I love credit cards so much!

[WardFam]

Yesterday was so busy I never even got on the board (blasphemy if not on vacation I know). Just finished catching up to everything late last night/early this morning. On the TSA precheck discussion: I just got on for my 12 year old. (Husband and I have had it for at least 3 years). Two locations in SLC with first appointment available this coming Tuesday. Just in case anyone wants to take a field trip (@Lain I can't believe you don't have it yet).

For those who have gotten TSA precheck for your 12-16 pre driver's license kiddos what did you use for the photo identification? @CyndiLouWho or @Calfan I think you both maybe mentioned it? Are they strict then that it needs to be the child's state identification or passport? If it is the case then I guess I will be getting her a passport first. I really don't want to deal with the DMV. Thanks.

My DS status just went to conditionally approved so I went to sign up for an interview in SLC and they only have the airport option and the next available date is in March! When I applied earlier this year my my DH and myself we were able to get appointments right away. I'm so confused!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Is there any job that gives you a week of vacation time every month? I have also been dying to get to Rome. I have the Marriott points and Delta points but I see no way of being able to squeeze it in in 2019. I was thinking of not honeymooning right after the wedding, but if we don’t do that I feel like it won’t be a honeymoon. SO and I have travelled so much together already and we will continue to do so. Also, I will probably need to take time off before the wedding to get things ready. lol this is giving me anxiety now lol plus SO wants to be at Disneyland on his birthday one year and he says we have to stay at the Grand Californian for Christmas and we need to do the Halloween party there. Oh, and now that we have World APs he can’t see how we went without having them before so I’m sure a bunch of small long weekend getaways will be happening next year lol I begged him to go on our first trip in 2016 and he was like I’m going to hate it, Disney is so stupid etc while we were on the trip he said we can get DVC and go every other year but he couldn’t do Disny ever year. Somehow now he is a bigger fan than me lol. We went in July, August and September this year and we will be back in December. We did Disneyland in January and August. lol

Not quite 12 weeks...but the bank does do 5 weeks PLUS 10 paid holidays (most of which end up being long weekends) LOL!

 

[DisneyMandC]

We have put trips to Williamsburg and Niagara Falls on our upcoming list to avoid some flying. The one city we would consider “exploring” is NYC as there are many sights that interest us there.

Williamsburg will be a great trip for your family. If you're going during a warm time, definitely do Water Country in addition to Busch Gardens.

 

[speedyfishy]

The one city we would consider “exploring” is NYC as there are many sights that interest us there.

NYC has so many fun things especially for kids. Even just renting bikes and riding in Central Park is so fun. I think the museum of natural history is a snooze fest. But you can do Coney Island which can be a little ratchet but is a million times better than the ocean city boardwalk. The Bronx zoo is fun. There is even a small zoo in Central Park. Plus the broadway shows. of course the Disney ones are my favorite lol. I haven’t seen Frozen yet tho.

 

[speedyfishy]

Not quite 12 weeks...but the bank does do 5 weeks PLUS 10 paid holidays (most of which end up being long weekends) LOL!

That is good, but it just doesn’t seem like enough. This is why I’m FIREING lol My SO is similar he has 23 PTO and 15 holidays. Most of that is the week between Xmas and New Years which we will be back home for. I’m interviewing now and no one is offering as good as he has it, but I plan to negotiate vacation time. lol

 

[Psychodisney]

I went ahead and applied this morning for my SW Biz card....pending. Fingers crossed for a short wait. I really want the CP for 2019-20!

 

[amalone1013]

Is there any job that gives you a week of vacation time every month?

Please let me know when you find it

This sounds like my DH. When we went to Asheville for our anniversary earlier this year, he was like "wait, why aren't we just going to Disney again?" We've agree we both like to get a couple days in at Disney every year. We'll have the weeklong trip next year, a couple days at Tokyo Disney in 2020, and DH has already told me he wants to be at WDW in 2021 for the 50 year celebration.

I'm slowly trying to convince DH that we should take a break after our APs expire next September, because of the Star Wars Land craziness I expect. Until the 50th. But I don't know that we (especially he) could go a year to two without Disney... so obviously this plays right in to my plans for a Europe trip, right? And DLP...

 

[amalone1013]

That is good, but it just doesn’t seem like enough. This is why I’m FIREING lol My SO is similar he has 23 PTO and 15 holidays. Most of that is the week between Xmas and New Years which we will be back home for. I’m interviewing now and no one is offering as good as he has it, but I plan to negotiate vacation time. lol

I get 21 days and can earn up to 3 more, and then 9 holidays. BUT I've worked three of those holidays every year...

 

[hulagirl]

And of course I also failed to mention that we will probably earn another 400k+ URs in the next 15-18 months...

