Ever since I turned the age to get a credit card (18) I have accumulated miles and points for anything and everything I could… so let’s just say it’s been many years! I’m by no means an expert in the field on which card to use and how to best get those points and miles, as I think it depends on if you are single, married, with kids, what your plans are, etc, etc! Instead I thought I would share some of the things I’ve been able to do WITH all my “freebies”!
Victoria Falls, Zambia side: trip of a lifetime
Words cannot describe my trip with my travel buddy Anne (before marriage and kids!) to Africa. We visited Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. I flew business class to South Africa with a day stopover in Zürich, Switzerland. Unbelievable.
Calgary & Banff, Canada for my dear friend Erinn’s big birthday and wedding (been there twice and LOVED it)
We were lucky enough the first time to visit during the Calgary Stampede. Who knew you could wear cowboy hats in Canada?!
Las Vegas, Nevada for my dear friend Jeff’s big birthday (and my husband’s first time there too).
Aloha baby! Can you say 16 days in Hawaii?! Our honeymoon…
San Francisco, California – we took a nice break from our kid for 8 days in SF, Napa and Sonoma Valley.
We’ve also given gifts such as magazines for my sister (what I can I say, she loves The Economist especially when it’s free), bar set for my sister’s college graduation, and toys for our nephews (hey, those were hard-earned miles). These are just a few of the highlights, but we’ve enjoyed giving gifts with miles.
We’ve used our miles for countless stays at hotels – usually just enough for one night here or there when we have a stopover; mostly with Hilton Hotels in Boston, New York, and San Francisco.
It takes time to accumulate miles and points of course but totally worth it in the end. What an adventure I’ve had using all those miles and points!
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Hi, I'm Kiera, the mom behind Easy Travel Mom. I have 3 passions in life: travel, money and being a mom! With my travels to more than 30 countries, my background in finance & marketing, and my learn-as-I-go mommyhood where I am constantly budgeting, I thought why not share all I know about all 3 passions.
Easy Travel Mom is about making life a little easy for my fellow parents out there that want to live life for today and skip the hiccups. Check out my 
August 3, 2012 at 1:27 pm
I have many plane tickets and gift cards with my credit card rewards and love the feeling! Last month I bought Jim a Kindle Ink plus extras for Fathers day with amazon points-score!
August 3, 2012 at 1:44 pm
That’s awesome Zoe! I’ll have to check into those amazon points as we’ve been ordering more and more from them. Every point counts!
August 7, 2012 at 11:34 am
Nice article…I use points for all my international travel…really a great way to see the world yet keep the cost down. I think the points/miles are one of the keys to a heavy travel schedule (unless you are rich I suppose)!
August 7, 2012 at 2:13 pm
So true Adam! My husband and I talk about how much travel we would do if we won the lottery, but I guess it would help if we actually played the lottery!!!