Where Are We Going? The UP Team’s Summer 2025 Travel Plans

Curious about how the Upgraded Points team spends the summer? Just like you, we’re busy earning and redeeming points and miles — and that means we often have exciting trips in the works.

Carissa Rawson, Senior Content Contributor

Every time I sit down to write one of these posts, I tell myself that I will not have anything to say. And every time I take a look, I realize I’m wrong. Having just finished a 15-day Virgin Voyages cruise across the Atlantic, I was ready to stay still for a few months. But where’s the fun in that? Let’s have a look at my upcoming summer plans.

Scotland

This year, I decided to spend the summer in Scotland with my boyfriend and dogs. Anyone who knows me knows that Edinburgh is my favorite city in the world, so this should come as no surprise. We’ve rented a long-term place for roughly $2,000 per month — and although the rental won’t earn me any points, it’s a lot cheaper than an Airbnb or a hotel.

Although I am currently in Edinburgh, the journey to arrive here was arduous. That said, it was improved by flying business class on the way over. Thanks to a seats.aero alert for American Airlines availability, I snagged this last-minute award using 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles per person to book flights from San Diego (SAN) to London (LHR) via Chicago (ORD).

Hot Tip:

You can save 20% off an annual seats.aero subscription using the promo code UPGRADEDPOINTS through June 30, 2025.

Although American Airlines also showed award availability on its site, booking my American flight through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan required fewer miles. And while I prefer United’s Polaris over American’s old business class, it was infinitely better than making the journey in economy.

United States

This summer, I’ll be flying back to the U.S. 3 times. While most of my travels will be in business class, I finally had to bite the bullet and book economy class for a couple of flights. Using every mile I own to commute back to America doesn’t make sense.

Space Camp

I’ve wanted to go to Space Camp since the mid-90s, so when I discovered that NASA offers a 3-day adult Space Camp academy, I knew I had to attend. This year, I managed to secure the participation of a few fellow points and miles enthusiasts, and in June, we’ll spend 3 days training for a moon mission and enjoying zero-G simulators.

But just before Space Camp, I’m heading back to San Diego, my home base, for a family member’s retirement party.

British Airways flies nonstop from London (LHR) to San Diego (SAN), and I was able to find an award flight in business class for 55,000 Alaska miles and ~$800. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it to fly into an airport just 10 minutes from home.

Following Space Camp, I bravely secured economy class tickets to return to Edinburgh (EDI). For the first leg, I’m flying Delta Air Lines from Huntsville (HSV), Alabama, to Atlanta (ATL). I paid $205 for this flight.

I’m then flying Delta from Atlanta (ATL) to Edinburgh (EDI) on a nonstop flight. It’s generally difficult to find award seats to Edinburgh, and cash rates are usually expensive, so I often fly to London instead. However, I did manage to snag an economy class seat using 12,500 Virgin Atlantic points and $228.

I almost always use The Platinum Card^® from American Express to book my flights (and the cash co-pay portion of an award ticket) since it earns 5x Membership Rewards on flights booked directly with the airline or via AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year).

Albania

A few days after returning from Space Camp, I’m joining friends for a music festival in Albania. It’s quite remote, so getting there is going to be interesting. However, it’s not hugely expensive since I’m flying from Edinburgh and not San Diego. I paid $266 for a round-trip flight with Ryanair from Edinburgh to Tirana (TIA).

San Diego

I’m having my tonsils removed at the end of June, so I’ll be flying back to San Diego for 2 weeks. To get there, I first booked a Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Dublin (DUB) for $57. I then redeemed Alaska Airlines miles at the rate of 45,000 miles + $23 for a flight from Dublin to Boston (BOS) in Aer Lingus business class.

Finally, I booked a flight from Boston to San Diego with Alaska Airlines for $283.

I could have included the last part of my trip in my award redemption, but I preferred to save some points. Adding an extra flight would have bumped the cost to 70,000 miles one-way, so I opted to pay cash.

After recovering from my tonsillectomy, I’m heading back to Scotland. But this time I’ll be flying with family! My stepmom, cousin, and I all managed to snag award seats in business class from San Diego to Frankfurt (FRA) via Las Vegas (LAS). We’re flying with Condor and paid 70,000 Alaska miles + $49, which is a little steep, but we’ll arrive rested.

However, I have yet to fly Condor’s new business class, and my cousin has never flown business class before, so I’m really excited for this journey.

Hot Tip:

Soon, you won’t be able to convert Amex points to Alaska Airlines miles (via Hawaiian Airlines). If you have a use for this workaround, don’t hesitate to take advantage of it!

