Harlan Vaughn's Blog, page 7

Nearly $200 invested, up $7K, with sights on the future – August 2021 Freedom update

This August 2021 Freedom update finds your protagonist in beautiful Oak Hill, NY – upstate in the Catskill Mountains. It’s certainly welcome after July 2021, which was a doozy of a month. I went from West Virginia to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to upstate New York.

Not gonna lie, in Philly I started to get travel fatigue. I found the city overwhelming. Plus, it was really hot while I was there. Here are reviews of recent stays at the Kimpton Palomar and Hyatt Bellevue in Philadelphia. And here’s my West Virginia trip report.

But now I’m staying at a friend’s house for a month or so, which will help me save cash. In fact, I’ll meet my $30,000 savings goal this month, then switch to investing all my extra income (and soooo excited about that).

After all the short stays last month, I’m firmly a believer in staying put for at least three weeks. After a month, I start to feel froggy, but two weeks is too short, so I think that’s the sweet spot for me.

Fenwick is having the time of his dog-life

OK I have a lot of ideas to share so let’s hop to it.

August 2021 Freedom update

Link: Track your net worth with Personal Capital

Y’all know me: I can’t leave well enough alone! In a flash of inspiration, I thought about purchasing several single-family homes for $150Kish each and renting them on Airbnb. And then I can move between them whenever I want. A few in Memphis, one in Oklahoma City, and another in Vermont (which has always been a dream of mine).

It would take some time to get them all, and I’d have to use the money I just got done saving as a down payment. But now that real estate prices are lower and mortgage rates are still low, I’m giving it serious thought as a new long-term strategy. That way, I’d always have housing, and provided the rentals can make more than the mortgages (which I’m sure they would), other people could pay them off for me with minimal oversight (although it’s definitely NOT passive income, but I have plenty of experience managing Airbnbs).

Plus, it could provide long-term security as I could sell them off – or keep them – depending on how well they perform and appreciate. I’m not ready to make any moves yet, but maybe this fall I can scoop up my first property and get it set up.

I’ve been pondering my future on gorgeous and excellent hiking trails in New York

Even if I don’t, it feels good to have inspiration and the prospect of a new goal to work toward – a new WHY.

Plus, 5% down on $150,000 is $7,500 and I could definitely swing that, especially for a primary-then-investment property. I also want to see what happens this fall once the mortgage protections expire. Getting ideas, getting ideas. :p

Investments are coming

Speaking of investments, I’ll soon be able to purchase all the FSKAX, VTI, crypto, REITs, and whatever else my little heart desires as of this month. That’s because I’m under $1,000 away from my $30,000 savings goal and will knock that out with my next paycheck. I suppose $7,500 (more like $10,000+ with closing costs) toward a new residence/Airbnb would fall into this category. Suffice it to say, I’m ready to get going.

In fact, I can’t wait to transfer a nice sum to my Fidelity taxable brokerage account for a helping of FSKAX this month (because Merrill Edge doesn’t support fractional shares? WTF?!). I expect my net worth will grow more quickly now, even though I’m up ~$7K this month.

And because I met my savings goal and am gearing up to invest, I fully expect to reach $250K by the end of 2021 – half of my overall goal (!!!).

Here’s the meadow I walk around every day

I’m not sure how I’d factor investment properties into the mix, but I’d figure it out. Maybe just use the equity plus projected appreciation? But mark that for another time – soon.

Other money moves

In July, I paid cash for most of my hotel stays, knowing I’d be able to offset it in August by saving on lodging. So that ate through most of my extra cash, which is fine – I’m still well under budget per month, according to my housing spreadsheet.

I’m on track to max out my 401k through my employer by the end of the year. I also have an HSA account with $1,250 in there, but can’t invest the cash into index funds until I reach $2,100.

Should I go ahead and fill this bad boy up?

I’m kinda wondering whether I should go ahead and meet the minimum to start investing? They have excellent Vanguard broad market index funds as options. Or should I stick to my taxable brokerage and let it grow on its own (I stick $200 a month in there, so I’m close to meeting the threshold)? I’ll run the numbers and see what makes the most sense – also open to ideas if anyone has an opinion here.

1,121 more daze

Later this year, I’ll begin a 1,000-day countdown to $500K. I’m hoping the momentum picks up pace and I can reach the goal even more quickly. But I get ahead of myself.

I’m gonna be fine

When I save $500,000, I can leave it alone for 25 years (age 40 to 65) – even without contributing another cent – and have $3.5 million, assuming an 8% return. Bump that up to 10%, and the number shoots up to nearly $6 million.

So once I reach this goal, I’m gonna focus on investing more short-term, taking more risks (like the Airbnb investment homes), and making enough to get by. I don’t ever really want to “retire” – I like working too much. But it will be nice to be work optional and pursue projects, jobs, clients, and hobbies that really set my soul on fire. And that’s really my WHY for all of this.

By the numbers

I’ve sort of already covered everything that’s shifted so far this month – here it is in table format. The one thing I want to highlight is that I’m close to having $200,000 invested. I should reach that milestone in a couple of months and head into my third $100K invested. In general, I look forward to having cash on hand a smaller percentage (and investments the bulk) of my net worth number.

 CurrentLast monthChange2021 Goal  ASSETS 401k (contributions only)$10,833$9,167+$1,666$19,500 Overall investments$179,445$175,191+$4,254As much as possible Savings$29,160$27,176+$1,984$30,000 Net worth in Personal Capital $216,898$210,185 +$6,713$500,000 Track your net worth with Personal Capital

I’m starting to question whether I need so much cash on hand. I was cautious during covid, but am starting to feel like I can weather whatever comes along, especially if my taxable brokerage account takes off. And I always have credit cards I can use to handle whatever comes up. Paying interest to get through an emergency would be worth it – and much less than the opportunity cost of not investing that cash.

Depending on what happens this fall, I might be content to use savings toward down payments and cycle through the cash that way. But again, getting ahead of myself.

43.4% of the way there

This month, I’ll start investing in that taxable account, possibly in my HSA account, and think about my next moves. I feel something starting to bubble up. It’s exciting. And it must be said because of our current situation: I really hope we can get covid under control. I’m ready to travel the world again.

August 2021 Freedom update bottom lineLink: Track your net worth with Personal Capital and get a $20 Amazon gift card

So that’s where I’ve landed! August 2021 has me:

Filling up my taxable brokerage account (finally!)Potentially investing inside my HSA?Thinking about investing in SFHs for residence/Airbnb purposesClose to $200K invested in index fundsResting up after a big month of traveling in July

I’ll likely spend most of August in upstate New York, hiking around the Catskills and spending time in the cute towns that dot the mountains. I may also take a day trip to Vermont and visit Albany to do some maintenance and Big City Things like oil change, haircut, and a night on the town.

With this month, I’m hoping to start nudging the wheel to turn a bit faster to accelerate gains. I still find moments of clarity and epiphanies about this journey, which I find so interesting and endlessly engaging. I’m designing my life the way I want it – and feel empowered because of that. The security I’m finding is giving me more room for creative ideas and risks, which is a really cool side effect. I hope my impatience is translating as excitement, because that’s where I’m at right now.

Also, August is my birthday month! So for the next update, I’ll be a year older. Fenwick’s birthday is this month, too – he will be 11. Our journey continues. Thank you to everyone who reads these updates. Your insights and checkins and comments have given me so much inspiration.

Stay safe and scrappy out there!

With gratitude, – Harlan.

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia review: A repeat stay 5 years later – this time as a Globalist

Last time I was at the Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia was in May 2016. The visit was my last trip before I left New York for Dallas in June 2016.

I was with my ex at the time. We were already drifting apart, but for this trip, we put that aside – and had a really great time. Philadelphia is a huge, historic city with tons to do, and being back was unexpectedly bittersweet.

After my two nights at the Kimpton Palomar, I drove over to the Bellevue ready to fully immerse myself as a newly minted Hyatt Globalist.

Entrance of the Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia (lol @ my reflection)

As a digital nomad, I mostly stay at Hyatt Place locations within the Hyatt brand because they’re the cheapest for long-term stays. So I was ready to see what Globalist status would get me a fancy hotel like the Hyatt Bellevue.

Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia review

Link: Chase Hyatt card Chase World of Hyatt Up to 60,000 Hyatt points • 9 Hyatt points per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 bonus points for paying with your card, and 5 bonus points for being a World of Hyatt member

• 2 Hyatt points per $1 spent restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships

• Receive 1 free night every year after your cardmember anniversary at any Category 1 to 4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• $95 annual fee• Earn 30,000 Hyatt points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

• Plus an additional 30,000 Hyatt points by earning 2X points on up to $15,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of account opening
• 5 Hyatt hotels where the annual free night rocks• Compare it here

The Chase Hyatt card gives you a free award night every year at a Hyatt Category 1 through 4 hotel after your cardmember anniversary. I’ve always used them for Category 3 or 4 hotels where room rates well exceed the cost of the card’s annual fee to make it worth keeping long-term. The Hyatt Bellevue is a Category 4 hotel and rates were ~$250 per night when I booked for July 2021 (and are sometimes much more).

