Miles and Points, My Dad

1) You can get 4 percent cash back on Amex gift cards on the site Lucky Rewards HERE

That is a good deal and I might bite this time.  (H/T Frequent Miler )

2) An interesting post on Flyertalk about Tirerack tire purchase promo that could potentially give you 2 free Marriott nights. Read it HERE

3) Via Fatwallet, there is a website that shows “Kids eat free” deals around the country.     Do a search HERE

4) If you are a member of the Air Tran and Rapid Rewards program, you probably got an email offering 750 points for linking both accounts. Make sure to do it before May 23rd.

5) 10,000 bonus points for staying at select Club Carlson hotels. Could be a good deal in Orlando, where properties are cheap. More HERE

6) Today only:

15% off 1 Local Deal at Groupon

Promo Code: LOCAL15

Live: 5/8 12:00AM EDT

Expires: 5/9 11:59PM PDT

*Good toward 1 Groupon Local deal only, max discount of $50. Limited quantities available.

7) If you have  a few minutes, please read this post on The Deal Mommy that reinforces what travel shouldn’t be about. Good stuff.

On my mind

My parents are supposed to come here from Europe at the end of the month. To say that we’ve hit some major roadblocks in planning this visit would be an understatement. Just about everything that could go wrong did.

However, the worst development happened just last week. My dad fainted and had to be admitted to the hospital. The doctors suspected cancer and did several biopsies. He faced the  prospect of a dangerous surgery and it looked like the trip wasn’t going to happen. In fact, I was planning to fly there instead.

When talking to my dad via Skype, I saw how heartbroken he was at the prospect of not coming to see my kids. He even jokingly said that he planned to hitch a ride to Alaska, since he always wanted to visit it. Yes, I got my quirkiness from him!

I told him that when they come in two years, I will take him on a cruise there. He got a big smile on his face. Well, I am happy to report that the biopsy didn’t find any cancer and they should come here after all. I say “should” because I’ll believe it when I see it.

So, now I  have a goal of taking 6 of us on an Alaskan cruise in 2 years (followed by a vacation to Tahiti), with a major trip to Europe next year. No, we are not wealthy. The banks will help me pay for a lot of the expense via sign-up bonuses.

And if I’m not lucky enough  to save up the necessary funds, I’ll just do a Kickstarter fundraiser, where my readers can donate to support my over-the-top lifestyle, so they can live vicariously through my super fancy adventures. Anything for you, guys! 🙂

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses