Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways

Podcast: Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Host: NerdWallet Travel (Sally French & Meghan Coyle)
Episode: How One Family Flew Business Class to Europe on Points — and Stayed in Style
Date: September 10, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into practical, actionable strategies for maximizing travel points and miles—especially for family travelers. Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle interview NerdWallet’s Director of Travel, Erin Hurd, who recently planned and booked an entire family vacation to Turkey and Georgia (the country) almost entirely on points. The conversation unpacks how Erin maximized points for business-class flights, boutique and chain hotel stays, as well as vacation rentals—making an aspirational family trip possible without straining the budget.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Turkey & Georgia? (07:28–08:28)

• Inspiration: The trip was planned around the school calendar. Turkey (for Cappadocia’s hot air balloons and Istanbul) was always on their radar, but Georgia was added after a travel-savvy friend described it as a hidden gem with spectacular mountain scenery.
  • "We were really interested in going to see the hot air balloons in Cappadocia and Istanbul… we recently met someone who said Georgia was a hidden gem." — Erin [07:45]

2. Traveling as a Family on Points (08:40–10:13)

• Group: Erin traveled with her husband and two kids, ages 8 and 6.
• Planning in Advance: With school schedules, flexibility is limited, so they begin planning flights about a year ahead.
• Booking Tips: Most airlines release seats 11 months in advance; best deals for points are usually either very far out or last minute.

3. Booking Business Class Flights on Miles (10:13–13:40)

• Finding Routes: Erin starts by researching destination airport Wikipedia pages for airlines/alliances flying there, then narrows down options based on alliances and direct/one-stop flights.
  • "I start by looking at the Wikipedia page of the final airport destination...” — Erin [10:38]
• Outbound to Georgia: Booked British Airways business class using 57,500 American Airlines miles per person, plus ~$700 taxes each.
  • Booking directly with British Airways would have cost 88,000 BA Avios + taxes per person.
  • Key insight: Booking partner awards on American Airlines’ chart can be far better.
  • "We found four seats, 57,500 AA miles per seat for business class... we ended up paying about $700 each ticket in taxes and fees..." — Erin [11:17]
• Alternative Awards: Air France/KLM Flying Blue offers great value, especially for families—children get 25% off award redemptions.
  • "Flying Blue offers 25% discount for kids on award seats." — Erin [13:27]

4. How to Earn Points (13:40–15:08)

• Credit Card Signup Bonuses: The primary source is credit card bonuses; using both partners (“Player 2/P2” strategy) means doubling signup bonuses over time.
  • "We map out a strategy and he’ll open a card and get a bonus, and then I’ll open a different card and get a bonus." — Erin [14:29]
• Total Cards: About 40 across both spouses, including small business cards.

5. Return Flights (15:08–15:22)

• Booked Lufthansa business class with United miles: 88,000 United miles each + ~$70 taxes per ticket.
  • Used airline websites and award search tools (e.g., Point.Me) to find options.

6. Favorite Award Tools (15:22–15:55)

• Started as an “old school” searcher on airline sites but increasingly uses multi-program award search tools (e.g., Point.Me) to streamline the process.

7. Booking Hotels and Vacation Rentals on Points (18:13–24:05)

• Chain Hotels with Points:

  • In Tbilisi: Stayed 3 nights at Marriott (historic property) for 118,000 Marriott points + a 35,000-point free night certificate.
  • Marriott certificates are combinable with points for higher-value rooms.
  • "The Marriott certificates are really nice because you can add points to it to make it worth more, which is not the case for every program." — Erin [18:42]

• Fitting a Family in European Hotels:

  • European hotels often restrict room occupancy. It's critical to confirm with the hotel if rooms can fit extra guests (cribs/rollaways) and to be honest in bookings.
  • Using travel portals (Chase, Amex) can sometimes help book larger rooms with points that aren't visible on hotel websites.
  • "You do not want to just fudge it and show up... that will not fly in Europe." — Erin [19:45]

• Non-Chain/Boutique Properties:

  • Used Chase Travel Portal (at 1.5 cents per point with Sapphire Reserve) to book a private cabin in Kasbegi, Georgia—ideal in regions with no chain hotels.
  • General-purpose points (Chase, Amex) provide flexibility for destinations with few chain options.

• Stacking Credits and Bookings (Venture X):

  • Both Erin and spouse have Capital One Venture X cards, each with a $300 annual travel credit; they booked consecutive nights under each account and had the hotel merge reservations for an uninterrupted stay.
  • "We each had a Venture X card... booked a few nights on each and combined them at check-in." — Erin [23:08]

• Cave Hotel in Cappadocia (Turkey):

  • Booked a family suite overlooking the balloons; unique, memorable for the kids.