In total, I had four free nights and used them for a free $1,000+ stay at the Hyatt Bellevue hotel in Philadelphia. Two Chase free night awards from the Chase Hyatt card – one from this year and one that was extended because of covid, and two more free night awards from Hyatt’s recent Bonus Journeys promotion (now expired).

Arrival and check-in

I was able to get a 1pm late checkout at the Kimpton Palomar and had called the Hyatt Bellevue the night before to ask about an early check-in. They said I could check-in at 1pm and noted that I’d already been upgraded to a Junior Suite. Perfect!

So I went and loaded up, checked out, and drove over to check in and unload again. It was a hot day and the entire ordeal took over an hour even though the hotels are only a few blocks apart.

Not gonna lie, I was pretty irritable – switching hotels is extra difficult with all my stuff and dog to account for.

My Junior Suite was room 1418

At check-in, the desk agent was patient and explained what the hotel was doing in light of covid.

Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia pandemic protocols and updates

He explained that because I was Globalist, I got a $75 per day breakfast credit. He gave me a menu and said to charge whatever I wanted to the room – at checkout it would all be credited back.

Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia breakfast menu

And because this was an award stay, as a Globalist, I also got free valet parking which was a huge added value.

Valet parking at the Hyatt Bellevue is $53 per night

Otherwise, you’ll pay $40 per night to self park and $53 per night with the valet, which is insane.

Between the room upgrade, free breakfast, and valet parking, that’s about an extra $900 in value I got from being Globalist over the course of my stay.

The desk agent also offered late checkout, but I didn’t need it.

Overall, Globalist status got me hooked up! It really makes me want to stay at other high-end Hyatt hotels.

The room

Hallways of the Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia

Finally, I got settled into my Junior Suite. It was certainly large for a city room, but other than the size, it was like any other room.

View upon walking in

King bed

Couch that mostly used as a suitcase rack

Table/desk area

Bathtub with no shelves

View of the atrium on the 12th floor

View of the room from the window

While I love a historic hotel as much as the next travel blogger, the property felt like it could use an overall refresh. In my room, the wallpaper was peeling in spots and didn’t quite line up. The shower rod in the bathroom was a bit loose, and there was no shelving in the shower other than the perimeter of the tub. Even in the sink area, there wasn’t a place to hang the hand towel – they had folded it nicely in the corner, but still. The counter space was limited and anything to free up that area would’ve been welcomed. 

There was also no direct source to natural light. Instead, my window overlooked the atrium, which has huge skylights. So while it’s not a big, windowless room, it did feel a little cave-like at times.

Other than those small slights, the wifi fast fast and free, the room was clean and VERY quiet, and I noticed they’d taken the effort to install extra plugins over the existing outlets, which was a nice touch.

Breakfast

I posted the breakfast menu near the top of this post. So that’s what I had to work with every morning. I set about calculating how close I could get to $75 while keeping enough to nibble on through lunch. A coffee was $6 and an OJ was $5, so it was pretty easy to hit the $75 mark.

Each day, I ordered two entrees, two sides, two coffees, and one OJ – and was pretty well set for most of the day. I had one entree for breakfast, then saved another entree and the sides for munching on later.

Smoked salmon, fruit, breakfast potatoes, cereal, coffee, and OJ

Breakfast sandwich, fruit, coffee, OJ

They were doing contactless delivery, so they packaged everything in to-go containers and left it all at the door. I was kind of hoping for a little cart with all the items artfully arranged, but it was all in individual boxes.

And it was wonderful. The actual breakfast always arrived hot and was tasty and nicely seasoned. They went all out to add every possible condiment one could ever want, and by the end of the trip I had quite the collection.

To be honest, having this breakfast credit added so much value to the overall stay. I saved so much in dining out and was able to stretch the delivery out well through lunch.

The service

Why do hotels do this?

I didn’t ask for room service the entire time (the only offered it after the third night anyway). The bed was firmly tucked in and when I pulled the top sheet down, the bottom sheet became untucked as well. I tried to put it back but by the fourth night, it was becoming untucked. Why don’t hotels believe in fitted sheets? That was my only gripe about the room service.

Actually, the cleaning staff came by to see if I needed anything and offered extra towels or toiletries. I took some extra shampoo or conditioner, but left the DND sign on the entire rest of the time.

Other spaces around the Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia

Seating/lounge/work area on the 19th floor

Work tables on the 19th floor

The penthouse dining room in XIX (Nineteen) restaurant

Hello from the Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia

Detail of those gorgeous beads

The top 19th floor has a bar and restaurant, work area, and a place to lounge and relax. The restaurant was only doing to-go orders for the rooms, but the bar was open. I thought about getting a drink there, but didn’t feel the need to.

This floor felt very refreshed and updated, as well as the atrium on the 12th floor. So the spaces outside the rooms felt open and fresh – something that didn’t quite translate to my room. That said, it’s a beautiful property. The service was excellent and you can’t beat the location.

Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia review bottom lineLink: Chase Hyatt card

Would I stay here a third time? I think so. But only as a Globalist and once the restaurant and other services are back to “normal.” I can imagine how opulent it would feel to wake up and head to the 19th floor for a big, beautiful breakfast every day – instead of having it brought down in boxes to your room.  And being able to have a nice dinner with a drink at the bar would be amazing, too.

I do think they did a fantastic job handling covid and adjusting for it. And again, being here with top-tier status for the room upgrade, free valet parking, and free breakfast every day added a tremendous amount of value – about $900 by my calculations – to my overall stay. And having the actual stay for free thanks to the Chase Hyatt card and awards from a previous promo made it that much sweeter.

The location, staff, and history are what make this place special. I do wish the rooms were a little more refreshed, but it was all small stuff. So while the big stuff was amazing, there were a few ways the property was starting to look a little worn out.

If you’ve stayed here, how did it compare? If not, is this hotel on your list? Do you find Hyatt Globalist status is a huge added value to your higher-end Hyatt stays? 

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia review: My first (free!) Kimpton hotel stay was a $500 value

Before this week, I’d never stayed at a Kimpton hotel. I realized I had two IHG free award nights (thanks to my Chase IHG card) that were expiring soon. So I combined them with my four Hyatt award night certificates and put together a fun week in Philadelphia!

I’ve always heard good things about Kimpton and how much it sucked when IHG bought them out. As luck would have it, there was an IHG hotel and a Hyatt hotel within a few blocks of each other.

The Chase free nights are good for hotels up to 40,000 points per night, and the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia was exactly 40,000 points. Cash rates were ~$250 per night, so my two award nights got me a $500 stay for completely free.

Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia hotel entrance on 17th Street

I was stoked to have the Kimpton experience for the first time.

Kimpton is a fun, social brand that features funky artwork and decorations, and fit in with local city and neighborhood vibes. In this case, there was a lot of Benjamin Franklin imagery in a nod to Philadelphia’s presidential history. Note that Kimpton hotels are mostly in larger cities.

I hadn’t been to Philly since May 2016. It was good to get back for a visit and enjoy a new hotel brand.

Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia hotel review

Link: Chase IHG card

Chase IHG Premier 150,000 IHG points • Free award night worth up to 40,000 points each account anniversary
• 4th night free on award stays with points
• Platinum elite status with IHG
• Earn up to 25 points per $1 on IHG hotel stays
• Earn 2 points per $1 at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants

• $89 annual fee• $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Compare it here

The Chase IHG card is worth keeping for the annual free night alone. If you often stay at IHG hotels, you can earn up to 25 points per $1 spent plus get the 4th night free on your award stays.

I am not a huge IHG fan, but keep the card because I always make good use of the annual free night and get way more in value than the cost of the annual fee. As noted, it’s possible to time it *just right* and redeem 2 free nights at the same time. I also did this at the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York back in 2017.

Since then, I’ve gotten by with one-night stays here and there. Plus, Chase has occasional bonus offers that make the card worth keeping.

Of course, there are better Chase cards – but this one’s great to keep long-term, especially if you like the card’s benefits.

Parking near the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

First of all, valet parking is $58 per night. Uh, no way I’m paying that. So I hopped onto SpotHero and found a two-night valet parking spot in a covered garage for $48, TYVM.

But I was able to pull up, check in, and unload in about 15 minutes. Then I parked literally two blocks away and walked back, knowing I saved over 50% on their ridiculous parking fees.

Arriving at the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

The desk agents were very welcoming and friendly even with several people in line. Now I know damn well IHG doesn’t offer breakfast to elites but I asked anyway. They had “free coffee in the morning but you could order an entree from the restaurant and charge it to your room but the selection was limited or” blah blah… I trailed off once she talked about paying for it.

