Greetings!
This page contains an eclectic list of trip reports, rants, destination guides, and other fun stuff to help get your travel planning juices flowing. Don’t forget about Pinterest, which is also a great source.
Family Travel FAQ
What do I do with my leftover miles?
Are all-inclusive resorts a good deal?
Can a family of 4 do a 10 day summer vacation in Europe for $5,000 without miles?
Help me Take my Granddaughter to the Macy’s Parade!
Parenting on the Fly
This is what normal people do while we’re hacking Spring Break.
Expediting Deal Kid’s Passport for a Stay Credit
My 2 Word Travel With Kids Mantra
Before you rent a car with a kid, learn from my 60 seconds of terror
Babies, toddlers, and flying: the real poop
Drone Parenting, or why I threw my kids off a mountain in Guatemala
The Choices I make; The choices I don’t
Alanis Morisette, Homework, and Miles When They Matter
Travel and The Deal Kids
Traveling with Kids? Keep These 2 Words in Mind
The Gift They Won’t Forget (That Doesn’t Take Up Space)
Travel Lessons from 1st Graders
Deal Girl meets the Bidet (Paris)
The Horrid Adrenalini Deal Kids (Ireland)
The Real Reason I do all this (New York City)
When Toys Imitate Art Imitate Travel (Guatemala)
Epiphany, Electrified (Austria)
Deal Kids, meet Pedro: Adventures South of the Border (Carolina)
Up in the Air
How I used 3 Frequent Flyer Programs to get 4 Tickets on the Same Flights to Asia
3 tips that saved me $856 on a plane ticket
Profiling, but not what you think. Would you board a plane with someone who is clearly drunk?
Gotta get on a plane TODAY? There’s an App for that.
Sometimes First Class is Cheaper than Coach
Arrive late for your connection? At least Lufthansa will take care of you!
Turkish Airlines gives kids 1000 free miles. 6 reasons why you should care
Hotel Hacks
Are you caught in the status trap?
Why I decided to go for the Marriott Platinum challenge (hint: not for Marriott).
How $467 gave me status is four programs.
The SSMR (Sanity Saving Mattress Run)
A first in 1,000 hotel nights: What would you do?
Hotel Deals on Parade: Secret Escapes
IHG: Points with training wheels
What is this $2500 hotel room really worth?
Hotels.com Referral program: $40 off $300
My Thoughts on All-Inclusive Resorts
2 Hyatt Place Hotels that stand above the rest
Jetsetter: a luxury hotel site that hands out credits like candy
3 hotel chains that are suprisingly good overseas
The two magic words (and one quick webform) that get me Hotel upgrades for free!
My 10 stay shortcut to IHG Club Platinum! hint: buy points at .2 cents each
IHG Pointbreaks for Real Life: Sanity Savers
Where Hotels are all the Same, Details Matter
Hyatt BRG: A Big Disappointment
I got charged for a hotel room I cancelled
Marriott Megabonus: 2 nights O’Hare Airport = Free Stay in a 700 year old Convent in Grenada
Here is why I always tip housekeeping
A Club Carlson Gold Benefit No One Talks About
Honey, Hyatt Blew Up the Toiletries!
Credit Card Faves
Barclaycard Travel Community: 20K miles a month for your status updates
Mastercard Priceless: Freebies and Deals you might not know about!
A Credit Card Bonus I love: concert venue perks
American Express FHR: Hotel Steals!
SPG Auctions: Cirque de Soleil day
Transportation
A Trick I Learned to Save on Amtrak with Kids
Megabus: Not just for the Big Apple Anymore
Parking Panda: my 1/2 off no-brainer parking solution
AutoSlash: The Site That Finds Cheaper Rentals For You
Need a taxi to the airport? Rent a car instead!
The Deal Mommy Guide to Car Rentals
Firefly: Hertz’s discount little sister, and your $9.99 BFF
When NOT to Priceline your car rentals, and my tips for success when you do
Tips and Tricks
This is what 903,376 points looks like
Warning: Last year we Spring Forward twice
The Tourism Life Cycle: Why It Matters (and Finding Your Sweet Spot)
Facing the Fear: Lessons Learned from 20 Years of Solo Travel
4 Takeaways from the 2014 DC Travel Adventure Show
2013 in Numbers: How The Deal Family Traveled, and How We Did It Without Going Broke
Goldstar: Cheap and free event tickets nationwide
Instant Inspiration: Travel Guides to Anywhere, USA
My secret weapon to slash museum costs
When Politics Disrupt Your Plans
Traveling during Rainy Season? Bookmark this page!
The question I ask before taking advantage of any travel deal
Do you take Oblications? Here are some tips to save!
How I rent excess time share for $249 a week.
When is an experience worth full retail? Here is how I decide.
Here’s how I got 24 nights of summer vacation in 2012 for $2124!
Pack for a Purpose: Doing Good While Living Well
Do good for FREE: give a $25 loan from Kiva to a group you choose.
Travel Tools and Gear
Gift Guide: Traveler’s Edition
Fly with a carseat kid? Spend $14 now, thank me later
Eagle Creek’s Lifetime Guarantee on my 1995 Honeymoon suitcase.
Destinations
USA
Colorado
Aveda Institute Denver Review: My 1/2 off Spa Secret
Florida
Trip Report: Hampton Inn and Suites Vilano Beach/St. Augustine
Trip Report: Coconut Palms Beach Resort II
The coolest playground on Earth? The Rocket Garden @Nasa_Kennedy gets my vote!
