South
My family just flew to three European countries and home again for $149 per person total
Our family of five just got back from a nearly 3-week European vacation—three different cities in three different countries—and we only paid $149 cash per person for all of our flights combined.
It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not. It sounds like there’s got to be a catch, and there is, but not like you might think.
Welcome to the world of travel hacking, where if you learn to play the points and miles game well, you can take vacations you (or at least I) never thought possible.
I started learning about the points and miles game in the fall of 2021 via the 10xTravel free course, and I started playing in earnest myself in February of 2022. As a result, in the past year and a half, our family has taken multiple flights and stayed at multiple hotels within the United States—including some schmancy resorts—for free or very close to free. (Certain taxes and fees on flights have to be paid in cash, so there’s no such thing as a 100% free flight.) But this trip to Europe was our first foray into international travel with points.
My family enjoyed the Rathaus Christkindlmarket in Vienna.
Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau
The one “catch” to travel hacking? It’s a complicated, strategic long game that takes time and effort to learn. But it’s totally worth it. The basic gist is that you maximize credit card sign-up bonuses to accumulate transferable credit card points or loyalty points/miles with hotels and airlines, all without spending any more money than you normally would. Then you learn how to redeem those points for travel, which makes them way more valuable than simply getting cash back.
I wrote an overview of how the game works in a previous article (which you can read here), but I figured a real-life example is the best illustration.
For this trip to Europe, I transferred 362,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card points to United Airlines. (My husband and I have accumulated over 1.2 million points and miles in the past year and a half, so this trip was barely a third of our points.) That’s what all of our flights to, from and around Europe cost, plus one more flight paid for with Southwest points to get all the way home. The taxes and fees for all flights came out to $149 for each of us.
The Temple of Poseidon was a favorite of the whole family.
Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau
Our original itinerary was actually US > London > Athens > Tel Aviv > US, but obviously the Israel plans changed when the war began. We switched from Tel Aviv to Vienna for our music-loving kids just a couple of weeks before we departed. The flight from Vienna back to the US cost fewer points than the Tel Aviv to US flight, which made it so our added Athens to Vienna flight was covered by points we’d already spent. (We’d originally booked a one-way cash flight from Athens to Tel Aviv. That got refunded when the flight was canceled.) And thanks to United’s Excursionist Perk, our London to Athens leg also cost us zero points—we only paid taxes.
So what you see here are the fees we paid out of pocket for three flights—Spokane to London, London to Athens, and Vienna to Chicago (where we stopped to see family and friends for a few days on our way home). The Oct 15 “date of purchase” was actually the date we changed our Tel Aviv flight to Vienna—we purchased the original tickets months ago.
As you can see, the fees for these flights were $112 per person:
Fees for flights from Spokane to London, London to Athens, and Vienna to Chicago
Screenshot via Annie Reneau
Here are the taxes and fees for the Athens to Vienna leg we added after the Israel changes, which were $31.40 per person:
Taxes and fees for flight from Athens to Vienna.
Screenshot via Annie Reneau
Finally, to get back to Spokane from Chicago, we booked flights on Southwest. We have a ton of Southwest Rapid Rewards points accumulated from playing the game as well as two Southwest Companion Passes, which means two of our kids traveled with us for free (only paid fees on their flights—no points needed). So we paid 14,345 Southwest points x 3 (43,035 points total) and the fees were just $5.60 each, which brings us to our grand total of $149 per person.
We paid $5.60 each for our flight from Chicago to Spokane on Southwest.
Screenshot via Annie Reneau
To reiterate, we didn’t pay anything beyond our normal spending for the points we used to get these flights. We just strategically utilized new credit cards for all of our expenses every few months. Accumulating points is actually the simpler part of the game. Figuring how to find the best redemption deals for the points is where it gets complicated and the real work comes in.
It’s not like I just went on the United website, put in our dates and destinations, transferred the points and got the tickets. I spent many hours poring over different airline websites and different city combinations and dates to see where the best deals were. (We weren’t tied to particular cities or dates other than our religious pilgrimage to Haifa, which didn’t end up happening anyway.) It took a lot of time to find these tickets for the price we did, but again, totally worth it to save thousands of dollars.
Our whole family at the tip of mainland Greece at sunset.
Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau
If there weren’t as many of us, we could also have gotten hotels on points, but with a family of five it was more affordable to book Airbnbs where we were Europe. So it’s not like this vacation cost us nothing—we still had accommodations, public transportation, a car rental in Greece for exploring outside of Athens for a few days, food (pretty cheap in Greece, more expensive in the U.K. and Austria), and any museums, attractions and events we enjoyed.
But getting the flights for a song enabled us to do the rest. The cash price for the exact same flight itinerary would have cost between $6,000 and $9,000 for the whole family, especially since most of our flights were direct and at desirable times. Even if we were to see the 362,500 Chase points we used for their straight cash back value ($3,625), we still got a good deal. But those points didn’t cost us anything. And our family got to take the trip of a lifetime. Travel hacking for the win.
Happy Saturday. Dallas Cowboys Nation. We’ve made it to the extended weekend with millions of people set to hit the road for Memorial Day Weekend, enjoy some cookouts, honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, spend some time with family, and soak in the unofficial kickoff of summer.
With the holiday weekend, there is no telling what kind of news will surface from Cowboys headquarters as players enjoy the break from OTAs, but in a few weeks, mandatory minicamp will kick off and the offseason will begin to ramp up.