Check-in area at the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

But because I’m Platinum elite with IHG, I was upgraded to a Junior Suite Spa room with a big jetted bathtub. Yessss!

And I knew the Kimpton Secret Password for summer.

Whether you’ve packed away your sweatpants or straight up refuse to wear jeans (ever) again, our secret Social Password is in full swing! Just say “No More Sweatpants” to the front desk staff now through Labor Day at check-in for a cool welcome surprise. @kimmykitta pic.twitter.com/ky7go5GmfJ

— Kimpton (@Kimpton) July 13, 2021

So I said, “It’s been really cool wearing normal pants this summer! No more sweatpants (wink) after the year we’ve had!” The desk agent smiled and pulled out a set of drawers (I meant to get a photo but didn’t). There were nine small drawers in a 3×3 configuration. I selected the middle bottom drawer and got a free bottle of wine!

Plus, because I checked in between 5 and 6pm, I also got a free glass of wine to take up to my room.

So yeah… it was an amazing check-in experience. One of the best I’ve ever had at a hotel.

Cool artwork in the elevator

Hallways of the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

My room at the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

I was in room 602, which was kind of a low floor for a hotel that has 23 floors. I was hoping for higher, but an upgraded room on a lower floor is a good compromise. Plus, shorter rides to take the dog out to potty.

View upon walking in

With my free bottle of red wine for knowing the secret password

Desk and couch

Closer view

Bathroom

Spa tub and steps leading up to it

View of the room and bed

The room was on the smaller side, but big for a major city like Philadelphia – which was great. It was just far enough away from the elevator to be convenient (around a corner) and quiet, and the AC was nice and cool on a hot summer day.

Plus – did you check out that awesome tub? I immediately ran a bath, grabbed my wine, and went for a soak after I got back from parking the car.

The bed was big and comfy, and there were ample outlets for my computers and devices. The wifi was fast and free, and I had everything I needed to stay for a couple of nights.

I also *loved* the location. There are restaurants in every direction you walk, and it’s only a few quick blocks to the Gayhorhood. I went shopping at Uniqlo, got drinks down the street at Black Sheep Irish pub, and had a yummy lunch special at Su Xing House around the corner.

You can also walk to nearby neighborhoods or take a quick Uber/Lyft ride to pretty much anywhere you’d want to go. And Fenwick (my dog) loved being in Rittenhouse Square on his walks.

Rittenhouse Square was a quick jaunt away

Raid the bar

I also learned that IHG elite members can get a $10 “Raid the bar” credit at Kimpton hotels. That means you can get $10 in drinks or snacks and charge them to your room. Upon checkout, you’ll get a $10 credit to your account.

I raided Kimpton’s bar

I got an old fashioned cocktail ($6) and a Luna bar ($4). At checkout, my folio was $0 between the free award nights and bar credit (I had already paid the pet fee when I checked in). They also gave me an extra hour on my checkout just for asking and I was able to close the gap between checking out here and checking in at the Hyatt Bellevue, which was awesome.

Bottom line

This was my first Kimpton stay, and I was curious how the brand would stand out. Between the spa room upgrade, free treat with the secret password, late checkout, bar credit, and excellent city center location, this was a wonderful stay from beginning to end.

Staying here for absolutely free with my Chase IHG card annual award nights (except for the pet fee which is what it is) was such a nice treat – and 100% made the card worth keeping for another year. The only thing I’d say is to skip the expensive valet parking and make arrangements elsewhere (I use SpotHero).

Fenwick at the Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia

This experience made me want to try other Kimpton hotels. I can see why Kimpton fans were disappointed when IHG bought them out. IHG doesn’t have a robust loyalty program (especially for elites) and Kimpton obviously tries to set themselves apart. I’m glad they kept the fun vibe despite the acquisition and grateful to use my free nights here.

So that’s my Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia hotel review slash Chase IHG card mini-review. This stay definitely made me want to keep the card for another year, if only to try another Kimpton hotel in the future. (Thank you for using my links when you apply for new cards! )

Have you stayed here before? Are you a fan of the Kimpton brand? And have you gotten to use your IHG award nights for any fun trips lately?

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

New River Gorge trip report: Almost heaven in wild and wonderful West Virginia

Wow. Go now. It’s amazing. That’s my New River Gorge trip report – thanks for reading!

Oh wait – I need to be specific and add photos and say what I did and stuff? Well OK – but only if you need any more convincing.

This was my first time in West Virginia, and I spent 9 days in Fayetteville, on the northern tip of New River Gorge National Park. Inaugurated in December 2020, it’s our newest national park that stretches 53 miles and 70,000 acres along the banks of the New River in southern West Virginia.

The state’s slogan is “Wild and wonderful” and their marketing tagline is #AlmostHeaven.

One of the many wild and wonderful views in New River Gorge National Park

This section of the state lives up to both. And while the park is new, I definitely felt the crunch of tourism in the area. I assume new infrastructure will eventually get built to accommodate the flood of visitors, though the locals were hospitable and welcoming without fail.

And while I experienced crowds, if you go to the right areas at the right times, you can get entire miles of trail all to yourself. The three areas of the park I explored were Fayetteville Station, Thurmond, and Grandview – mostly on the west side.

Here’s more about each section!

New River Gorge trip report

For starters, I drove there. I suspect most people do, because it’s within a days’ drive of so much of the East Cost. The closest airport is Charleston (CRW). And service is rather limited.

tbh just drive

You also very much need a car to explore the area. Luckily, all the towns and major parts of the park are accessible with any car, even my little two-wheel-drive Nissan.

There’s also a notable lack of chain hotels in the area. The few that are present are at that perfectly wrong spot for points fanatics: too expensive with points compared to cash rates.

Worth it?

For example, there’s a Courtyard by Marriott and a Holiday Inn (IHG) that are available with points, but not a particularly great use of them. Those are in Beckley, about 30 minutes to the park (depending on where you want to go).

For those cash prices, you can stay in Fayetteville or Oak Hill, which are much closer to the most popular trails. For that reason, I landed at the Quality Inn New River Gorge in Fayetteville (part of Choice Hotels).

My room at the Quality Inn Fayetteville featuring one very silly dog

I also needed to have my dog with me. It was nothing fancy, but cash rates were reasonable and they had a free basic breakfast every day.

Breakfast at the Quality Inn

Even though this was part of Choice Hotels, I didn’t book directly. Instead I went through TopCashback to booking.com and got $72 cashback.

Boom

I never rarely stay at Choice Hotels so their points mean nothing to me. I’d rather take the cashback. And most importantly, this hotel was literally 5 to 10 minutes from some of the most popular trails in the park, and the town of Fayetteville – one of America’s “Coolest Small Towns” – was really cute and close. When I weighed points, cash, and distance, this one made the most sense to be home base.

Plus, there’s a nice bar and grill on the property that was fantastic to grab drinks and unwind in the evenings.

As soon as I arrived, I headed to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center (10 minutes up Hwy 19 and over the famous New River Gorge bridge) and snapped this pic – no hiking required.

Such a beautiful place

From there, you can also walk down a big set of steps to see the bridge.

Isn’t it amazing?

It was hot and long day, so I settled into my room and planned other park visits around my work schedule, the heat, and the bouts of rain for my June 2021 visit.

Fayetteville

As mentioned, there were a couple of hot days and a couple of rainy days. I’m so glad I had 9 days here. On the “not great” weather days, I caught up on work and rested. And when the weather was nice and cool, I enjoyed the excellent hiking in the area.

Another view of the bridge from Long Point trail

Around Fayetteville, I did the Long Point trail (pictured above) and the Endless Wall trail (below).

Those cliffs go alll the way down

Here’s Diamond Overlook from the Endless Wall trail

In general, the entire park has an excellent trail variety of terrain, difficulty, and length. There are overlooks you can drive to, get out of your car, and snap photos. There are others that are long and technical – and everything in between.

The variety is suitable for families, children, even dogs. Or if you really enjoy hiking and want some moderate length trails on the more technical side (that’s my category), there are plenty of those, too.

Because of the river gorge, there’s also world class rapids for kayaking, rafting, and paddleboarding if you like being in the water. The gorge also lends itself to rock climbing.

Whatever you’re into, whatever your skill level – you’re bound to find it somewhere in this giant, sprawling, gorgeous park. Fayetteville has the most trails and things to do nearby and in my opinion, makes the best base. Oak Hill, the down just south on Hwy 19, would work too.

Thurmond

I wanted to do a long hike on the Rend trail, but one of the trestles was down, so it wasn’t possible to pass. I went as far as I could, then turned around and walked on the (still active) railroad tracks to the historic Thurmond ghost town, which is also an Amtrak stop.

Hi from Thurmond, WV

The tracks go over the New River and offer a view directly into the rapids.

