Okay, so we’re slightly late on our 2024 Travel Wrapped (thank you, Spotify, for the inspiration). But hey, better late than never, right? Here’s a peek into our year, a few months after everyone else did theirs! Hello 2025! There’s a fascination to knowing how others spent their year, or at least we all like…
In early June, we took a trip to Southern California for four nights. P2 had some work meetings, so I decided to tag along. We didn’t use any points or miles for this trip. Some of P2’s expenses were covered by his company, and we covered all other expenses with our credit cards. With a…
As travelers that like to frequent national parks, we always like to highlight ways that more people can enjoy these American treasures. While many national park sites charge an entry fee, especially those that are the most popular, there are several days a year where there is free entry to national parks. On June 19th,…
El Paso, Texas. The largest city in western Texas located on the Rio Grande at the U.S. and Mexico border. Home to the University of Texas – El Paso. The only major city in Texas that operates on Mountain Standard Time. An abundance of sun, with over 300 days of sun per year. And, if…
If you’re new to our blog, we’re big fans of national parks. The National Park System covers more than 400 locations in the United States. Many of these locations charge an entrance fee to protect the preservation of these lands and enhance infrastructure for visitors. On April 20th, the start of National Park Week, entrance…
When it comes to national parks in Arizona, everyone automatically thinks of the Grand Canyon. And with good reason – the natural wonder draws around 5 million visitors per year – the second-most of the U.S. national parks. Saguaro National Park also does fairly well because of its location surrounding Tucson and draws around 1…
If you’ve been following our journey, you may know that one of our travel goals is to visit every national park. When we decided to drive to Hilton Head Island as our final destination of 2023, it only made sense to add Congaree National Park to our itinerary. Less than 20 miles southeast of Columbia,…
The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, is home to more than five million people. The capital of Arizona, it’s the largest capital (by population) and the fifth largest city in the United States. 19.5 million people visited Phoenix in 2022, with many exploring the surrounding areas like Scottsdale. Over…
There are a number of reasons these flights can make your well-earned vacation that much better. Note this applies primarily to domestic travel – we still take overnight flights to Europe like many people do. Even before we were using points and miles frequently, 99% of the time, we decided to take the early flight….
“National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst” – Wallace Stegner (1983). Over the last few years, people have flocked to U.S. National Parks. To preserve the landscape and beauty of these destinations, the National Park Service is requiring reservations…