The year is almost over, and we still have one quick local getaway this week. But I figured this might be a good time to look back on 2023. It has certainly been a busy travel year for my family, and I would be lying if I said that we didn’t spend a boatload of money on our “free” trips. But I would also be lying if I said I regretted any of it.
There were many amazing moments, though our adventure in Japan was most definitely the highlight. Since the primary focus of this blog is redeeming miles and points towards family trips, I wanted to mention a few redemptions that stood out.
It goes without saying that I have certain biases. For example, I’m much more excited about paying a points’ equivalent of $100 for a room that otherwise costs $300 than I am about a $2k room that I can get for “only” 45k Chase Ultimate Rewards. Those 45k points can be converted to $450, and that’s a ton of money for my family. I’m not saying it’s not a good deal, it’s just not quite a no-brainer for yours truly.
Without further ado:
My favorite hotel redemptions
I was able to use two renewal IHG certificates ($49 each) towards this redemption. Usually using these type of certs involves some sort of a compromise. Maybe a property doesn’t happen to have an ideal location etc. But hey, for $49 it would be obnoxious to complain, right? But it wasn’t the case with this particular hotel.
I would absolutely pay $300 per night/per room if I had to, because it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to find a modern resort in Hakone with private onsen in each room and views of the river. Bingo!
To be able to stay here for such a cheap rate was incredible. One of my best redemptions to date, hands down.
2) Vacasa rental on Madeira beach (via Wyndham points)
I was debating on whether it qualifies as one of my top redemptions in 2023, but ultimately decided to include it. Here is the main reason why:
It doesn’t hurt that I’ve acquired my points by paying renewal fees on our old Wyndham credit cards (no longer available). To be able to get a 1-bedroom unit with this kind of view for only $69 per night all-in is an absolute steal. The unit wasn’t fancy, and the condo building has definitely seen better days.
Still, the older I get, the more I realize I don’t need a ton of luxury amenities in order to be happy. Give me a clean room, a beautiful view, basic pool and a hot tub, and I’m good. I certainly enjoy luxury now and again, especially if I can get a great deal. Still, it’s hard for me to justify paying a ton of points per night if I can spend $69 and be content. I’m a cheapskate at heart, always have been.
Favorite airline redemptions
1) Paying 12,500 Delta miles to upgrade from economy to premium select on our flight from Tokyo to Seattle
I wrote a post where I attempted to compare JAL business class to Delta premium select. In it I admitted that it’s an “apples to oranges” type of exercise.
The conventional wisdom in the miles and points hobby dictates that snagging four business-class JAL seats on a 12-hour flight to Japan via AA miles is a big score. And it was. I don’t regret burning the miles because it was a looong flight indeed.
Still, in my opinion, paying an extra 12,500 Delta miles per person to get a much more comfortable seat represents a better overall value.
It also goes to show that there is no such thing as a worthless mile. True, some currencies (like Delta) are usually awful for anything but nonstop domestic flights in economy. Still, there are instances where they can come in handy, like the example above.
2) Using expiring Asia Miles on a flight from Orlando to Washington, DC
This was actually a terrible redemption, since I paid 15k miles per person for a 2-hour flight on AA. But the miles were about to expire, and I figured something is better than nothing. As a result, we finally got to see cherry blossoms in DC, something I’ve talked about doing for a long time. The best thing about miles is that they give you an excuse to get out and explore. I tend to procrastinate and talk myself out of many potentially terrific plans.
Also, this flight is the sole reason I decided to accept a match to Platinum AA status via Hyatt, valid for three months. I wouldn’t bother otherwise. I didn’t realize it at the time, but having this status enables you to pick Main Cabin Extra seats on any future AA flights. And we happened to have a few of them this year. It was a gift that kept on giving long after the status expired.
Final thoughts
This year has been an absolute blast when it comes to travel, and I’m so grateful to miles and points for helping me turn many of my dreams into reality. Yes, we still spent a lot of money and I do need to be more sensible going forward. But man, where is the fun in that?
Readers, please share your travel highlights from 2023!
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Boris Those are actually pretty cool redemptions. I really want to go to Africa, but my husband isn’t interested. Might go with one or both of my kids when they get older. Traveling solo just isn’t my thing.
I paid 22k Avianca miles in Y for JFK-BRU. The best deal is JFK-GVA for 16,500 Avianca miles one way. One of the best rates in the hobby at the moment, aside from Flying Blue specials.
