Hey Everybody!

If I️ am going to share all these trips, I️ have to be willing to be 100% transparent about how much we spent. At least, this is what I'm thinking!

So, here's a breakdown of our spending in Florida!

Recently, we went to Fort Lauderdale for a much needed warm vacation! There, we were able have a $3000+ experience while only spending $397 with a combination of travel hacking and planning. Here's how...

(estimated reading time: 3 minutes and 36 minutes)

IN THIS NEWSLETTER..

• ✈️ Trip Overview
• 💳 Spending Breakdown
• 🥂 Simple ways we save money on trips
• 🌼 Life/ Airstream Update

4 Days/3 Nights in Fort Lauderdale

On this trip, we flew from cold Connecticut to sunny Florida to enjoy 4 days and 3 nights in the sun. ☀️

We wanted this trip to be a relaxing time so we didn't fill our itinerary with things to do other than beach, pool, eat and chill. 👙

We paid for our hotel and flights with miles and points (explained in this newsletter) and chose to stay at the Hyatt Centric in Las Olas located right on the riverwalk, and has an amazing rooftop pool!

As a Globalist Elite Status Member, I️ was given so many benefits that made our experience that much better!

• Upgrade: Once we arrived, the hotel upgraded me for free from a King Room (valued at $998.49) to the Centric Suite (valued at $1,799.28)! This was one of the best upgrades I've ever had!
• Free Breakfast at Harborwood Urban Kitchen & Bar: We were given free sit down breakfast every day which included an entree, coffee and juice.
• Complimentary Drinks: 2 Top shelf margaritas at hotel bar.

Spending Breakdown

There were 4 ways we paid for out trip; redeeming points, credits, complimentary benefits and cash. Here's the breakdown.

Miles & Points Spent:

This is loyalty currency used to redeem for hotel stays and flights. These points are earned by using travel credit cards or organically with hotels and airlines.

• Hotel: 18,000 World of Hyatt Points +. 2 Free Night Certificates
• Flights: 37,200 JetBlue Points (transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards)

Credits Used from Credit Cards:

These are credits given to credit card holders to offset the cost of the annual fee.

• Uber: $14.03 from Amex Platinum & Gold + $15.00 earned via promo.
• Dining: $25 from Marriott Brilliant​

Complementary Benefits:

The "spending" below is the value of benefits that we got for free while on our trip.

• Hotel Destination Fee (waived with status): $66
• Lounge Access at The Escape Lounge I️n FLL (Amex Platinum): $80 for 2
• 2 Top Shelf Margaritas at Hotel Bar: $30
• Breakfast for 2 at Hotel Restaurant: $169.19

Cash Spent:

Cash money baby!

• Flights: $22.20
• Bus Fare: $8.00
• Uber: $43.37
• Park Entrance Fee: $4
• Dining: $144.11
• Groceries & Publix: $139.54

💵 Actual Cash Spent: $397.22

💰 Total Value of Trip: $3,076.14

I️ have to say, I️ would never pay over three thousand dollars for a 4 day getaway but I️ would happily take one for the price that we paid for 2.

Seeing it all broken down makes me so happy that Matt and I️ have gotten into travel hacking because we never would have been able to afford some of the wonderful trips we have been on in the last year!

Strategic ways we saved some money

🚗 GETTING AROUND

We try to book in places that are easy to get around, walkable and close proximity to everywhere we want to go.

We are no strangers to public transportation, which we took to the beach and park. This saved us money on a rental car, parking and time.

🌼 Fun

We tend to not spend a lot of money on tours and such, although I️ do recommend tours if you do have the money to spend and want a super fun, guided experience.

We instead like to find free and cheap things to do, so we went on a beautiful flat hike/walk in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park ($2/pp) and enjoyed a few beach days at Las Olas Beach (free).

🍣 Food

For food, we always hit the nearby grocery store for fizzy drinks, snacks, fruit and salads to stock the hotel fridge.

For quick bites, we dropped by Publix for subs, and their daily specials like $5 sushi wednesday and taco tuesday. Don't knock it until you try it!

Dining out tends to be our biggest spend so our secret is hitting Happy Hour specials!

In Las Olas, it can be pretty pricey to eat out but we were pleased to learn that almost every restaurant has a Happy Hour where you can get discounted drinks and food (typically appetizers).

I'm hoping that this breakdown satisfied your curiosity or inspired you to get a little creative when booking and planning your next trip! If you guys like these breakdowns, I️ can definitely make this a frequent newsletter.

We may be planning another sun soaked trip soon (but we will see)!

I️ truthfully cannot wait to travel with our new airstream! Keep reading for an update.

I'll catch you next week!

Meghan ❤️

Resources for you!

Our Creator Gear In case you missed it in our last newsletter, I am pumped to share this new page on our website with links to all the products we use to create content. ​See the List →​

Hotel Loyalty Guide This guide compares the best hotel loyalty programs where you can earn elite status & book with points. ​Join the Waitlist →​

Airstream is FINALLY coming together! It turns out, the fun vacation in the middle of our build was just what we needed to finally make some progress on our airstream! This week, we completed our new subfloor (stay tuned next week for the full video) In a few days, we will be putting this airstream back together! AHHH can you believe it? It's been 6 months since we started and I️ think we can get this done and move in early summer. Keep checking back for more updates! WATCH THE AIRSTREAM SERIES

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