Recap of our 2019 Travels:
-34,180 miles flown per | ~27 segments flown |31 nights in hotels | Total cost of travel: <$5,000
Our Q1 travel schedule was fairly light due to our Wedding & Honeymoon at the end of April, Krystle changing careers in February, and our limited PTO. We spent a week in Siesta Key, FL with my family and did a few road trips down to Charlottesville, VA. As far as flights go – we only took one – a roundtrip Southwest Air flight from DCA to TPA. It was booked with with ever so magical ‘Southwest Companion Pass’ (earned through a credit card sign up bonus – we milked that thing for over $1,000 in value!).
Immediately following our wedding in April, we took off on a 15 night honeymoon traveling around the World. From New York City to Singapore and Bali; ultimately continuing back to the USA via Los Angeles.
The remaining trips of the year were all domestic (primarily utilizing & maximizing our SW Companion Pass). Starting with Michigan for my Ironman 70.3 race, a week at Topsail Island, NC (via auto), bourbon tasting in Louisville, KY, a wedding in San Diego, CA, and finally Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve in Wisconsin and Michigan.
We booked the majority of these trips using credit card points for flights, my employee discount at Marriott properties (90% of stays), and the remainder being Airbnbs.
Main take aways from the year:
Southwest Companion Pass is a game changer for couples (or families) that have access to Southwest flights. We paired this with our Chase Ultimate Rewards and booked all of our SW flights with points this year.
As always, please reach out to me if you’re looking for advice on a strategy or need helping just getting started. Safe Travels & Be Frugal in your journey.
