28. Flight or Hotel First? Our Ultimate Guide to Booking Trips

Maybe you've played the points game, your points and miles are at the ready, and now the daunting task of booking and planning your trip is up next. Overwhelmed? Don't be. Today, we're sharing a quick guide on how we make the most of points and miles when planning our trips! Alex shares that she always puts her accommodation first when planning a Hawaiian escape. With a multitude of flights available, securing a hotel takes precedence. However, when she plans for a European journey, it's all about the luxurious comfort of a business class seat before anything else. For equally appealing destinations and flights, such as the Maldives, she often finds herself doing a bit of back-and-forth to get everything perfectly synced. Our seasoned traveler, Pam, is all about prioritizing comfort. For her, securing a premium flight often takes priority, sometimes even before settling on the destination. An extraordinary flight can become a memorable experience in itself, and that's exactly what Pam seeks. On the flip side, Jess leans towards booking hotels first. With easier cancellation policies and point redemptions, she sees less risk in this approach. This strategy becomes especially beneficial when flying with airlines like Southwest, which only releases their flight schedules five to six months in advance. A valuable tip from Alex for those planning domestic flights: start with Google Flights. Once you have a few suitable options shortlisted, check the airlines' websites for point requirements. If you find yourself short on points, our cheat sheet is there to help you identify potential point transfer options. Ready to unlock more travel tips like these? To learn more from our personal experiences and more in-depth discussion on these tips, hit play now! Your nearly-free vacations await!   Links:   Free Gifts and Resources To Start Your Points and Miles Journey: Award Travel Academy: Award Travel Academy I https://travelmomsquad.teachable.com/p/thmata?coupon_code=THMWEB150   Our Website: https://travelmomsquad.com   Connect With Us: Newsletter signup: https://travelmomsquad.com/newsletter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmomsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelmomsquad Facebook group: Travel Mom Squad: Travel on Points | Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelmomsquad   Links For This Episode:  Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet: https://travelmomsquad.ck.page/cheatsheet Straight to the Points Premium Alerts   Episode Minute By Minute: 0:00 Our Ultimate Guide to Booking Trips  0:58 Our FAQ: Do you book your hotel or your flight first? 8:19 Tips for searching for domestic reward flights 11:16 How to find the best awards for international flights 22:18 Booking your hotel: Do’s and Don’t’s from the pros  27:19 Planning activities for your trip: Tips for the lazy traveler and planners alike 34:28 How Pam plans her activities now vs when she was younger