The Deal Mommy

Hotel Nights Total: 59

Hyatt/MGM: 20
Radisson: 6
Marriott: 5
SPG: 3
Royal Carribean (Ship): 3
IHG: 2
Hilton: 1
Other brands/Condo Rentals: 29

Car Rental Days: 64

Top Tips:

• Less Transit, More Enjoyment! For my casual traveler readers, the fact that the Deal Family traveled enough miles to transit the world in 2013 is pretty cool.  Let me tell you, among my blogger friends, that merits a big yawn as I’m sure a few of them made it to the moon!  However, the pace was intentional.  I’m a big fan of the “park yourself in a place and live there for a bit” type of travel when possible.  The Deal Kids get as much from the new TV Shows, foods, even from the potty as they do in the museums.
• Condos, Condos, Condos! Still my #1 tip for families, and you’ll see I follow my own advice.  Fully 1/2 my stays were outside the chains, and that’s AFTER completing the Hyatt Diamond challenge.  For last minute or flexible travel, check my post about how to use Skyauction (which I used for Williamsburg and Schloss Grubhof in Austria in 2013). If your destination and or dates are set, check out Endless Vacation Rentals, which we used for County Clare, Ireland.
• Hyatt Diamond Challenge…TOTALLY Worth It! especially if you’re a Vegas traveler.  You have to stay 12 nights in 60 days, but the benefits of being MLife Platinum are outrageous if you gamble even a moderate amount. My friend Angelina at JAPT just did a great recap of the Hyatt Diamond Challenge Program.
• Renting a car for trips longer than 4 hours is cheaper than buying a new car! Yes, 2 solid months of car rental may seem excessive, but it’s a lot less so than 12 car payments…and we get to choose where the new car is!
• British Airways IS that Bad, but Avios ARE that great. Can’t wait to use them on US Airways flights starting March 31!

Here’s hoping 2014 gets you where you want to go! I’m off to New York with Deal Girl on Friday, Myrtle Beach at the end of the month (another Skyauction steal), then have a clean calendar till summertime…can’t wait to see how it fills up. Where are you off to and what did 2013 teach you?  Please share in the comments.