I have so much respect for you and I really appreciate how much you clearly give to it in time and sound advice... but I have to wonder (and very much do, personally) at what point do you get to... "I have enough." Having read your explanations for why you are where you are, I don't at all feel sorry for you... I feel amazed. But I've been asking myself this alot lately. When is enough, enough? When is it just doing it for the sake of doing it, when you can't even use it all anymore?

I don't know the answer for you @SouthFayetteFan - I only know I am wrestling with these questions myself an awful lot more lately. Maybe we all should be.

 

[MKTokyo]

Me too! lol I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that it makes me super sad that Disney is the only trip they want to take. There is so much more out there. I can understand if you had a trip coming up and you were counting on that redemption, but to say you have no other use for them is just a little sad. Venture out!

I agree about dying a little, for myself I had a "what I would do with 400K UR" moment, like "what I would do if I hit the lottery." & I'm not even in the UR game yet! Soon! I have to earn my own 400K UR!

But, some people are just not big "travel" people in general or really only enjoy domestic destinations. There are people who hate Disney with a burning passion, too. Different strokes & all

 

[amalone1013]

thanks, just checked mine and found 50k as well. Im wondering if i should switch now, that 3k for 1 night seems pretty good for now...

I'm less attached to that since I don't MS lol. But I need one more night for Platinum...

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I have so much respect for you and I really appreciate how much you clearly give to it in time and sound advice... but I have to wonder (and very much do, personally) at what point do you get to... "I have enough." Having read your explanations for why you are where you are, I don't at all feel sorry for you... I feel amazed. But I've been asking myself this alot lately. When is enough, enough? When is it just doing it for the sake of doing it, when you can't even use it all anymore?

I don't know the answer for you @SouthFayetteFan - I only know I am wrestling with these questions myself an awful lot more lately. Maybe we all should be.

I think that’s a very insightful point. That is also why I’m actually ok with cashing out URs. I know I have “enough” hotel and flight points. Even if I cash out those 400k URs it would be about 15% back on approx. $27k in expenses. I’ll take that any day

 

[DisneyMandC]

That is good, but it just doesn’t seem like enough. This is why I’m FIREING lol My SO is similar he has 23 PTO and 15 holidays. Most of that is the week between Xmas and New Years which we will be back home for. I’m interviewing now and no one is offering as good as he has it, but I plan to negotiate vacation time. lol

Doctors. Obviously totally dependent on where you work/which field you're in, but my cousin is a neuroradiologist and gets 10 weeks of vacation every year.

I got 7 PTO hours per pay period, which works out to about 4 weeks a year. I'm very happy with that amount of time off. The only bummer is that I have no sick days, so unless I'm literally dying, you can believe I'm going to be in my office infecting everything I touch.

ETA: Oh yeah, plus government holidays. Plus Virginia has some wacky ones I get too (hello, Lee-Jackson Day).

 

[Happy814]

So about two weeks ago DH got a targeted mailer for the CIU OR CIC - can't remember which one. I only briefly glanced at it but I do remember it had a 'code' that I needed to type in somewhere and it expired mid-November. The offer was the same at the public offer so I think I held onto it for a few days and then threw it away. Now I'm thinking of him applying for the CIC of whichever one has the 2x gas, I get them mixed up. Anyways, it's not showing up under 'offers' in his Chase account. I'm assuming that doesn't matter? I just think it's weird that we got a mailer for it but it's not showing up under offers?

 

[DisneyMandC]

Please let me know when you find it

I'm slowly trying to convince DH that we should take a break after our APs expire next September, because of the Star Wars Land craziness I expect. Until the 50th. But I don't know that we (especially he) could go a year to two without Disney... so obviously this plays right in to my plans for a Europe trip, right? And DLP...

Yeah, I'm a little bummed that we won't see Star Wars Land for a while since our trip next year should be right before Star Wars Land opens. But I'm actually glad for that, because I expect that we'll have really low crowds since most people will be waiting to time their trips with that opening. Maybe we can squeeze a couple days in for it in 2020 depending on how the money is stacking up for Tokyo.

 

[elgerber]

Yeah, I'm a little bummed that we won't see Star Wars Land for a while since our trip next year should be right before Star Wars Land opens. But I'm actually glad for that, because I expect that we'll have really low crowds since most people will be waiting to time their trips with that opening. Maybe we can squeeze a couple days in for it in 2020 depending on how the money is stacking up for Tokyo.

I am not sure when we are going back. As amazing as Star Wars looks, no way we are going anywhere near that for at least a year!!!! We ended up in DL the week Cars Land opened, oh my the chaos, and that was nothing compared to what this will be.
I do however, really want to see the final Illuminations, so I really wish they would announce an actual date. Scrambling at the last minute doesn't work for our work, or for our DVC points LOL.