The mighty New River that carved this gorge

I found it interesting that the New River flows south to north – one of the few to flow in that direction.

Thurmond ghost town – you can really imagine it way back when

There’s also a little visitor center with displays of the area’s coal roots and history. It’s an easy walk from a couple of trails, so you could combine it with a hike to make a day out of it. Extra bonus: the trail wasn’t crowded at all.

 

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A post shared by Harlan Vaughn | Out and Out (@harlanvaughn)

Grandview

Just like it sounds, Grandview is another area of the park with an overlook of the New River’s incredible goosenecks.

It really is a grand view

This was right near the parking lot. I bet it’s gorgeous in the fall!

After this, I hiked on the Grandview Rim trail to Turkey Spur Rock, which is that first photo at the top with me in the red shirt. From there, I hiked back on the Castle Rock trail to make a loop out of it and there were a couple of areas that were clean drops, but it was mostly shaded and in a beautiful section of forest with wildflowers and rhododendron.

To get here, you have to go through the city of Beckley, where there’s actually a lot going on. I stopped at had dinner there on the way back and made a day of it. There’s also an Exhibition Coal Mine that looks interesting.

Fayetteville and Oak Hill towns

Of course, I wanted to try the local restaurants and see the shops while I was there. The town of Fayetteville, while not huge, has a few great eateries and cute places to shop right downtown. You can easily park on the main drag and walk from place to place.

Downtown Fayetteville

Stickers from local businesses

Great Googly Moogly entrance

I loved Great Googly Moogly, which had a huge selection of crystals and gemstones, along with other new age-y items and local merch.

My minerals acquired in West Virginia

I found a beautiful piece of blue kyanite and a rock I’d never heard of – shiva lingam – caught my eye. While on the Rend trail near Thurmond, some black rocks were nestled into the side of a mountain and I quickly realized it was coal. I picked up a few pieces and did a quick image search to compare, and sure enough – I found some real West Virginia coal. That’s about as authentic as you can get.

Entrance to Pinheads

While in Oak Hill, I stopped at a bowling alley with an unassuming entrance called Pinheads.

Cool retro bowling alley

But inside was a legit and proper bowling alley. I didn’t bowl, but grabbed a local brew and a snack before walking to the local White Oak Rail Trail, which is totally paved and a nice walk through the town.

Very chill

If you do the Long Point trail for an alternate view of the bridge near Fayetteville, right outside the turn to the trailhead you’ll pass Arrowhead Bike Farm. Definitely relax and have one of the many local beers – say hi to the goats!

You can even pet them

New River Gorge trip report bottom lineLink: Follow me on InstagramLink: My West Virginia trail picks on AllTrails (feel free to add me there!)

Put this wild and wonderful place on your list – which is so worthy of national park status. I’m glad it’s finally getting the protection, conversation, and research it deserves.

Like all national parks, New River Gorge is massive and seemingly endless. This one is long and narrow, so it’s important to situate yourself close to the areas you want to explore. There are other parts of the park I didn’t get to, but the areas around Fayetteville Station, Thurmond, and Grandview felt right for the type of visit I planned to have – which was mostly hiking.

I wanted to be near several trails as well as a few cute small towns, and that’s exactly what I got. The lodging in the area isn’t updated or modern, but is reasonably priced and puts you right near the action.

This was my first time in West Virginia. The people were hospitable and kind, and of course the park is incredibly beautiful. I’d always managed to drive around – instead of through – West Virginia. If you’re like me, update your route and drive through! The state is full of endless mountains and history. If you’re curious, I have more photos from the park and trails on my Instagram feed. I’m very charmed and can’t wait to go back someday.

If you’ve been to New River Gorge, how was your visit (and did you love it as much as I did)? If not, would you like to go? What activities would you seek out? 

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

FoundersCard Members: Enroll for a Marriott Platinum status challenge (15 nights in 3 months)

Wanted to be sure I wasn’t gonna get Bonvoyed before I posted this, but can now confirm it works exactly as advertised.

For $395, you can join FoundersCard (Out and Out readers get a $200 discount on the usual $595 rate, and the $95 initiation fee is waived too) and get access to a long list of travel, business, lifestyle, and hotel benefits. A few of them, like Caesars Diamond status, AT&T discounts, Hilton Gold status, discounts on United flights, and many more can easily make membership worthwhile.

You can also take advantage of an exclusive Marriott Platinum status challenge. When you have 15 paid nights within 3 months, you’ll earn Marriott Platinum status for a year, which is a huge step up from Gold. When I stayed in Asheville last month, I took advantage of this offer.

And the next day when my points posted, I saw I was a shiny new Marriott Platinum elite member.

This was right outside the SpringHill Suites in Asheville

Here’s more about how I booked and further maximized my stay using this status challenge.

FoundersCard Marriott status challenge

Link: Apply for FoundersCard and lock in the $395 annual rate

Here’s the fine print on the Platinum status challenge:

Upon making 15 paid nights within 3 months of enrollment, participant will receive Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status for up to one year. After the first year, Platinum Elite status will be retained by staying the required number of nights under the terms of the Marriott Bonvoy program.Existing Marriott Bonvoy members with base membership, Silver Elite or Gold Elite status are eligible for this promotion; members at Platinum Elite tier are ineligible for this offer.Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stays. Paid nights at a qualifying rate count towards the promotion. Nights spent while redeeming an award are ineligible and do not count towards the promotion.

Pretty straightforward

What does Platinum status get you?

Typically, you need to stay 50 nights with Marriott to earn Platinum status. Getting it for only 15 nights is an incredibly good deal.

With Platinum status, you’ll get these benefits:

4pm late checkout (based on availability)50% bonus points on paid staysPoints, breakfast offering, or amenity when you check inLounge access at hotels that have themFree enhanced internet

You also get the 5th night free on award stays, which is a standard benefit.

Boom

So what’s it all worth?

I, for one, value breakfast highly. Especially now since I’m living in hotels (and Airbnbs) full-time, any time I can get a snack, coffee, and a few things to take back to my room (like yogurt, fruit, or a power bar), is a win for me.

And earning more points on paid stays mean I get more points to supplement award stays along the way. And because I’m always staying long-term, getting the 5th night free saves me real cash.

Lounge access, free internet, and late checkout are all nice additions, too. Although realistically, I’m not staying at places with lounges all that often (because they’re more expensive), and I appreciate early check-in over late checkout in most cases. I do like getting faster internet for free (it’s usually an extra $7 a day, so that’s a nice upgrade) so I can do my work and video calls.

Platinum is also the level where free breakfast, 50% points bonus, and lounge access kick in – so it’s definitely worthwhile if you stay with Marriott often.

How I made the most of this offer

So I’m actually trying to be loyal to Hyatt and Hilton while I’m living in hotels full-time because I’m Globalist with Hyatt and Diamond with Hilton (because of the Hilton Aspire card). But every time I look, Marriott has the best rates, especially for long-term stays.

For example, now – in Pittsburgh, there’s a Hyatt right across the river, but I’m at a Marriott hotel because the location was better and cheaper. I’m finding that tends to happen a lot with Marriott. All things being equal, I’d rather save money and be closer to where I want to be.

Don’t even get me started with Hilton – they’re the most expensive of the bunch. I haven’t had a single paid stay with them since I started living on the road.

20 nights in Asheville

Anyhoozers, I booked 5 nights in Asheville with Marriott points (some of them topped up from Amex Membership Rewards because there was a 40% bonus going on). And then I booked the other 15 nights as a paid stay to complete the Platinum status challenge.

And I priced it out both ways – 5 award / 15 paid vs 15 paid / 5 award and the former came out cheaper by about $300.

TCB, I love you

Then I booked through TopCashback for another $67 off. Asheville is surprisingly expensive. For this amount, I polished off the last of a minimum spending requirement on a new card to earn a welcome bonus.

I also earned ~17,000 Marriott points that I can use for a future stay and got another 5,000 points because the fridge in my room wasn’t working when I checked in.

In this way, I make sure to maximize every stay, every time – and now that I have Platinum status, I’ll earn more points and potentially get better room upgrades next time I stay.

 Should you go for this FoundersCard Marriott status challenge?

If you’re going to stay a lot with Marriott…

….and value free breakfast, late checkout, and 50% bonus points…

it can certainly be worth paying the $395 fee to join FoundersCard and activate this status challenge.

Plus, you’d get all the other FoundersCard benefits. And earning Platinum status in 15 nights instead of 50 is an incredible fast-track.

But I’d say it’s only worth it if there are a few other FoundersCard benefits you like and know you’ll use. That said, as a FoundersCard member for several years, I came upon the occasion to use this particular benefit. It fit my travel plans, was easy to use, worked as advertised, and I’m glad it was there.

I’m still personally going to try to stick with Hyatt first and Hilton as a backup, but Marriott keeps delivering pretty good service…

…and I haven’t been Bonvoyed…

(yet.)