Level Up Travel Meetup

My final flight back to the U.S. for the summer is for our fourth annual Level UP Travel meetup event in Chicago. It takes place on July 26, 2025, and costs $3 to attend — but we’ve booked a private venue and it comes with free drinks, free food, awesome speakers, and tons of networking opportunities!

I haven’t booked everything I need for this trip yet, as I still have to get from Edinburgh to Dublin. However, I did pay $698 for a round-trip economy class ticket from Dublin to Chicago.

I have Oneworld Emerald status with American, so I’ll be flying in Main Cabin Extra this time — unfortunately, not every flight can be in business class.

Christine Krzyszton, Senior Finance Contributor

My summer travel schedule was light until I found a 37,400-mile round-trip award flight using Delta SkyMiles from Detroit (DTW) to Reykjavik (KEF). 

Iceland

I usually prefer business class, but for a 5-plus-hour flight, I’m fine in Delta Comfort+. I’m traveling with a friend who knows the value of points and miles, so we share lodging costs.

By “costs,” I mean using free hotel night certificates and loyalty points. Even though the trip was booked on relatively short notice, it was shocking to find standard award nights available at the Hilton Parliament, Hilton Nordica, and The Reykjavik EDITION — 3 of Iceland’s best points hotels.

Alaska

Over the Fourth of July weekend, fellow UP staffer Jamie and I are joining some of our friends for an epic Alaska adventure that includes Denali National Park, an Alaska Airlines Milk Run, a day trip to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), and a ride on the Alaska Railroad. Chase Ultimate Rewards came in handy after I transferred them to World of Hyatt to book some of my hotel nights.

I also used Marriott Bonvoy points to book a hotel in Fairbanks. Hotel prices in Alaska during the summer are astronomical, so it’s good to have a stash of points to make the trip possible.

Chris Hassan, Social Media & Brand Manager

I live in Brazil, so we escape the cold (kidding, it’s never cold) to head up north to the U.S. for a classic American summer vacation during my kid’s school winter break. We love taking this trip every year, but the only downside is that flights are expensive because of the kids’ school vacation.

This year, I was fortunate enough to snag a flight that will get us into Boston faster and earlier than ever.

I was able to book a nonstop flight from São Paulo (GRU) to Boston on LATAM for just 25,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles each in economy. This flight is great because we land in Boston at 7:30 a.m., maximizing our time with family.

For the flight home, I was able to get a fantastic cash fare on American Airlines, which will help me requalify for Platinum Pro status. Since the flight departs from Orlando, I can take my kids to Epic Universe to conclude our trip!

James Larounis, Senior Content Contributor

 My travel plans this summer are a doozy!

Canada

In June, I’m going to Calgary, Alberta, for the Rotary International Convention. This summer, I’m going big with trains. I’ll start by taking the Rocky Mountaineer train from Banff to Vancouver. From there, I’ll take Amtrak to Seattle.

Alaska

After Seattle, I’ll fly to Anchorage to meet with fellow UP writer Christine and some other friends.

While there, I’ll go on a day trip to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, the northernmost town in the U.S. Then, it’s onward to Fairbanks, Alaska, via plane, where I’ll start on the Great Alaska Railroad to Anchorage via Denali.

Finally, I’ll take the southbound “Milk Run” flight to Ketchikan, spend the night there, and fly back to Seattle.

If that wasn’t hectic enough, I’m flying straight back to Washington, D.C., the very next day — all of this is packed into just 3 weeks!

Level Up Travel Meetup

In late July, I’m going to Chicago for the Level UP Travel meetup!

Afterwards, I have meetings in nearby Evanston, and then I’ll leave Chicago and fly to Santa Barbara for the annual Fiesta celebration.

Keri Stooksbury, Editor-in-Chief

After living abroad for nearly 6 years, my family is repatriating from Qatar to Houston this summer. My husband will be winding down his role in Qatar and has encouraged me to take the kids to Phuket, Thailand, for a last hurrah, as we have done for the past 3 years.

While I wasn’t planning on going anywhere but the U.S. this summer, it took very little convincing (or planning) to book us a trip to Thailand. 

Award availability with Qatar Airways was blacked out for flights because school ends right before the busy weeklong Eid al-Adha public holiday. The cheapest cash flights were with 2 regional low-cost carriers: Air Arabia, connecting in Sharjah, U.A.E. (SHJ), or SalamAir, connecting in Muscat, Oman (MCT).

Air Arabia had the fastest connection and a generous 10-kilogram (22-pound) carry-on bag allowance, so we’re booked on a new-to-us airline. I booked via Capital One Travel for $370 per ticket one-way, earning 5x Capital One miles with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

This Capital One portal has become my go-to for booking travel, as I get the highest earning rate possible among my cards, and I often utilize the site’s price match guarantee. We’re flying home nonstop on Qatar Airways in economy class, booked for 30,000 Avios per person.

