Last year, I said that I wasn't sure we'd ever have a travel year like that ever again.
2024 determined that we definitely did.
And had a blast in the process!
Our first year of earning and redeeming points and miles for travel was 2021, and we redeemed a grand total of $3,923.69. In 2022, we tripled that for a grand total savings of $14,972.30. In 2023, our shocking grand total was a whopping $45,123.57.
And in 2024, we beat our personal record from the previous year and redeemed this amount in travel rewards:
$46,610.18
Sounds crazy, right? But it's true!
When we opened our first credit card in hopes to supplement our travels, I seriously had no idea it would lead to this. I hoped to check off some places off of our bucket list, of course, but we have done that and MORE. These rewards have done more than just open our eyes to a world of possibilities that we didn't know existed -- it has helped our finances tremendously, too. Not only have our credit scores gone up significantly since opening those first cards, but our savings has compounded, too. Saving money is just more fun when you know you'll be spending it in places like Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Costa Rica, California, and Europe. That's true for us, anyway. We are personally more motivated to spend less on everyday splurges and treats at home when we have trips to look forward to. Plus it's an amazing feeling for us to be able to spend without stress while traveling!
Staycations are a normal thing for us now, too, and it has been so cool to play tourist in the place we're all growing up. Downtown Greenville has such a unique atmosphere, and we really enjoy being right in the action on these nights.
We spent a total of 38 nights in hotels together as a family, I was able to stay an additional 9 nights in hotels with friends for various getaways, and TJ and I spent one night alone together downtown Greenville at the start of the year.
So, where all did travel rewards help us explore in 2024?
Staycations
Wild Dunes
Puerto Rico
Bahamas
Costa Rica
Chicago
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
San Diego
Anaheim/LA
San Francisco
Boston
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
New Orleans
Here is a breakdown of how we many nights & flights we redeemed for each of these trips:
S T A Y C A T I O N S
For fun, as well as to earn nights towards re-earning Globalist status with Hyatt for 2025
// 7 nights //
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P U E R T O R I C O
// 6 nights at an oceanfront resort//
// 4 round-trip flights //
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B A H A M A S
// 4 nights at a resort //
// 1 round-trip flight //
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C O S T A R I C A
// 7 nights at 2 different resorts //
// 4 round-trip flights //
Memories from La Fortuna, Costa Rica:
Memories from Guanacaste, Costa Rica:
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C H I C A G O, I L L I N O I S
// 3 nights at a hotel //
// 4 round-trip flights //
Memories from Chicago:
Memories from Michigan City, Indiana:
Memories from New Buffalo, Michigan:
Memories from Kenosha, Wisconsin:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
S A N D I E G O, C A
// 3 nights at a hotel //
// 4 one-way flights //
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A N A H E I M, C A
// 4 nights at a hotel //
// 4 one-way flights //
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
S A N F R A N C I S C O, C A
// 3 nights in a hotel //
// 4 one-way flights //
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B O S T O N, M A
// 3 nights at a hotel //
// 4 round-trip flights //
Memories from Boston:
Memories from York, Maine:
Memories from North Conway, NH:
Memories from Woodstock, VT:
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N E W O R L E A N S, L A
// 3 nights at a hotel //
// 1 round-trip flight //
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We saved a lot of money on these trips, but we spent plenty while on them throughout the year, too. Our travel budget was smaller this year than the previous year, as well, but we were still able to make amazing memories. I read an incredibly thought-provoking book this year called Die With Zero that confirmed that we are on a good path with our emphasis on travel. One particular concept that the author unpacked throughout the book was memory dividends, which focuses on building a life full of memories instead of focusing on wealth accumulation alone -- because memories increase in value over time. We made a switch that aligns with this mindset a few years ago without even realizing it: we paid extra on our mortgage for a few years when we first revamped our finances, paused that pay off for a couple of years when we did not have the funds to do so, and have since redirected the money we were paying our mortgage debt down with towards travel instead. More concepts throughout Die With Zero are investing in experiences, balancing work and play, time buckets, and giving while living. Another quote from the book that I really resonated with was this:
"Instead of following what others are doing, live life purposefully and deliberately."
A lot of what we do does not align with what our peers are doing, and that's okay. Traveling is neither right nor wrong; it's simply something that can have value. We know what we value, we know how we enjoy spending our time and money, and we are willing to walk unconventional roads to get to where we want to go. In this season of our lives, one main way that we are embracing life to the fullest is by traveling. I wrote this in my journal last year and still agree with it a year later: We may not always travel like this. Our bodies are slowly failing us, our income is constantly ebbing and flowing, our family dynamics are changing, travel rewards are changing every day, etc. So, our motto is simple: we will do this as often as we can for as long as we can.
We already have most of our 2025 travel plans booked, and we've even started to dream about what 2026 might look like. Next year, Lord willing, we will visit Europe for two weeks, which is absolutely thrilling! A trip like this was simply a pipe dream before we began earning points, and we are increasingly grateful for how this hobby has empowered and inspired us to realize so many of our hopes and dreams. As of now, we don't have as much travel planned in 2025 as we have the previous two years, but the trips we are going on will be big bucket list checkers!
A little over a year ago, we officially set a goal to visit all 50 states before our oldest graduates high school, and a lot of our travel this year was inspired by that. Next year, we plan to visit even more states to get us closer to our goal. When we made it official, we had visited 11 states as a family. Since then, we have visited 10 more states and will add 6 more to that by the end of 2025 if all goes to to plan (which may or may not happen, of course). We're so close to halfway, which is so exciting! We've got 8 years to make this dream a reality, and it feels good to be making progress towards it.
I really do believe that life has gotten sweeter since we begin emphasizing always having a trip to look forward to. Anticipation is quite powerful, regardless of what is at the other end of it. It's refreshing to have good things ahead, even when right now feels heavy.
As always, here's to living while we're living.
It's more fun that way, anyway!
“Start thinking more about how you use your limited time, your life energy, and you’ll be well on your way to living the fullest life you possibly can.”
-Bill Perkins, Die With Zero
