan“, everything is possible with a little preparation and planning. So, this is what we’re working on and preparing for.
Continue reading “Escape to Africa: Our Plan for an African Safari”
The Netherlands and Germany are especially beautiful in the spring, with blooming fields, mild weather, and cities that feel full of life after winter. We were fortunate to be able to take a short trip through both countries and got to experience a bit of everything—charming towns, colorful landscapes, and more castles than we could count. It was the perfect time to visit, and we were lucky to catch the Netherlands and Germany at it’s best.
Continue reading “Our Trip Through the Netherlands and Germany”