Nothing really exciting. Sheraton Muscat for like 13K points. Nice facilities, good breakfast and happy hour almost full dinner. Proteas in Namibia. The one in Walvis Bay for like 4K/ night, upgraded to Pres Suite. IC Cali, Colombia for like $70 or 13K points. Great breakfast even for award stays, nice facilities. That was nice find actually. Looks like Colombian middle class families check in for staycation. To use the pool and saunas.Flights always in Y nowdays, just chugging along. Happy with being able to find even Y. Etihad and Qatar ain’t bad in Y. Happy New Year!
@Leana 22k Avianca from where to where? That’s how much I usually pay for JFK to BOG or MDE RT
Oh my god! These images are absolutely stunning. I highly recommend printing them out and preserving them as souvenirs of the amazing places you’ve visited. By the way, I’ve been diligently working on an exciting project—a website featuring exquisite gift cards adorned with beautiful pictures.
Feel free to check it out at https://maihagift.com! Your support would mean a lot to me.
@Aleks Definitely hard to beat paying 5k Hyatt points in a popular city like Krakow.
Btw, we are tentatively planning to meet my family in a nearby Zakopane. I’ve only been there on a day trip years ago, but absolutely loved the area.
Agree, Hyatt is a hard find but sometimes the stars align right.
For Iberia I had some miles from older canceled award so used those for Biz and PremEco to try out product, which was decent except food.
Smith hotels I don’t get big hopes for, rather might find good uses to IHG FNCs on yearly bases. 2024 looks promising.
@Aleks Thanks for sharing! I find it interesting as to what awards others find exciting. You seem like a value-oriented miles and points collector, similar to myself.
I love finding nice Hyatt Cat. 1 properties, though that’s harder to do in US these days. Well, aside from a few airport locations. Hyatt partnership with Linder hotels is an interesting development. I’m also looking forward to Mr. And Mrs. Smith platform being integrated in a near future. Hopefully, there will be a few gems via Hyatt points.
I’ve never taken advantage of redeeming miles on Iberia business class, but it’s definitely one of the better deals out there. Unfortunately, I had a boatload of Avianca miles I needed to get rid of this time around, and getting economy for 22k miles made the most sense. We’ll survive. But getting business class for a low number of miles is a thrill.
It’s terrific that everyone got what they wanted!
In this case, it is a little different. All four wanted to leave on the same plane, but return on different days bc my son and his wife wanted to stay an extra 3 days.
Thanks for sharing. I think those were very good award redemptions in 2023.
I have a few this year as well:
1) JAL Biz for 60K AA/AS miles and low taxes – and even on 787 I like those seats and service/food better compared to Singapore Biz. Also visited Japan but avoided Tokyo: spend time between Kyoto (Crown Plaza), Osaka (Crown Plaza) and Okinawa (IC Manza Beach) during momiji season. Had a great time there!
2) ANA inter-island flight for 5,900 United miles (cash price was not too much but I had UA miles to spare so that’s was a win-win; also the tickets were refundable in case my plans change).
3) 3,500 Hyatt points per night at Hyatt Place in Krakow – nice modern hotel across big park, in between the airport and old town (I like the low-season prices for occasional stays).
4) Low-season award rates on Iberia between East cost and Spain (although Iberia is not very consistent with pricing, and taxes are on the higher side).
-Happy Holidays and Sweet New Year!!-
-Safe travels in 2024 to all readers-
@GBSanDiego Gotcha! Glad you could make it work. It’s very much a puzzle at times. Flexibility is key in this crazy hobby of ours.
U r correct!
It is:
1 first, 2 business & 1 pE.
On the return, 2 business (in one flight )and 2 business (in another flight, couple of days later).
@GBSanDiego
That’s a pretty impressive list! ANA suites look really cool, for sure. Maybe one of these days I will get to enjoy this experience. It would be a nice treat if my husband and I ever go back to Japan without kids.
I’m surprised you found 4 J award seats on JAL this year. I thought they went back to releasing only 2 per flight. Congrats!
Hi Leana –
I was supper happy to have flown on the ANA ‘The Suite’ and for 3 of us!!
Also tried JAL business on JAL-1 (had already flown on JAL first RT in 2019).
Stayed at the Conrad and Andaz in Tokyo (had already stayed at both of these hotels in 2019).
Looking to 2024:
JAL business/first rt for 4.
Virgin Atlantic a350-1000 upper class.
Condor business a330-900neo
Turkish a350-900 & 787-9
That’s pretty much it ;-]
@Russ Thanks for stopping by, as always. I hope you have a stellar 2024 as well, and get to spend some quality time with your granddaughters.
Leana, Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2024 to you and your loved ones…wherever they may reside. I wish you continued success redeeming points to see loved ones and give the gift of travel to your family.