We had a great year in points and miles – more adventures than I thought could be possible when we started this crazy hobby. The thing that continues to blow my mind is that there are still more sign-up bonuses to be had and ways to cycle back through earning these points all over again.

We loved our time in Moab over spring break because of all of the beautiful hiking. We visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks as well as some other natural areas, and enjoyed spending time in Moab’s downtown area. We used 100,000 IHG poin and 64,296 Southwest Rapid Rewards to book the bulk of this trip. The kids were just saying today that they hope we can back to Utah sometime soon – I don’t disagree.

Next up was my once in a lifetime trip to France with my mom and siblings. I seriously reduced the cost of the trip (and increased the luxury) by booking an Air France business class flight there using just 43,000 Amex points. We also stayed in the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile during our Paris leg of the journey, which ended up being the perfect place to base ourselves. We used 121,000 points for a suite and a standard room, and I was able to apply a club access certificate so we could all have daily breakfast and wine and hors d’oeuvres for free. This wasn’t a strictly points trip, but it definitely stretched the budget so we could buy more croissants and wine along the way.

What I wouldn’t have imagined possible was that two months after a trip to France, I’d be returning to the French and Italian Rivieras with my family. We were able to spend a little over a week in Nice and Cinque Terre, and it really was a dream. All of our flights were booked on 237,000 points, split between Amex and American Airlines, plus around $1100 in taxes and fees. We also stayed in a beautiful suite at the Hyatt Regency Nice for 44,000 points per night, before moving to a magical VRBO rental in Corniglia.

Next, Tom and I got a little anniversary trip to Asheville in while the kids were at camp. We had two 85,000 point Marriott certificates and nothing to do with them. You can make an argument that certificates that expire are great because you go on trips you wouldn’t have gone on in order to use them… or you can make the argument the certificates that expire are not great because you go on trips you wouldn’t have gone on in order to use them. You be the judge. We stayed at the Grand Bohemian Asheville, which was a lovely hotel, but unfortunately was one of the many businesses that got washed out during the devastating Hurricane Helene flooding.

Next up was a quick weekend in Dewey Beach with Tom’s family that we originally had decided not to go on… then decided to burn 58,000 points for 2 nights at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach. I chose this picture to give the “I’m staying in an airport” vibe that the hotel gave. Overall, this was a great use of points to be able to join family on a trip we didn’t think we could make possible. I had a whole blog post worked out in my mind about how this hotel should not have been a Category 6 – no Hyatt Place should. We’ll see if I ever get that post on the blog – it feels a little too complain-y.

In August, we stayed in our first ever Vacasa rental using Wyndham points in order to visit Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. I think this was an unexpected highlight of our year – we love to hike and it just doesn’t get better than Yosemite. We used 81,000 Wyndham points for 3 nights near the gate of Yosemite; then 30,000 Citi points and an IHG certificate to stay near Sequoia. our flights were booked using 79,629 Southwest Rapid Rewards.

In September, I met a good friend in Sedona for what has become a tradition of annually meeting up somewhere fun. The Hyatt Vacation Club at Pinon point was ideally located in walking distance of the shops, restaurants, and galleries in Sedona. The resort had a lovely pool with hot tubs and the units themselves were spacious. This is one to which I will definitely return with the fam – and maybe write up an official post about, too. I used 66,000 Hyatt points and 45,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards for this and do not regret it!

We’ve traveled to other parts of the country and world, but we just can’t stop going to West Virginia. We used the Capital One travel eraser in October on a cabin near the Dolly Sods so we could do – guess what? – more hiking! We love this area so much and were happy to squeeze in another little adventure.

Last but not least, we snuck away for a long weekend at the Alila Ventana Big Sur for some practically all-inclusive pampering. This place lived up to the hype. We booked it at 45,000 Hyatt points per night, and flew in and out of San Francisco nonstop using around 41,000 points total for both of us. What did we do? We hiked, we ate everything, and we relaxed. I can’t wait to go back.

This was a really fun year – I still can’t believe all we were able to do because of this hobby. Let’s see where the points will take us next!