About a year ago, I booked a two-week trip to Greece for a friend’s wedding. This trip was going to be a big one, with my wife, myself, and our future baby all headed overseas to celebrate with our friends (our son would be 5 months old by the time we started our trip – old enough to have some personality; young enough that he wouldn’t be able to move and would be very portable).
Making this trip even more exciting was the fact that we’d be flying business class there and back – my first time ever flying business class. And since I booked these flights with points and miles, we only had to pay a few hundred bucks in taxes and fees. I’m pretty good at accumulating points and miles, but admittedly not so good at using them, so I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out this business class itinerary.
Then, Covid hit and totally canceled this trip. Still, my wife and I had already blocked off this week, so we decided to try to do something with it.
The thing we ended up doing was making a 1,100-mile road trip across half the country to visit my parents in Washington DC. Our son was born at the beginning of March, just a few days before the pandemic broke out, and travel restrictions made it so that my parents couldn’t make the trip out to see us, which meant they’ve only been able to see their grandson via video chat. We’re not yet comfortable with flying right now, but driving was something we could try doing. And my parents have been desperate to meet their only grandchild.
It’s about 17 hours to make the drive from Minneapolis to Washington DC, and without a baby, we’d probably do this trip over two days. But with a young child in tow, we decided to split this up over 3 days, driving about 6 hours per day. On the return trip, we did the same thing.
All that said, I thought I’d recap a little bit about what this trip was like and talk about some of the ways I used my points and status to get us slightly better accommodations along the way.
Booking Suites With Points
In the past, hotel rooms weren’t really that big of a deal to me because they were generally just a place for me to sleep. When you’re traveling with children though, having a suite with a separate bedroom makes a big difference. By having that separate room, we could put our son to sleep at a regular hour, then have time for ourselves to eat dinner, watch TV, and relax.
We ended up staying in four different hotels during our cross-country road trip. Heading out to DC, our itinerary looked like this:
- On the first night of our trip, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg. This is a Category 1 hotel just off the highway, so it was a logical stopping point for us on our first night. A regular room here costs just 5,000 Hyatt points. A premium suite costs 10,000 Hyatt points.
- On the second night of our trip, we stayed at an Embassy Suites outside of Cleveland. This cost 26,000 Hilton points.
Since we can’t travel right now, my wife and I are accumulating more points than we can possibly spend. It’s often tempting to get into a hoarder mentality when it comes to points and miles, but it’s important to remember that when you’re holding fake currency like this, the value of it can only go down over time. The way I see it, if you’ve got points to use right now, use them while you can, however you can.
For our first travel day, we ended up booking the premium suite at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg. Recently, Hyatt made it so that you can book suites using Hyatt points, so I’ve been taking advantage of this new perk. Premium suites cost double the standard room rate, and since the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg is a Category 1 hotel, that means a premium suite there only costs 10,000 Hyatt points. I’ve currently got hundreds of thousands of Chase points which can all be converted into Hyatt points, so dropping 10,000 Hyatt points is basically nothing for me.
The room, unfortunately, was a disappointment. I’ve stayed in some nice suites in the past, so I was expecting at least a hotel room that looks more like an apartment. The Hyatt Regency Schaumburg premium suite, on the other hand, was a weird one where they basically took four hotel rooms that were all next to each other, then tore down the wall in the middle two rooms to make one big room, where then they stuck a big table and a bunch of random couches and chairs. The “bedrooms” of this suite were just two normal hotel rooms connected by the interior doors. It wasn’t a huge deal since we were just passing through anyway, but the pictures on the hotel website made it look a lot nicer.
Our stay in Cleveland was a bit of the same – fine, but sort of disappointing. We opted for an Embassy Suites (which is a Hilton brand) because there weren’t any conveniently placed Hyatt hotels on that stretch of our trip. Embassy Suites is an all-suite hotel, so whichever room you get will have a separate bedroom. The room itself was fine. Unfortunately, there weren’t any amenities because of Covid and our Hilton Diamond status (which we get from the American Express Hilton Aspire) got us nothing, not even the three snacks we were supposed to get (the front desk person was not friendly at all and when I asked about this benefit, she said this location didn’t offer it). Still, the separate bedroom made it worthwhile to stop here on our trip home.