So all in all, I’d say this is a pretty great offer if it matches your travel plans and you can make the most of it like I did.

FoundersCard Marriott status challenge bottom lineLink: Apply for FoundersCard and lock in the $395 annual rate

So that’s the story of how I stayed at a Marriott in Asheville and came out on the other side a Platinum elite member. I further maximized the stay by:

Using points to stay 4 nights with the 5th night freeBooking through TopCashback for cashback on the stayUsing a new card to earn a welcome offerSpeaking up about a broken fridge for an extra 5,000 points

And now I’ll get:

50% bonus points on paid staysFree breakfastLounge accessLate checkoutFree enhanced internetand other benefits

I’m grateful FoundersCard had this offer! I’ve been a paying member for 7 years and have always gotten my money’s worth – this year is no exception. And I find their benefits often pop up at just the right time to take advantage of them, like this one did.

Would a Marriott Platinum status challenge be useful to you? If you already have the status, do you find it’s worth keeping long-term? 

And if you’re thinking about opening new credit cards, please consider applying through my CardRatings links! [image error]

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

A shift to investing, travel while traveling, & up $8K – July 2021 Freedom update

Hi from wild and wonderful West Virginia! I’m stationed right outside New River Gorge National Park – our newest one. The Mountain State surely lives up to its name. I’ll spend the weekend hiking in the park and exploring the little towns up and down the 53-mile stretch of river the park occupies.

After this, it’s Pittsburgh for a week, Philadelphia for a week, and finishing the month in upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains.

I’ve been hiking every chance I get – this was on the North Carolina side of the Smokies last weekend at Hemphill Bald

In the background, I’ve stuck to my investment strategy and have been stashing away everything I can to build up savings. I’ve almost reached my savings goal and will shift into throwing every spare cent into my taxable brokerage account – something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.

Before that happens, I have a couple of expensive hotel stays to pay for. Asheville and Fayetteville (where I am now) were expensive tbh. That’s part of the danger with choosing the place instead of chasing the cheap deals, but I wanted to see them both.

After upstate New York, I’ll be more open to following cheap prices. And I’ll be able to complete my savings goal in the next month and switch to investing mode.

Despite everything, I’m still up almost $8,000 this month over last – and at 42% of my $500,000 goal. Let’s get into it.

July 2021 Freedom update

Link: Track your net worth with Personal Capital

I knew Asheville would be expensive. And West Virginia is expensive. I’m blowing my budget a bit this month because I’ll be staying with friends for about a month and that’ll allow me to save a few checks and meet my savings goal. It also balances my overall lodging budget. I’ve been on the road four months by now and still finding my groove.

Asheville was so pretty

Later this year, in the fall, I want to chase cheap hotels and let the destinations guide me a bit more. I’ve been toying with the idea of living in Mexico City for a few months over the holidays. Hotels and long-term rentals are cheap there and I adore Mexico City. I can already imagine myself exploring the endless parks and museums and staying in Roma Norte or La Condesa. We’ll see.

Travel while traveling

Speaking of which, I’ve had some opportunities come my way for side trips. Work wants me back in Knoxville, I want to be at my son’s second birthday party in OKC, and I’ll be speaking at FTU Dallas in September. And yet – I still have my car and dog to take care of. And all my stuff in my car.

So… how do I “travel while traveling?” It’s stuff like this that makes me wonder how feasible long-term travel is, and the need for a “home base.” It’s hard to plan because I don’t know where I’ll be so can’t buy a plane ticket until I know what airport I’ll be near.

Or, I could plan side trips and work toward a particular airport, but that zaps the fun out of letting destinations decide for me.

I love a sea of mountains

On the other hand, I still want to plan trips. So it’s a bit of contradiction of terms- and a balance/flow I’m still figuring out. I’m not sure there will ever be a resolution or anything as elegant as that, but rather – something more like a haphazard throwing it all together and hoping it all works out.

I get the feeling this will be my eternal dilemma as this lifestyle begins to take hold. It’s hard to plan and therefore hard to travel.

Finally investing extra funds!

I feel like I’ve been working toward my $30,000 savings goal foreverrrr. But now I’m only ~$2,800 away and will knock that out in July or August. Then I’ll throw every thin cent into investing. Mostly my trusty friend FSKAX, but also some cryto (I’ve been using Donut for DeFi investing and Coinbase for other crypto) and maybe a REIT fund or something more speculative, like marijuana index funds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Harlan Vaughn | Out and Out (@harlanvaughn)

I’ll keep 90% of my investments in broad-market index funds and let the other 10% be fun stuff or whatever I find interesting. I’d even be open to buying some real estate again in the future.

It will feel good being able to do this, knowing I have a fully stocked emergency fund. I also expect it’ll propel me toward my overall goal that much faster.

By the numbers

Right now, I’m putting 25% of my paycheck into my 401k and into Vanguard’s 500 Index Fund (VFIAX), which has been performing really well. My YTD return is 13.69%, which is insane. Seeing that type of return makes me wonder if I should keep less cash and throw more into index funds.

I also put $200 per month into an HSA account. Whatever I have left, I transfer to savings. I have no credit card debt and own my car. My only recurring payments are car insurance, storage unit, Netflix, and Spotify.

I’ve also been opening new credit cards and should get the $500 welcome bonus on the Bank of America Premium Rewards card (plus oodles of extra cash back because I’m at the Platinum Honors tier). That’ll go directly into savings later this month.

 CurrentLast monthChange2021 Goal  ASSETS 401k (contributions only)$9,167$7,500+$1,667$19,500 Overall investments$175,191$168,373+$6,818As much as possible Savings$27,176$26,125+$1,051$30,000 Net worth in Personal Capital $210,185 $202,508+$7,677$500,000 Track your net worth with Personal Capital

42% of the way toward my goal!

At this point, it’s looking like I’m going to hit $250,000 before the end of the year. I have almost $200,000 invested and am currently working toward my third $100K overall.

Between the 401k and what I’ve been saving, my overall savings rate is probably 50 to 60%. The rest I use to pay for travel. Sticking to this strategy is really working.

By the end of the year, I’ll max out my 401k. Already maxed out my Roth IRA on January 1. Moving forward, I’ll throw everything else into my Fidelity taxable brokerage account. Squeeee!

Lol but FSKAX

June 2021 Freedom update bottom lineLink: Track your net worth with Personal Capital and get a $20 Amazon gift card

My strategy is streamlined and automated – and I’m pleased with how the market has been performing. I struggle between wanting to look at market performance every day or only open it up on the 1st of each month to do these reports. But I confess, I do check it every day. The phone widgets make it way too easy!

In July 2020, my net worth was $123,577. And in July 2021, it’s $210,185. That’s up almost $87,000 at an average of ~$7,200 per month. Really, really cool. I’m hoping with my shift into investing my extra cash (instead of saving it), I can get that up to $10,000 per month on average. Let’s get this snowball rolling.

# of days left to reach my goal

I want to reach my goal by August 26, 2024 – my 40th birthday. That’s in a little over 3 years. I’m starting to think it’ll happen before then. But I know slow and steady wins the race. Onward and upward. It feels like the milestones are happening closer together now.

Thank you for reading – stay safe and scrappy out there! And if you’re thinking about opening new credit cards, please consider applying through my CardRatings links!

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

6 ways I’d personally use 100,000 Chase points

I’m bananas over the new offer to earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. (Here’s my recent post on this incredible offer with even more ways to redeem Chase points.)

Which got me thinking – how would I use 100,000 Chase points?

I mean, I could always go back to Mexico

I love thought experiments like these. So while you might use them differently – there are so many ways and everyone has a different travel style – here’s what I’d get up to at this moment in time. We like the points!

How I’d use 100,000 Chase points

Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points • 2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent on travel & dining

• 1X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent on all other purchases

• The biggest bonus ever worth over $1,250 (toward travel) • $95 annual fee• $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening • The best card for beginners• Compare it here

For reference, here are Chase’s travel transfer partners:

Pair Chase cards to earn even more points

1. 21 nights at a Hyatt Category 1 hotel to help earn Globalist status.

Hyatt’s 2021 elite requirements are half of what they normally are. This year, you can earn top-tier Globalist status with only 30 nights – and award nights count.

Hyatt has also delayed the introduction of peak and off-peak award pricing. So while I have the chance, I’d stay in as many Category 1 hotels as I could, which are only 5,000 points per night. When you factor in the minimum spending, you’ll have enough for 21 award nights from the Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus.

Some of them are in really neat locations! Domestically, I would consider:

Hyatt Place Tucson-Central – Tucson is a cool, arty townHyatt Place Boise/Towne Square – I’ve never been to Idaho and hear good things about BoiseHyatt Place Memphis/Germantown to be close to my familyHyatt Place Dallas/Plano to hang out with my Dallas friendsHyatt Regency Albuquerque – Are you kiddin’? A Category 1 Hyatt Regency? And I *love* New MexicoHyatt Place Nashville/Hendersonville – I did stay here for 29 nights! And earned Globalist status in the process

Most Category 1 options are Hyatt Place or Hyatt House, but if the locations are good, that’s the biggest thing I care about.

