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One of the first “fancy” vacations my husband and I ever took fancy meaning a bit higher end than a getaway to Walt Disney World or a rustic cabin in Maine was to Hawaii for our 12th anniversary in 2006.

Going away for my anniversary is always tricky. It usually falls on or near the Columbus Day holiday weekend, the last chance for many to soak up good weather before winter sets in.

I recently took a weeklong trip to South America where I visited Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. The first part of the trip was paid for with cash, but earned a good amount of miles toward the next free trip. The return was in first class on American Airlines using miles and surpassed any expectations I had of what that experience would be like.

One of the things I love about collecting frequent flyer miles and hotel loyalty points is that it gives me the freedom to travel whenever and wherever I want. This is incredibly helpful
when I feel like getting away to visit a friend or go someplace special.

For some reason, maybe having to do with reading lots of westerns as a kid, New Mexico had always been on my travel bucket list. It’s off that list now because I discovered a way to get a free roundtrip ticket there using my Capital One “miles.”

One of my dream trips has always been to take a round-the-world trip. I’ve visited numerous countries on every continent (except Antarctica) and have done so on great airlines in upgraded seats.

Cathay Pacific’s team of first class cabin stewardesses couldn’t believe that I was able to get my husband onboard this flight for a special 40th birthday vacation and he still didn’t know our final destination.

Seattle has a bad reputation as the rainiest place in the U.S. (It’s actually Hilo, Hawaii.) But for those of us that know it’s one of the best places in the country to spend the summer, that bad rap keeps the secret safe. July and August days in Seattle hover around the universally perfect temperature: 75 degrees.

Last summer, I decided to take my 18-year-old daughter Jenny on her dream trip, a month-long grand tour of European capitals to celebrate her high school graduation.

Last week I was having lunch at my favorite little Thai restaurant and it reminded of an amazing trip I took earlier this year that all started there. I was having dinner about a year ago and while surfing travel forums on my phone I caught wind of a brewing travel phenomenon.

It’s hard not to get a bit nostalgic about the good old days of airline travel. Remember when it wasn’t such a hassle to fly; when people actually dressed up for a flight; when it was always service with a smile; and when frequent flyer programs weren’t laden with a plethora of stipulations.

When someone offers you a free week-long stay at their vacation house on the French Riviera complete with skipper and private chef, how can you say no?