While in Phuket, I’ve booked an Airbnb at my favorite rental property, which has easy access to fruit stands, massages, and beachfront noodles. I always book Airbnbs through the British Airways and Airbnb partnership (earning 2x Avios), and I paid for the reservation with my husband’s new Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card to earn 2x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the stay.

The highlight of my summer air travel will certainly be our repatriation flight on Qatar Airways Qsuites, where I’ve booked the Quad for myself and my 3 kids. I last flew business class with Qatar Airways during the pandemic, when we moved from Singapore to Qatar.

At the time, passengers were required to wear face masks and face shields for the duration of the flight, so I’m ready to replace that trip memory with a more luxurious experience!

I paid for the flights using my Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card (earning 3x Ultimate Rewards points up to the first $150,000 spent on travel) and my husband’s Chase Sapphire Preferred card (earning 2x Ultimate Rewards points) to help hit the minimum spending requirements for both of these cards’ welcome offers.

Finally, once we’re stateside, my kids have asked to spend their birthdays with their grandparents, so we’ll be flying into Tennessee and out of North Carolina with another new-to-us airline: Allegiant Air.

Allegiant began flying out of William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in 2020, the summer after we left Houston and moved to Qatar, and flies nonstop to both sets of grandparents. The flights cost only $105 round-trip each … and I get to tell the grandparents we don’t have a luggage allowance to haul any big gifts home. Total win!

As this is becoming the summer of traveling to hit my husband’s Chase Sapphire Preferred card welcome offer, I charged the flights to that card, earning 2x Ultimate Rewards points.

I’ve booked a rental car for this trip through Capital One Travel, which had the lowest rate I could find. I’ll earn 10x miles for the car rental and can utilize the Capital One Venture X card’s rental car insurance.

Lori Zaino, Senior Content Contributor

This summer, I was able to score a one-way flight from my home in Madrid (MAD) to Cancun (CUN) on Air Europa (part of SkyTeam) for just $350 per person one-way in economy.

My family and I will spend a week at the all-inclusive Iberostar Waves Quetzal (I locked in a decent rate of $360 per night for my family of 3) to maximize my IHG Reward Points earnings. I’m saving for a 2026 trip to Thailand and want to use them for stays at the train-inspired InterContinental Khao Yai in Thailand.

Then I’ll fly American Airlines to Chicago to spend time with family and friends. I used 20,000 Iberia Avios to book an economy flight from Chicago to Madrid on peak August dates for my return trip to Europe. (I took advantage of various 2024 Amex and Chase transfer bonuses to get between 20% and 30% more Avios.)

Later in the summer, I’ll be flying to Dubrovnik (DBV), a short-haul flight on Iberia from Madrid, which I got for about $150 per person for my family of 3. Then, I’ll rent a car and drive it over the border to Montenegro, as Dubrovnik’s historic center feels more like a crowded theme park in August — not my vibe.

I booked a sea view Regency suite at the stunning Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay, which has been on my bucket list since it opened, for 24,000 Hyatt points per night.

Furthermore, I used 56,000 IHG Reward points per night to stay at the all-inclusive Iberostar Waves Herceg Novi.

I’ll also stay a few nights in Cavat, Croatia, at a boutique hotel using the $300 annual credit on Capital One Travel, which is a perk of my Capital One Venture X card.

Ryan Smith, News Managing Editor

My wife and I are planning to move to Spain this summer, so all of our travel plans are focused on that goal. That also means using up some flight vouchers from previous cancellations and stranded points balances with domestic airlines.

For instance, I recently redeemed the last of my Southwest Rapid Rewards points since they won’t help me while living in Spain.

At the end of May, we’re visiting Spain to start moving some of our belongings and scout out potential places to live. We’re flying to Madrid in JetBlue Mint business class, which we booked with Etihad Guest miles. (Side note: You can book this same flight for 2,000 fewer miles per person with Qatar Airways Privilege Club, but the program wanted over $1,000 per person in taxes and fees. No thanks.)

The flight departs from Boston, and we’re getting there from California by using Delta flight vouchers. We’ll also use some of our credit cards’ travel credits to bring excess luggage on these flights.

After this 10-day visit, we’re flying home in Air France business class, which we booked for 60,000 Flying Blue miles per person, connecting from Madrid through Paris. The transatlantic flight is on the Air France A350, which I’ve heard good things about.

Once we get home, we’ll be focused on clearing out our place, selling whatever we’re not taking with us, and booking flights to Spain once our plans are solidified. The goal is to complete the move in early July.

Final Thoughts

We’ve got a lot going on this summer — think Qsuites flights, holidays in Scotland, and even moves to Spain. But we’re just getting started. Check back this winter to see what new adventures we’ve got up our sleeve!

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