Woohoo! We Are Featured On A National Podcast!

 

Woohoo! Almost FREE Family Travel is featured on The Thought Card podcast with Danielle Corbett. We focused on luxury travel for families.

How do you stay at the over water bungalow in Tahiti with a family of 5? How do you manage different interests of your family members?

Check it out here:

Read/Listen: How To Plan Luxury Family Travel on Points and Miles with Stephanie Antin

Here's the summary of what we talked about: 

"Discover how to make luxury family travel affordable. Stephanie Antin shares tips for maximizing points and miles for unforgettable adventures. Often, with a large family, luxury travel seems out of reach, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Using points and miles, luxury family travel has become more affordable than ever. Traveling with your family can be one of the most rewarding experiences, but it can also be quite expensive. Fortunately, with the right strategies for maximizing points and miles, you can explore the world without breaking the bank. Since 2013, Stephanie Antin has mastered the art of points and miles travel, turning her family’s bucket list dreams into reality. She joins us to share her insights on how families can leverage points and miles to plan luxury family trips."

Listen to the podcast to get a promo code for $50 off my Travel Coaching Program. 

How To Find JetBlue Flights For Just 7000 Points

 

Let's just say this is number one zillion why I love Chase Ultimate Reward points. The option to transfer points to JetBlue. 

Jet Blue has six hubs, JFK, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, San Juan and Los Angeles. And if you search flights, you can find one way flights for as low as 7,000 points and $5.60 in taxes. Wow! 

JetBlue partners with Hawaiian Airlines, Iceland Air, Eithad, Qatar, TAP Portugal, Singapore Airlines and South African Airways. You book all of these airlines on the Jet Blue website so it's fairly easy. To find these incredible deals, go to the JetBlue.com website. Enter your departure airport and destination airport and a date. Be sure to click use true blue points. 

Look at this flight from JFK to Orlando, Florida. 

To get a monthly overview, click on the date.

But it gets even more interesting if you want to fly across the pond. Look at this one way flight from LAX to Lisbon, Portugal. Taxes are shown as $5.60 and the cash price is more than $800. Wow! 

What's amazing about this is your Chase Ultimate Reward points transfer to Jet Blue 1:1 which makes these flights very cheap plus the taxes are low. In my travel coaching program, I show you how you can earn thousands of CUR points easily with just your normal purchases. 

Now whenever you are planning to transfer points from Chase, Citi or Amex to an airline, be sure the flight is available BEFORE you transfer points because you can't get the points back. 

The transfer should happen immediately though the fine print says it could take a few days. 

I usually put the flights I want in the cart and then make the transfer. You may have to log out and back in for the points to show up in your Jet Blue account. 

My favorite way to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards is with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. Right now, you can earn 60,000 bonus points with a $4,000 minimum spend. It also includes a Global Entry credit, Priority Pass Lounge Access and travel delay and cancellation insurance. If the $550 annual fee for the Sapphire is too heft, my next favorite is the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. It comes with the same bonus offer and less benefits, but only has a $95 annual fee. 

Need guidance finding and making these redemptions, join my travel coaching program and let me help you. Use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" for $50 off. 

New $1,000 Bonus Travel Offer On Capital One Venture

 

Great new offer from Capital One! 

Apply for the Capital One Venture credit card and get $250 to use as a travel credit in the Capital One travel portal plus 75,000 points. That's $1,000 in free travel. Wow! The minimum spend is still $4,000 and the annual fee is just $95. 

This offer is equivalent to the Venture X offer, but the annual fee is $300 less. Amazing! 

Read here about my hack to use travel purchases to reach the minimum spend and erase them BEFORE you have to pay. It's crazy!

This is my go to credit card for any purchases that don't earn bonus points on the Chase FREEDOM or Sapphire Reserve credit cards. The Capital One Venture card earns 2x points on all purchases. The beauty of these flexible points is you can transfer points to a dozen different airlines including my new fave FlyingBlue.com, a few hotel chains and of course, you can erase travel purchases. 

The travel credit is only good for travel purchases made in the Capital One Travel portal, but I have found that the portal has improved and is actually quite reliable and easy to use. 

I actually got this card when we were going on a family trip to Costa Rica. By family, I mean extended family trip, you know, like a group of 20 people. The deal was everyone had to pay for their own airfare, but then once in Costa Rica, the trip would be a gift. Pretty sweet! The only other catch is we all had to fly on the same Delta flight. Since I didn't have enough Delta miles for 5 round trip airline tickets, my husband and I each applied for the Capital One Venture card. We charged the plane tickets and everything else to those cards to meet the minimum spend and we ended up getting three of the tickets FREE. 

