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Travel Stories

The trips worth telling more about.

A selective living scrapbook of the planning, tradeoffs, rewards, goals, memories, and lessons behind the trips that have more of a story to tell.

Upcoming

Costa Rica

An expensive dream. A very good deal.

I don’t want the cheapest version of the life I want. I want to figure out how to afford the version I want.

Why this trip

I had been collecting credit card points for a reason. I wanted them to help me take bigger trips, fly first or business class, and stay places I was excited about without paying the full cash price.

Then I found an unusually valuable Hyatt redemption at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo before that opportunity changed. Costa Rica gave me a reason to use it.

The trip I wanted

Andaz Peninsula Papagayo + Rio Perdido. Hiking, snorkeling, wildlife, rainforest, waterfalls, ziplining, thermal rivers, and beach—with enough flexibility to adjust the pace when I need to.

The numbers

$13,147.56 captured price of booked flights + hotels. $4,017.32 cash + 269,000 points/miles booked instead.

The question behind the trip

Can points help me take the trip I want without paying what it would normally cost?

See the full points analysis

Want to see what happens next?

Get the next result, what changed, and what I’m testing.

GET THE NEXT REPORT →

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