Our return trip back to Minnesota looked like this:
- On our first night, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Columbus in downtown Columbus, Ohio (about a 6.5 hour drive from Washington DC). On our way, we stopped at a Winery about an hour outside of Pittsburgh and enjoyed a nice lunch outside.
- On our second night, we stayed at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center. This is technically a resort hotel, so I could have used my Hilton resort credits here if I wanted to.
The Hyatt Regency Columbus is a Category 2 hotel, so the suite cost 16,000 Hyatt points (standard room would cost 8,000 Hyatt points). I was definitely happy with this suite and at over 1,300 square feet, it was bigger than a lot of apartments.
This suite was nicely furnished and comfortable. It was also on the top floor and we literally didn’t see another person on that floor during our entire stay. Parking was $20 in the ramp across the street, but we ended up parking in the street and paid about $5 to feed the meters.
Since the hotel was downtown, I was also able to get a little biking in when I went to pick up some food that evening, using the bikeshare system in Columbus. Lyft owns many of the bikeshare systems now in the US, so it’s really convenient to be able to open your Lyft app and snag a bike when you need it. It cost $2 for a 30-minute ride, which was well worth it since it allowed me to see some of the downtown and surrounding areas.
For our last hotel stay of the trip, we ended up once again staying outside of Chicago, this time at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center. Booking a suite with points was way too many points, so we decided to book a regular room for 29,000 Hilton points, then hope for an upgrade with our Diamond status.
The thing to remember with room upgrades is that it ultimately comes down to luck – you have to be lucky that a room upgrade is available and you have to be lucky in that the front desk person has to actually be willing to upgrade you (when you read the terms, the upgrade is essentially at their discretion). We managed to get an upgrade to a 1-bedroom junior suite through a little sweet-talking. I think it also helped that we had a baby with us. Our Diamond status got us free breakfast in the morning, which we ate outside while enjoying the weather.
Other Random Things We Did
I’m actually surprised at how smooth this trip home went, especially when adding in the unpredictability of traveling with a 5-month old. It’s been a while since I’ve done a long road trip, so this was actually a fun way to see parts of the US that I hadn’t seen.
This road trip home also gave us an opportunity to check a few state high points off our list. I’ve got a quasi-long-term goal of visiting every state high point in the United States (or as many I can reasonably do without needing special skills or risking death).
So, on our trip out to DC, we stopped at Mount Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania. It’s located in the southwest corner of the state, pretty deep in the Appalachian mountains. You can drive right up to the high point, so no hiking is required.
At the highpoint, there’s a big tower. The high point itself is just behind the tower, on top of a few boulders.
There are some pretty good views from the top of the tower as well. The only real downside was that it was pretty buggy and there were a lot of people there – much more than I thought there would be at this random high point in the middle of nowhere.
On our return trip back to Minnesota, we swung by Campbell Hill, which marks the highest point in the state of Ohio. Obviously, Ohio is a flat state, so this high point is really, more than anything, just funny. It’s located in a parking lot that has a career center and what looks like some sort of radar facility or something.
The views from the summit are far-reaching, with glorious views of a well-manicured field and parking lots.
During the trip, I also did a little secret shopping, which got me some free meals along the way. There were all at the same fast-casual burger chain which you can find in basically every city in the US. I ate for free once in Madison, then again in South Bend, then on the return trip, had myself a free meal at the Wisconsin Dells. I wrote a long post about how I eat for free with secret shopping, so check that post out for more info.
In terms of the pandemic, I felt fairly comfortable at most of the hotels we stayed at. People wore their masks indoors and seemed generally respectful of other people’s space. The Hilton resort hotel was probably the only hotel where I felt a little bit uncomfortable, as I saw a lot of people walking around the hallways with no mask on their way to the pool. I just did my best to avoid walking near anyone.
Anyway, that’s just a quick recap about what we did during our road trip out to DC and back. It was a long trip, but well worth it for my parents to get to see and hold our son. Using points along the way was a bonus, allowing us to stay in relatively more comfort compared to how we’d usually travel.
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($200) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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