The world, on points
Destination guides, step-by-step award booking walkthroughs, and the redemption strategies that turn loyalty programs into real travel — premium cabins, luxury hotels, and trips most people pay full freight for.
Featured destinations
The destinations our team is actively planning trips to — chosen for award availability, points value, and the experiences worth burning miles on.
Destinations on points
Each guide covers how to fly there using miles, where to stay using hotel points, and a sample itinerary built around the best redemptions. No filler — just what works.
Star Alliance business class via Aeroplan, Hyatt and Marriott portfolio properties across major capitals.
Hyatt Ziva all-inclusive properties, AAdvantage and JetBlue routes, the best low-season redemptions.
Andaz Mayakoba, Hyatt Ziva Cancun, and direct flights using Capital One Miles via Aeromexico.
Icelandair via Alaska, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon, and the Ring Road itinerary worth planning around.
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo, Hyatt Cap Cana via partner, and how to use Hilton Aspire’s resort credit.
Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia — Singapore KrisFlyer and Air France Flying Blue routes plus Park Hyatt properties.
Qantas First via AAdvantage, Air New Zealand premium economy, and the Park Hyatt Auckland sweet spot.
Multi-park road trips using hotel points at gateway towns — Moab, Jackson, Bryce, Grand Canyon, and beyond.
Emirates First via Skywards, Conrad Dubai, the Address Downtown — and Qatar Qsuites as the alternate route.
Award booking guides
The mechanics of actually booking award travel — from finding availability to managing changes after the booking is confirmed.
How to book business class on points
Which programs to use, when to transfer, and the search routine that finds business class seats.
How to book first class on points
The five programs that book first class well and the routes worth holding miles for.
How to find award availability
Seats.aero, Point.me, AwardHacker — which tool to use for what, and the manual fallbacks.
Best tools for award search
Free vs. paid tools, reliability, and the search stack that actually finds the seats.
How to book hotels with points
Cash + points combos, free night certificates, and timing premium properties.
Booking award travel for a family
Pooling points across cards, finding 4+ award seats, and routing around availability constraints.
Trip reports from real travel
Every destination guide on this site is built from trips our team has actually taken. We don’t write about places we haven’t been — when a guide says “the seaplane transfer takes three hours,” it’s because we sat on it.
Trip planning resources
The supporting infrastructure of award travel — insurance, lounge access, expedited screening, and the apps worth installing before your trip.
Before you book
The decisions that affect every trip you take — get these right once and they pay off for years.
Credit card travel insurance
Which cards include trip delay, lost luggage, and rental car coverage worth using.
Airport lounge access
Priority Pass, Centurion, Amex Lounges, Capital One — what’s where and what’s worth it.
Global Entry vs. PreCheck vs. Clear
Which expedited screening service to enroll in — and which credit cards reimburse the fees.
Best travel apps
The seven apps our team installs before every international trip — and the three to skip.
Pre-trip checklist
The 30-day, 7-day, and 24-hour timeline for international travel without forgetting anything.
Points for car rentals
When points beat cash for rentals — and when they don’t. Hertz, Avis, and Capital One Travel.
Current travel deals
Time-sensitive offers worth knowing about — transfer bonuses, flash sales, and mistake fares as we spot them.
Active offers
Amex MR → Virgin Atlantic at 30% bonus
Best window we’ve seen this year for ANA First Class redemptions. Limited time.
Hyatt Bonus Journeys — double points on stays
Earn double base points after registering. Through summer travel season.
Delta SkyMiles Caribbean awards from 12K
Off-peak Caribbean routes priced unusually low. Strong cash savings.
Mistake fare tracker
Active and recently-pulled mistake fares with our take on whether each will hold.
Travel on points FAQ
The questions we hear most often from people about to book their first award trip. For more, see our full FAQ page.
How do I find award flight availability?
Searching directly on each airline’s website is slow. The fastest approach is using cross-program search tools — Seats.aero (free, covers most major programs), Point.me (paid, deeper search), and AwardHacker (free, route-based). For specific airlines like United and Delta, their own websites are usually fine. Our award search guide covers the full workflow.
When should I transfer points to an airline?
Only when you have a specific booking lined up. Transfers are one-way — once you move Chase UR points to United, you can’t get them back. The workflow is: find availability first, prepare passenger details, then transfer and book immediately. Most major partner transfers are instant; a few (like British Airways) can take up to 24 hours.
How far in advance should I book award travel?
For premium cabin international awards, 9–11 months out (when airlines first release inventory) and 1–2 weeks before departure (when they release unsold seats) are the two sweet spots. Economy awards have more flexibility — generally 2–6 months out works. Hotels are usually flexible up to 24 hours before arrival.
Is it worth paying for award search tools?
Free tools like Seats.aero cover most needs. Paid tools like Point.me are worth it if you book regularly, fly business or first class often, or value the time savings on complex routings. For occasional travelers, the free tools are plenty.
What if award availability disappears between transfer and booking?
This is the nightmare scenario, which is why we recommend never transferring without availability confirmed and a clean booking path. If it does happen, contact the airline immediately — sometimes a phone agent can find availability that doesn’t show online. Some programs allow point retraction; most don’t.
Do I need travel insurance if I book on points?
Award tickets don’t have the same protection cash tickets do. The good news: most premium travel credit cards (Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, Amex Platinum, Venture X) include trip delay, cancellation, and baggage protection that covers award travel as long as you paid the taxes/fees with that card. Our credit card travel insurance guide covers which cards cover what.