The Do Everything Travel Mom: An In Depth Interview

Looking for a little travel inspiration? Look no further! Amber from Amber on Points is my go to resource for all things family travel and using rewards and miles. She is the travel mom I aspire to be!

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Travel Mom Amber By The Numbers

Amber has been to 19 countries and 43 states – most multiple times! In addition to running her amazing social media account and raising her three children, ages 3, 6, and 7, Amber works part time as an educational consultant at a tech company. Proving you are never too busy for a little adventure!

Have You Always Loved Traveling?

As a kid, we moved around a fair amount. We always lived away from family, but my parents made it a priority visit family yearly. From the age of 8, my parents sent me from Georgia to Utah (alone!!) to stay with my grandma every summer for a couple of weeks. I looked forward to those trips every year.

How Do You Find Time For Travel?

Planning ahead! Every summer, we take a month long vacation to Utah, Idaho, Portland, and Seattle. We visit all of our family across those states. That allows us to use other school breaks for actual trips. We’ve also been fortunate to have grandparents willing to babysit for occasional couples trips, for which we are so grateful!!

What is one piece of advice you would give families who are nervous about traveling with kids?

Just do it. It might not be pretty. In fact, sleeping in a hotel with multiple kids never is, but you’ll learn and they’ll learn. Most importantly, you won’t regret that you TRIED to travel. You won’t resent your kids for holding you back. You’ll gain shared experiences and memories and it will be well worth it.

Favorite travel destination and why?

Cambodia. Wow. The PEOPLE!!! I actually joined in on my husband’s post-MBA graduation trip organized by his university (BYU) and it was just incredible. The structure of the trip was a third visiting businesses, a third cultural experiences, and a third fun. It was an immersive experience and I didn’t have to plan ANYTHING, which was absolutely glorious. We even stayed in incredible resort! Some of the attendees hired people from remote villages that offered them trainings and education. The people were so humble and it was just a wonderful experience.

What’s one travel mistake you’ve made?

Let me just say, if you fly out of a large city, such as Paris, when you go to catch your flight, MAKE SURE THAT YOU GO TO THE RIGHT AIRPORT!! We missed our flight, had limited internet, and got kicked out of the airport. The hotels in the cities were all booked out except for ONE. We booked it, but by the time we got there late at night, they had given away our room. They ended up allowing us to sleep on the floor of the hotel bar. That was quite the honeymoon.

BONUS SECTION: REWARDS TRAVEL

How did you get started with rewards travel?

About 10 years ago, I was a teacher and my husband was in school. His coworkers had started strategically opening credit cards to capitalize on free travel. We started back then and haven’t stopped yet!

What is your biggest trip savings to date?

We are traveling to Europe this summer with our kids. I’ve only booked a few things, but we are already saving about $10,000!

What are 3 tips for people getting started with travel hacking?

1. Just start. You’ll learn as you go!
2. Do what feels right to you! If it stresses you out to open cards every 90 days, start with just one a year.
3. Figure out what you value. When we moved away from family, we made it a priority to make sure that we could still make it back for the small things as well as the large things. What do YOU value? Visiting family? Trips with your family? Couples trips? Decide what you value most and that will help you make your travel decisions.

What do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions about points travel?

That your travel score will be harmed. My credit score has gone up 22 points this last year (to 824) by opening 5 credit cards.

How many points do you think you accrue on average in a year? How many credit cards do you open/use?

We like to say that we are mild travel hackers. We aren’t crazy. We accumulate a little under a million points a year. Last year, we opened 8 credit cards.

What trips do you have planned on points for 2024?

I have quite a few! Hyatt Andaz Mayakoba in Cancun, Phoenix, Arizona for Spring Break, Amsterdam/London/Paris, Utah, and Italy/Switzerland (couples trip).

Any other insight you think is important for families who want to use points and miles but feel too overwhelmed to start?

Start with a great beginner card. Join along in my stories! Every Wednesday, in Stories, I take recommendations of a trip that someone wants to take and I show them exactly how I’d book it and what cards I would get to earn the necessary points!

BONUS SECTION: rENTING YOUR OWN HOME

What is a common misconception about renting your home out on AirBnB?

That you have to pack absolutely everything away. We have hard core decluttered and have systems in place that every time we Airbnb our personal home, it gets easier. Start by RUTHLESSLY decluttering. Then look around and determine how much sentimental stuff you actually have in your homes. Our parents and grandparents generation valued things much more than our society today seems to. If you put in the effort once to get your home ready, it will serve you for years to come and allow you to have truly ZERO cost trips.

What are 2-3 tips you can share with families who might be considering renting their home out?

1. Ruthlessly declutter.
2. Be mindful of the objects you are bringing into your home. The more stuff you have in your home, the more difficult it will be.
3. Make sure that you never rent out your home for a 1 night minimum. Figure out the minimum amount of nights that make it financially worth it for you. Ours is 4-5 nights.

Have you had any issues with inconsiderate renters?

None! One made me a fancy cake. Some leave behind uneaten food (as a kind gesture). We’ve got about 10 five-star reviews and very little issues along the way!

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I loved getting to know Amber more. She has been such an inspiration to me on Instagram, I love how she highlights different avenues to making travel possible (points, renting your home!). If you are looking for more travel mom inspiration check out my interview with my favorite travel agent, Megan.