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A while ago I shared a post on some of the best travel credit cards out there. There are different ones for different types of travelers. If you have an airline that you try to fly with exclusively, then I would recommend getting one of their cards.
We currently have a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit card. We got it in the fall of 2012 and since then we have used it for: -2 nights hotel in Miami -2 round trip tickets to Florida from Salt Lake City -2 tickets from Portland to Salt Lake City And we currently have a balance of around 70,000 miles which is more than enough for round trip flights to everywhere Southwest flies including Costa Rica. Southwest Airlines has a $69 annual fee which was waived the first year. So, I have paid $207 for 4 round trip flights and 2 nights of hotel = killer deal. BUT! Southwest doesn't fly to very many international destinations. While you can use your rewards for international flights, it's not a good exchange rate for your points. They also have a foreign transaction fee, which means I don't use it when we travel internationally.
If you want to fly to international destinations, some other cards would be better, including:
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, There's no international transaction fee, and the rewards are more usable for international flights. This one has a higher annual fee of $95 (after the first free year) and 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000. You also earn more for every dollar you spend, which is awesome. 2: Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard Highlights: 40,000 bonus miles, earn 2X miles on all purchases, no foreign transactions fees, $89 annual fee 3: Capital One Venture Rewards Highlights: $59 annual fee, 40,000 bonus miles, no foreign transaction fees, earn 2x miles on all purchases Each of these cards offer excellent rewards, but they are a bit harder to use. Many reviews you'll find online actually suggest that you need to be a fairly savvy traveler to take advantage of some of these. So, what are you to do if you're a travel newbie and want international travel? I would recommend the Capital One Venture Card. You get 40,000 bonus miles (equal to about $400) once you spend $3,000, there's no foreign transaction fees, the annual fee is waived the first year and then is $59 after that. And now for my favorite part, you can either use your points to purchase travel through their platform (which also provides a discount) but if you find a better deal through someone else or just prefer something else, you can buy your travel ANYWHERE and use your points to erase the charge on your account for any amount. So, say you bought a $500 ticket to Paris, and you have $300 worth of credits, use those to erase $300 from your bill and your ticket is now only $200! And you can also use it on hotels and car rentals. This means you can travel when you want to, with who you want to!
Yeah, I know!
Que me doing a happy dance over here. Because now, I can use my southwest rewards for 2 fights to Costa Rica + use my bonus points and everything I earn from here on for our hotel stay = free awesome vacation! Like I mentioned in my first post about travel credit cards, earning points can get addicting for some people. Only get one if you feel like you can use it responsibly. We use our card on all of our regular monthly expenses (and we are pretty frugal) so we can pay it off in full at the end of the month. If you start paying interest, then the cost can quickly out weigh the rewards...don't do that! If you know you're going to do that, then either stop yourself right now from getting a credit card or get one without an annual fee. Paying someone so you can have the privilege to pay them interest every month is silly. What's not silly? Using the money you're going to spend anyways to travel for free! If that doesn't cause you to have a happy Friday, then I don't know what will. Whatever you do today, don't forget to travel happy! Skeeter
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**For the friends and family members reading this, don't freak out. This is not an announcement.**
When I was growing up, I thought I would have kids. It wasn't a hope or a dream, but just where I thought life would take me. I didn't really think that much about having kids in college, because well, it seemed like it wasn't the right time. It wasn't until Pat and I graduated and got married that people started to put the pressure on that I started to think about it. But no matter how I thought about it, it just seemed like a bad idea at the time. -We're just getting settled -We're trying to save up money -We are living in a van in New Zealand -We just got back from living in a van -Oh, there are these things called student loans that we need to take care of ...you get the idea. The reasons piled up, but in the back of my mind I figured there would be a time when it felt like it was time. But that time hasn't come. Just two days ago I was taking a shower (where I get all my best ideas) and I thought, "We should definitely include a 3 month sabbatical to Spain in our 5 year plan."
It didn't even occur to me until after I told Pat my brilliant plan, that that plan doesn't make a lot of room for children in it. Both could be accomplished, for sure, but it would be harder. Was that extra few degrees of difficulty worth it? I couldn't answer that question.
