travel on points // 2023.

 Last year was our third year of traveling on points and miles, and I'm genuinely not sure that we'll ever travel like that again for the rest of our lives. Yes, it was THAT good! In 2021, our grand total amount saved towards travel was $3,923.69. In 2022, we tripled that for a grand total savings of $14,972.30.

And in 2023, our shocking grand total was...

$45,123.57

Honestly, that number still feels quite shocking even though I've been tracking and anticipating it for a year. Never in a million years did I think that kind of travel would be possible for us, but here we are. Another crazy thing is that more than half of that huge number was redeemed on on (incredibly amazing and unforgettable) trip. Any guesses which one? Hint hint: it's pictured above. ;)

In addition to 2023 having been a record-breaking year in terms of redeeming travel rewards, it was also a year of our highest travel budget to-date, as well. We didn't set out to spend as much as we did, but we let ourselves enjoy a few more trips to ease the ache we felt during a hard year. We, also, traveled to be there for friends and family out of town more than we ever have before, and that just felt right. We spent a total of 52 nights in hotels last year (51 in Hyatts and 1 in Marriotts), and we have almost that many booked already for 2024 (although we are increasingly holding all things loosely in life in general). This kind of travel may not always be sustainable for us, but we intend to enjoy it for as long as we are able while still prioritizing other things we deem financially important.

So, where did travel rewards help us explore in 2023?

Staycations
Miami, FL
Key West, FL
Fredericksburg, VA
Nashville, TN (x2)
Savannah, GA
Oahu, HI
Kauai, HI
Maui, HI
Port Canaveral, FL
Charlotte, NC
Wild Dunes, SC
Beaver Creek, CO
Orlando, FL

Here is a breakdown of how we many nights & flights we saved on each of these trip:

Staycations in downtown Greenville, SC
For fun, as well as to earn nights towards re-earning Globalist status with Hyatt for 2024
// 17 nights in hotels //

Miami, FL
A fun and timely trip for Spring Break 2023!
// 5 nights in hotels //
// 4 roundtrip flights //

Key West, FL
A day trip during Spring Break 2023
// 0 nights, just a full-day roadtrip from Miami //
//1-day car rental //

Fredericksburg, VA
A weekend trip to celebrate two of our favorite people getting married!
// 2 nights in hotels //

Nashville, TN
Visiting dear friends on two different occasions facing unthinkably heartbreaking circumstances
// 6 nights in hotels //

Savannah, GA
To explore this charming city for the first time & to experience a Savannah Bananas baseball game!
// 2 nights in hotels //

Hawaii
A two-week trip of a lifetime! We split our time between the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. It was a dream!
// 13 nights in hotels //
// 4 flights total for 4 people //

Port Canaveral, FL
We stayed here the night before we set sail on a week-long Caribbean cruise with TJ's family. <3
// 1 night in a hotel //

Charlotte, NC
I got to treat a friend to an overnight stay after going to the Phil Wickham & Brandon Lake concert. This is one of my favorite uses of points!
// 1 night in a hotel //

Wild Dunes, SC
A spontaneous trip to the coast because we really, really needed the ocean!
// 1 night in a hotel //

Beaver Creek, CO
A bucket list trip to see real snow and experience our first ski village. It was stunning & unforgettable!
// 4 nights in a hotel //
// 4 roundtrip flights //

Orlando, FL
We surprised the kiddos with a trip to Disney World for Christmas!
// 6 nights in a hotel //

That's all for 2023!

We made even more travel memories than is shown here, but these are highlighted because we primarily used points and miles to make these trips a reality. We spent more on travel in 2023 than we ever have before, and it was significantly less than we would have spent without points and miles. There is absolutely no way that we would have been able to afford this kind of travel without travel rewards. Our total out of pocket costs for the actual flights, rental cars, and hotel stays was only $300, which really is insane. And POSSIBLE! Our 2024 travel plans aren't quite as extravagant as last year was, but we still have plans to visit several bucket list places and make more incredible memories.

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.

Here's to living while we are living.

Because time is the most sacred currency of all.

the bargeron explorers // Christmas at Walt Disney World.

This past December, we pulled off the most epic surprise for our kiddos...

