Katie Spills the Travel Tea: Our 2026 Travel Plans & Card Strategy

In this mini episode, I’m spilling all the travel tea on what our 2026 calendar actually looks like—from a bucket-list Hawaii trip with our kids, to a big multigenerational Outer Banks vacation, a moms-only Disneyland week, and Tom’s 40th birthday trip at the end of the year.

But the real behind-the-scenes magic?
Planning and strategizing...

This episode is a real-life look:

• Our 2026 Travel Plans
• The 2026 card strategy that will help us achieve our 2027 travel goals
• The framework of our strategy so you can do it too
• A 2026 timeline for nearly free travel in 2027

✈️ Our 2026 Travel Plans

Here’s what’s officially on the calendar:

• 🌴 Hawaii with our kids – March 2026
• 🏖 Outer Banks multigenerational family trip – June 2026
• 🎢 Moms-only Disneyland week with my best friends
• 🎂 Tom’s 40th birthday trip – December 2026 (destination TBD - but probably Las Vegas)

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to copy this framework in your own life—without copying our destinations

💳 Our Favorite Flexible Beginner Card

If you’re building your own 2026 → 2027 strategy and want a strong flexible foundation, this is one of our go-to cards for beginners:

👉 Chase Sapphire Preferred
🔗 Apply Now

Why we love it:

• Flexible airline & hotel transfer partners
• Excellent beginner travel protections
• Easy redemptions
• Strong long-term points value

⚠️ FTC Disclosure

Some of the links in this episode may be referral links. This means we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only share cards and tools we personally use and genuinely recommend.


🪜 How to Use This Strategy in Your Own Life

1. Pick your 2027 Trips
2. Open cards (Intentionally)
3. Earn the SUB
4. Let normal spending do the work

You don’t need more money. You just need earlier timing.


🎁 Free Resources

✨ Free Beginner Travel Hacking Guide
Learn exactly how to earn your first points and book your first nearly-free trip.
🔗 Start Now

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

✨ Viva Las Vegas: Rodeo Nights, Neon Lights… and a Haunted Surprise? 🎰👻

We’re taking you behind the scenes of our adult-only Vegas trips — from the glitz of neon lights to rodeo thrills, and yes… a spooky hotel experience we won’t forget.

💥 Spoiler: Vegas isn’t just slots and shows — there’s a little haunted chaos in the mix.

🎯 What We Cover

• The best (and worst) restaurants we tried — where to eat and what to skip
• Iconic Vegas sights you can’t miss
• Our favorite things to do in Sin City
• A haunted hotel story from The Horseshoe
• Tips for planning your own adult-only Vegas trip
• Travel Hacking tips to get your Vegas trip for nearly free

🗒️ Our Vegas Highlights

Neon Lights

• Classic Vegas Strip experiences
• Hidden gems off the main strip

Haunted Surprise

• A spooky encounter at The Horseshoe hotel

💡 Key Takeaway

Vegas is more than the glitz and glam — with a little planning, you can have the perfect mix of food, fun, and unexpected thrills.

🗣️ Homework

• Rate & review the show ⭐
• Share this episode with a friend who loves travel, rodeos, or spooky stories
• Follow us on Instagram → [@pointmetovacay]

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

✨ Katie Spills the Travel Tea: Real Trip Cost Breakdowns — Points VS Cash 💳

Ever wonder how much our “free” family trips actually cost? In this mini episode, it just me, Katie, flying solo spilling the travel tea on two of our real vacations — the full cash price vs. what we paid using points — and how we saved thousands along the way.

Spoiler: this is why we’ll never go back to paying full price for travel again.

🎯 What I Cover

• Two of real family trips: full cash vs. points cost breakdowns
• How we earned those points from everyday spending
• What transferable points actually are (and why they matter)
• Our favorite beginner-friendly cards for families
• How you can start saving thousands on your next trip

🧾 Real Trip Breakdown

Trip #1: Disneyland

• Cash price: $ 3,800
• Points price: 122,000 points + $56 taxes + $1050 park tickets
• Savings: $2,694 🎉

Trip #2: Hawaii

• Cash price: $6,494.20
• Points price: 325,000 points + 1 Hyatt FNC + $56 taxes
• Savings: $6,438.20🙌

TOTAL SAVINGS FOR BOTH TRIPS: $9,132.20 🤯🥳🙌🎉

These are real numbers from our family trips — not theoretical math!

💡 Takeaway

You don’t need to be rich or fly business class to make points work for your family.
You just need the right cards and a strategy that fits your everyday spending.

💳 Our Favorite Beginner Cards

These are the exact cards we started with — and the ones we still use today 👇

👉 Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Great all-around beginner card with flexible transferable points
Apply here: Referral Link

👉 Amex Gold® Card
Perfect for families — big bonuses on groceries & dining
Apply here: Referral Link

🗒️ FTC Disclosure

Some links in these show notes are referral or affiliate links. We may earn a bonus, commission, or points when you use them — at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we personally use and love.

🗣️ Homework

Rate & review the show ⭐
Share this episode with a friend who wants to travel more — and spend less.
Follow us on Instagram → [@pointmetovacay]

Send us a text

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.