Making Your Dream Vacation a Reality (Episode #173 with Kamree Price @OurFamilyPassport

I have learned so much from our guest, Kamree Price, about how to travel for super cheap and sometimes even free using travel rewards.

Kam teaches us the beginning steps of travel hacking, what credit cards have the best reward, how to get a Southwest Companion Pass the fastest for the longest amount of time, as well as lots of tips for traveling with your family.

If you are already making purchases for your groceries, gas and medical bill, you may as well make the most of that spending and have a credit card that will give you some free travel points to spend on a meaningful, fun family trip!

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Hello, World!

Show Notes:

About our guest: Kamree Price @OurFamilyPassport

Kamree started her travel blog about 5 years go. She is an Art history professor, a mom and a step mom. Her blog exists to help families grown together through experiences in travel. She has traveled to nearly 50 different countries!! And that does not include layovers- amazing!!

Kamree helps beginners through seasoned travelers with:

  1. budgeting

  2. planning

  3. learning and experiencing

Why is travel so important to you and your family:

Kamree and her husband were meeting with a child psychologist after they got married on how to best bond and blend their new family. The child psychologist told them that there are 3 things that his clients come back and tell him they remember the most about growing up:

  • meals they ate

  • traditions they had

  • vacations they went on

This psychologist said if they can focus on making memories through those 3 things, they would be able to have the best chances for making solid bonds with their family.

What is Travel Hacking or Reward Travel?

Travel Hacking or Reward Travel, as Kamree likes to refer to it, is using rewards from credit cards for travel. There are a few things you must be disciplined about:

  • pay off credit card every month

  • don’t spend extra money just to get rewards

  • if you can use a debit card responsibly, you should be able to do the same with a credit card

What is TRU: Travel Rewards University?

TRU is Kamree’s Travel Rewards University where she teaches people how to get the most out of their reward travel. The course goes through 4 different levels:

  • Freshman: how to be smart using travel rewards, rules and regulations, literacy around points and miles

  • Sophomore: She goes through the Chase rewards program

  • Junior: Learn about American Express & Capital One cards

  • Senior: Learn how to put these cards all together, keep things organized, and book your dream vacation

Kam has offered you an amazing Discount on TRU!

This Coupon Code for TRU gives you 67% OFF!!

Use Code: HappY

How does the Southwest Companion Pass work?

You can either fly a certain number of flights or earn 125,000 points when you are flying Southwest to receive a companion pass. The companion pass lets someone fly free with you every time you fly Southwest. The trick is, you need to earn all the points within a calendar year. There is definitely a strategy to it, but if you can earn that companion pass early in the year, you have it for the rest of the year and also the year following. Click here to learn more about the Southwest Business Card, and click here to learn more about the personal card.

What are some basic Hacks for Traveling with kids?

Here are Kamree’s tips:

  1. Moms know their kids best- start where you are comfortable and go from there. For example, if you are more comfortable starting with Disneyland or a shorter trip, start there instead of a giant trip across the world.

  2. People are going to be haters when you are traveling with kids, but for every person that is rude when you have kids on a plane, there will be people who are kind and helpful. Don’t worry about the haters, it’s their problem they are annoyed, not yours.

  3. Prepare your kids- let them know what you’re doing and what to expect. If you are going to a country with different customs or rules, let them know ahead of time. Set behavior boundaries before you go (such as they need to be quiet on the airplane, etc.)

  4. Involve your kids in the trip planning. Show them what you will be doing. Ask them what they would enjoy. Get them excited and educated on where you are headed.

How do you Decide where to go??

There’s a few things you can do:

  • Check what’s on sale

  • See what trip fits the time frame

  • Sit down with your kids and have them write down 3 domestic places and 3 international places and put the list up (Kam posts hers in her pantry) and work your way through the different places

how to use travel rewards to go on your dream vacation. beginners guide to travel hacking

Where you Can find Kam & Our Family Passport:

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Helping of Happiness Summer Classes & Camps for 2023!

Sign up for those classes here!


Our Europe Travel Guides:

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Check out some of our recent podcast episodes below:

Some of our recent travel posts:

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