If we’re talking internationally, I’d give serious consideration to:

Hyatt House Mexico City/Santa Fe because I love CDMXHyatt Place San Jose/Pinares – I’ve always wanted to visit Costa Rica

Let’s do a quick number crunch. I’ll pick 21 consecutive days in November 2021 (that are available with points) and see how much a cash stay would cost. And select Hyatt Place Boise/Towne Square.

21 nights in Boise would cost ~$3,178

This hotel was ~$140 a night. That would make the Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus worth over $3,000 and also get me within striking distance of Globalist elite status through February 2023 (if I didn’t already have it). Plus, I’d get to spend time in a new place and cross a state off my list.

(I only have North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, and Minnesota left!)

The Mexico City hotel is only $50 per night (!) and the Costa Rica location is only $82 per night, so for those rates, I’d just pay cash. Also holy crap – do I need to spend a month in Mexico City? I think I just gave myself an idea.

Also remember, you don’t pay taxes and fees on award nights – so that’s an automatic added value. And Globalist members also get free parking on award nights.

2. 5 nights at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos or Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta.Link: Review of My $100 Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los CabosLink: Trip Report: An Amazing Repeat Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

Both of these hotels are 20,000 Hyatt points per night – and they’re all-inclusive. I have stayed at both and had a fantastic time. I give the slight edge to the Puerto Vallarta location.

Gosh I miss Mexico

Of course, you can sometimes find low rates. But you can also save a ton of money by doing a fly-and-flop and just really enjoy yourself for 5 glorious nights. You could also opt to stay longer and use points to offset a few of the nights, especially if the rates fluctuate.

I might actually return here in October for a trip with one of my friends. So this might very well be how I actually use 100,000 Chase points – and I’d highly recommend it to anyone.

3. 14 short one-way coach flights within North America (or 7 round-trips).

Using British Airways Avios points, you’ll pay 7,500 points for coach flights up to 650 miles within North America on partner airlines (American and Alaska). That includes some pricey routes like:

Miami to Nassau, Bahamas or CancunChicago to Memphis or Columbus or Kansas CityNYC to BostonDallas to AustinSeattle to Portland

This is perhaps the best use of British Airways Avios points. Because when you can find these award flights, you stand to save a looot of money.

This Miami to Cancun flight is $188

For example, I was able to find 7 seats available from Miami to Cancun for 7,500 Avios + $35 in taxes in November. This same flight would cost $188 in cash.

And here it is again – and there are 7 seats available!

In this case, I would happily redeem Avios points (transferred from Chase). You could use the Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus for 14 similar flights.

Even at the $188 price point, 14 flights would cost $2,632. Or you could use 105,000 Chase points + $490 instead. Which means the bonus is worth $2,142. Still an excellent deal!

Remember, this pricing is only for North America. For the rest of the world, these flights only cost 6,000 Avios points! So you could get 17 short one-way flights instead. Think of routes like:

Sydney to MelbourneTokyo to OsakaLondon to ParisBarcelona to Milan or MadridMany, many more

Ironically, the worst way to use Avios points is for award flights on British Airways because of the exorbitant taxes and fees. The real value is for short partner flights, either domestically or in other parts of the world.

4. Find a sweet deal to Europe in Delta business class.

It’s no secret that Delta is stingy AF with their award space, and that the SkyMiles program is an absolute blowhole of a joke. (This IS me holding back.)

That’s precisely why I’d look for Delta award space on Virgin Atlantic until I found one of those little unicorn business class seats that are 50,000 miles each way to Europe with minimal taxes. And then I’d book it just to YOLO to Europe. It would probably be hard for me to part with 100,000 Chase points just to do this. But if I was flush with points…

…and found the right seats…

…and was in the right mood…

…and just REALLY wanted to do it…

heck yeah I’d book it. It’s an experience I’ve always want to have. And life is for living and all that. And because 50,000 miles each way to Europe in business class is actually a fantastic deal. And these flights are usually $1,000s if you pay cash.

5. Or wait until Air Canada joins the program, and add a couple of hotel nights.

Air Canada is joining Chase Ultimate Rewards later this year and we are ready for it!

Partner award flights to Europe cost:

35,000 Aeroplan points – coach flights under 4,000 miles45,000 Aeroplan points – coach flights over 4,000 miles60,000 Aeroplan points – business class flights under 4,000 miles70,000 Aeroplan points – business class flights over 4,000 miles

Business Class in SWISS was so nice and cozy

Sure, you can find cheaper flights with Flying Blue (on Air France, KLM, or Delta), but that requires hunting and pecking. But with Air Canada, there are three main benefits:

Star Alliance access – by far the most flights to Europe from the US of any allianceSet award chart prices – you’ll pay the same price no matter which partners are available and the only variable is flight distanceNo fuel surcharges on partner award flights

With this option, I’d mix and match my points redemption. Coach flight to Europe and fly in business back home. Or pay for a flight and use the rest for a couple of free nights at a Hyatt hotel. Just to give a couple of possibilities.

6. Top off my hotel program.

You can transfer Chase points to 3 hotel programs:

HyattIHGMarriott

The most worthwhile of these is of course, Hyatt, but do you ever run into the issue where you have aaalmost enough points for an award stay… but not quite?

Can’t wait to be back at the Hyatt Bellevue in Philadelphia in a few weeks

The cool thing about Chase transfers is that they’re all 1:1 and instant. That means I can look for an award room on the Marriott (or IHG or Hyatt) website, open a new tab and transfer some Chase points, then flip back and book the room.

And I have done this many times. Ever since living on the road, I find this happening more often. And if I had a stash of 100,000 Chase points? Why, that would get me out of a tight spot tout de suite!

You could also use this to quickly book any award flights you find. And you should! Keep your points with Chase until you’re ready to transfer. (It’s a hedge against loyalty program devaluations and ensures your eggs are never in one basket.) I have done this many times – especially with British Airways award flights (see #2 above).

Use 100,000 Chase points bottom lineLink: Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K offer 

Hopefully this gives you some ideas, too! Chase points are valuable because they’re so flexible and have a few standout travel partners. Used judiciously, you stand to save literally thousands on award flights or hotel stays.

The current offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the highest there’s ever been (and likely the highest it will ever be). If you haven’t had this card yet or have been waiting for an amazing offer, THIS IS IT. There’s no reason why you can’t get $2,000+ in award travel from this bonus – which is insane for one card offer. Here’s another post with a few more ways to use Chase points and here’s why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the BEST card for points and miles beginners.

How would you use 100,000 Chase points? Is there anything you’d lift from my playbook?

Out and Out partners with CardRatings – consider using my links to get this incredible deal. Thank you for supporting the site!

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

Hiking day pack essentials: What I bring on every hike

If you follow me on Instagram, you might think it’s turned into a #hiking account. That wouldn’t be far off the mark!

Now that I’m a nomad, I’ve reconnected to traveling and being outside in a way that feels really good. That includes exploring new trails every chance I get.

So far, I’ve done hikes from 2 to 9 miles in a day, which seems to my range as of right now. Eventually, I’d like to build back my strength to do longer day hikes.

Every time I hit the trail, there are a few items I always carry with me – nothing more, nothing less.

This little hiking day pack has served me extremely well, and it’s nothing fancy

On shorter, well-trafficked trails, you don’t need much. The outdoor stores lead you to think you need tons of gear, but you really don’t.

Here’s what I take on my hikes.

Hiking day pack essentials

First, I try not to hike in inclement weather. I can withstand a drizzle, but I don’t want to be out in driving rain. And second, the temperature on my hikes generally gets warmer as I reach the heat of the day. For that reason, I don’t worry so much about jackets and layers to keep warm so much as things I can easily pull off to cool down. Of course, this would change in winter.

1. Good hiking bootsLink: My Merrell hiking boots

Shoes are the most important thing. Trails have all manner of sharp rocks, roots, loose gravel, mud, and other obstacles. You want a rugged, durable boot that you can get dirty and that holds up to tough terrain.

My Merrell boots have been fantastic so far

I did a lot of research before I landed on this pair of Merrell hiking boots. They are so comfortable and I feel like I can walk miles in them – which is a good thing for hiking boots.

If you don’t like Merrell, there are plenty of other brands available at DSW (which often has coupon codes) and Amazon (which often has discounts for using bank points).

The shoes you wear connect you to the earth. It’s good to have a pair of boots dedicated to being outside.

2. A little hiking day packLink: Outdoor Products Ridge day pack

I see people going all out with their day packs. They have big fancy backpacks with tubes for water and lots of straps and ties and cords and hooks. Those things are great for long hikes or if you just like the features, but in reality, a little $30 day pack (or less) is totally fine.

