New to My Blog/Miles and Points Hobby?

Recently I was contacted by several readers who just came across my blog and apparently, enjoy it quite a bit (according to them). But it made me think how so much of what I say probably sounds like total gibberish. Churning, The Hobby, reconsideration process. What the heck does it all mean?

This is the biggest dilemma of blogging: how do you adequately serve your existing readership but don’t scare off newcomers? If you want  your site to grow, you need to somehow convert Google surfers into regular visitors. So, if you are one of  those Google surfers, welcome!

Please feel free to comment or email me at milesforfamily@gmail.com with any questions. I will do my best to reply promptly. Well, there was this love confession from a reader once which I didn’t acknowledge. But unless you are looking for romance, I’ll get back to you within a day or so.

But first things first. Are you by any chance like the character of Lord Business from “Lego Movie”? You know, the one who said and I quote: “All I’m asking for is total perfection!” You are? Well, I’m afraid things aren’t going to work out between us. But don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s me.

I don’t consider myself an expert on miles and points but more of an eager student. As such, I occasionally make mistakes. I’m also busy taking care of my kids and running a household, so  can not possibly write 5 good posts per day. English is my second language, so I probably don’t always express myself as eloquently as I should. Heck, just a  few years ago my husband was having a conversation with a friend. The guy said he was planning on working “graveyard” later that day. I thought he got  a side gig at a  cemetery. True story.

I also have a weird fascination with stock photo images of black people. Why, you may ask? Well, why not? There is no competition for those in the miles and points industry, plus  Cheapblackdad likes them. He is one of my favorite readers, so I do my best to keep him happy. Which reminds me, he just applied for a credit card through my site (I make affiliate commission on some offers) and I promised him another stock photo.

Does all of this seem bizarre and dysfunctional? I have bad news for you. This hobby is the epitome of dysfunction. You can pretend it’s not or you can embrace it like I did. In other words, I try to put  “fun” in “dysfunction” when it comes to this blog.

So, what’s the point? The point is to reach normal families who don’t want to spend all of their free time chasing various deals and promotions. I hope to find people who already have a life and simply want to discover ways to afford travel with their loved ones. No complicated deals, no time-consuming 10-step strategies, just easy to implement solutions. I guess you can say I’m going for  “simple,” yet not “simpleton.”

I’m not here to undermine other family miles and points blogs or discredit their advice in any way. Many things we say are just a matter of opinion and I don’t claim to be right 100% of the time. I’m also not looking for a fight or drama because frankly, none of this stuff is all that important in the grand scheme of things.

I’m simply telling my story and hope that folks benefit from it. Is the story compelling? I doubt that it is for most people. As I’ve said many times, we are an ordinary American family. What makes us different is that we are going for “extraordinary.”  Because let’s face it, travel is extraordinary. It’s life on steroids in the best possible sense.

Should you follow this site? Only you can answer that question. I could go on and on about how amazingly helpful my content is, but in the end, it’s up to readers to decide.  I hope you consider subscribing so you don’t miss any posts (green button on the right). You can always dump my blog later and I promise, I won’t take it personally. You can also download my e-book for free Some of the information is outdated, but the principles still apply. For the condensed version, I recommend you read my Beginner’s guide