The March Rewind
Milan, Athens, springing forward three times in a month and tips and tricks that help us travel for nearly free
Hi from Athens!
March was the month I managed to basically put my family through Daylight Saving Time not once but three times.
First there was March DST in NY. Who knew an hour could throw off a family with tweens so much? No one could get out of bed. Cue yelling and near missed buses and everyone being grumpy.
Then we arrived in Milan to a 5 hour time difference only to lose another hour due to European DST — three days into our trip.
Then a couple days later, we left for Athens and you guessed it, lost another hour!
Time changes large or small are hard on kids but our goal when we travel is to adapt as quickly as possible to the new time difference. That’s hard to do when the time keeps changing!
So, here we are in Greece! We’ve never been here before so this is a trip we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Originally, we were supposed to fit in Istanbul but decided to reschedule due to everything going on in the Middle East.
We’ve already rescheduled our stay for next spring!
With the Hyatt news, we’ve been booking as many trips as far out as possible. One advantage that’s not talked about that much…
When you have Globalist status, you can book stays without having the points in your account! I’ve been booking speculative stays and can change them once our actual plans come together. I just need to have the points in my account 7 days before the actual trip.
This is one of the biggest perks of all when it comes to having hotel status.
I talked about this in this month’s article about how to use your tax payments due to fund your next trip. It’s not too late! ICYMI:
This was a big month! We said goodbye to (the name) Brooklyn Family Travelers and hello to The Point! I received so many supportive, kind messages with the re-brand and can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to reach out. It was a big change and I am thrilled with how it’s going. It just feels right! We’re exactly who we were before, just with a new name and look.
I had a film crew come to my house to film me and The Point for a segment on NATIONAL news! Stay tuned for more on this :)
Hyatt broke our hearts
We launched a new series on the Point called Good Points to give paid subscribers (thank you!) digestible points and miles tips and answer readers’ questions.
Many of you used my links to apply for cards. Each time you click the card links and get approved for a card, you’re not only earning yourself welcome bonus points, but you’re helping a small business grow. It means a lot. You can always find card links here - or DM me for any you don’t see! Thank you.
We said goodbye to Brooklyn Family Travelers, the name I came up with while sick in bed — and welcomed The Point 🖤
If you spend $5,000-$10,000+/month, message me and I’ll send you links to three cards with current elevated offers as high as 150,000-300,000 welcome bonus points. Truly exceptional! If you’re getting this as an email feel free to reply or click below to message me.
There is an elevated bonus on my favorite everyday card. It’s marketed as a cash back card but when combined with the #1 travel card, it earns points to use for travel. Do not miss this! Use this link to apply (thank you!), Everyone should have this card.
This is the #1 travel card. If you don’t have it, you want it! It’s the foundation of points travel! Already have it? You’re also eligible for this card! Remember, the annual fee is always worth it for the first year.
This is one of the top business card I’m recommending right now. Even if you have other cards from this bank, you are likely still eligible for this bonus. Please use this link here to apply and feel free to reach out to me to talk the decision through if helpful! This card can earn you 100,000 of my favorite points with a very low annual fee. Enough said!
“Deeply serious about points, deeply kind about people. You trust her advice because she’s clearly done the work and actually wants it to help.”
The shopping portal Rakuten is an amazing way to earn points for travel. Sign up for a free account here - it’s easier than it seems. I have 110,000 points pending that I will receive at the end of the quarter. This is not from spending a bazillion dollars — Rakuten offers opportunities to earn 25,000 points+ on single purchases. It’s wild and if you’re not using it, you’re missing out.
DO NOT SLEEP ON ROVE! Rove Miles is offering our community 1,500 points just for creating a free account. This is not a credit card — these are points that can be transferred to hotels and airlines. Do not miss! A free 1,500 transferable points for doing basically nothing is not something to pass up. Thank you to Rove for offering this generous deal to our community! Sign up here.
Is it better to use the travel portal or book direct? Get the answer here.
Should you book round trip or one way? Here’s what I recommend!
Want the insider tips on the tools I use to book trips? Buckle up!
Armani at Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan
Features this month:
Yahoo Life: The most common airline seat mistakes travelers regret after boarding.
Newsletter Roundtable Podcast: 265: Everyone Says Newsletters Are Saturated… But Are They?
Bon Voyage Besties: Travel & Friendship Podcast: Episode 44: How to Travel on Points and Miles Without Being “Rich” with Rachel Lipson
Some past features:
Condé Nast asked how we booked our spring break trip for our family of four to Eastern Europe on points. I broke it all down in a full feature! Read it here.
