Looking Back to Look Forward – a 2023 Review

Overview

2023 was a pretty consistent year of travel for me. As with so many of the years before, I flew around 80,000 miles. Most of those miles were work travel (paid fares) with some PTO and mileage redemptions spread throughout. Let’s take a look a the breakdown, with my cumulative map at the bottom. 

Work Travel

I had 20 separate trips for work completed in 2023 to places like Phoenix, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dallas, Nashville, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Houston, as well as smaller locales such as Livonia, MI; Monterey, CA; and Brentwood, TN. The only new travel destination I picked up for work travel this year was Jacksonville, Florida.

I try to make the most of each of my work trips, though sometimes business just doesn’t allow for much exploration. A few highlights from work travel in 2023:

Personal Travel

The best part of work travel is that it, along with miles and points earned via credit cards, allows me to build my miles and points. The opportunity to travel solo with a child or my wife, or have a family getaway or long vacation, is the greatest gift to me. 

I was able to take my oldest daughter to Anchorage for the (ceremonial) start of the Iditarod. We had a wonderful weekend exploring Anchorage under absolutely beautiful skies, yet frigid temperatures. Unfortunately, we never got to see the northern lights. We did see a moose at Starbucks, however.

Another highlight of our personal travel is our annual trip to Wyoming. For me, the opportunity to truly get away and be with my family is what I cherish most.

Points and miles took my wife to Maui for a week of respite and, my favorite trip of the year was a trip with my oldest daughter to Athens, Greece. We had a long layover in Amsterdam where we had enough time to take a canal tour and explore the city on foot. We saw as many sights as we could in Athens and ate our way through the city. Finally, we had 24 hours in Rome on the way home where we explored the major sites in a whirlwind day that ended with nearly 30,000 steps walked. The conversation and time alone with my oldest child was something I will never forget, and she won’t either.

Travel History to Date

I’ve been traveling for just about 12 full years now. When I first moved out of the hospital and into the corporate space, I’d never traveled other than a trip here or there to visit family. I jumped feet first into the miles and points space, still cringing at some of my early mistakes. 

What’s in Store for 2024?

2024 will bring many of the same great opportunities as 2023. I already have seven trips booked, both a combination of work and personal, from January through March. There’s a high likelihood that number will increase.

We have a family trip to Disneyland scheduled for early 2024, as well as a trip to Paris for my wife and I. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be making it back to Europe later in the year. My biggest travel focus of the year will be to replenish my points. I will be opening a few cards this year for the sign up bonuses and hope to get some referral bonuses as well. 

I’m hoping to become more consistent with blogging, if nothing else than to preserve my own memories. I have so many friends, family, and colleagues who aren’t aware of the capabilities of miles and points, or think that they aren’t attainable. I’d like to use this platform to share some of that knowledge as it would make me incredibly happy to see those I know take trips to places that are important to them.

The best way to accumulate points and miles is through credit card sign up bonuses. I’m always happy to answer a question, send a referral, or just counsel others on the best ways to meet a travel goal. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below.

Happy 2024