Family Travel on Points: Tips, Tricks and Tactics with Nick Reyes

Family Travel on Points: Tips, Tricks and Tactics with Nick Reyes

Author: Chris Hutchins October 29, 2025 Duration: 1:29:44
#252: Chris and Nick share strategies to make family travel affordable and stress-free with points and miles. They cover how to find multiple award seats, book business class for families, and their best tips for traveling with kids, from managing jet lag and delays to finding family-friendly hotels, must-have travel gear, and more. Nick Reyes is a writer at Frequent Miler and co-host of the Frequent Miler On The Air podcast. He is an avid traveler who's been to 60+ countries and loves collecting points and miles. Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/family-travel-nick-reyes Partner Deals Upwork: Free job posting to find, hire, and pay top freelance talent Copilot Money: Free 2 months access to my favorite personal finance app with code HACKS2 DeleteMe: 20% off removing your personal info from the web Mercury: Help your business grow with simplified finances Daffy: Free $25 to give to the charity of your choice For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals Resources Mentioned Nick Reyes: Frequent Miler | X | Podcast A $50,000+ family trip to Europe, booked with miles and points Kids in business class: Saving miles on child award tickets Guide to Airline Companion Tickets How to book Hyatt suites How to book Vacasa Vacation Rentals with Wyndham points Booking Cottages.com via Wyndham Rewards Nick’s 2025 casino status strategy for free cruises Grand Hotel Victoria on Lake Como ZIPAIR RideSafer Travel Vest Mobile Passport Control (MPC) HotelTonight AutoSlash ABCmouse Travel Strollers: Babyzen Yoyo | gb Pockit ATH Podcast Ep #166: Best Award Search Tools for Booking Flights with Points & Miles Ep #167: Best Tools for Booking Hotels with Points & Miles Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: podcast@chrishutchins.com Full Show Notes (00:00) Introduction (00:58) What People Get Wrong About Families Traveling Using Points (02:53) Nick's Luxury Family Trip to Europe with Points (06:30) Things to Consider When Booking Multiple Award Seats (09:45) Booking Award Seats in Economy vs. Premium Economy (13:55) Flying in Business Class with Kids (17:55) Splitting Up the Family in Different Award Flights (20:29) Buying Extra Economy Seats for More Space (23:27) Prioritizing Sleep on International Flights (28:43) Nick's Approach to Jet Lag (30:47) Airline Discounts for Kids (33:41) How Lap Infant Pricing Works (36:36) The Best Airlines for Traveling with Kids (39:08) Pooling Airline Miles with Children (41:50) Leveraging Companion Passes/Fares for Family Travel (45:06) Using Carry-On Vs. Checking Bags with Kids (46:19) Accessories for Traveling with Young Kids (50:28) Managing Delays and Other Irregularities When Traveling with Kids (53:16) Why Lounge Access Is a Game Changer (55:05) Fast Tracking Airport Entry with Kids (57:11) Tactics Nick Uses to Book Hotels Internationally for His Family (01:01:08) Booking Rooms with Points vs. Cash (01:04:07) Emailing Your Hotel for an Upgrade (01:05:44) Benefit of Having Kids Clubs at Hotels and Resorts (01:07:53) Tips and Tricks to Book Vacation Rentals (01:09:54) Transportation Tips When Traveling with Kids (01:12:55) How Cruises Changed Nick's Travel Game (01:17:31) Other Family Travel Tips & Tricks (01:20:40) Planning Activities Around Your Kids' Interests (01:23:07) Unusual Must-Haves for Trips with Kids (01:25:22) Top Kid-Friendly Travel Destinations (01:27:42) Where to Find Nick & His Work Connect with Chris Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever feel like there's a smarter, more efficient way to navigate your finances, your travels, and your daily routines? That's the core question driving All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life. Hosted by Chris Hutchins, this podcast is built on a simple, powerful idea: maximizing value doesn't mean sacrificing enjoyment. Instead, it's about the strategic choices that free up resources-both money and time-for what truly matters. Chris approaches life as a series of systems to be optimized, drawing from his own experience saving millions through meticulous analysis. The conversations here are practical and wide-ranging, moving seamlessly from credit card points strategies and investment philosophies to the less tangible hacks for personal fulfillment. You'll hear from a diverse roster of experts and icons, including Tim Ferriss, Tony Hawk, Codie Sanchez, and Gary Vaynerchuk, who all bring their unique perspectives on building wealth and designing a compelling life. Each episode feels like a focused workshop, offering actionable advice you can use immediately, whether it's planning a luxury vacation for a fraction of the cost or rethinking your approach to career and leisure. This isn't just about frugality; it's about unlocking freedom and excitement through smarter decisions. Tune in for a consistently insightful blend of tactical moves and deeper conversations that challenge the conventional trade-offs between spending, saving, and living well.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life
Podcast Episodes
Deep Dive on World of Hyatt: Points, Perks and Status [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:36
#294: Chris breaks down everything he's learned going all in on World of Hyatt. He covers the brands and footprint, earning points with Hyatt credit cards and transfers, what points are really worth, every status tier an…
How to Make Your Home Healthier at Any Budget with Dom Francks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:51
#293: Learn to make your home healthier by focusing on the environmental factors that actually matter. Chris and Dom break down how to improve air and water quality, ventilation, mold prevention, lighting, and EMF exposu…
What Happens to Your Points and Miles When You Die? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:38
#292: What happens to your points and miles when you die—and how can you make sure they don’t disappear? Chris breaks down how major banks, airlines, and hotel programs handle rewards after death, strategies to protect o…
The Science of Lasting Happiness with Arthur Brooks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:29
#291: Behavioral social scientist Arthur Brooks joins Chris to reveal why success and happiness follow different rules as we age. They dig into fluid vs. crystallized intelligence, success addiction and dopamine, the rev…
The New Rules of Points & Miles in 2026 with Brian M [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:57
#290: Chris and Brian break down the biggest trends reshaping points and miles. They discuss new ways to earn transferable points without a credit card, the award search tools worth using right now, a six-month check-in…
How We Booked a $20,000 Vacation With Points [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:37
Chris and Amy booked a last-minute week in Bora Bora that would have cost over $20,000, almost entirely on points. They break down how it came together, why they chose Bora Bora over Fiji, the Marriott award search quirk…
Where to Keep Your Cash for the Highest Return [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:18
#288: Chris breaks down exactly where to park your cash to earn the most, whether you have $10,000 or a few million. From high-yield savings accounts and Treasury ETFs to brokerage bonuses and cash management accounts, h…
Putting Die With Zero Into Practice with Brad Barrett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:32
#287: Chris and Brad Barrett revisit "Die With Zero" and confront how much harder Bill Perkins' ideas are to live than to agree with. They dig into when frugality flips from superpower to liability, the maximizer's strug…
Are Credit Card Points Still Worth It? and More Listener Q&A [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:00
#286: With credit card fees climbing, credits getting harder to use, and points constantly devaluing, it's fair to ask whether earning points and miles is even worth it anymore. In this AMA, Chris breaks down why the fee…
Why Net Fulfillment Beats Net Worth with Bill Perkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:14
#285: Bill Perkins joins Chris to unpack what dying with zero really means in practice. They discuss why net fulfillment matters at every stage of life, which experiences are worth prioritizing now, how to bank memory di…