How I Used Points and Miles In 2021
| Dates | Travel | Detail | Cash Value | Points | Value Per Point |
| April | Flight | DFW to MCO Round trip for 4 people | $299 | 19,165 | $.02 |
| April | Hotel | Marriott Grand Vista | $1,209 | 115,500 | $.01 |
| June | Hotel | Hotel Drover | $600 | 35,000 | $.02 |
| July | Hotel | Gaylord Texan | $807 | 75,000 | $.01 |
| July | Flight | Southwest companion pass DAL to RSW round trip for 4 people | $1,064 | 32,970 | $.03 |
| July | Hotel | Hyatt Regency Coconut Point | $3,738 | 80,000 | $.05 |
| October | Hotel | Austin JW Marriott | 1,100 | 120,000 | $.01 |
| December | Flight | DFW to SJU for 4 people | $3,037 | 182,000 | $.02 |
| December | Flight | Southwest companion pass SJU to DFW for 4 people | $1,756 | 67,230 | $.03 |
| December | Hotel | Hilton Caribe | $7,224 | 500,000 | $.01 |
2021 was the first year I started tracking how used my points and miles. Tracking has helped motivate me to learn more and earn more, which results in me being able to travel more.
Trip Destinations
In 2021, travel was barely starting to open up again after Covid. We started our travel year in April with a family trip to Disney World in Orlando. Later that year, we returned to Florida for a summer vacation and spent Christmas in Puerto Rico. My husband and I also used points for a night at a fancy new hotel in our area to celebrate our wedding anniversary and went to Austin for the Circuit of the Americas F1 race. If all those trips weren’t enough, we also took our kids to the Gaylord Texan to enjoy the waterpark and celebrate the 4th of July.
In 2021, I used 1.2 million points for the flight and hotel rooms for these trips instead of spending over $20,000. For three round-trip flights for four people and 20 nights in various hotels, we paid $134.40. My family of four took four vacations, and my husband and I got to take two mini vacations, all because of points and miles.
Points Made Travel Possible
My husband and I make a decent living, but I do not have $20,000 to spend on vacations. Our 2021 travel was only possible because I learned how to leverage our everyday spending to earn points and miles. This hobby is something anyone can do.
Florida
Unsurprisingly, Disney World was my kid’s favorite trip of the year, but my personal favorite was Puerto Rico. Sadly, I was underwhelmed by the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, and would not recommend that people spend their highly valuable Hyatt points at that location.
I know people who spend $20,000 on a single-week vacation to Disney World, but we only paid for our Disney tickets, food, and rental car. This trip was to celebrate our kids’ birthdays, so it was great to splurge and let them get the ridiculously expensive $20 balloon because we did not have to pay for flights or hotels. It was really nice to have little to no stress about spending on activities and souvenirs because the travel and hotel costs were almost nothing.
The Hotel Drover
The Hotel Drover in the Fort Worth Stockyards was a perfect spot for an anniversary celebration night. We enjoyed cocktails from The Veranda Bar while sitting by the fire and listening to live music, and then we walked to the nearby Lonesome Dove Steakhouse for a delicious dinner.
First Time In The Fancy Seats
Flying to San Juan was my first time in a fancy lie-flat business class seat. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, a Boeing 777 plane was on the route, and we were flying for Christmas, so I went big and spoiled my family. It was amazing!
Puerto Rico
2021 was a COVID-restricted travel year, so the accessibility of activities and restaurants in Puerto Rico was limited. Before this trip, my youngest was not old enough for the COVID-19 vaccine, so we were not allowed to dine at many locations in San Juan. The Hilton Caribe is in a great location with a kid-friendly beach perfect for my 4- and 7-year-olds.
Not Everything Is Free
We did pay for rental cars, Disney World Park tickets, and food for both trips to Florida, so these vacations were not free. Had we not gotten the flights and hotel for free, we would have taken only one or two of these vacations. If I wasn’t sold on points and miles before 2021, I was totally on board after the year of fantastic trips and savings.
Thanks for reading, friends. Happy Travels!
