When most people hear about points and miles, they picture one thing: First-class seats.Overwater villas.Luxury hotels they’d never book with cash. And while those trips are possible… That’s not how most people actually travel. The real power of points isn’t just in luxury — it’s in making normal trips more affordable, more flexible, and easier…
We’re heading back on the Norwegian Bliss — this time on a repositioning cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver — and we’re doing something we’ve done before… But we’re doing it better. On past cruises — including: We shared a lot of real-time content and answered questions along the way. And honestly? That ended up…
Some trips are planned months in advance. This was not one of them. This was a Monday booking for a Friday flight — built around a Hawaii concert package, a surprise destination, and a flight that briefly made us wonder if we were going to miss the entire reason we were going. And somehow, it…
There are a number of items we make sure to pack on every trip — and others that serve a more specific purpose depending on how we’re traveling. Some are everyday essentials. Others are cruise-specific must-haves. If you’re specifically planning a cruise, we go deeper in our Cruise Packing Essentials We Actually Use guide, where…
Choosing a cruise is not just about the ship, the price, or even the itinerary. It is about you. Because the truth is, the same cruise that one person calls “amazing” could be one someone else would never book again. We have seen it over and over. The difference usually comes down to one thing:…
Most travel mistakes don’t happen during the trip. They happen before you ever leave home — when you’re booking flights, hotels, and experiences. And the tricky part?A lot of these mistakes don’t feel like mistakes at the time. They feel like: We’ve made plenty of these ourselves — and we still see them all the…
Many people think they don’t have enough points to travel. But when we actually sit down and walk through everything… They almost always have more than they think. Not from one place—but from a bunch of small places that add up. This is one of the first things we do when helping someone plan a…
Most people think of points the same way: Flights.Hotels.Maybe an upgrade if you’re lucky. But there’s an entire category of rewards that many people never even look at — and in some cases, they can create the most memorable parts of a trip. We’re talking about experiences. From VIP event access to once-in-a-lifetime activities, programs…
What Kind of Cruiser Are You? There’s No In-Between Cruising is one of the few vacations where two people can be on the exact same ship and still have completely different trips. Same itinerary.Same food.Same ocean. Completely different experience. Because the truth is, people do not just “go on a cruise.” They go for their…
I thought I’d hate cruising — I was wrong. Melanie had been on several cruises before. Jon? Never. I had officially labeled myself a non-cruiser — and I was pretty confident I’d stay that way. But with Melanie’s 50th birthday coming up, I decided it was time to do something big. Something meaningful. Something that…
