Book An IHG Hotel For Just 5,000 Points

Every quarter, IHG releases a list of point break hotels. In other words, a list of hotels you can book that quarter for just 5,000 points per night. It's an incredible deal if the hotel fits into your travel plans. 

Last year, I booked the Crowne Plaza near Newark Airport for one night for 5,000 points. It worked out perfectly since my daughter and I were touring a college in the area. 

The list for this quarter was released this morning so check it out. Book fast if any of the hotels work for you. The rate is only good through April 30th 2018. You can always cancel. 

Check out the list here! 

Get A FREE Week Of Hotel Stays In Krakow, Poland

Main Square In Krakow Poland

Hilton just announced its new American Express co-branded credit cards and they come with 100,000 Hilton points. What can you do with 100,000 Hilton points? I used Hilton points this summer to stay in Krakow Poland for 5,000 points per night per room including breakfast. I used another 10,000 points per night per room including breakfast in Warsaw Poland. So for my family of 5, we used a total of 60,000 points for 4 nights (2 rooms each night) and a full breakfast. We also made sandwiches at breakfast and ate those for lunch.

You can easily stretch the 100,000 points to cover a whole week or more depending on where you go and which hotel you choose. 

So how do you earn those 100,000 points?

You have a few options, let's break them down. 

1. The Hilton Ascend - $95 annual fee

Earn up to 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points

Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you make an additional $1,000 in purchases with your new Card within your first 6 months.^†

2. The Hilton Aspire - $450 annual fee

Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points

after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.^†

3. Hilton American Express Business Card - $95 annual fee and $3,000 minimum spend. 

Both cards include bonus points for spend at Hilton brand hotels and other purchases. The Aspire card has larger bonuses plus a FREE night on your anniversary. It also includes a $250 statement credit on eligible purchases at Hilton Hotels, a $100 property credit when you book 2 nights, a $250 airline credit for incidental charges and Diamond status.
The Ascend card comes with Gold status. Gold and Diamond status include a 25% bonus on points earned plus your 5th night FREE when you book 5 nights using points.

The bottom line is Hilton points can give you almost FREE family travel depending on where you are going. Whether to get the Ascend or Aspire depends on how you and your family travel and whether you think you will use the benefits of paying the higher annual fee. Neither card waives the annual free for the first year.

Local Skiing At Mountain High

Local skiing can often be a great way to introduce the family to the sport without breaking the bank. Just two hours drive from Los Angeles and San Diego, Mountain High is the ultimate local ski resort. Yep, this means, you can go to the beach in the morning and ski the slopes in the afternoon.
Almost FREE Family Travel got a chance to visit the resort for media day.

Mountain High has lots of ticket options available. If you buy a lift ticket right from the window, you will pay $79 for adults, $40 for children 12 and under. Children 6 and under are FREE. But if you buy online at least 48 hours in advance,  the Quick E ticket can save you up to 50%. The price varies depending on the day. And once you buy it, you can reload it online so you don't have to wait in line when you arrive.  There are some blackout dates with this ticket. There are also 4 day and night lift ticket deals for less than $200. 

Lessons start at $114 for children and include lift ticket, rentals and an instructor. Be warned though the lift ticket may only be valid for the bunny hill chairlifts. The website site doesn't indicate that detail, but my daughter's ticket was not valid on the express lift. 

 The rental process was easy and streamlined. Rentals were $37 for the adult ski or snowboard package and $27 for children plus $8 for a helmet. There were plenty of places to rent in Wrightwood before you enter the resort too.
Parking was FREE. And Mountain High offers shuttle service on weekends from San Diego and Los Angeles starting at just $40 per adult if you would rather leave the car at home.
Food options are pretty limited. The typical burgers outside on the grill and salads inside.
The local mountains have received no snow this season, but Mountain High is able to make snow and still cover the main runs. It was sparse and only 8 runs were open, but there was definitely enough snow covering the main trails to enjoy a great day! 
So if you want to try skiing or snowboarding, this might be a great way to cut the cost and see if you like it or enjoy a nice day in the mountains.

How To Get FREE Gold Status On American

Targetted emails were sent out this week offering FREE Gold and Platinum status with American Airlines. No strings attached. The email reads: You’ve been selected to receive free American Airlines AAdvantage® Gold status through May 25, 2018. You’ll experience all the benefits of Gold status. Plus, we’ll give you ten 500-mile upgrades just for registering — no strings attached. Sign up before you travel and no later than February 1, 2018. Use promotion code HV18G. According to the fine print, once you register, you earn Gold status and the following perks: Complimentary upgrades on flights 500 miles or less within North America (confirmed as early as 24 hours before departure) Priority through the airport at check-in, security and boarding 7 award miles/U.S. dollar (40% bonus) Complimentary access to Preferred seats 1 free checked bag oneworld® RubySM status on partner airlines Gold status is valid through May 25, 2018. If you get the targetted email and plan to fly, it may benefit you.

