How the Valentines Saved $15,000 on Their Dream Trip to Spain
Meet the Valentines: A Family Ready for an Epic European Adventure
Today, we're diving into a real-life example of travel hacking that will blow your mind! Meet the Valentine family—a family of four, including two boys (17 and 20), on a mission to take their dream trip to Spain and Portugal this summer. But what makes their story extra special?
They saved $15,000 in just 4 months by building travel points strategically. Let's unpack how they did it and the drama-filled, action-packed journey they had along the way!
The Valentines' Travel Challenge
As their family vacation window was closing with one son in college and the other with a summer job, they realized that it was now or never to take their dream trip. Their mission was simple: Spain and Portugal, but with a few twists.
- One son was studying abroad in Scotland, and they needed to meet him in Spain.
- A third person (his girlfriend) would join them in a week to make them a group of five.
With limited time, high demand for summer travel, and a bit of chaos, they turned to me for help. We had to build a significant points balance and book multiple flights and accommodations in a few months.
Step 1: Prioritizing the Most Value for Their Points
Summer travel to Europe was already at an all-time high due to events like the Paris Olympics and Taylor Swift’s tour. Flight prices were sky-high, and hotels were filling up fast.
To make the most of their points, we decided to:
- Prioritize flights first to save as much money as possible on their most expensive travel element.
- Focus on earning points quickly to book flights before securing accommodations.
I introduced a strategic travel credit card plan to earn miles through multiple travel credit cards.
Step 2: Executing the Points Strategy
Here’s how we executed the plan:
- They opened a combination of United miles, Chase points, and Capital One points credit cards based on their household spending.
- We used tools I provided to track their spending and make sure they were hitting the minimum required spend for each card to unlock welcome bonus points.
Midway through, there was a twist: Their son switched countries for his study abroad. This change meant adjusting their flights, dates, and plans—thankfully, the flexibility of points and miles allowed us to make the changes without paying extra!
Step 3: Booking Flights and Accommodations
Booking flights and accommodations with points can be tricky, especially when you’re aiming for the best value. The Valentines were new to this, so I recorded detailed step-by-step videos to show them:
- How to transfer points for maximum value.
- How to find award flights and hotel availability for their exact travel dates.
Breakdown of the $15,000 Savings
Here’s how the Valentine family saved $15,000 on their European adventure:
- 3 Economy flights to Madrid: $6,509
- 1 Economy flight to Edinburgh: $2,102
- 4 Economy return flights from Portugal: $3,800
- 3 nights at Hyatt Centric Madrid: $2,654
- Travel credits for Airbnb nights: $1,600
Before working with me, they mostly paid cash for flights and accommodations. After implementing the points strategy, they booked flights at 5 cents per point, 5X more value than what they were getting with their old approach!
This Isn’t Unique—It’s Possible for You Too!
The Valentine family’s results aren’t a one-off. In fact, all of my clients experience similar wins when they follow my strategy.
If you’re tired of:
- Settling for just one trip a year
- Feeling like travel is out of your budget
- Missing out on the luxury vacations you dream of
Then this is your sign that it’s time to start earning points and unlocking the travel experiences you’ve always wanted.
Keep dreaming big, because there’s a whole world out there waiting for you to discover. š
- Kelly
