Finally, we get to travel!
We’re recent empty nesters who have not been able to travel much for the past 20 years. Besides the kids being grown up, a few other things aligned to make 2021 the first “Year of Travel” for us.
After reading alot of travel blogs and watching other travel channels, we decided to share some of our travels as well as some of the different ways that we’ve been able to take some awesome trips on a very, very low budget.
Big Trips on the Cheap
You can read about a few of our more memorable vacations here:
- $2k instead of $21k! Cheap Luxury Week in Europe
- $13,000 Luxury Vacation in Hawaii for $2400
- $4,400 New England Road Trip for $614
- Saved $6,365 off a $7,300 Nassau Trip
- Germany Switzerland Itinerary: 7 Days of Luxury for Less than $2k
- $7000 All Inclusive Resort Trip for $220 (coming soon!)
Why Do We Get To Travel Now?
Besides our youngest leaving for college, I work for myself but I occasionally travel for business. Sandra (aka Zuzu) has a very flexible work schedule so she’s able to travel pretty much any time she wants.
But by far, the biggest reason that we get to travel is that we’ve discovered how to responsibly use credit cards to earn a massive number of points and miles.
See our picks for best credit cards here!
I had pretty much always been a debit card user. After setting up a new company with a partner, I realized there would be a chance to get some benefits from having either a rewards card or a cash back card.
On Dec 31, 2020, I got my 1st rewards credit card, a Chase Sapphire Reserve® Since 2021, my wife & I have added several cards and have amassed over 5,000,000 points.
We’ve redeemed those points for ~$150,000 of free travel!
I’ve been shocked at how quickly we’ve been able to parlay our normal spending habits into massive travel benefits.
The main reason for this blog is to share how we’ve been able to finally travel.
My hope is that we can inspire you to do some of the things that we’ve been able to do. And hopefully learn from both our success and from our mistakes.
Subscribe to our newsletter to come along as we document where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, the mistakes we’ve made and how we’re trying to make sure every year is “The Year of Travel!”
2021 Trips
Between work and pleasure, here are the trips we made in the first year when we were learning to travel hack.
- St. Louis, MO
- San Antonio, TX
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Riu Palace Riviera Maya – All Inclusive
- Houston, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Austin, TX
- Clearwater Beach, FL
- New Orleans, LA
- Miami, FL
- Confidante Hotel Miami Beach
- Key West, FL
- Hyatt Centric Key West
- Charlotte, NC
- Nashville, TN
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall All Inclusive
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Dominican Republic
- Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar All Inclusive
- Chicago, IL
- New York City
2022 Travel
And here are the trips that we made in 2022. Hawaii was our favorite trip but really found our (almost) free travel sweet spot with our 4th & 5th All Inclusive Resort stays!
- Hawaii
- Cancun, MX
- Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya
- Knoxville, TN
- Denver
- Grand Hyatt Denver
- Thompson Denver
- Gaylord Rocky Mountains
- Rocky Mountains National Park
- Nashville
- Puerto Rico
- Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
- St Martin (Sint Marten)
- Secrets St Martin
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Hyatt Place Pittsburgh North Shore
- Gulf Shores, AL
- NYC Grayson Hotel
- Panama City Beach, FL
2023 Travel
2023 started with a disappointment. We had a romantic trip to Secrets Akumal in Cancun booked, but Zuzu & I both came down with Covid right before the trip. Fortunately, we made up for that with a Spring Break trip to Cancun with some of our travel friends! All 6 of us traveled for free on points!
Here’s our travel list for 2023. Most were free trips on points but a couple are business trips & a family vacation paid for by Grandmomma!
- Austin, TX
- Playa del Carmen, MX
- Secrets Maroma Beach
- Secrets Moxche Impressions
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Nashville Thompson Hotel
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- New England
- Boston
- Portland, ME
- Bar Harbor
- Acadia National Park
- Las Vegas to Utah
- Zion National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Secrets Cap Cana
- Hyatt Ziva & Zilara Cap Cana
- Turks and Caicos
- Point Grace Resort and Spa
2024 Travel
Since I had more business travel in 2024, we didn’t book as much leisure travel ahead of time as we’ve done in the past. But the travel highlight of the year was easily a wonderful trip to Germany and Switzerland!
We got to 2 more All Inclusive resorts (which brings out total to 12 All Inclusives in 4 years) including Hyatt Ziva Cancun and Secrets Bahia Mita. And with another Nashville Staycation, we’ve now stayed at all the best Hyatt hotels in Nashville!
- Cancun, Mexico
- Hyatt Ziva Cancun
- Washington, DC
- New Orleans
- Nashville
- Dream Hotel Nashville
- Denver, CO
- Grand Hyatt Denver
- Thompson Denver
- San Antonio, TX
- Grand Hyatt San Antonio
- Europe: Germany and Switzerland
- Munich, Germany
- Andaz Munich
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Park Hyatt Zurich
- Vols in Völs Austria
- Munich, Germany
- Orlando, FL
- Napa Valley, CA
- Waterfront Hotel
- Andaz Napa Valley
- Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco
- Charlotte, NC
- Oklahoma City
- Fordson Hotel
- Puerto Vallarta, MX
- Secrets Bahia Mita All Inclusive Resort
- Asheville, NC
- Cincinnati, OH
- Chicago 2 Night Holiday Trip
- Chicago Athletic Association
2025 Travel
At the start of 2025, we only had 1 big trip planned but it’s turning into a pretty fun travel year. I’ve had a few quick business trips to start the year and have experienced the WORST Hyatt Place along with several perfectly fine HP’s.
We’re still sitting on a hefty stash of points and miles so there may be several random, last minute trips this year.
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Secrets St James
- Zoetry Montego Bay
- Cleveland, OH
- Hyatt Place Cleveland/Westlake/Crocker Park
- Birmingham, AL
- Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel
- Atlanta, GA
- Grand Hyatt Atlanta
- New York
- 1 Night Date Night Trip!
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Cancun, MX
- Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres
- Nashville Staycation
- Grand Hyatt Nashville
- Caption Nashville
- San Diego, CA
- Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
- Gatlinburg Glamping!
- Under Canvas Great Smokey Mountains
- Knoxville, TN
- Athens, Greece
- Grand Hyatt Athens
- San Antonio, TX
- Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk
2026 Travel
We’ve already booked a big trip for next year! More trips will get added but you’ve got to start somewhere!
- St Lucia
- Secrets St Lucia
Recommended Credit Cards
The biggest reason that we finally get to travel is that we’ve started using credit cards to earn points and miles. (I know that sounds crazy to some of you. It would have sounded crazy to me just a few years ago!)
Click here to get our eBook with exactly how we get to travel for FREE!
Best Personal Cards
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® – Learn More
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Learn More
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card – Learn More
- Chase Freedom Flex℠ – Learn More
- Chase The World of Hyatt Credit Card – Learn More
- AMEX Personal Cards – Learn More
Best Business Cards
- Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card – Learn More
- Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card – Learn More
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – Learn More
- Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card – Learn More
- The Blue Business Plus® Card from American Express – Learn More
- American Express® Business Platinum – Learn More
- American Express® Business Gold – Learn More
Which Credit Card is Right for You?
In our 14 page eBook, you’ll learn the exact steps that Zuzu & I have used to get over $150k of free travel since 2021! Download the eBook and it will help you see how we got started traveling. More importantly, you’ll see how easy it is for you to travel for free.
If you’re interested in signing up for any of these cards, please apply by clicking my referral link. You’ll get one of the cards that I think is really valuable and I’ll get some free points for referring you.