From Vineyards to Spicy Bites: A Day Trip Guide to Valle de Guadalupe

Just two hours south of San Diego, the Valle de Guadalupe boasts beautiful views and amazing wine. Though you won't see Mexican wine in your local store, it rivals those from California, Argentina and Chile. 

In the 1990s, winemakers in the region began formally marketing the Valle de Guadalupe as a destination. This is when they banded together to organize the annual Grape Harvest Fiestas in the town of Ensenada every August.

This festive event draws wine-loving tourists who enjoy wine tastings, concerts, fireworks, celebrations of local wine culture, and more.
The region’s popularity has grown significantly since then. It’s really come into its own as a wine tourism hotspot in the last 10 years.

And now boasts more than 200 wineries! 

From San Diego, I recommend a day tour with Mario and Rene at Baja California Wine Tours.  Be sure to tell them that Stephanie from AlmostFREEfamilytravel.com sent you so you get the VIP treatment. 

Mario or Rene will meet you at the Old Town Trolley stop in a big white van. There is plenty of parking to leave your car and then within two hours, you are at the first winery enjoying a tasting of reds and whites. The wineries vary, but for our tour, our first stop was at Villa Montefiori. Mario chose this winery because it is the only one that uses Italian grapes from the owner's family vineyard in Italy. 

Second stop was the Decantos Winery, a much larger operation with an expansive outdoor seating area. We enjoyed a tasting here as well plus cheese and crackers. 

There are more than 200 wineries in the Valle so Mario and Rene visit different ones each tour. You can even make requests on private tours. 

From here, we visited Finca Altozano for lunch. Three tastings and lunch are included in the $199 per person public tour price. Alcoholic drinks and tip at lunch are NOT included. 

Lunch was a delicious sit down appetizer to dessert set menu. It was family style and started with a variety of appetizers including salad, brussel sprouts and freshly baked bread. Mario was able to accommodate various dietary concerns. 

The finca also features a farm, garden, bakery, coffee shop and several Instagram favorite sites. 

Last stop was the Hacienda Guadalupe where the owner talked about the winery's unique rose colored wine. We also watched  the sunset from the balcony. Beautiful. 

There are also plenty of hotels and homestays in Valle de Guadalupe if you want to stay overnight. You can drive across the border as well, but be prepared for a long wait on the return. If you have a Sentri pass, that can be helpful. Remember to bring your Global Entry card and your passport. 

I have just been certified as a travel advisor so if you want to book a trip to Valle de Guadalupe, talk to me and I'll help you. 

Registration is open for my Travel Coaching Program

 

If Paris is a travel goal for this year, think 2024 Olympics, then it's time to learn about using points and miles for FREE travel. I have travelled to more than 54 countries and 6 continents and now I'm ready to help you. 

Registration is open for my Travel Coaching Program. I'm only taking 10 people in the January cohort so don't wait. 

It's just $297 for 3 video modules about points and miles plus two bonus modules with real life examples, personal points and miles tracker, 1:1 live coaching session with me, and monthly group zoom sessions. You can add additional 1:1 live coaching sessions for a fee if needed. 

Check out some of the feedback from the first cohort:

"Stephanie Antin of Almost Free Family Travel has been so helpful in saving my family $1,000’s of dollars in travel costs.  I was also able to save on domestic travel by following her tips on how to make the most of your Southwest card to get a Companion Pass. If you love to travel Stephanie Antin and her Almost Free Family Travel blog is a “must have”!!
-Dena from San Diego

"I just want to take a moment to thank you for helping me plan my recent trip to Europe. Taking the time to clearly explain different credit card options, and giving me useful tips on using the miles and points was invaluable. In the end, I was able to use the points earned to cover airfare for all four of us to Iceland, The Netherlands, and Spain. I am now working on our upcoming summer vacation to Hawaii and plan to use points to cover not only airfare, but also most of our hotel rooms. I could not have done it without you!

Debbie from Riverside

In my travel coaching program, you get the following:

• 3 video modules that cover basics of points and miles 
• 2 bonus modules with real life examples of redemptions 
• custom points and miles tracker 
• audit of your points, miles, credit cards
• 1:1 live strategy session with me
• group coaching sessions forever 

The $297 price for my Travel Coaching Program ends January 31st, so don't wait. Let me help you reach your travel goals in 2024. 