This is seriously all you need

Most hikes are from an hour to four or five hours. You likely aren’t stopping and only need to carry a few things. I would definitely recommend something larger than a fanny pack but you don’t need something as large as a backpack. Something small, lightweight, and basic is perfect.

3. AllTrails appLink: AllTrails app

AllTrails is a fantastic website for research, planning, and storing the hikes you’ve done – and want to do. I resisted paying for the Pro version of the website and app because I didn’t want another “thing” to pay for. They recently had a Memorial Day sale for 50% off, so I went ahead and upgraded. So far, I’ve downloaded maps for every trail and have used the real-time map as I hike, and it’s a total game changer – especially for trails that aren’t well-marked.

Trails like this are exactly why you want AllTrails Pro

In the photo above, you can see many trails connect and form loops, which is a nice way to extend a hike, or cut it short and get back to the trailhead when you’re ready to go. In this example, I hiked up Rattlesnake Mountain and then decided to hike down Lookout Mountain and pass Lookout Rocks on the way back to the trailhead (this is a trail near Asheville, NC).

The thing is, those connecting loop trails weren’t exactly signed well. Being able to see my exact location and verify the route gave me peace of mind.

Plus, the website/app are just great for exploring trails. The reviews are packed with tips from people who’ve hiked the trails and can tell you about parking, trail conditions, what to watch for, etc. Make sure your phone has a full charge before you head out.

4. A Smartwater bottle

Nothing fancy. One of these guys:

You want the weight and shape

I first heard about these from Mac at Halfway Anywhere (which is a fantastic blog dedicated to hiking). These bottles are perfect because they’re tall, light, and narrow – which makes them perfect for tossing in a bag. Plus, you can refill them over and over.

Sure, they’re not as durable as Hydroflask or Nalgene bottles. Those are great, too! They’re just heavier is all.

I take 1 liter per 5 or 6 miles and that’s been working out well. I usually drink most or all of it, so I’d say that’s a good metric. Be sure to hydrate before and after your hike, and take more if you need to.

But for most day hikes, this little buddy works just fine.

5. A few power bars

Again, nothing fancy. Sometimes I don’t eat anything while I’m hiking. I try to snack before I head out and look forward to getting something once I’m back in town or at home. But every so often, I get a little hungry and want something.

These are fine for a day hike

If you want to stop and have a picnic, you’d obviously want more. I personally don’t like taking a lot of food because I don’t want to attract animals and packaged bars are perfect for this. It’s also easy to pack the wrappers out by putting them in your day pack or pocket.

Also, when I’m out and about, I’m more focused on the trail and moving forward. I am, however, ready to chow down once I get off the trail and cool down.

5. An extra layer, preferably waterproof

Rain happens. In summer, you’ll probably be fine if not a little uncomfortable being wet. You can check the weather all day and night, and still encounter a stray drizzle. I throw something light into the bottom of my hiking day pack. I’ve used it once or twice, and have been very glad I had it each time. In colder weather, there’s the threat of hypothermia. Definitely be weather aware.

6. A hat and/or bandana and/or sunglasses

Oh, it gets sunny. A hat is great to keep the sun and sweat out of your eyes. And you can enhance this protection with a bandana and sunglasses if you want. This is especially important on exposed trails or those without a lot of cover. The reviews on AllTrails mention this factor a lot.

7. A small flashlight

I have a little flashlight, one that’s thin and has one battery. Just in case. You probably won’t need it, but it makes me feel better to have it for some reason. Just in case it gets dark fast and I need a light.

8. Personal protection

There are all sorts of animals out there – and that includes people.

On trails known for bear activity, it’s prudent to have bear spray. At the very least, a very loud whistle can frighten a threatening animal into leaving you alone. You may also feel better with a little pocket knife or GPS device.

Most well-traveled trails will be OK as animals tend to leave humans alone. Still, I carry a little pocket knife with me, and have a small whistle in a place I can easily reach (this is the one I have).

9. Trekking poles (if you need them)Link: Cascade Mountain tech trekking poles

I haven’t gotten trekking poles myself just yet, but have been tempted a time or two. Some trails are rugged and absolutely shred your calves on the way up and knees on the way down. If you like the extra support, trekking poles are a great addition to your pack. Go for a pair that are lightweight, collapsible, and adjustable like these.

10. Anything else you need to feel comfortable

I lean toward a light day pack, but take whatever you’ll need for your personal comfort level. That could mean taking extra:

SunscreenFood and waterBug sprayCamera gear for photographersSocksPower packsOr anything else you need

Before every hike, I check the weather and think through my entire day. Sometimes I throw in extra power bars, water, a hand towel to dry myself or wipe away sweat, or whatever else I might want to have around to have a successful outing.

Hiking day pack bottom line

With this list, you’ll have everything you need to hit the trails and get out in nature. Hiking is an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and spend time listening to the sounds of the outdoors. The best hikes are when the weather is mild, there’s cloud cover (but not too much), and you get long stretches of the trail all to yourself.

I’ve found the items on this list are things I take every time I head out. Hopefully this helps you plan your own trip into our beautiful state and national parks.

Is there anything you’d add to the list? Have you been enjoying hiking trails this so far this summer? Let me know!

And follow me on Instagram to see photos from my hikes this summer and beyond!

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

The best card for beginners has a sign-up bonus worth $1,250 – and easily MUCH more

If you haven’t had the Chase Sapphire Preferred yet – or if you’re eligible to get it again – the new sign-up bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points is worth – at a minimum – $1,250.

And how are we getting to that figure? Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each when you redeem them toward travel through Chase, so 100,000 x 1.25 = $1,250. You can book flights, hotel stays, even cruises through the Chase Ultimate Rewards site. Set your payment to points and 100,000 of them are worth $1,250.

Who’s ready to travel again with 100,000 Chase points?

That’s an amazing sign-up bonus on its own. And can be worth soooo much more when you transfer your points to Chase’s travel partners, which include Southwest, United, and Air France/KLM.

But the best transfer partner? Wait, lemme start a new section for all that.

Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K bonus

Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points • 2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent on travel & dining

• 1X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent on all other purchases

• The biggest bonus ever worth over $1,250 (toward travel) • $95 annual fee• $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening • The best card for beginners• Compare it here

I got this card when my Chase status was 2/24 (two new cards opened in the last 24 months), I was wayyyy under the 5/24 threshold. Chase won’t give you their cards if you’ve opened more than 5 cards in the last 24 months (the 5/24 rule). That’s not an issue for most people, but for those heavily into points, it usually means Chase cards are a non-starter.

But not this time!

I’m using my Chase points along my nomad journeys

I was 2/24 and hadn’t earned a sign-up bonus on a Sapphire card since 2016 (?), so I was well within the bounds. I’ve never hopped on a card application so hard in my life.

And now, this new offer is the best there’s EVER been for this card. If you’ve been waiting for the right offer, this is the one.

Chase travel transfer partners

So while you can get $1,250 in travel with this bonus, you can get much more travel by transferring to Chase travel transfer partners.

In the past, I’ve gotten excellent value with United, Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways.

Nowadays, there’s a lot of overlap between Chase Ultimate Rewards and other bank programs, including Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Capital One.

Pair Chase cards to earn even more points

I recently wrote about a few high-value ways to redeem Chase points with this offer.

But there’s one partner I zero in on with the focus of a laser and that partner is…

My favorite way to redeem Chase points

Hyatt. All day and night.

Why?

Chase and Hyatt have an exclusive relationship, so there’s no other way to transfer points to Hyatt except through Chase. Historically and now, Hyatt has a generous award chart and it’s relatively easy for even casual travelers to get a big return for their points.

Plus, transfers are instant. You can literally send Chase points to Hyatt, refresh the booking screen, and they’re in your account. (I’ve done that many times before.)

My last Hyatt stay was last month in Nashville, where I earned Globalist elite status partially through award stays

Hyatt Category 1 hotels (think Hyatt Place and Hyatt house), start at 5,000 points per night.

With 104,000 points (the sign-up bonus plus the minimum spending), you could get:

20 award nights at a Hyatt Category 1 hotel13 award nights at a Hyatt Category 2 hotel8 award nights at a Hyatt Category 3 hotelAnd so on, up to Category 8

You could even get a free night at some of the most exclusive and luxurious Hyatt hotels in the world, like the Ventana Big Sur (on my list), Park Hyatt Tokyo, or a few nights at an all-inclusive resort, like the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos or Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta (been to both – click for my reviews).

Because I’m now living on the road, I lean into those Hyatt Category 1 hotels, which can cost over $100 per night. Even assuming a base of $100 per night, 104,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $2,000 (20 nights @ $100 each) and often much more.

That’s an astounding bonus from one card.

