Katherine Chen

Since I’ve spent the past four years booking flights with credit card points, it’s allowed me a more flexible budget when it comes to accommodations. I’m a firm believer in traveling comfortably. At 30 years old, I’m not really looking to stay in hostels, but also not spending a thousand dollars per night. I prioritize comfort, privacy, and a healthy budget. Obviously, special occasions call for luxury, and I enjoy those too. However, when planning group trips with my friends, I’m always looking for a Goldilocks accommodation: jussssst right. Now, when it comes to the actual vacation, there’s two types of people: vacationers and travelers. I’m definitely a traveler. I love a good food tour in every new city/country I visit and would rather have a jam packed day than a day with no plans. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good boat day or beach day.

Learning how to correctly use credit card points has honestly changed my life. I’ve traveled more in the past few years than ever before in my life. I met my boyfriend on a trip to Italy (that I used points for) and since then, points have allowed me to fly both of us back and forth from the US to Italy to see each other for a fraction of the cost. LDRs are hard, but we thankfully saw each other for 9/12 months last year on different sides of the WORLD. In 2024, we took a combined 50 flights, over 36 of them with credit card points. I believe travel is one of life’s most precious gifts, and I always thought it would be impossible because of how expensive it is. I’m here to say that it’s much more affordable than people think and with the right tools and advisors, you can even work a corporate 9-5 and visit 7 different countries in one year (not on a backpackers budget). I hope to be able to help many more people find the joy of travel.