Thailand was not on my radar. When I started this whole "travel hacking" thing 5 years ago I was amazed at how many folks seemed to be obsessed with all things Asia. SO much talk about finding the next great redemption to Hong Kong, Tokyo, or Bangkok...I only half-listened since I was busy booking trips to Europe as often as our schedules allowed. We've been fortunate to visit most of the great European capitals, and also enjoy exploring second cities and less-touristed desti

On Monday we're FINALLY headed to Rome! We had planned to spend Winter Break LAST year in Italy but my father was seriously ill and the timing just wasn't good...so I cancelled that trip. December 20, 2018 is our 10th wedding anniversary and it's finally a great time to celebrate. We have so much for which to be thankful! On this trip spreadsheet I changed the way I calculated perceived value. Instead of looking up the actual cost of the flights we're taking, I used Google Fl

If I'm lucky enough to celebrate 80 years on this planet I hope somebody throws me a party - hint, hint. Over the weekend, David and I drove down to Austin to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday with friends and family. I booked us into the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa for one night using 20,000 Hyatt points. My Globalist status meant we were entitled to some nice perks - waived resort fees, free breakfast, free parking (on award stays only) and an upgrade to a st

Dave and I just returned from four glorious days at the Hyatt Andaz Costa Rica. The resort is located on the Papagayo Peninsula and is about a 40 minute drive from the Liberia (LIR) airport. We used Southwest points for me and the Companion Pass for David. I kept an eye on the calendar and booked the tickets as soon as Southwest opened the schedule; we were traveling over Spring Break and flights fill up quickly. And boy were they PACKED - zero empty seats on all four legs. T