Book Your IHG Hotel By Today

IHG is changing the number of points you need for reward nights for most of its 700 properties. Approximately 499 properties will see an increase and 192 will see a decrease. The change is scheduled to happen on January 17th so if you are looking at any IHG hotels, book now.
Here is a link to the changes for 2018. The hotels are listed by country.
An IHG rep said the new rates will kick in starting January 16th so book today! We are waiting for the new quarter of point break hotels to be released too so watch for that. Point break hotels are amazing deals offered at 5,000 points per night, but you have to jump on them quickly before they sell out.

Changes Coming To Hilton Honors Program

There are changes coming to Hilton Honors program in April 2018. Most of them are positive and here are the highlights:

1. Hilton is eliminating the points and miles earning structure. You will now just earn points, but you can still transfer them to airlines.
2. The bonus for each stay will increase for elites.
3. Honors members will earn a bonus 10,000 points for every 10th night they stay in a calendar year. You don't need to register for the promotion and though it doesn't start until April, Hilton will make it retroactive.
4. Diamonds will see some changes like being able to gift status and the ability to rollover elite qualifying nights from year to year. Check out the graphic for more details.

Remember the new Hilton co-branded credit card comes out on January 18th, details coming.

Check Your Driver's License Before You Fly

Starting on January 22, 2018, a driver's license may not be enough to fly domestically. The Real ID act created in 2005 as a response to 9/11 required all the states to have "enhanced drivers license" by that date. These enhancements raise the level of security for driver's licenses. 

Some of the states have complied, others have asked for an extension. 

Department of Homeland Security has been working with the TSA to make the transition smooth. By October 2020, all 50 states and territories will have transitioned to Real IDs and you will no longer be able to fly with an old driver's license. 

For now, if you have an old driver's license, you may want to carry your passport or secondary form of identification just in case. Or you can go to the DMV and ask for a new Real ID driver's license. 

Ski Squaw With Teens On A Budget

Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is an impressive place to visit. High above Lake Tahoe with the California sunshine on your face, I can see why people come from all over the country to visit. 

But skiing is not cheap and Squaw is not cheap either. However, there are some workarounds that can save you some money. First, be sure to check out airbnb.com for your accomodations. If you use my link, you will save $40 on your first booking. We stayed in Tahoe City and that was quite convenient. There is a Safeway and Savemart in town so you can buy food and cook at home. 

At Squaw, lessons are expensive. You might be better off booking a lesson at Homewood or another smaller ski area. And then skiing Squaw for a day just for the experience. Plus take advantage of the FREE carpool parking near the gondola. 

Also get your rentals in town like at Tahoe Dave's instead of at the resort. That will save you another $20 per person. Tell Tahoe Dave that you want the online discount and he will give you 10% off. 

When you buy your lift tickets, buy them at least 2 days in advance online. You will get a discount of $20-$50 per ticket. Woohoo! 

Your lift ticket includes the aerial tram. Take the tram up to the bunny hill to get your feet wet and then from there you can explore the mountain. If you ride the tram another day, it will cost you $25-$45 per person so take advantage of the lift ticket. 

Be sure to ride the funitel down at the end of the day. It is also included in your lift ticket. 

My personal highlight was the ski in/ski out Starbucks located on top of the mountain at Gold Coast. 

The Village At Squaw has lots of shopping, restaurants and cafes. We also caught a free live concert, listened to the DJ and snacked on a yummy crepe. 

All around great atmosphere and fun day! 

Off The Beaten Path In San Diego

A man shows his family photos. He is on the US side and his family is in Mexico

When you come to San Diego, you think of Sea World, The San Diego Zoo and the beautiful coastline. But here's something you might want to add to your sightseeing list Border Field State Park. 

It's a park right on the Mexico-US border. 

This is the Southwest corner of the US

In fact, the border fence goes right into the ocean at the end of the park. To get to Border Field State Park, take I-5 South, exit Dairy Mart Road, make a right and follow that road for about 3.5 miles all the way to the end. You will need to pay $5 per vehicle if the road is open to the park. If not, you can park outside and walk the approximately 1 mile to the park. 

The border fence trails into the ocean

On Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm, the Border Patrol opens the no man's land between the two fences. That's right, there are actually two fences. It's an eerie feeling to be standing at the fence looking into Mexico. It's odd to see the fence trail down into the ocean and to watch the dolphins swim back and forth between the two countries. 

Border Angels Founder Enrique Morones

For me, I wondered whether we were locked in or they were locked out. Families on either side of the fence are visiting and holding hands. While we were there, Border Angels, a National Geographic photographer and a documentary film crew were there. A musical group started playing on the Mexican side as well and we could smell traditional Mexican food.
You can see the old bull fighting ring, the hotels and the church in Tijuana from the park.
If you want to experience something off the beaten path, this might be the one.