4 Trips I’m Planning To Book With Points and Miles in the New Year

2024 has been an amazing travel year for me. I had the chance to experience Etihad’s First Class Apartment from London to Abu Dhabi, revel in the Qsuite experience from Doha to Miami, and fly my family of 5 home from Europe in Air France business class.

As you can tell, I absolutely love planning a trip more than anything else. Before diving into the travel planning process, I think about which points to use, the best flights to book, where I’ll be staying, and how to get the most value from my redemptions.

Now that we’re nearing the end of the year, I’m currently plotting out my travel redemptions for 2025. I have 4 trips in mind that I’m eager to book, so here’s my plan for making it happen.

1. Experience Japan With the Whole Family

My mom, who is always so easygoing and never asks for anything from her children or grandchildren, has shared with me that her dream travel destination is Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan.

She’s planning to retire at the end of this year, and this is the ultimate big trip she dreams of taking after she steps into this new chapter of her life. To make this dream a reality for her, I plan to transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles and then to Alaska’s Mileage Plan to book one-way premium economy seats on Japan Airlines for just 50,000 Alaska miles per person.

As much as I’d love to fly business class to Japan, finding 6 seats together for my wife, daughters, mom, and me is nearly impossible, and we’d rather not split up to sit in different cabins.

2. Embark on a Quest to Utah’s National Parks

Utah boasts 5 iconic national parks — Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park — all commonly referred to as the Mighty 5.

I’ve always dreamt of exploring these parks and the beautiful state of Utah, mostly due to the stunning landscapes I’ve seen on TV. My daughters are also really excited about visiting Swig, the Utah-based popular soda shop they keep hearing about on YouTube.

As I began looking into flight options from my home airports of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Miami (MIA) to Salt Lake City (SLC), I stumbled upon something quite surprising. It seems there aren’t too many nonstop routes from South Florida, and my only airline options are American Airlines or Delta Air Lines.

As Delta’s nonstop flights to Salt Lake City from Fort Lauderdale or Miami have more convenient times compared to American, I’m planning to go with Delta for my booking. However, I only have 25,000 Delta SkyMiles in my account, and that’s not quite enough for 5 tickets to Utah.

That’s why I decided to apply for the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card while there was an elevated welcome bonus offer, giving me over a six-figures balance of SkyMiles to book our flights for our Utah adventure.

3. Guatemala To Visit Deepest Lake in Central America

To me, there’s nothing more relaxing than renting a house on an enormous lake while enjoying a cup of coffee out on the deck.

This is why, as part of my travel redemption goals for 2025, I am planning on finding a gorgeous Airbnb right on Lake Atitlán, Guatemala’s deepest and most scenic lake, surrounded by volcanoes and traditional Mayan communities.

Guatemala has seen an increase in visitors, particularly from the U.S., over the last few years, as the Central American country has a lot to offer travelers, including affordable lodging, a rich culture, and breathtaking attractions such as volcanoes and UNESCO World Heritage sites. But for me, the true goal of a journey to Guatemala is to soak up the peace and calm of Lake Atitlán.

To get there, I’ll redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles or British Airways Avios to book my American Airlines flight from Miami to Guatemala, as both programs allow me to book Oneworld awards at lower rates than American does.

4. Returning to Hawaii for More Fun in the Sun

Hawaii holds a special place in my family’s heart. After the pandemic began to ease up, it was our first vacation, and we had been cooped up with remote schooling and work. Spending time in paradise was truly what we needed to feel rejuvenated.

Even though my daughters have had the chance to visit more than 25 countries, they often express their desire to go back to Hawaii. Therefore, I’m thinking about planning a trip to Maui in late 2025.

I recently applied for The JetBlue Plus Card with a limited-time welcome offer of 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months when applying through the JetBlue app. Although JetBlue doesn’t operate flights to Hawaii, they do offer plenty of service from South Florida to the West Coast.

With that in mind, I intend on redeeming TrueBlue points I earn from the welcome bonus offer to help cover our flights from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Los Angeles (LAX).

Once I’m in Southern California, I’ll likely have plenty of redemption options available, such as booking flights to Hawaii with points through Southwest, British Airways, Alaska, or American thanks to transfer partners like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Bilt Rewards.

Final Thoughts

In 2025, I’m focusing less on premium cabin experiences and more on transformative travel that brings meaningful experiences into my life. I’m really excited to start planning and booking vacations for what promises to be a rewarding year ahead, all thanks to points and miles.