I’m a member of the Sandwich Generation — with extreme challenges supporting both a child and a parent, while running a small business. Can you feel the squeeze?
Collecting miles and points helps my family hold it together.
In 2013, miles and points coupled with some other travel tricks kept us afloat and allowed us to travel “in style.” Our style is value domestic travel — free flights and Priceline rooms to enable family visits.
I learned a lot about miles and points by reading other travel blogs — but stories about trips to the Maldives were not relevant to my situation; there are too many other places I want to go. Frankly, if I make it to Paris, I’d be more interested in checking into a 2 star hotel in a funky neighborhood, than in staying in the Grand Hyatt Vendome.
Fishing4Deals is blog about travel for real people and for real families who must work within the constraints of limited time and money.
2013 was a great year for our family. Using miles and points, earned largely through travel rewards credit card bonuses, we made more than a dozen cross-country flights and several road and train trips.
Here are the highlights:
January: We travelled to Utah.
February: Our daughter flew home for a visit.
March: Another trip to Utah.
April: Our daughter flew East and we took a road trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
May: Camping at Green River, Utah.
June: Our daughter flew home.
July: A week’s vacation in Salt Lake City with our teenager.
August: Return to Utah, with a Priceline stay.
September: A road trip to Vermont, via the Palisades Parkway, and a night a the Latchis Hotel in Brattleboro.
October: Flight to Vermont, with a stay at Moores Inn in Saxtons River.
November: We headed to New York for Thanksgiving.
December: A train trip home for the holidays.
That’s a lot of travel for a lot of miles, points, and dollars! It may not be exciting or aspirational, but the main thing is that we managed to travel cheap, have a lot of fun, and sneak in some quirky attractions where ever we went! All told, I count:
- Hotel Nights = 33
- Flights = 31
- Credit Card Applications = 6
What will 2014 bring?
Who knows? We may win a trip to San Francisco or Salt Lake City. We may cash in our Club Carlson contest winnings to some where more exotic. Maybe we’ll go to Glass House or another nearby cabin. There will be a lot of family travel and some business travel.
I am looking forward to fishing for more deals in 2014 and sharing them with you!
A very happy New Year to all of you!
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