We gifted the kids a long-awaited trip to Disney on Christmas morning, and we drove down the next day. Oh, what fun!!

We were all soooo giddy at the moment of the big reveal — the kids to receive and the parents to finally exhale this secret we’ve been keeping for almost a year. We made the swap to experiences instead of things in 2019, and it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. I've personally dreamed of experiencing Disney at Christmas for as long as I knew Christmas at Disney was a thing (#iykyk), and it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.

Although Christmas at Disney wasn't all sunshine (the crowds were insane, our hearts still ache from reality, our bodies are increasingly not what they appear to be, we are already having to pivot our 2024 financial plans because of unexpected circumstances literally on the drive down, and our kids had plenty of tough moments), we soaked in every moment at the happiest place on earth. Even though it was not perfect, it was still really, really good. And honestly, being able to experience it with my husband and two kiddos was just perfect.

Now for the fun part...

How much did this incredible trip cost us?

Here is a breakdown of our totals...

Transportation: $141

We drove down, and this was the cost of gas in our (former) family van. We experienced car troubles while we were there, unfortunately, and had to spend money from our emergency fund to make enough repairs to get us home. We have since purchased a new family car, but I don't add those costs into this category.

Disney Tickets: $1,240

We purchased four (4) 2-day park hopper passes in March 2023 and were able to save a lot of money by doing it this way. The cost of tickets at Disney during Christmas is even higher than usual ticket prices, so we opted to get creative. The park hopper experience was limiting for a number of reasons (crowd levels, wait times, etc), but we were still able to do most of what we wanted. Our expectations were appropriate going into these park days, as well, and that helped increase enjoyment.

6 nights in a non-Disney (but nearby) resort: $0

Nope, that's not a mistake. We spent ZERO dollars for our hotel stay! This was made possible by redeeming travel rewards from credit card sign up bonuses, and it is a significant reason we were able to make this trip a reality. Between the nightly rate, resort fee, parking fee, and complimentary breakfast every morning, the actual cost would have been $3,400 for us to stay 6 nights.

Spending Money: $322

Nope, that's not a mistake either! This number was just over half of what we actual spent on food (at all 4 parks and on resort days), parking at the Disney parks, and souvenirs because we were gifted a handful of gift cards from family for Christmas to help offset our trip costs. Their generosity was a big part of why this number is so low. These gift cards covered most of our park-day costs.

Total amount spent out of pocket:

$1,566

What did our week look like?

Day One:

Drive from SC to FL & explore our resort

Day Two:

Park hop at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

Day Three:

Disney Resort Exploration Day

This was SUCH a fun way to spend our day!! We galavanted all over the Disney property from hotel to hotel, utilizing buses, the Skyliner, AND the Monorail. We explored the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary resorts along the way, and we loved how each resort felt unique and strikingly beautiful in its own way.

Day Four:

Park hop at Magic Kingdom and Epcot

Day Five:

Resort Day

Day Six:

Resort Day

(with special events because it was New Years Eve!)

Day Seven:

Drive from FL to SC (& craaaash)

Where did we stay?

We stayed 6 nights at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort. This resort was only around 5 minutes away from Disney Springs, and 10-15 minutes away from the parks. Although this was not a Disney affiliated resort, we had an incredible stay. The amenities included with our daily resort fee were boat rentals, bike rentals, mini golf, a basketball court, pool access (heated pools FTW!!), a water slide, hot tubs (including an adults-only hot tub), a gym, a rock-climbing wall, and more. The open air atrium (a Hyatt Regency trademark) was warm and welcoming, and the extra fun provided by the hotel for New Years Eve was a big hit for the whole family!

Would we return to this hotel?

Absolutely! We loved our stay, the distance from the parks, and all of the amenities available to us. There was no Disney theming, which may be a turn off for many families; but we were very impressed by the culture and hospitality we experienced. We were not upgraded to a larger room or a special view because the hotel was fully booked during our stay, but we felt that the standard room was spacious enough for us.

Now we know it for ourselves...

There really is no magic like Disney magic.

I’m so happy we got to experience Disney at Christmas. I’ve dreamed of it for so long, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more!

Have you been to Disney at Christmastime?