For a family to travel anywhere can be expensive, and when you are a family of 5 or more, it can be downright prohibitive to take big trips. That is where travel hacking comes into play.
Travel hacking is the art of collecting frequent flier points and miles to get free flights, hotels, tours, and more.
Our biggest family trips have all been possible because of points. Three examples below:
#1 – Grand Cayman
We spent 7 night in Grand Cayman at a luxury resort, and our flight and hotel costs were the following:
· 120,000 American Airlines miles for 4 of us
· $500 for my flight
· 120,000 Starwood Points (now merged with Marriott and called the Bonvoy program) for 2 hotel rooms for 7 nights at the Westin Grand Cayman
· $420 in resort taxes
#2 – Australia
We took a 2-week trip to Australia, including time in Sydney and Cairns, with 12 hotel nights during the peak travel period of Christmas and NYE. Our flight and hotel costs were the following:
· 200,000 American Airlines miles to Australia for all 5 of us
· $160 in airline taxes
· 240,000 in Chase Ultimate Rewards points for 4 of us for the return
· 110,000 American Express points for my return
· 110,000 American Airlines miles for intra-Australia travel between Sydney and Cairns
· 200,000 Marriott points – 7 nights across two Marriott properties in Sydney – 2 rooms each night
· 160,000 Hilton points – 2 nights in Cairns – 2 rooms each night
· 70,000 IHG points – 1 night in Sydney at a Holiday Inn – 2 rooms
· $500 for 2 nights at a 3 br condo in Trinity Beach, north of Cairns
Yes, thanks to miles and points, we paid less than $700 for airfare and hotel for a two week trip from the US to Australia. During this time, the value we received was $17,000 worth of airfare and over $5,000 worth of hotels. That $22,000 in value was the difference in us taking the trip versus not taking the trip!
#3 – Thailand
At the end of 2021, we took a 12 night trip Thailand, where we visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, which included some of the most amazing experiences of our lives.
Our flight, hotel, and other transportation costs were the following:
· American Airlines miles – Using vouchers from getting bumped that (thanks to pandemic related date extensions), covered 2 of us from Chicago to Bangkok. For the other 3, we used 105,000 miles. In addition, we paid $100 in taxes. On the way home, we used 37,500 miles per person for all 5 of us for a redemption of 187,500 miles and $150 in taxes.
· Chase Ultimate Rewards Points – I used 150,000 points + $40 for our flights from Chiang Mai to Phuket and Phuket to Bangkok. Total savings = $2350
· American Express points – I used 100,000 points + $50 for 2 rooms for 4 nights each (total of 8 room nights) at the Shangri-La hotel in Chiang Mai. I actually paid $250 out of pocket but the Amex Platinum has a $200 annual luxury hotel credit, which was triggered with the booking, so I got a $200 statement credit lowering my out of pocket to $50.
· Marriott points = I used 400,000 points + $270 for 2 rooms for 6 nights each at the Le Meridien Phuket (one of them upgraded, which is the reason for the extra $270) for a total of 12 room nights.
· Uber credits – I used $40 in credits ($30 from the December Platinum Amex credit and $10 from usage credits) + $10 for our ride to the airport to start our trip.
We paid a little more than usual out of pocket for this trip, but we ended up saving more than $17,000, which made the trip possible. It was the first time our family had ever been anywhere in Asia, and we can’t wait to explore more of Southeast Asia specifically as a family.
Coming up, I’ll share how I built up this stash of points to make the trip possible!
Comments