Most of the time, when people in our hobby sign up for a credit card bonus, they envision vacationing at an exotic destination.  Or at least, something that’s fun. Unfortunately, sometimes life throws you a giant curveball. A few months ago, a good friend of ours received a devastating diagnosis. I won’t go into any […]

Even though we live in Florida, we rarely fly from Miami and as a general rule, don’t stay in the area overnight. But due to circumstances, I had a chance to check out three different properties there within a month. Since many families have to overnight in Miami before taking a cruise or due to […]

Now and again we get questions from readers, and in this particular case, I thought it might be beneficial to share my thoughts via a blog post. You can always email us at milesforfamily@gmail.com or nancy@milesforfamily.com First things first. This post is meant for folks who have been dabbling in miles and points hobby for […]

In my post Are frequent flyer miles becoming worthless? I’ve mentioned that I tend to apply for mileage bonuses (US-based programs) without a specific goal in mind. The idea is, even if they devalue, I should still get 1 cent apiece at some point in the future. At least that’s the hope. Naturally, it’s not […]

Recently I’ve wrapped up my three-part trip report on visiting Costa Rica with kids over Labor Day. In the introduction I’ve promised to do a deep dive into hidden $ costs of our adventure, and I’m not talking about out-of-pocket expenses, like food and sightseeing. This was a classic case of a “free” trip, where […]

Costa Rica with kids: Using Hyatt points on Andaz and Rio Perdido resorts Andaz Costa Rica Resort: the good, the bad and the terrifying  Update: this property no longer partners with Hyatt, but can be booked with Hilton points and certificates instead. In my recent post about our trip to the island of Saba I’ve […]