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Virtual Seminar: A Montessori Approach to Award Travel with Kids
This one’s short and sweet–join me this weekend for a virtual seminar about all things award travel! Drawing from my decade of experience in education research, I’ll be talking about how award travelers can apply Montessori principles to enhance trips with kids. You’ll hear about: This event is free for FTU members or $25 for…
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I Don’t Even Like Marriott and I Still Recommend This Card
If you’ve known me longer than five minutes, you probably know that I am a Hyatt fangirl (and newly minted Globalist! But I digress). While I can appreciate the merits of both the Hilton and IHG loyalty programs, I’ve never understood the appeal of Marriott Bonvoy. Unlike Hyatt, it’s hard to get good value from…
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2025 Year in Review
2025 was my second year in award travel, and I have leveled up my game considerably. Read on to learn about the points I earned, the points I burned, and the lessons learned along the way. Points Redeemed Out of Pocket Cost Cash Price Flights 743,995 $2,789.21 $44,645.25 Hotels 701,000 $0 $18,222.12 Totals 1,444,995 $2,789.21…
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Award Flight Deal Alert Services: Are They Right for You?
I subscribe to a popular flight deal alert service. Services like Thrifty Traveler Premium and Straight to the Points Award Alert Service send out emails whenever there’s a fare sale, an award space drop, or another opportunity to get travel at a great value, whether it’s with cash or points. One recent email highlighted the…
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It’s Go Time: Earn BOGO Flights for 2026 and 2027 with the Southwest Companion Pass
Author’s Note I’m republishing this post with updates for October 2025, in light of the current best-ever offer on the Southwest Performance Business card. This is the easiest path to the companion pass that we’ve seen all year, but hurry–this offer ends October 22nd. Tl;dr: One of the best deals in award travel, the Southwest…
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Courtyard Carolina Beach: Value and Family-Friendly Amenities
I thought I’d never open a Marriott card…but never say never. When Capital One announced changes to their Venture X lounge access in mid-2025, I knew we had to initiate the year-long process to obtain a Ritz-Carlton card to secure lounge access for our family. My P2 dutifully opened the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card,…
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Kate's on a Plane 