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My Life in Points
I leaned into points to uplevel family travel experiences. If this is your dream, it’s worth a try.
I adore discovering new places, diving into different cultures, and standing in the presence of history. And let’s be honest, I want to do it in style and comfort. All those years of flying business class for work? Yeah, they definitely ruined me. Now, my taste for travel luxury is definitely bigger than my budget (or at least, what I’m willing to part with). Plus, I’m not just traveling solo; it’s usually a family affair with my husband and kids, making us four, and sometimes six if my parents come along.
After accumulating a lot of airline miles on American Airlines from my work travel, I decided to try cashing them in for a trip in 2016. I wanted to take my family to New Zealand, and I saw that American Airlines had just launched a new service direct from Los Angeles to Sydney direct. I took stock of how many miles I had (700,000 AA miles) and how many system wide upgrades I had (2) and decided to go for it — booking 6 one-ways in business with miles to Auckland, New Zealand from San Jose, California, 4 one-ways back with miles from Auckland, New Zealand to San Jose, California, and two one-way coach tickets at around $700 each upgraded with system wide upgrades. That’s how my family and I traveled to New Zealand for the first time, round trip in business class for 6 people for less…
