23+ destinations · 10 years of trip reports
Luxury within reach, for travelers who finally have the time.
We're documenting every trip we take — the hotels, the points we used to book them, and what we'd do differently — so you can skip the research and go straight to booking.
What's Here
Everything for planning the trip, not just booking it
Five things this site actually covers, start to finish.
Trip Reports
Real itineraries from trips we've actually taken — the hotels, the routes, what we'd change.
Points & Miles
How most of these trips got paid for in points, not cash — and how to build the same strategy.
Expat Credit Cards
The cards that actually work when you live outside the US — a gap most guides skip entirely.
Travel Essentials
Insurance, eSIMs, car rentals, and the booking sites we compare before every trip.
Affording It
The habits behind actually having the time and money for a travel-heavy retirement.
23+
Destinations visited
44
Trips documented
10
Years of trip reports
6
Continents covered
Our Homeland
Croatia, region by region
We're Croatian, and we've covered this coastline as more than tourists — Kvarner, Istria, and the length of Dalmatia. It gets its own home on this site.
Explore Croatia
Photo: Giacomo Alessandroni / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Trip Reports
Guides from places we've actually stayed
Every guide includes the hotel we booked, how we paid for it, and what we'd change next time.
Europe · March 2026
Athens: The Acropolis and a Long Weekend of Ruins
A short stay in the heart of Athens, timed for spring before the summer heat and crowds arrive.
Europe · 2017–2025
Austria, Again and Again: Ski Slopes and Thermal Spas
Why we keep coming back to the same corner of Austria — Bad Goisern three times, plus Filzmoos, Kaprun, Villach, Innsbruck, Frauenkirchen, and Loipersdorf.
Europe · 2017, 2024 & 2025
Barcelona, Every Which Way
Three visits, three neighborhoods — from a budget aparthotel to Las Ramblas to a stay near the harbor.
The Points Game
Most of these trips were paid for in points.
We break down which cards, which programs, and which mistakes cost us the most — so you can build the same strategy without the trial and error.
Read the Points & Miles GuideBest US Cards for Expats
No-foreign-transaction-fee cards that actually work if you live outside the US.
See the card guide →Travel Insurance, Explained
What's actually covered, what isn't, and which policy fits which kind of trip.
See the insurance guide →Ready to Book
Compare the same sites we use
We check two or three of these before every booking. Prices differ more often than you'd think.
Booking.com
The broadest hotel and apartment inventory worldwide, free cancellation on most rooms.
Expedia
Strong for bundling flight + hotel, and for stacking Expedia Rewards points.
Agoda
Strong presence in Asia with excellent deals on local properties and direct hotel partnerships.