travel rewards // 2021.

 In mid-2019, I discovered a new hobby: travel hacking. It sounded too good to be true, but I was intrigued. Save thousands of dollars and see the world using credit card points? No way.

But I researched anyway. Curiosity has always been a close friend of mine.

And six months later, we had opened our first card. We booked our first trip in January of this year, and it was a simple overnight trip. But that was enough to confirm that this was going to 1) be addicting and 2) change our lives in terms of travel. We were hooked.

I always get so many questions when I share about this, so here are a few FAQs about our personal journey:

-We have no credit card debt.

-We pay off our cards in full every month, and have not paid any interest since we started.

-We utilize credit card signup bonuses to earn points towards travel.

-We both have credit scores in the 800s.

-We are very organized with our cards, and that is an overflow of being very organized with our finances.

-We have slowly waded into the world of travel hacking as we have felt 1) comfortable and 2) competent.

Here is where travel rewards took us this year:

Atlanta, GA // March 2021

A quick trip to visit the GA Aquarium!

// 1 night in a hotel //

Fort Walton Beach, FL // July 2021

A special gaetaway for our 10th wedding anniversary!

// 2 round trip flights //

//5 nights in an ocean front hotel // 

// 80% savings on a 5-day Mustang rental //

Gatlinburg, TN // December 2021

A quick overnight trip for a trip to Dollywood for Christmas!

// 1 night in a hotel // 

Total saved by travel hacking our adventures in 2021:

$3,923.69

AMAZING!

We already have trips planned and booked for 2022, and I anticipate this number being substantially higher next year. Cheers to new hobbies and financial literacy: a pair that makes dreams come true!