I’m at a blogging conference in Colorado this weekend – and luckily my husband and daughter came along so we could be together.  Being at a conference and then traveling home together may not be the traditional way to celebrate Mother’s Day, but being able to be together is more valuable than any number of flowers ordered at 30x miles per dollar.  Though flowers at 30x are great, too! I… Read the Rest.

I have found that it is very common in our hobby to have one person in the relationship be all about earning and redeeming miles and points and the other be ambivalent or even anti-miles and points. In fact, it is so common that one of the sessions I am doing at the Chicago Seminars in October is devoted to the spouses, partners, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc., that are brought along… Read the Rest.

Approximately 28 hours after I left my house yesterday, I have made it to my hotel room in Tokyo. It took three flights, an express train, a cab, and a little luck to get here, but it is worth it. I was pretty nervous about the language issue before coming since I know roughly zero Japanese, but I’ve been shocked at how many things are written and said in both… Read the Rest.

With the exception of the few minutes it takes to write this brief post, I’m on a self-imposed “internet hiatus” this weekend (well at least when it comes to the miles and points world) so that I can fully experience the “Disney Magic” with my little family (and friends). This is actually Little C’s third visit to a Disney park. The first was at 16 months of age with some… Read the Rest.

I’m still in the middle of a trip to Europe that was made possible in large part due to miles and points, and wanted to share a little bit from it. My husband has family from Ireland and has wanted to visit “his homeland” his whole life. His parents are in their mid to late 60′s and just made their first trip to Ireland about a year ago. He was… Read the Rest.

We have all heard about how important it is to have money set aside for emergencies. That is certainly true, but it is just as true for those of us in the miles and points world to have miles and points set aside for the same purpose. They are just as good as cash for some types of emergencies. This may not be as exciting a topic as planning a… Read the Rest.

This is a miles and points/family travel blog, so I’m not going to write very much about the enormous tragedy in Connecticut elementary school. However, since my life is very focused on both my own family, and on doing a small part in bringing the families of others together, it does not feel right to totally go forward with business as usual without saying something. I will say that my… Read the Rest.

We are currently on a trip that we have looked forward to basically since I knew I was pregnant with Little C. She was due on Christmas Day, has a Christmas themed middle name, and we are a “Christmas Crazy” family, so clearly she had to have the NYC Christmas experience as soon as she was even marginally old enough to appreciate it. Since she is almost 3, and is… Read the Rest.

I am currently smack in the middle of the Star MegaDo 4. The international portion has ended, and the domestic portion has begun. However, I had slight change of plans that resulted in one of the most amazing uses of miles I have ever had. To make a long story short, I went into the MegaDo very tired. I blame the greatest evil known to toddlers, “the big girl bed”…. Read the Rest.

– Another post from The Man I was born just prior to the end of the paper currency era. Although I still carry cash for those transactions that are simply easier to conduct in such a manner, the vast majority of all of my financial negotiations are merely the electronic handshake of data that determines the flow of wealth from one bucket to another. This is not just at the… Read the Rest.