When people first get into points and miles, it is easy to assume the goal is simple: Use points whenever possible. After all, “free flights” sound better than paying cash. But in real life, that is not always the best decision. Sometimes using points for a flight is a great move. Sometimes paying cash is…
A big welcome bonus can make a credit card look like an easy yes. Sometimes it is. A strong bonus can help cover flights, hotel stays, pre-cruise nights, positioning flights, road trips, or a trip you have been wanting to take but did not want to pay for entirely in cash. We have seen that…
Dining is one of the easiest everyday spending categories to overlook. Restaurants. Coffee shops. Fast casual meals. Takeout. Airport food. Vacation meals. Specialty dining on a cruise. A quick lunch while running errands. It adds up quickly. And because dining is a category where a lot of cards, apps, loyalty programs, and offers overlap, it…
Updated June 15, 2026: We refreshed this article with current information, updated links, the new British Isles port guide structure, and additional planning notes. Cobh is one of the better British Isles cruise ports if you want options. You can keep the day simple and stay right in Cobh. You can take the train into…
There is a side of credit card rewards that most people never think about. When someone earns cash back, airline miles, hotel points, lounge access, travel credits, or premium card perks, that value does not appear out of nowhere. Some of it comes from annual fees. Some of it comes from interest and fees paid…
Travel insurance is one of those things that sounds simple until you actually start comparing the options. Do you need it for every trip? Is the cruise line insurance enough? Does your credit card already cover you? And at what point are you really just paying extra for something you could afford to handle yourself?…
Princess casual dining can be one of the most confusing parts of planning a Princess cruise. It sounds simple enough. Casual dining should mean an easy meal, right? But on Princess, casual dining is not exactly the same thing as included dining, specialty dining, buffet dining, or grabbing a quick slice of pizza on deck….
One of our favorite ways to save on travel is not always finding a cheaper trip. Sometimes it is finding a smarter way to pay for the trip you already want to take. That is exactly what happened when we bought about $8,000 in Princess Cruises gift cards to help pay for our son and…
Updated June 15, 2026: We refreshed this article with current information, updated links, and additional planning notes for the British Isles port guide series. Dublin can be a great DIY cruise port, but it is not a port where we would step off the ship and wing it. The first thing to know is that…
Sometimes the best hotel isn’t the fanciest one, the cheapest one, or even the one with the highest review score. Sometimes the best hotel is the one that lets you walk out the front door and actually enjoy where you are — or hop on a train, subway, tram, or bus and get where you…