Another reason I’d recommend Hyatt right now is because flights are generally cheap. Travel is coming back slowly and flight prices reflect that.

Also – for flights, the best award redemptions are usually long-haul international flights in a premium cabin and well… that’s not a possibility right now. Until it is. And then your points will be ready!

Or you can do what many others are doing and build up your point reserves for when travel does return. Nothing like a luxurious free trip to declare revenge travel.

Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K bottom lineLink: Chase Sapphire Preferred

If you’re able to open this card now, I’d highly recommend doing so. You can:

Stay at Hyatt hotels for freeWait until international flights open back upBook expensive flights as awards nowOr just save your points toward a fabulous post-pandemic vaycay

Any way you slice it, you can’t go wrong because there’s never been a better bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I opened the card myself recently before this offer and I’m kicking myself because this is the best offer there’s been for this card.

At a bare minimum, this bonus is worth $1,250 toward travel which is a phenomenal value from one card. There’s a $95 annual fee, but that pales in comparison to the value you can potentially get.

Plus, if you have other Chase cards, like the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited, you can pair and pool your points – and then send them to travel partners or book travel with them where they’re worth 1.25 cents each.

To be honest, I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t get this card if you qualify. If you’ve been antsy to travel like I’ve been, those points are going to come in handy when you’re ready to travel again.

Have you already gotten this card? Will you? How will you use your 100,000-point bonus? 

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.

Three months a nomad: Personal finances and points on the road

On March 21, 2021 (3/21 – like a countdown), I put all my stuff in storage and headed out on the road as a digital nomad. I spent the first month in Memphis to be near family and find my road legs.

Today, I’m in Asheville, North Carolina, after spending a couple of months in Tennessee, including Nashville (where I earned Hyatt Globalist status with my stay) and Knoxville (at an Airbnb).

I’ve been hiking so much and it’s been so so nice

I can already tell that where I’ll stay will be a combination of:

Award stays with pointsPaid hotel staysAlternative booking sites (Booking.com, Hotels.com, etc.)AirbnbStays with friendsAnd maybe even some camping

There’s no set way I’m doing this other than I’m trying to stay around $1,500 per month for my accommodations.

And when I pay, I’m always trying to get something back: elite status, a booking rebate, more points, redeeming an Amex Offer, or meeting minimum spending on a new card (or ALL of these with a single stay like I’m doing right now in Asheville – y’all know I LOVE a good stack).

So I’m really using every trick in the ol’ trick sack to maximize this lifestyle – and help it perpetuate itself.

I have no idea how long I’ll do this. I guess for as long as it feels good. After all, I know I can always get my stuff out of storage and rent an apartment again. But now that I’ve pared down my possessions to a few bags, I don’t see myself doing that any time soon.

Digital nomad finances and how I’m managing them

First of all, I work backwards. Meaning I’m not choosing places based on prices or deals – yet.

Right now, I pick the place I want to go and then figure out how to make it work.

For example, Asheville is actually a pretty expensive place. I could’ve gone someplace cheaper by seeking deals, but I didn’t do that because I’ve always wanted to spend time here. So I am.

Choose first, figure out how to make it work later – all while sticking to my $1,500 monthly budget.

Nashville was a total blast

It won’t always be like this, but for now I’m doing this lifestyle the way I want and actively picking my destinations. Perhaps later, I’ll let the destinations guide me.

My always-rough itinerary

I try to make everything as “cancelable” as possible. That means giving myself the flexibility to stay a little longer if I really like a place.

I also try to not book more than 1.5 months out – I literally make it up as I go along. But I know my strategies are there to support me.

It’s incredible to live so loosely. It also makes it hard to commit to future events because I don’t know where I’ll be. Rough targets, rough dates, rough ideas.

After Asheville I’m thinking:

West Virginia near New River Gorge National Park – the newest National Park!PittsburghUpstate New York in the CatskillsToronto (if Canada opens this summer)Vermont for fallNew MexicoDown South for winterMaybe Central or South America instead?Maybe some other country if international travel opens?

I’m also sorta guided by the current covid situation. As soon as international travel levels out, I’ll see if I can live and work in another country for a while.

Making the most of points and money

For my Airbnb in Knoxville, I booked through Acorns to get 1.8% cash back invested in my account. (Side note: Acorns is great for their Found Money! It’s only $1 per month and totally worth it for the card-linked and portal offers that are automatically invested for you!)

In Nashville, I earned top-tier Globalist status with my stay and stacked a bunch of promotions to get all my points back.

Now in Asheville, I’m using 15 paid nights to earn Marriott Platinum status from a challenge I got through FoundersCard. I also booked through TopCashback for 3% cashback and will use an Amex Offer for $40 back.

$67 back from TopCashback

And another $40 back from Amex

So I’ll get:

Marriott Platinum status$67 from TopCashback$40 from Amex OfferMore Marriott points from the paid stay (I’m currently Gold)Minimum spending done on my new Bank of America Premium Rewards card ($500 that I’ll invest through Merrill Edge plus my bonus earnings from being Platinum Honors)

For West Virginia, I couldn’t find any chain hotels or Airbnbs, so I used Booking.com but clicked through TopCashback for 7% cashback (can you tell I love TopCashback?).

Another $72 I’ll get back in my pocket

I’m also using points to cover some of my nights. I used Hyatt points for 14 of my 29 Nashville nights and Marriott points for 5 of my 20 Asheville nights (transferred with a 40% bonus from Amex to top up my account and fifth night free on award stays).

I also plan to keep opening new credit cards to earn new bonuses along the way.

AND I’m keeping my eye out for lucrative hotel promotions. Because I’m so flexible, I can easily make the most of a good promotion if it fits within my budget.

For my stay in Upstate New York, I’ll be in a friend’s guesthouse. And I can always stay with my family when I swing through Memphis.

I’m really putting everything together however it makes sense to save the most and get back whatever I can along the way.

Looking to the future

I’ve been playing with Google Hotels to see where I can stay cheaply – an amazing tool, by the way. I found incredible rates at Hyatt hotels in Denver, Phoenix, and Virginia. And as tempting as those were, I’m still actively picking my destinations.

However, I can totally see myself taking advantage of cheap rates to keep my adventure going – especially if there are good hotel promos.

The goodest good boy

My other big consideration is my dog. That means everywhere I go has to be pet-friendly and I probably have to pay a pet fee. I’m not in love with that expense, but I have to have him.

I thought this would be rough on him, but he is absolutely loving it. Actually, I think he’s having more fun than me – so many new sniffs!

I had him completely checked out by his vet before we headed out (teeth cleaned, up-to-date on all shots, extra supplies of his heartworm medicine, and got copies of all his records).

If I want to go international, my mom and “babymama” already said they would watch him for me. But I wouldn’t leave him for too long. He is my constant companion and my friend. Plus he’s 11, so he’s getting older.

Not everyone has pets with them on the road, but I do, so I factor that into all my calculations and plotting.

The biggest considerations so far

Right now, my Marriott room has a fridge, sink, and microwave, but no stove or freezer. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss a stove and freezer! I have my blender, so I can make basic smoothies, but I miss having frozen fruit in them. And I like steaming veggies for my salads.

However, I have a fitness room and laundry on-site. So far, I haven’t found a place that has everything I want. Here’s how I rank my preferences:

All-suites chain hotel with full kitchen (Hyatt House, TownePlace Suites, etc.)All-suites chain hotel with laundry and fitness room (Hyatt Place, SpringHill Suites, etc.)Other chain hotel room (Hyatt or Hilton, with Marriott as a backup)Airbnb with full kitchen and laundryAirbnb with kitchenetteNon-chain hotel from Hotels.com, Booking.com, or similar

Surprisingly, laundry hasn’t been an issue at all so far. I have plenty of outfits and book places with a laundry room or some kind of access. I wash clothes about every two weeks and try to mix up what I wear as much as I can.

Also, for everything on this list, LOCATION trumps them all. I choose where I want to be first, and take the closest option. This keeps me out and mobile, which is ultimately the point of this whole thing.

Digital nomad finances bottom line

So that’s how I’ve been managing my finances and using my points as a supportive tool for the last few months. So far, I have no plans to stop doing this any time soon. I also wanted to share about my philosophy of how I’m approaching this adventure, how it might change in the future, and what I look for in a place.

I’m mostly guided by my own whims and predilections. And I’m so blessed to have friends in almost every place I’ve gone or want to visit, so I don’t feel lonely while doing this. That was a big concern, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it will start to wear on me. I’ve gotten really good at checking in with myself.

Doing this would certainly be cheaper with a partner, but I just didn’t want to wait any longer. So here I am, out on my own.

Hopefully that provides insight on what makes this digital nomad lifestyle work (for me, anyway).

Would you live on the road? Have you done it before (or are you now)? If there’s anything I didn’t cover, leave a comment below.

Hope everything is staying safe and healthy out there! Thank you for following along this journey!

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.