Valdez doesn’t end up on most first-time Alaska itineraries. It sits at the end of its own highway, tucked between mountains that make the American Rockies look like foothills, and getting there means deliberately driving away from the places everyone else is going. That’s exactly what made it worth it for us. We spent four […]

We just spent 8 days in Alaska as a family of four. Two teachers, two kids, no cruise ship, and the biggest costs covered with points and miles. We watched orcas and fin whales from the deck of a boat in Kenai Fjords National Park. We kayaked across Resurrection Bay to a remote beach and […]

Nine wild species. Our 29th national park. One single day on the water. If your family does one paid activity in all of Alaska, this is the one. I’m going to walk you through exactly what a day on the Kenai Fjords Tours Captain’s Choice cruise looks like with kids, what we saw, what we […]

Most people see Seward for about six hours off a cruise ship. We stayed four days, and I’m telling you now, it was perfect! Seward was the first stop on our ten day Alaska trip, and it ended up holding some of the best days of family travel we have ever had, anywhere. This is […]

Stroller-friendly routes, budget-friendly eats, and magical holiday stops for families London is one of the most enchanting cities in the world during the holiday season. The Christmas lights, decorated streets, festive markets, and cozy neighborhoods make it the perfect place for a magical bedtime-friendly evening stroll. And the best part? Most of the best Christmas […]

London is one of the world’s most iconic cities—but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Whether you’re planning a family trip on a budget, using points and miles to keep costs low, or simply looking for memorable experiences that don’t require a ticket, London is packed with incredible free activities that kids and adults will […]

We live in Kansas City. We are both teachers. We have two kids. And in May 2026, our family of four traveled to Greece and paid $2,185 out of pocket. The cash price of that same trip? $15,696. I want to break down every single number for you, because almost every piece of Greece travel […]

Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, and it is one of the most useful programs for US families trying to get to Europe on points. We used it to fly all four of us from Washington Dulles to Athens — 29,500 miles per person and $280 total in taxes for […]

We spent the first week of our summer in Paros, Greece with our 9 and 13 year old, and it was exactly what we needed. No theme parks, no crowds, no schedule we had to stick to. Just a Greek island, a rental car, and five nights at a villa with a private pool we […]

We paid $0 for five nights at Acron Villas in Paros and I would book it again tomorrow. That is the short version of this review. The longer version is below — what the property actually is, how it connects to Hyatt, how the points pricing works, and every detail you need to know before […]