Alaska has been on our family’s travel list for years. But instead of taking a cruise, we decided to plan a DIY Alaska road trip, flying into Anchorage and exploring Seward and Valdez on our own. Trips like this can feel intimidating to plan. Flights to Alaska are expensive.Rental cars can be extremely expensive in […]

Rome had been on our family travel list for years and felt completely out of reach financially and logistically. Let’s be real… teacher salaries don’t equal jet-setting lifestyles. The history. The food. The feeling of walking through a city where ancient ruins sit right next to busy cafés and tiny gelato shops. But like most […]

If you’ve ever wondered how we: • Flew to Rome for $6 in taxes• Booked flights to Roatán for $6 per person• Used Wyndham for 15,000-point family rooms in Cusco• Booked Europe hotel stays for 15K–30K per night The answer is simple: Transfer partners. But you can only unlock that power if you have the […]

If you’ve ever landed in another country and immediately panicked because you had no data, you’re not alone. Between airport Wi-Fi, daily roaming fees, and hunting down a local SIM card in a language you might not speak, staying connected while traveling internationally can feel way more complicated (and expensive) than it needs to be. […]

Living outside Kansas City means I do most of my grocery shopping the old-fashioned way: lots of planning and big trips to the store every other week. But I’ve figured out a trick to stretch my grocery dollars even further using Instacart credits that come with certain Chase credit cards — especially on the weeks […]

Hawaii is one of those destinations people assume is only realistic for luxury travelers or once-in-a-lifetime splurges. Between flights, resort hotels, and the reality of booking during school breaks, the price tag adds up fast for families. We’ve now been to Hawaii multiple times as a family — twice to Maui, plus trips to Kauai […]

When I book flights with points, I almost always still owe a small amount in taxes and fees. And on the rare occasion I pay cash for a flight, I’m intentional about which card I use to pay for it. I put those charges on my Chase Sapphire Preferred — not because of the points, […]

There’s one thing I do regularly that feels almost too good to be true — but it’s completely allowed and one of my favorite ways to earn extra points. I didn’t open a new card.I didn’t get a hard inquiry.And I didn’t add another account to manage. Instead, I logged in to pay my bill […]

If American Airlines is the airline your family flies most, you’re not alone. For many families — especially in the Midwest — American Airlines is often the most convenient option. It may be the airline with the most nonstop routes from your home airport, the best schedules for school breaks, or simply the airline you’ve […]

Where you stay near Universal can completely change your trip — especially when you’re traveling with tweens and teens. Hotel choice affects:• how early you can get into the parks• how much walking you do• whether you need Express Pass• how exhausted everyone feels at the end of the day For families with older kids […]