In Vienna, the family dove deep into World War II history. The Flak Towers, looming remnants of the war, left a powerful impression. \u201cThe kids asked so many questions\u2014it opened up important conversations and gave the kids context around history they\u2019d only read about in books\u201d she says. They also found time for fun, stopping at the Prater amusement park and checking out its iconic giant Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n
Prague delivered a fairy tale ending. \u201cThe boys loved wandering the cobblestone streets and spotting castles and old clock towers,\u201d says Rachel. \u201cIt felt like we\u2019d stepped into a storybook.\u201d One unexpected favorite? The morning train rides. \u201cWatching the countryside go by was almost meditative,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt gave us space to decompress between cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
What she’d do differently next time<\/p>\n
Even a well-planned trip has hiccups, and Rachel isn\u2019t shy about sharing theirs. The biggest misstep? A metro ticketing snafu in Budapest. \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize we had to validate our subway tickets before getting on the train,\u201d she says. \u201cWe ended up being stopped by an officer and fined on the spot. Luckily, we had cash.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experience left them rattled but also wiser. Now, she recommends researching local transportation rules before arrival\u2014especially in cities with older systems or more rigid rules. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to assume you know how public transit works, but the small differences can cost you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Another lesson: book placeholder flights only if you\u2019re willing to lose a bit of sleep over it. \u201cI couldn\u2019t relax knowing we had a terrible flight lined up, even though I hoped something better would likely open up with points,\u201d she says. It eventually did\u2014but she didn\u2019t love cutting it so close.<\/p>\n
Overlooking colorful Pest from Buda, across the Danube<\/p>\n
Rachel LipsonTakeaways for families new to using points<\/p>\n
For families just getting into points and miles, Rachel\u2019s biggest advice is to treat points like a second currency. \u201cYou have dollars, and you have points. The goal is to use both wisely,\u201d she says. That means knowing what you have, keeping track of transferable points, and understanding your loyalty program statuses.<\/p>\n
She also recommends setting up all your hotel and airline accounts before you need them. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be scrambling when a great redemption pops up,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing able to act quickly is key.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while business class flights and luxury hotels can feel aspirational, Rachel encourages families to zoom out. \u201cIf you\u2019re on a tighter budget, fly coach and spread your points out over more trips. It\u2019s about creating memories\u2014not maximizing luxury at every turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, her favorite reminder: start early. \u201cPlanning as far in advance as you can\u2014especially around school breaks\u2014gives you way more flexibility and options with points,\u201d she says. \u201cTaking advantage of last minute opportunities is great but planning ahead is one of the best ways to stretch what you have and still feel like you\u2019re getting a rich experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bottom line<\/p>\n
Group size:<\/strong> Two adults and two kids<\/p>\n Days:<\/strong> 15<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Taxes on points purchases, including flights, $1,720<\/p>\n Rentals: $1,606<\/p>\n How Many Points:<\/strong> 556,900<\/p>\n Total cost:<\/strong> $3,326<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Vienna, the family dove deep into World War II history. The Flak Towers, looming remnants of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187,52944,52945],"class_list":{"0":"post-118365","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european","11":"tag-family-travel","12":"tag-points-miles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}