What is this points travel talk?

With so many things attracting my attention it’s hard to find enough hours in the day for everything I hope to accomplish.  My latest obsession happens to be points travel.  Before I elaborate on the last statement there are certain characteristics about me which, going forward, must be understood. 

Simply put, I find ways to do what I want. I enjoy the challenge. I also tend to have lofty ambitions. (Two examples come easily to mind- riding my bicycle across Iowa (500 miles in 7 days) and a 10,000 mile 6-week cross country trip in a travel trailer with two kids… I’ll save the details on those adventures for later posts).

Recently, I publicly declared my intent to visit all seven continents within the next 8 years.  The least of my concerns is how I plan to pay for this given a) I haven’t won the lottery b) I haven’t married or divorced well and c) I am not independently wealthy. With these unfortunate realities, the answer is simple - I'll use points.   The points are collected from credit card bonuses and everyday spending which I  then turn into fabulous vacations.

 I plan to detail how I do this so that you too can see the world without draining your bank account.  Skeptical? In April 2012, I took my daughter to Paris for 9 days. We stayed at the Hyatt Vendome for the duration and upon check out our hotel bill was 12,000 Euros ($15,422 US at today’s exchange rate)!  My out of pocket expense for that bill? Exactly $0.  The only expense incurred was tax applied to our airline tickets ($105 in total). Did I mention we flew direct to Paris in Delta’s business class? Basically, I had a $20,000 vacation for $105, which translated to freed funds for me and my daughter to enjoy a fabulous time in Paris.

It’s now time for a new adventure in a new continent which will involve putting my mantra for 2013 to the test.  The continent: Asia. The mantra: Face your Fears. 

Future posts will detail my itinerary, tricks and challenges of planning such a trip. I'll be facing many fears square on.  And of course, I'll get sidetracked along the way but that's part of the fun here, one never knows where I will lead.