$99 Sale Price Ends January 1st For My Travel Coaching Program

 

The $99 sale price for my Travel Coaching Program ends January 1st, so don't wait. This price includes 3 video modules about points and miles plus two bonus modules with real life examples, personal points and miles tracker, 1:1 live coaching session with me, and monthly group zoom sessions. 

Check out some of the feedback from the first cohort:

"Stephanie Antin of Almost Free Family Travel has been so helpful in saving my family $1,000’s of dollars in travel costs.  I was also able to save on domestic travel by following her tips on how to make the most of your Southwest card to get a Companion Pass. If you love to travel Stephanie Antin and her Almost Free Family Travel blog is a “must have”!!
-Dena from San Diego

"I just want to take a moment to thank you for helping me plan my recent trip to Europe. Taking the time to clearly explain different credit card options, and giving me useful tips on using the miles and points was invaluable. In the end, I was able to use the points earned to cover airfare for all four of us to Iceland, The Netherlands, and Spain. I am now working on our upcoming summer vacation to Hawaii and plan to use points to cover not only airfare, but also most of our hotel rooms. I could not have done it without you!

Debbie from Riverside

In my travel coaching program, you get the following:

• 3 video modules that cover basics of points and miles 
• 2 bonus modules with real life examples of redemptions 
• custom points and miles tracker 
• audit of your points, miles, credit cards
• 1:1 live strategy session with me
• group coaching sessions forever 

The $99 sale price for my Travel Coaching Program ends January 1st, so don't wait. Let me help you reach your travel goals in 2024. 

 

The end of the year is quickly upon us once again! Besides end of year sales and tax moves, you may also want to look at the five travel tasks that top the ultimate year end checklist. Here is the list: 

• Travel credits - check all of your airlines to see if you have any travel credits due to expire on Dec. 31st. Many of them ask you to book your flight by the expiration date, but you can travel later. Sometimes, you can book a trip and then cancel it and that will extend the expiration date, but keep in mind that doesn't always work. You may need to call, email or message on social media to the airline to find the right person who can extend the expiration date. Don't give up! It took me a week with a few phone calls, emails and private message on twitter to find someone to extend a United travel credit so I could book a flight in May 2024. 

• FREE hotel nights - Check the expiration dates on those FREE hotel night certificates to see if you any are expiring or if you need to book by Dec. 31st. 

5 Essential Travel To-Dos Before the Year Ends – Your Ultimate Year-End Adventure Checklist!

• Annual fees - this should be noted on your personal tracker, but if not, check to see if any of your credit cards are nearing the anniversary date. If so, make the decision about whether the card still fits with your strategy. If not, cancel it. 

• Credit card perks - check those perks like the $50 Chase Sapphire Preferred hotel credit or Global Entry or $300 travel credit, be sure to use these before they reset. 
• Points and Miles expiration dates - check those expiration dates for points and miles on airlines and hotels. If they are close to expiring, make a purchase to show activity or transfer the points to another account or person. 

Before you watch the ball drop or sip that celebratory champagne, take an hour to review your points and miles so that 2024 is full of adventure and lots of travel. 

The $99 sale price for my Travel Coaching Program ends January 1st, so don't wait. This price includes 3 video modules about points and miles plus two bonus modules with real life examples, personal points and miles tracker, 1:1 live coaching session with me, and monthly group zoom sessions. Hope you will start off the year right! 

Point Triumph: Turning Capital One Rewards into a Mind-Blowing Free Tour!

 

While you are shopping for those holiday gifts, make each one count towards FREE travel. In my previous post, I shared my strategy planning for our trip to Tahiti next year. 

So far, I have the flights, the overwater bungalow and garden room, plus 3.5 days in the Airbnb for FREE. 

Though I earmarked the Capital One bonus points for the car rental, I still have more than 6 months to earn more points to erase that purchase. 

So when I saw an additional 10% off on the Lava Tube Canyoneering day tour we want to do while there, I jumped on it and then decided to go ahead and use Capital One points to erase it. 

Let's walk through that process so I can show you how valuable these points are. Some will argue you can get more value out of the points by transferring them to airlines or hotels, but my theory is like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder. For me, erasing a $500 day tour is a good value. 

