A few months ago, I kept seeing this same-ish Instagram reel (old person Tik-Tok) that showed a bunch of beautiful views and then instructed scrollers like me to just, “take the trip.” I have to admit, it annoyed me a little when I first saw it. Of course I want to “take the trip,” but I have a husband, a job, three kids, a dog – and what I don’t have is unlimited money. I was given an opportunity, though, a couple of months ago, to decide whether I would “take the trip” or not, when my college roommate asked if I wanted to meet up somewhere this spring. We live on opposite sides of the country and don’t get to see each other much, so this was an easy place to practice “take the trip.” I’m glad I did, because I think, while initially an annoying message, it is true: life is short, nothing is guaranteed. And I truly mean it when I say that points and miles make saying yes to these opportunities 10 times easier. 

After going back and forth about several destinations, we landed on Montreal: a city neither of us had been to before. My friend and I are compatible travel partners –  we basically enjoy walking at least 20,000 steps per day, finding lattes, eating good food, and well that’s about enough to fill a day. The Metro was very user-friendly, on par with DC, and this made returning to the hotel after 10 miles of walking a little bit easier. We really enjoyed just taking in the different neighborhoods, Old Montreal and Plateau being where we spent most of our time. It delighted me to hear French spoken everywhere and to be initially addressed everywhere we went in French. Unfortunately, my college French was too slow to click in, and as soon as they saw me hesitate they would switch to English. Eh bien. This solidified my idea for a new hobby – spending lots of time in French-speaking places. 

A highlight of the trip, I think for us both, was booking a food tour for one of our afternoons. My friend had done a similar thing while traveling in Barcelona and really enjoyed it, so we decided to try it in Montreal. It ended up being a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Our guide was a local teacher who had time in the summer to lead these tours, and she was excellent and engaging. It ended up being less about stuffing ourselves and more about learning about some of the history and culture of the area. The top three foods associated with Montreal – bagels, poutine, and smoked meat – were not even on the tour. Instead we went to the first little pupuseria that opened in the city, strolled around the Jean-Talon market, learned about Montreal’s third wave coffee scene, and ended at a chocolate tasting. I highly recommend the Spade and Palacio tour that we did. We said au revoir to our guide and capped our lovely afternoon off with a couple of beers in the courtyard of Vices et Versa, a local brewery that boasted 40 local beers and ciders on tap. 

Now the nuts and bolts: what points did I use?  I was able to transfer 26,000 Amex Membership Rewards to Aeroplan/Air Canada for my flight, and bam, I was taking the trip. I used Marriott Bonvoy Points to book our hotel, the Fairfield Inn in downtown Montreal. Marriott has a pretty strong footprint in Montreal, and there are several properties where you could make good use of 35k free night certificates. Our hotel was 28,000 points per night, easily walkable to Old Montreal and the Old Port, and was also conveniently located right by a Metro stop. It also came with breakfast, which was nothing to write home about, but was useful to tide us over before our long walks to brunch. There are many other Marriott options, though, that are relatively affordable, whether in cash or points. The Hyatt Place Montreal was also right around the corner, and would be a good option for a family, as rooms can sleep up to six. As a category 3 hotel, this could be booked for a standard rate of 12,000 points per night, if you have Hyatt points or wanted to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards. I would definitely consider this if we were going to visit as a family.

All in all, this was a great trip that I’m so glad I took. Thanks, Instagram. More than anything, thanks to good friends who suggest meeting up and taking the trip!