Now I still like this card, however, I like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards better. Here's why:

• Capital One every purchase earns 2 points per dollar
• Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve - most purchases earn 1:1, but dining and travel earn 2:1 and there are categories where you can earn 5:1 if you have Chase FREEDOM, FLEX or INK cards. 
• Capital One points value are 1:1 when you use them to erase purchases
• Chase Sapphire Preferred values points at 1:1.25 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit
• Chase Sapphire Reserve values points at 1:1.5 if you use them in the travel portal or as a statement credit 
• Capital One and Chase offer 1:1 transfer values to airline miles, but Chase offers way more partner airlines and hotels. 

I still think the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve offer more flexibility than the Capital One.  But if you already have the Sapphire cards or the airline partners on the Capital One list work better for you, this is a great option. 

If you decide to give this one a go, consider using my referral link. You get the same great bonus offer and I get a little something for referring you and can use it to bring you more great ideas on how to travel for Almost FREE. 

If you would like to join my travel coaching program, you can use this link.   I would love to help you and your family travel for almost FREE. Use the promo code FREETRAVEL for $50 off. 

New Southwest Companion Pass Credit Card Offer

Southwest is out with a new one year companion pass offer. The companion pass is the best deal for domestic travel. It is BOGO flights on Southwest Airlines as many times as you want for up to two years. You can also change your companion up to three times. 

Normally, you need to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year to earn the pass. But now Southwest is offering a companion pass and 30,000 points with a single credit card application for their personal credit card. You need to spend a minimum of $4,000 in three months on any one of their three personal credit cards. The companion pass expires Feb. 28, 2026. 

Remember you can only hold one personal Southwest credit card at a time. These are the three personal credit cards and their benefits. 

• Southwest Plus - $69 annual fee, 2 early bird check ins
• Southwest Premier - $99 annual fee, 2 early bird check ins
• Southwest Priority - $149 annual fee, 4 upgraded boarding passes, $75 Southwest credit

If you plan to hop on this offer, my recommendation is the Southwest Priority. It does carry the highest annual fee, but it comes with a $75 Southwest credit. So that. means it's really the same as the Plus. The credit can be used for upgraded boardings, taxes, fees, and flights. Just use the card to make the purchase and the credit will show up on your statement. 

In my travel coaching program, I actually recommend a different way to get the companion pass for almost two years and 135,000 points. And even with this offer on the table, I would still recommend it. You would only spend another $2,000 for the minimum spend, but you would earn an extra 105,000 points. 

If you would like to join my travel coaching program, you can use this link.   I would love to help you and your family travel for almost FREE. Use the promo code FREETRAVEL for $50 off. 

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary

 

Even though it is already February, I wanted to share my 2024 year end summary. I recommend to all my clients to do a year in review to see what points they used,  how they used them and look for trends. 

This exercise will help you in planning your travel goals for the next year. 

During the January live group coaching session last month, we did this exercise as a group. One of my clients completed the task and said 

"Wow! I knew we saved a lot of money this year by using points, but until I did this exercise, I didn't realize how much." 

Amazing!

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary 

 

I do the same exercise with my own points and miles journey because we are always learning. So when I look at the above summary, here are some things I notice:

• I see that my family and I took 48 FREE flights in 2024 which is incredible. Most of those were on Southwest Airlines so we got a lot of use out of the Southwest Companion Pass. My pass expired December 31st, 2024, but I am working on earning another one for 2025-2026. 
• We stayed 28 FREE nights at hotels. Most of those were Hyatt Hotels which I really just discovered this past year and I love the value the chain offers. Most of those FREE nights were booked transferring Chase points to Hyatt. Most of those hotels cost between 5,000-12,000 point per night and included breakfast. 
• I used Capital One points for 1 FREE car rental that saved me $1,200 and 1.5 weeks in an Airbnb. Both utilized the "travel erase" feature. I don't tend to transfer Capital One points to airlines or hotels rather I use them to "erase" purchases that I can't use points for like car rentals, tours and Airbnb. This strategy may not be the right one for you, you may extract more value by transferring the points. 
• I only used the Chase Travel Portal one time to book travel using points. Just interesting to note. 
• I utilized my IHG points for a college family weekend stay because you can book 3 nights with points and get your 4th night FREE. This was a huge win because I booked the hotel early for very few points and as the college family weekend got closer, the rates skyrocketed and the hotel sold out. 
• For the March East Coast College Trip, we stayed at a lot of chain hotels that included breakfast so were able to use FREE nights that came with credit cards and minimal amount of points per night. The hotels varied between Hyatt, Hilton, IHG and a Marriott or two. 