So how do you do it? First, you need to use your Capital One Venture X card to buy the tour or travel. Wait until the purchase is no longer pending and then you can click on "view rewards" and "cover purchases". 

The nice thing about Capital One is that you do not have to pay for the purchase to be able to erase it. In fact, you can erase the purchase before you pay for it. AND you can use the welcome bonus BEFORE you even pay the credit card balance that helped you earn the bonus. Quite a hack. 

It means you can use travel to earn the bonus and then erase the travel purchases with the bonus before you ever pay the bill. Crazy! 

When you click cover purchases, all of your travel purchases will come up. You have 90 days to erase them with points. You can erase the whole purchase or part of it, but in this case, I'll erase the entire tour purchase. 

It will take a few days for the purchase to drop off. You can keep ticking away at your travel purchases to get that almost FREE travel. 

For me, I will be using my Capital One Venture X card for all everyday purchases because it earns 2x points to earn enough points to erase the car rental. 

If you think the Capital One Venture X credit card should be part of your travel FREE strategy, please use my referral link. You will get an extra 15,000 bonus points for a total of 90,000 bonus points or $900 in FREE travel plus $300 travel credit, $100 Global Entry credit and Priority Pass Lounge Access. 

Now if this is confusing or scary or you just want some help deciding if this card is right for you and your travel goals, join my travel coaching program! I am launching the second cohort now and offering a Black Friday special of just $99. This is an incredible deal because it includes the video modules, the custom points and miles tracker, a 1:1 meeting with me and our monthly group coaching sessions for life. There are limited spaces available so don't wait! 

The #1 Southwest Companion Pass Blunder That Can Derail Your Travel Goals!

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel perks out there. It's a BOGO on any Southwest flight for up to two years. You can even change your companion three times a year. And the bonus offer to help you get there fast is ending December 11th. 

I have had this pass for the past 8 years and estimate it has saved me thousands of dollars. 

Now you can earn this pass by flying 135,000 miles, but I don't recommend that. The easiest way is to open two credit cards (1 personal and 1 business card), make purchases to reach the minimum spend and earn the welcome bonus. 

But the timing of this process is extremely important because the pass is good for the calendar year that you earn it and the next calendar year. So ideally, you want to earn the pass in January so it's good for the entire two years. 

The #1 blunder that can derail this process is earning the welcome bonus too early so it posts in the current year instead of in January. This mistake will cost you an entire year of having the pass, ouch. 

It just happened to one of my readers. She got confused and thought she had to just earn 135,000 miles by January. She earned one of the welcome bonuses in December and since you can only earn the bonus once every 24 months, she may be out of luck for the companion pass. Ouch! 

The new offer is 75,000 bonus points on the PLUS, PREMIER and PRIORITY credit cards with a $3,000 minimum spend. Pair this with either of the Southwest business credit cards and bam, you have earned the Southwest Companion Pass. 

Remember right now is the time to work towards earning the pass for 2024-25. You can follow this article on your own OR join the second cohort of my new travel coaching program. There are limited spots available, but if you can get one, we will walk you through the process step by step plus help you build a personalized plan for FREE travel.

The new bonus offer ends December 11th.  

Reminder on How to Travel Smart and Save Big This Cyber Week!

 

Just a reminder, be sure to check any tours, flights and hotels for Cyber and Travel Tuesday deals right now that may give you a discount or earn you bonus points and miles. These can be discounts on new reservations or existing ones that you modify. 

For example, I had been watching a Lavatube Tour for our trip to Tahiti next year. I checked and the company added a 10% off Cyber deal if you book now. 

So I went ahead and booked it even though it's early. Plus I paid for it with my Capital One Venture X credit card and plan to erase the entire purchase.  To learn how to erase travel purchases with your Capital One Venture X credit card, click here. 

Before you make any purchase, be sure to check cashbackmonitor.com for offers in shopping portals, Chase and Capital One offers to see if you can stack the purchase and save even more or earn bonus points and miles. 

That's how we do it here at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

If you want support planning your next trip, join my new Travel Coaching Program, we are enrolling for cohort #2 right now. And right now, we are offering our own Cyber deal. It's just $99 for the entire program (video modules, custom tracker, 1:1 consult and live group coaching forever). I would love to help you travel for almost FREE.