First of all, thank you for your support. For a new blog, The Deal Mommy has generated more traffic and interest than I could have hoped for. I really appreciate it! I presented the following challenge at New Years but have many new readers and wanted to introduce them to my philosophy.
And now to the challenge: I challenge you to think a little differently.
Instead of just assuming:
- “I can’t afford to travel”, or
- “it’s not worth the trouble to register for this promotion”, or
- “Why bother charging my cable bill, it’s just a pain to do”, or
- “I’ll just rent the beach house in the Outer Banks because it’s what we do every summer and it’s too expensive to fly anywhere”, or
- “I can’t decide about that now”, or whatever assumptions you make.
I challenge you to challenge your assumptions with a real information.
I can’t afford to travel: This is the biggest one I want to challenge. I’m not saying everyone can afford a round the world trip, but even an overnight in a cabin in a state park can change your attitude, and those can be had for less than $50. Camping isn’t my thing, but I have friends who love it, and that’s close to free!
This year so far, FOR FREE, the Deal Family has done a weekend in Norfolk, an amazing weekend in a suite at the Hyatt Lex 48, and Deal Dad has flown to his high school reunion. And we’re not even into our big travel time yet! The bottom line is that you can do what you choose with your leisure time, it’s just a matter of making the effort. And of course I’m here to help by sharing whatever great finds I see!
It’s not worth the trouble to fill out a form: See my recent post about how Radisson just paid me $146 to take my kids to Baltimore for the night and tell me how it wasn’t worth my effort to fill out a five second form. I was frankly amazed more readers didn’t get in on that promotion! Not to worry, this promotion is coming back next week!
Why bother charging my cable bill, it’s just a pain to do: I’ve earned enough loyalty points from credit card companies this year to send Deal Dad and the Deal Kids to see his parents, with enough left over to send me to Europe (47 days from now, but who’s counting?). Anyone can earn at least one free ticket a year by just charging the bills you already pay…auto insurance, medical, cell phone, cable, the list goes on and on. You are throwing away money by not charging these expenses! Just pay the credit card company instead of paying the bill and it costs you nothing. New to rewards? I like American Express and Chase Ultimate Rewards for newbies as the points are not airline or hotel chain specific. Don’t like to fly? Most points are good for hotel stays, car rentals, etc. Really hate traveling? You can use the points to pay your bill!
I’ll just rent the beach house in the Outer Banks because it’s what we do every summer and it’s too expensive to fly anywhere: The entire Deal family flew to Antigua, Guatemala last summer and spent two weeks in a two bedroom condo for less the cost of the average August beach condo rental. We did it using a combination of points promotions (Delta had one early last year that allowed us to pay $160 each for our plane tickets) and traveling to an “off the radar” destination (our condo in Guatemala in a luxury hotel was $500 a week). You try finding a beach condo for two weeks (or even one) in August for $1620! I’m not against traditions, just stagnation. If you wish your family could do something else but think you can’t afford it, just think a little harder. Of course, I’m here to help!
I can’t decide about that now: Rush has a song that includes the line “If you choose not to decide, you still have have made a choice”. Indecision kills more travel dreams than any other weapon. The best deals are available for a few days at most, and often a few hours. If you see something you can make work for you, GRAB IT.
An excellent introduction to the whole idea of family travel with points bonuses and creativity is found on The View from the Wing blog today. Highly recommended reading!
In short, I’m challenging you to stretch your limits and just consider the possibilities before rejecting a seemingly crazy idea out of hand. Who’s with me?