I always expected that I would just KNOW. I'm so jealous of people who just KNOW that they do or do not want kids. That sureness is such a huge gift. Whenever I see an adorable kid, I get a pang that I'd want one too. But, I personally think that's just nature's way of tricking me, I feel the same way about puppies after all. Because when I think about it rationally, kids are a terrible idea. They're messy, expensive, time consuming, body ruining, adorable monsters. There's so much that I want to do, that it is already going to take me my whole life to accomplish it all. If I have a kid(s) there's going to be some sacrifices. I just wish I knew that those sacrifices would be worth it. And you can't trust parents who love their children. They'll tell you without batting an eye that it's worth it while their adorable little ones smear glue in the carpet. They are also the same people that tell you "oh, don't worry, you'll figure it out" when you explain the financial burdens and uncertainties of raising children. I hope the "you'll just figure it out" means that I'll find an extra $250,000 over the course of the next 18 years and that I raise productive well balanced humans so I can retire at a decent age, because I will go off the grid if I have to, to push them out of the nest. This rant is just to ask people in general to be kind to those of us who are unsure, and those who are sure. Everyone from the mother having her fifth child, to the ones who know for sure that they don't want kids, to us fence sitters that get judged. Once, when I said we didn't have kids yet, this judgey women I was talking to said " What, don't you like kids?!". I hadn't even shared with her my doubt about this whole spawning new people thing before she railed in. Liking kids and making the commitment to care for them forever are two different things.
In fact, it seems reckless to not at least give such a big lifelong commitment some consideration. If we do decide to have kids, and we take them out of school for three months so we can all learn Spanish together in Basque country, don't judge us. I imagine most parents out there are just trying to keep their heads above water while taking care of these little people and still trying to be their own unique individual who has dreams and fears and goals.
I really want to believe that we can have it all. But before we can have it all, we need to know what we want. -This post is brought to you by Skeeter's mid-life crises, which just like Skeeter has arrived at the airport much much too early. Happy Travels everyone! Skeeter
I recently met a couple of cool well traveled folks and as we talked about our favorite foods and near death experiences I had a light bulb moment. We were discussing people who travel to far off destinations and then never leave the resort. To which I exclaimed "That's bananas!"
To which one of them responded " Some people vacation and some people travel."
Perhaps this shouldn't be a revelation to a travel blogger, but it was. For me, I could never ever think of flying somewhere and then only staying at the resort and never exploring anything else. It seems like such a waste.
But that doesn't make that style of travel better or worse than my style. In fact, it might be perfect for you. We all have different goals for our vacations/travels. You may just need to completely de-stress and unwind, and all you want to do is worry about how often you've applied your sunscreen and when that pool boy is going to be back with you next mojito. And I can't argue, that does sound great. I'm sure you've heard the expression, " I need a vacation from my vacation." If your goal was to relax, you may have done things wrong. BUT! If you want to do more than relax and you want to experience a new culture, new food, new experiences then you've got an entirely different trip you'll want to plan. What I'm really getting at is, I'm sorry. I have given people a hard time when they make the statement "You should go to Mexico, it's great, just don't leave the resort". Whether you're a vacationer or a traveler, it's important to know who you are, and what you like. For me, it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to try to just sit by a pool drinking drinks with umbrellas for a week. I could seriously use a lesson in relaxation. I would encourage those who only stick with the resort style to ease out from that from time to time too. You might just find something you love! So, what's the difference? If you've said any of these statements you're probably not a traveler: -"Ugh, nobody spoke English!" or "All of the signs where in another language, how were we supposed to know where to go?" -(While recounting a trip to Italy), "I was so excited when I found a Hard Rock Cafe so I could have a burger!" -"It was so primitive, nobody even took American Express." You get the idea. While it's totally ok to not want to spend all of your vacation shlepping around heavy bags and trekking up mountains. The one big thing I would encourage is to be open to new things: new people, cultures, and experiences. Just because it's different from what you're used to doesn't make it wrong or bad...in fact it might even be better. If you're a vacationer, try and inject a little travel spirit in your next trip. And if you're a traveler, it might not be a bad idea to spend a day or two now and then just lounging by the pool and ordering up an extra round of drinks! Speaking of travel style, I want to give a big shout out to our blogging friends Gemma and Craig over at Two Scots Abroad. They nominated us for an award and generally just made our day. Be sure to check them out! They are definitely my definition of travelers with style. And whatever your style is, always remember to travel happy! Skeeter |
Skeeter
Hi there! I'm Skeeter. I grew up moving a lot and that makes me a bit restless for travel and exploration. I started this blog with my husband Pat when we decided to backpack New Zealand for a year. We are always looking for the next adventure and are loving life. We're just your average couple with two sassy dogs and a love for travel. We're sharing our travels and the tips we pick up along the way. LIZHello! I'm Liz. Blogging is very new to me, but I'm so excited to finally write as much as I talk! Archives
December 2016
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