Angry Birds at Kennedy Space Center: Genius, Idiocracy, or both?
The Deal Mommy Guide to Disney
Illinois
Sleeping at McDonalds (Hyatt Lodge at Hamburger U)
Is this the Best Museum Store in the World?
Maryland
Baltimore’s Holiday Gift To You: Miracle on 34th Street
Hyatt Chesapeake Bay: Our Kellerman’s
Holiday Inn Solomons Island Trip Report
Baltimore Aquarium: the perfect two hour tour
Trip Report: Brookshire Suites Baltimore
Inn at Perry Cabin Trip Report
Nevada
Luxor vs. Excalibur: the MLife Budget Hotel Showdown!
Landry’s Select: Vegas Freebies
Flamingo Wildlife Habitat: Early Morning (Free) Stuff to do with Kids
TheHotel at Mandalay Bay Trip Report
Mlife/Hyatt Stay Credit: What Counts, What Doesn’t
New York
Hyatt Herald Square Trip Report
Radisson Martinique trip report
Top tips to save on tickets and attractions in New York City
Downtown with Kids: The Strand Bookstore and Peanut Butter and Company
NYC for the Holidays? Mastercard piles on the Freebies!
KidTooning with the New Yorker and Mastercard: Priceless and Free!
Pennsylvania
Park Inn, Harrisburg, PA, an Unexpected Treat
Virginia
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmastown: Perfect for a winter getaway
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Howl-O-Scream: Should You Take Your Kids?
Hampton Crowne Plaza trip report
Washington DC
Cherry Blossom Viewing Tips from a 20 year veteran
The Spy Museum with Kids: Mission Impossible?
Caribbean
Planning a #vacation during #hurricane season? Here is what you NEED to know!
Dreamin of Atlantis? Here’s a tip that will save you $ and earn you points to boot!
Curious about Cuba? I’ve been There.
Turks and Caicos
Beaches Turks and Caicos Review: Part 1, The Experience
Beaches Turks and Caicos Review: Part 2, Dollars and Sense
Canada
Canadian Dollar is down to 85 cents US. Time to head North!
Residence Inn Montreal Westmount trip report
2013 is the year you MUST visit Quebec City: Last summer for free Cirque de Soleil shows!
Mexico
Urban Adventures Mexico City: AKA My Little Victory at the Pyramid of the Sun
Extreme Slugbug, World Peace, and Chickens
Panama
The Airport Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Peru
The World’s 10th Best Hotel is a Bargain on Points
Europe
Traveling through Europe with Kids 15 or Under? Use this Trick to get ALL of them around for free!
Planning a Trip on the Eurostar? 4 Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To
Plus Size in Europe? Here are my favorite stores!
Before you book a train ticket in Europe with kids, you MUST ask this question!
Driving with Kids 12 or Under? Read this Post to Avoid a Nasty Surprise
Camp Mom 2013: 11 days in Europe for $1420
England
$112/night abbey hotel near London
France
Radisson Paris Blu Bologne Trip Report
Hyatt Paris Etoile Review Part 1, Part 2 Part 3
Ireland
Top 5 reasons Belfast is better than Dublin
Ireland Car Rental: A Nasty Bit of Fine Print that Could Ruin Your Vacation
How we got from Boston to Dublin for 25K miles round trip!
The Best Meal We Ate in Dublin Faced the Bedding Department
Austria
Italy
Breakfast at the Vatican by City Wonders: The access is worth every penny
4 reasons to visit Matera: Italy’s (Insert Cliche Here)
The 5 Star Crypt on Rome’s Via Veneto
Luxury Link: Here’s the one I picked.
Canary Islands
Asia
Camp Mom reality check: what a 30 day luxury trip to Asia really costs
Japan
My favorite Tokyo garden is hidden inside a hotel
Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Review
Wanna Save on a Disney Vacation? Grab Your Passport!
The joys of overseas drug stores
Pay with a Kit Kat on a Japanese Train
South East Asia
How I made Hanoi work for the Deal Kids
My $18/night Bangkok Apartment, AKA Why are you using points in South East Asia again? (Thailand)
Centara Grand Beach resort in Hua Hin, Thailand
Bali? No Way! (Indonesia)
Does Bali deserve a 2nd chance?
Souvenir Stories
Gas Station Football Glass (Spain)
The Mexican souvenir I use to stay warm
Ortigia Sicilia: My Italian Aromatic Discovery
Misha Bear (Poland)
My Favorite Souvenir from Bangkok (Thailand)
The Joys of European Newsstands
The Scent of Ireland is NOT Found on a Bus Tour
Rants
Speculative miles are worth a penny each. Sometimes less.
The more you know: Points sales earn bloggers commission
Top 5 reasons the listicle needs to go away
Travel is NOT free: The Bonnie Rule
Is there a difference between travel and vacation (or am I just a snob)?
Would you fly around the world in 4 days just because it’s cheap?
What’s the “Deal”? Not this clunker to Hawaii, Washington Post Travel!
The Mid Atlantic Beach vacation is a total waste of money.
Coca Cola Promotion goes horribly wrong, prints slur on bottle cap
True Deal Mommy Confessions
On Solo Travel as a Mom and Wife
Camp Mom 2013 Recap: Holy Crap, it worked! (Europe)
On Children’s Day, Sweet Potatoes, and a Trunkful of Cocaine (China)
I wish I had known…
The Deal Mommy Origin Story, or how Points Saved my Sanity
The Real World” and The Real World
There will never be another 22 (or 32, or 42…)
Lessons learned from 2 years of blogging