 

[amalone1013]

Yeah, I'm a little bummed that we won't see Star Wars Land for a while since our trip next year should be right before Star Wars Land opens. But I'm actually glad for that, because I expect that we'll have really low crowds since most people will be waiting to time their trips with that opening. Maybe we can squeeze a couple days in for it in 2020 depending on how the money is stacking up for Tokyo.

I'm hoping for low crowds too...

 

[amalone1013]

thanks, just checked mine and found 50k as well. Im wondering if i should switch now, that 3k for 1 night seems pretty good for now...

Though on the other hand, $3k in payments on my car with Plastiq is a $75 fee... which is less than a night at any hotel I can find right off...

 

[MrPTato]

Doctors. Obviously totally dependent on where you work/which field you're in, but my cousin is a neuroradiologist and gets 10 weeks of vacation every year.

I got 7 PTO hours per pay period, which works out to about 4 weeks a year. I'm very happy with that amount of time off. The only bummer is that I have no sick days, so unless I'm literally dying, you can believe I'm going to be in my office infecting everything I touch.

ETA: Oh yeah, plus government holidays. Plus Virginia has some wacky ones I get too (hello, Lee-Jackson Day).

We have one in Rhode Island too: Victory Day, also known as VJ Day, is an annual state holiday celebrated on the second Monday in August. It marks the anniversary of the Allies' victory over Japan during World War II.

 

[WVMomof3]

We took 5 major trips this year (WDW, Myrtle, Captiva, DC, Sea World) so it’s not like we aren’t going places. Family is what’s most important to us so our every other year trip with my wife’s family and every year trip with mine to the respective beaches (Myrtle and Captiva) are non-negotiable. Plus Captiva is literally the best most relaxing vacation I’ll ever take. There’s no efficient way to use points on either of those trips based on the whole family’s desired accommodations.

Points balances are another consideration...

• I have enough Marriott points for 4-5 WEEKS at their most expensive properties.
• At a 25k per night property that’s more like 10-15 weeks!
• As I’ve said before, we are able to earn SW Points faster than we use them.
• We also have a ton of Amex MRs.
• I could transfer the Marriott or AMEX points to any airline if I wanted to.

Travel preferences/situations of wife and kids matter:

• I have a wife who is terrified of flying and tolerates it no more than 3 times a year.
• I have kids who are getting further in school and I’m not sure I want to keep pulling them out (I’m not sure it’s fair to them either).
• The only trip outside of our time zone that is of significant interest right now is Hawaii and we could do that 3+ times for free if we wanted to right now without touching the URs.
• We would maybe do Disneyland again sometime but we could cover that in a heartbeat (Marriott + SW).
• My interest in Europe and really any foreign destination is less than 0. I won’t judge those that want to travel internationally - it sounds boring to me.
• We don’t really like to go explore or experience cities in general - again that’s just us. If a weekend in Chicago sounds good to you then do it, to me it sounds boring.
• My wife is on the record as saying she will only do a cruise if it’s Disney. She’s terrified of flying soooo I’m probably not going to force her on a metal death trap in the sky for a non-Disney Cruise.

And of course the big thing to keep in mind here is my goal from churning is to offset the cost of trips we want to take to further my goal of early retirement. Cash is king and investment growth is key to that goal.

Sorry this is so long but I don’t want anybody feeling sorry for me or my points. The average east coast American struggles to save for a trip to Ocean City. We do pretty well and are traveling exactly the way we want to.

I wasn't talking to you specifically even though that is whose post was quoted. I know you have your other family trips that you enjoy. And your kids are definitely at that great Disney stage. There are just some people on this thread who seem like they only go to Disney, and I don't know why it bothers me lol, but every time I think noooo, go somewhere else. I don't know if it is because my kids are older or if Disney has really changed. To me, it just isn't the same as it used to be over 10 years ago. For as much money as they bring in, I don't feel like their attractions have kept up with the times and the overcrowdedness and the crazy preplanning just isn't enjoyable. And I love to plan. We had a great time when we went over the summer, I am super grateful that I was able to cash out URs for our trip and for the Robinhood who gave me extra SPG referrals so that we could do the Swan for free. But I am not feeling the urge to go back anytime soon. And that actually does make me a little sad, because I enjoyed it so much when the kids were younger. I would like to get back to Disneyland. I hope that is our next Disney trip, though I have no idea when that would be.

I feel your wife's pain on the flying. I hate it also. I have flown more since last May than I have the rest of my life thanks to this thread. I make myself do it, but I am miserable while it is happening. I am so wanting to get to Europe, but the thought of the flight is really what is keeping it from happening. Well, that and money (or lack of URs) lol. I know you guys don't drink, but that free drink in the PP Pittsburgh lounge has helped me relax. I think I might need more than one for a Europe trip.

I do understand everyone has different likes for vacation time. I keep wondering what I am missing with Hawaii and Tokyo, 2 of the top places on this thread and I have little desire to go to either. But FOMO has me looking at both places. lol