Stop Guessing What Your Vacation Will Cost
I built a free interactive budget planner for families who travel on points and miles — and there's never been a better time to start earning them.
The tool I wish I had when we started
When Ross and I first started booking trips on points, we were figuring everything out as we went — which cards to open, which points to use, how to book, how to transfer. The strategy part came together over time, but there was always one piece that felt a little chaotic: the budget.
Not the points side of things, but the actual real-life costs that come with every trip, even the nearly-free ones. Flight taxes. Airport parking. Checked bags. The resort charge you didn’t see coming. Boarding our dog for a week. You know the ones.
We got pretty good at anticipating those costs over the years, but I always thought: wouldn’t it be so much easier if there was one place to map all of this out before a trip, so nothing caught us off guard?
So I built it.
Introducing the Vacation Pointers Free Budget Planner
It’s a free interactive tool designed specifically for families who travel on points and miles — and it lives right on the Vacation Pointers site, no app download required.
Here’s what it does: you plug in your destination, your travel dates, and the basics of your trip, and it helps you map out every real cost category so you can see your full out-of-pocket picture before you ever book a flight. We’re talking resort fees, transportation, food, activities, incidentals — the works.
It’s designed to work whether you’re booking a trip that’s almost completely covered by points or one where you’re mixing cash and rewards. Either way, having the full picture in front of you before you commit makes the whole process so much less stressful.
Why I wanted this to exist for beginners especially
If you’re new here — welcome, I’m so glad you found us — one of the things I hear most often from families just starting out with points and miles is some version of: “This sounds amazing but I’m scared I’m going to miss something and the trip is going to cost more than I expected.”
That fear is completely valid and honestly very smart. Points and miles can cover a huge portion of your travel costs, but they don’t cover everything, and going in without a plan for the cash side of things can turn a nearly-free trip into a stressful one.
This tool is my answer to that. It’s the thing I would have handed myself five years ago and said: start here, fill this out, and then go book your trip.
It also includes tabs for your itinerary, your destinations, a customizable packing list, and a spot to jot down notes!
How to grab it
It’s completely free. Just head to the link below, enter your email, and you’ll have instant access.
→ Vacation Budget Planner
A few offers worth knowing about right now
Since we’re talking about planning trips, I’d be remiss not to mention that there are some really strong welcome offers available right now on a few of my favorite cards — and using my links to apply is one of the best ways to support this newsletter and give me the time to keep building free resources like this planner!
My favorite card for beginners is currently offering 100,000 points — one of the best offers I’ve seen on it in a while.
My favorite no-annual-fee business cards that earn my favorite points are each offering 100,000 points right now. Option 1 and Option 2.
My favorite premium business card is sitting at a massive 200,000 points. That is not a typo.
Just a friendly reminder: Applying through my links costs you nothing extra and genuinely helps keep the lights on around here. 🙏
That’s is for now!
I’d love to hear what you think about the Vacation Budget once you use it — hit reply and let me know if it helps, or if there’s something you wish it included. This is a living tool and your feedback will shape what comes next.
Happy travels,
Kim
P.S. If you know another family who’s been wanting to start traveling on points but doesn’t know where to begin, this planner paired with my free beginner’s guide is the perfect starting point. Feel free to share this post with them!