Lessons Learned From My 2024 Year End Summary 

Reflecting on how I used points and miles this past year for travel:

• I'm excited that I was able to save approximately $40,000 and take my family on a spectacular 3 week trip to Tahiti. 
• I also love how we were able to visit lots of colleges and not stress about the cost of the trip. 
• We also spent more money on experiences and restaurants because we knew the flights and hotels were FREE. 
• I feel very good about how I spent miles and points and the value I was able to extract from them.

What will I do differently or improve for 2025? I would like to keep better track of the benefits and FREE nights that come with my cards. I just realized that Lyft Pink membership comes with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and would have saved me $150. I also ended the year with one FREE night at an IHG hotel that almost expired without being used. 

Top 5 Reasons To Try A Small Ship Expedition Cruise

 

Aboard the Coral Expedition Geographer small ship 

When you think about a cruise, you may picture a giant boat with thousands of people, a ongoing pool party and music blaring, huge buffet of food and Broadway like shows. 

Breakfast aboard the ship

There are many cruises out there that look like that, but a growing trend is small boat Expedition Cruises. These cruises are on small ships that hold just a few hundred passengers. They tend to cruise to more remote locales like the Arctic and Antarctica, but you can also find them in the South Pacific, Australia and even sailing the coast of Spain and Portugal.

There are several lines that offer this type of cruising. We like Windstar, Viking, SilverSeas, Ama Waterways, Quark, Coral Expeditions and Hurtigruten Expeditions. 

Small expedition cruise ship Coral Expedition Geographer

I spent two weeks aboard the Coral Expedition small ship traveling along the Kimberley Coast of Australia crossing the Indian Ocean to view the Solar Eclipse and then spending a few days in Indonesia. It was an incredible experience. I must admit that this was just my second cruise ever and the first was a mega cruise ship to Alaska. 

As I reflect on both of these cruise experiences, the small ship Expedition cruise is my preferred way of travel. Here are my top five reasons why. 

Lounge space aboard the ship

1. Small ships - On a small ship with just a few hundred passengers, nothing is crowded. You get to know the staff and your fellow passengers. The experience is very personal. The staff gets to know you and your preferences. You don't have to compete with others for reservations or a seat. 

Porthole state room aboard the Coral Expedition Geographer

Small ships are usually quite nice with comfortable state rooms, fine dining and executive chefs. The only downside could be the lack of traditional facilities like a pool, spa or large fitness area. 

Spotting a crocodile lounging along the Kimberley coast

2. Remote locations - A small ship can venture into locations that large cruise ships just can't . The Coral Expedition ship traveled into small bays along the Kimberley Coast which is not accessible by car or large ship. The small ships can anchor in the bays and then use zodiacs to take the passengers on land. The Coral Expedition had zodiacs and a ferry type boat available depending on the excursion. 

Aboard the zodiac heading to the King George Falls 

3. Experts on board - Where large cruise ships feature Broadway style entertainment and casinos, Expedition ships feature experts lecturing on history, culture and nature. Since the Australia cruise was designed around the Solar Eclipse, the expert was an astronomy professor who lectured multiple times about how eclipses occur, what to look for, why they happen and more. 

Solar Eclipse April 2023

4. Excursions - On large cruise ships, you need to add on excursions in each port. On Expedition ships, the excursions are included because they are part of the itinerary and everyone is expected to participate. Accommodations are available for those who are unable, but 99% of passengers would go on the excursion. Some excursions on the Australia cruise included zodiac landing for a guided walk through Komodo Island National Park, zodiac through the King George Falls, exploring the sandstone caves of Wollaston Bay and visit the three ancient lakes of Kelimutu. 

Komodo dragon living on Komodo Island, Indonesia

5. Environmental and cultural sensitivity - Expedition cruises often have a strong focus on sustainable and eco-friendly travel, adhering to strict guidelines to minimize environmental impact. They emphasize cultural immersion, providing authentic experiences with local communities.

I liked the Expedition cruise experience so much that I am already booked on another one, this time we are headed to the Arctic for the Solar Eclipse 2026. 
If this sounds interesting to you, let me know and I'll help find the best expedition cruise for you and your family.  I have access to perks and on board credits that you won't find anywhere else plus we will use points and miles to make this bucket list trip affordable. 

5 Essential Travel To-Dos Before the Year Ends

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. 

The $147 sale price for my Travel Coaching Program ends January 15th, so don't wait. Use promo code "NEWYEAR" for $50 off. 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! 

Before you watch the ball drop or sip that celebratory champagne, take an hour to review your points and miles so that 2025 is full of adventure and lots of travel.