MORE: 5 NFL stars you forgot played for the Cowboys during their career
It’s been an eventful week surrounding the team, with several players speaking out in support of head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the “energy” surrounding the team, so hopefully that is a sign of good things to come.
While we wait to see what the weekend brings, let’s take a quick spin around the internet and check out some of the news and headlines making waves online and across social media. Indulge.
Blogging the Boys takes a look at how Micah Parsons can solidify his standing atop franchise leaderboards in some key stat categories this season.
InsideTheStar.com identifies three Cowboys rookies who could be on the field as Week 1 starters.
Cowboys urged to make splash RB signing of former All-Pro by ex-NFL star… Micah Parsons named one of ‘next NFL dominoes to drop’ amid contract drama… CeeDee Lamb gets honest about shoulder rehab, ‘grateful’ for new season… Cowboys could regret not using early draft pick on certain position… Cowboys TE named team’s most underrated player entering 2025 season… Cowboys predicted to start season with brutal losing streak by NFL analyst… Jalen Tolbert gets major benefit from Cowboys’ George Pickens trade… Could Cowboys have surprise LT over Tyler Guyton in 2025 season?
The Miami Dolphins now know who and when they will play in the upcoming preseason. The Dolphins first two games will be on the road against the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions then finally finishing at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s expected that the Dolphins will have joint practices with their opponents leading up to their games.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
Miami Dolphins Preseason Schedule Finalized
The Miami Dolphins will play two afternoon games in the 2025 preseason
Mike McDaniel
Kelly: Mike McDaniel’s steadying presence could stabilize Dolphins | Opinion – Yahoo Sports
Mike McDaniel allowed team to plan more activities together, to facilitate team bonding
Dolphins Special Teams
Miami Dolphins Special Teams Coordinator Craig Aukerman Discusses His Group
Aukerman became the first new special teams coordinator in seven years.
Dolphins Offseason
Miami Dolphins focus on team chemistry; try out pilates and paintball – Yahoo Sports
After a disappointing season, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wants to improve team chemistry with outings such as paintball
Phinsider News You May Have Missed
Expectations for Dolphins offense in 2025 – Miami Dolphins News 5/22/25 – The Phinsider
Welcome to the Splash Zone, the quickest way to get your day started off right. We bring you a rundown of Miami Dolphins news from the last 24 hours.
NFL schedule 2025: Dolphins preseason schedule announced – The Phinsider
The Miami Dolphins have announced their three-game preseason schedule for 2025.
Miami Dolphins roster moves: Bradley-King waived, Gabbert signed – The Phinsider
(Not that one)
Your 2025-2026 Miami Dolphins Record Predictions – The Phinsider
Miami Dolphins fans share their win/loss predictions for the upcoming season.
NFL schedule: Week 1 odds set for Dolphins at Colts – The Phinsider
The Miami Dolphins will visit the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Who do the oddsmakers think will win?
As the Atlanta Falcons begin their 60th season, there have been several players who have etched their names into team lore. However, their history of game-changing free agents is a relatively short one.
Free agency is still relatively new to the NFL, and for the first two-thirds of their existence, the Falcons had owners who were more content to lose free agents than spend to be competitive in the league.
That changed with Arthur Blank in 2002.
Still, coming up with a list of the best Falcons free agents of all time, it’s hard to come up with names. Center Alex Mack immediately comes to mind. Mack signed with the Falcons in 2016 and went to four Pro Bowls with the club.
After just two seasons in Atlanta, safety Jessie Bates III is firmly in the discussion as well. New defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would likely cast his vote that direction. Ulbrich has a lot of young players who were high draft picks at camp, as well as some established veterans.
He was asked this week if anyone has stood out to him that he’s the most excited to work with.
“Can I say Jessie Bates,” Ulbrich answered with a smile. “Captain Obvious a little bit. He’s one of the best safeties I’ve ever been around playing or coaching. His stuff above the neck is one of one as far as I’m concerned.”
Bates is halfway through a four-year, $64-million contract he signed in 2023. He made the Pro Bowl and was an All-Pro that season and was inexplicably left off both lists in 2024.
Seeing how smart Bates is has already made an impression on Ulbrich.
“His ability to see this game, probably better than most coaches I’ve ever been around,” said Ulbrich.
Bates will likely be paired with rookie Xavier Watts at safety this year, and fellow rookie Billy Bowman Jr. could see extensive playing time at nickel as well. Having Bates in the backfield will pay dividends beyond his play on the field.
“As we’re installing new defenses, I’m just looking at him and his body language, and he’s like searching in the sky for like ‘where do my plays live within this defense?’ It’s just so unique. And the questions he asks are so deliberate, intentional,” said Ulbrich.
Ulbrich summed up Bates’s approach and the leadership he provides on the backside of the defense.
“He doesn’t want to just know it, he wants to master it. It’s very unique in that way.”
With two years left on his contract, Bates turned 28 in February. He has several years of prime football left in the tank. He should be even better moving forward now that the Falcons have finally invested in pressure players in front of him.
Pressured quarterbacks make bad decisions, and when they do, Jessie Bates will anticipate and pounce.
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Chinatown Pride returns to San Francisco despite funding cuts
Cowboy Roundup: Micah Parsons eyeing team history, Week 1 rookie starters?
Dolphins 2025 preseason schedule – The Splash Zone 5/24/25
Cloudy, cool and gray today; weather slowly improves over holiday weekend
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