This NYT piece just hit its one year anniversary and still holds true.
I shared my thoughts with The Cut (NY Mag) on how to save on winter travel. Thank you for the interview, Charlotte Cowles.
55 Easy Ideas for Happy Travels! by Amelia Wilson of Happy on Purpose
This contains one of my favorite time saving travel tips of all time — re-using packing lists! Without this, we could never travel like we do. Detailed post on this to come!
9 things I’ve learned about planning a great trip by Platonic Love (thanks for the shout out Aliza Sir and Aja Frost!
I started planning our trips for 2027 which feels crazy but such is the life of a points aficionado! With the Hyatt news and gas prices on the rise, I’ve spent the better part of this month planning future trips!
Henry’s elementary school sponsored an incredible viewing of a movie called Cutting Through Rocks about women challenging traditions in Iran. Highly recommend if you get the chance to see it.
I had dinner with a dear friend at my favorite neighborhood restaurant Il Leone (people come from far away for the lobster pizza)
I spent the day in Industry City at Rebecca Minkoff and Ali Wyatt’s female Founder’s Collective Day. It’s powerful to be in a room with literally hundreds of other female founders. Loved seeing so many familiar faces Amy Shoenthal Leah Wiseman Fink Britt F. Gage and so many others!
Lindsey Stanberry came out on that rainy evening to meet for a drink and as always, it was the best. Always so inspired by The Purse and everything Lindsey is doing. Also, you know you have a real friend when they still come out in the rain!
Did I mention a film crew came to my house to film an interview? I don’t even know what I said and if it made sense — only time will tell once it airs!
My songwriting school for kids had an incredible showcase at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg! Jonathan Groff made an appearance in the audience. How cool is that?
Speaking of good friends, Jennifer Cook of Mom Friend waited for me for 45 minutes when I ordered a cab from Cobble Hill and took it to MY HOUSE instead of Manhattan. I was so focused on working from my phone I didn’t even notice until we turned the corner to my street. Also, thanks to Le Dive (so good!) for holding our table 🖤
Kamali and I attended the gala for our public school that was rock n’ roll themed. How did we do?
We finally hung up a bunch of framed art and posters we’ve been meaning to hang thanks to Isaac of Picture Perfect Mounting! My friend Rebecca Soffer in Austin texted me “I need an Isaac”. My house really feels like a home with art on the walls. Use this link to book if you’re local to Brooklyn. He’s affordable and you won’t regret it!
I spoke at The Uplifters Live event hosted by Aransas Savas. I told the story of how I grew up agoraphobic and managed to move 1,000 miles away from home on my own. Will share when I get the video! I’ve been working on my public speaking as it still gives me so much anxiety. This class helped me TREMENDOUSLY and after this event, multiple people told me how I’ve become noticeably more comfortable speaking in public. What a gift!
An old friend stayed with us to run the half marathon the next day as a celebration of years of fighting cancer. Beyond inspiring! Go Miriam!
We had a photoshoot for my music school with Ana Gambuto (Six Pics I Clicked) at my house in Brooklyn — and my team took the sweetest photo of me and Birdie (at the bottom of this post!). Obsessed with the photos Ana took and can’t wait to update my websites!
Photos by Ana Gambuto Max has been begging to have dinner just the two of us at a steakhouse. When your tween wants to be alone with you, to a steakhouse you go! We 🖤 Gage & Tollner.
We hosted Henry’s whole basketball team for movie night at our place to celebrate their incredible basketball season! They played up an entire division against older kids and made it to the championship only to lose by a couple points due to a bad call by the refs. So proud of this kid and his team!
I had dozens of sessions with readers and tons of trips were booked. Thank you for using my links, booking sessions, upgrading to paid and supporting this business I’ve been working so hard to build!
I finally convinced my mom to start earning points on her spending! So looking forward to the trips we’ll all take! If my mom can become a convert, anyone can!
I closed my computer, boarded a flight to Milan and began our spring break bucket list European adventure we’ve been looking forward to for a year. Follow along on Instagram and Substack notes to see our adventures in Milan, Athens and soon… Malta!
My traveling family in Milan!
You guys booked amazing trips and did a great job with your cards and points!
The most popular posts in March
Some past popular posts
Thanks for being here, for supporting my small business and for being a part of this special community! It means so much.
What a month you've had!! You were amazing at Uplifters Live, and I loved hearing your story!