Points and Miles Travel Chats
Welcome to the Points and Miles Travel Chats podcast. I'm Michele from Fancy Travel Pointers, and I believe your everyday spend is the secret to extraordinary travel.
If you’ve ever worried that points are too complicated, or wondered if a busy family with public school schedules and competitive sports could really travel with points — I’m here to show you it’s absolutely possible.
Here’s what I know for sure: it’s not about spending more, and keeping my credit score sky-high is always front and center. I’ll give you actionable steps and teach real, repeatable strategies that transform the way you earn points and the value you get from them.
Points and Miles Travel Chats
Italy at Christmas on Points: Flight Cancellations, Rebookings, and Big Wins
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In today’s episode, we’re chatting about
- How multiple flight cancellations months before departure turned into better flights
- Virgin Atlantic vs. Air France/KLM: flexibility differences you must know before booking
- How we flew round-trip business class to Europe over Christmas for under 90,000 points per person
- Tips for surviving tight international connections (Amsterdam’s short-connection line)
- The magic of Italy in winter: fewer crowds, better weather, and unforgettable experiences
- Excursions worth splurging on (and one expensive food tour I wouldn’t repeat)
- How a mix of points + cash covered nearly $20,000 in flights and hotels
- Why flexibility—not perfection—is the real secret to booking peak-season award travel
SHOW NOTES
Tours we booked & recommend from this trip:
Tours of the Real Hidden Venice
Venice pasta & tiramisu making class
Tuscany Bike Tours
Hunt for truffles in the Tuscan woods
👋 Hi! I'm Michele!
A points and miles expert, using points for family vacations to Japan, Hawaii, Thailand, Greece, Italy, Spain, theme parks and so much more.
I don't believe in spending more to earn more points. The key is knowing how to earn the best points and getting massive value from them.
With a teenager in competitive sports & public school, traveling during the busiest of times is our family's norm. I'll show you my best tips & strategies to use points for making incredible family travel happen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fancy Travel Pointers is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as Bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information was correct to the best of my knowledge at time of recording. Always double check/verify information about cards and or bookings.