• Park Hyatt Istanbul:

  • Booked with 116,000 Hyatt points; used a suite upgrade award (earned via Hyatt elite status/milestone rewards), which can be applied at booking (even for up to 7 nights)–dramatically increasing space for families.
  • "When we arrived, they wheeled out a whole kids reception area... room set up with Disney bedding and a play tent." — Erin [24:37]

• Hyatt Suite Upgrades:

  • Can be earned by not just “Globalist” level but at 40 annual nights via milestone rewards.
  • Suite upgrades can be gifted to others.

8. Erin’s General Takeaways & Beginner Strategies (27:19–28:14)

• The main key: Start earning more points, even with just one new credit card.
• Focus on flexible, transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One) for maximal options.
  • "If you really want to get serious... just opening one new card and getting that influx of points... is a huge help." — Erin [27:29]
  • "Flexible points... are so flexible so that when you’re starting to search... you have lots of options." — Erin [27:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why business class for families:
  "We're a little spoiled. We really try to look for business class first... when you know how much better it is, it's really kind of hard to go back." — Erin [08:52]

• On ‘P2’ (Player Two) strategy:
  "He definitely likes the fruits of it. He loves flying business class... Will tolerate it, but not as passionate." — Erin [14:35]

• On flexibility for families:
  "We talk a lot about how this is not normal and we would never pay cash for this." — Erin [09:15]

• On loyalty programs for kids:
  "If you are bringing your kids, I really recommend that everyone create a frequent flyer account for their kids... There’s no age minimum for most programs, and they can be earning miles on cash tickets." — Erin [28:33]

• On suite upgrades:
  "One upgrade award is good for a stay of up to seven nights. So it really is a fantastic perk." — Erin [26:41]

• On secret benefits:
  "The other secret is to find someone who does [have elite status]... suite upgrade awards can be gifted." — Erin [26:55]

• Humor—Ultimate takeaway:
  "Takeaway #1 is: apply for adoption to be in Erin’s family… Number 2, maybe I could just be your friend." — Sally [27:05], [27:15]
  "Adoption is closed." — Erin [27:19]

Noteworthy Tips & Tools

• Start planning flights approx. 11 months in advance for best award availability—especially crucial for families with rigid calendars.
• Check partner airline award rates—the same seat may cost fewer miles if booked via an alliance partner.
• Use Wikipedia’s airport pages for route mapping.
• Leverage travel portals and flexible currencies for max flexibility, especially in “off-the-beaten-path” destinations.
• Stack annual credits and merged bookings (i.e., Venture X) with communication to hotels for a seamless stay.
• Hyatt’s 'Milestone Rewards' provide a pathway to suite upgrades without top-tier elite status.
• Create mileage accounts for kids early to rack up miles when flying on cash tickets.

Important Timestamps

• [07:28] — Trip inspiration: Turkey & Georgia
• [08:44] — How to find and book flights for a family on points
• [10:38] — Using Wikipedia to research air routes and alliances
• [11:17] — British Airways business class using AA miles: cost breakdown
• [13:27] — Air France Flying Blue’s child award discount
• [14:29] — Earning signup bonuses with P2 strategy
• [15:10] — Return flights booked with United miles/Lufthansa
• [15:22] — Award search tools: Point.Me and others
• [18:42] — Booking Marriott hotels with points + free night certificate
• [19:45] — Room occupancy challenges in Europe
• [23:08] — Stacking Venture X credits and combining reservations
• [24:37] — Park Hyatt Istanbul: suite upgrade and child-friendly welcome
• [26:41] — How Hyatt suite upgrades and milestone rewards work
• [27:29] — "Start earning more points" takeaway
• [28:33] — Kids’ frequent flyer accounts
• [27:05/27:19] — Fun “adopt me” banter

Tone & Style

The episode is approachable and energetic, packed with practical advice, but always light-hearted and relatable. Erin, Sally, and Meghan use lots of anecdotes and share the real “behind the scenes” of traveling with young kids in style. The humor and warmth keep the sometimes-technical topic engaging and accessible.

Summary Takeaway for Listeners

If you want to fly business class and stay in luxe hotels on a family budget, start early, be strategic about earning and spending flexible points, understand airline partner sweet spots, and don’t overlook travel portals or stacking credit card rewards. Most importantly, it’s possible to create incredible family memories through a little planning and clever points strategy.

For further travel advice, listener questions, or to share your hot takes, email travel@nerdwallet.com. Sally French ("savewithsally") and Meghan Coyle ("mileswithmeganco") welcome your feedback!