This past weekend, we encountered a stressful situation. A family member who lives in another city was in a horrible accident. The local hospital could not treat his injuries, so he was transferred to a Level I trauma center via ambulance a few hours away. We found out this information in the evening, and my […]

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably already know that my family has enjoyed some overnight cross-country trips on Amtrak. Traveling by train in a sleeper cabin is such a unique experience that my kids keep asking to repeat. Currently, two Amtrak credit cards have elevated welcome bonuses that could help […]

Miles and Points news from this week: American Airlines Will No Longer Award Miles On Most Third Party Bookings Starting In May: This is the biggest news story of the week. In addition to raising prices on checked luggage, American Airlines will now only award miles if you book through them directly or through preferred travel […]

I’m still piecing together my “free” cruise trip to Alaska this summer, and I needed to book a hotel for one night in Seattle before my cruise. Hotels in Seattle are actually quite pricey, so naturally I looked to my stash of miles and points. Since I had already visited Seattle (even though it was […]

My first experience with redeeming Avianca miles was back in 2017, and it wasn’t a positive one (to put it mildly). I still chuckle when I think about it, especially the fact that my SIL kept calling it “Ivanka” without a hint of irony. I figured it was “one and done”, but we circled back […]

Yes, I did it again. Another Amtrak train trip. This trip was a lot shorter than our overnight trips on the California Zephyr and the Texas Eagle trains. But still, it was fun trying something different. Why take the train? Before I get into my review, you may be wondering: Why take the train when […]