Katie is an Ohio native who caught the travel bug after spending a semester in college in Nottingham, England. In addition to exploring England, she visited Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands during that time and loved every minute of it (everything except the hostel in Scotland – that’s an experience she doesn’t intend on repeating!)

In 2015, Katie discovered the world of points and miles, and since then she’s earned countless points and has an embarrassingly large number of credit cards in her wallet (which she needs a spreadsheet to keep track of!)

While luxury flights are nice, Katie is obsessed with great hotel redemptions. Her favorite hotel brand is Hyatt. She’s enjoyed many luxury stays at places like Miraval Arizona, Grand Hyatt Kauai, Andaz Costa Rica, and the Park Hyatt Chicago — all totally on points! You can read all about these trips and more on her blog, Zen Life and Travel

In addition to writing for Upgraded Points, Katie has also written for Million Mile Secrets.

When she’s not traveling, Katie spends her time at home in Columbus, OH with her 6 year old daughter, husband, and 2 cats — all who benefit from her points and miles obsession (well, not the cats).

You can follow Katie’s adventures around Columbus and across the globe on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Countries Visited: 21
U.S. States Visited: 24
Highest Hotel Status: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Hilton Gold
Highest Airline Status: Southwest Companion Pass
Favorite First Class: I’ll take any of them!!
Favorite Business Class: American Airlines A330 was surprisingly nice!
Best Redemption Value: Purchasing a Marriott Vacation Package to get the Southwest Companion Pass (unfortunately this is no longer an option).
Favorite Type of Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Top 3 Cards in Wallet: Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Gold Card, World of Hyatt Credit Card