Success Stories from Travel Freely Members

by Zac Hood | May 22, 2024 | Member Success Stories
A collage of various travel photos featuring people posing at different scenic locations, such as beaches, historic sites, and natural landscapes. Many are wearing Travel Freely shirts. The collage has a travel freely logo on the top left.

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This page is dedicated to success stories shared by Travel Freely members.

Read about free travel stories from Travel Freely Members. Average people taking their travel to the next level thanks to Travel Freely!

A person with long hair stands smiling at the camera on a terrace overlooking a coastal village. The sun sets over white buildings and the sea. The person wears a t-shirt and the landscape includes a few boats on the water.

Greece!

Katie, a homeschooling mother of five from Minnesota, who, along with her husband, turned their dream of visiting Greece into reality. Not only did they experience the breathtaking beauty of Athens, Santorini, and Naxos, but they did it all while saving $12,000 on their 15th wedding anniversary trip! Read more here.

A couple wearing matching Travel Freely shirts stands on a balcony overlooking a beach resort. The scenery includes a pool, palm trees, and a vast ocean under a partly cloudy sky.

Mexico

Hey Zac! We made it to the all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Cancun! Honestly could not have made it without the help and guidance from the Travel Freely app!

– Travel Freely Member, Alexandra

A couple wearing winter clothing and sunglasses poses for a selfie on a bridge in a city. Behind them, a river flows with several tall buildings in the background. The sky is partly cloudy.

Downtown, Chicago

My wife and I jumped into points via credit cards this summer! It’s been great. I’ve done the Chase Sapphire and then my wife did too. We’re rocking it. We just booked a trip to Chicago to go see our kiddos’ band performance at the MidWest Music Convention. We are staying in downtown Chicago, and we got our flights booked by transferring points to our account with Southwest. Total cost for two round-trip flights to Chicago Midway and 3 nights in the windy city, EXACTLY $0! (We had some credit with SW so the taxes and fees of $23 were covered.) It works! Easy Peezy!

– Travel Freely Member, Christopher

A smiling family of three, including a man, woman, and child, poses for a selfie in front of the U.S. Capitol building. They are dressed warmly in winter clothing. The sky is clear, and tree foliage is visible in the background.

Washington DC.

We just got back from DC, where my wife and our son took her parents for 5 nights. We paid about $40 in fees and taxes for the flights (Southwest there, American back). We stayed 5 nights at the Grand Hyatt downtown. We had a great trip!

– Travel Freely Member, Will

A family of seven stands in front of a large NASA globe sculpture at a space center. The group is casually dressed, and its a sunny day with a clear blue sky. Palm trees and a memorial wall are visible in the background.

Washington DC, New Orleans, and Scotland 

Our family is excitedly amassing and spending some points. Some trips coming up: My husband and I have two free nights at the Waldorf Astoria in New Orleans (no kids!); my 6th grader has a school trip to Washington DC in the spring, so instead of riding the bus there and back, we will be flying for free! (ok $5.60 per person each way); Booked our family trip to Scotland – biz class to Scotland, economy home, all lodging and flights on points!

– Travel Freely Member, Kami

A family of four stands together in front of a scenic beach with blue skies and palm trees. The parents are wearing black and white outfits, and the children are in floral and graphic print clothing. All are smiling and wearing sunglasses.

Honolulu, Hawaii

We were able to book 4 round trip tickets to Honolulu for Thanksgiving break with just 1 sign up bonus!! We used your advice & got the Chase Sapphire and transferred points to Southwest Airlines for 4 round trip nonstop flights! Thank you!!
Now we are working on more sign ups to earn points to go to France with the kids.

– Travel Freely Member, Jennifer

A man and woman standing and smiling on the deck of a ship named Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. The ships chimneys are visible in the background, and theres a small pool deck with loungers nearby. Its a sunny day.

Palm Beach, FL

We used points to cover our airfare and a couple of hotel nights on our way to a cruise to the Bahamas!

– Travel Freely Member, David

A man stands on a sandy beach with two colorful parrots perched on his shoulders. He is wearing a hat, sunglasses, a black shirt, and blue shorts. Behind him are green plants, a palm tree, and a wooden sign. The sky is bright blue with clouds.

Punta Cana, DR

Got a signup bonus and redeemed it via the travel portal for our 11th anniversary trip. We went to an all-inclusive resort for 7 days so we used the points to book the full resort stay at the Grand Palladium Bavarro suites!

– Travel Freely Member, Zubila

Two people kayaking at night in a clear kayak illuminated with blue light. Theyre wearing life vests, enjoying a calm body of water near a row of buildings, with soft reflections enhancing the scene.

Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe

My wife & I flew from NJ to LA and then Lake Tahoe, then back home entirely on points. It was our first experience with using travel rewards. I’m not a big fan of the beach, so I saved more of the photos from our time near the lake. The one picture of us is when we went on a star-gazing kayak tour on Lake Tahoe. We could see the Milky Way!

– Travel Freely Member, John

A man and woman stand smiling in front of the ancient ruins of the Temple of Poseidon. The sky is clear and blue. The woman wears a white dress, and the man wears sunglasses, a checkered shirt, and shorts.

Greece

We used our points to book a GORGEOUS hotel for our honeymoon in Greece, the King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel. And because of our card, we got free breakfast buffet each day – roughly $1775 worth of hotel stay that we got for $320.21!

I also treated my best friend to an amazing two night Babymoon BFF weekend trip to the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, including a day at the spa. 

We’ve also gotten the Southwest Companion Pass, discounted Airbnbs, and a round trip flight to Vegas (Chase) with either points or discounts from the card benefits. And we have so many points left to use!!

– Travel Freely Member, Alison

A man and woman share a joyful selfie in front of the Trevi Fountain’s intricate sculptures and turquoise waters, surrounded by fellow tourists. Its a picture-perfect moment for anyone dreaming to visit Italy for free.

Hawaii, Italy, California, and more

As a teacher and a nurse we knew we could find time to travel, the trick was finding the money. With Travel Freely we learned how to travel for less! We earned 150,000 points which covered 3 flights, two hotel stays, and we were protected from damage to our rental car ($400). We had a fantastic time exploring our history through museums and restaurants! We were skeptics before, but now we are believers. Using credit cards for free travel can be difficult to figure out, but Travel Freely helped guide us through to maximize our point potential and our credit score has never been higher.

– Travel Freely Member, Andy and Katelyn

Two men on a white boat with a canopy in clear, shallow water. One man is smiling and standing near the ladder, holding the canopy. The other is using a phone. The sky is cloudy, and the sea is a vibrant turquoise color.

Cozumel, Mexico

After earning enough points to take a trip for free, I was able to fly to Cozumel and stay at an all-inclusive resort using points, which meant my food and drinks were all free! My first class flight to Cozumel was also paid for with points, thanks to the strategy I earned from Travel Freely. With the money I saved, I splurged on renting a motorbike to travel around the island, as well as a day of snorkeling. In total, I spent $100 on a trip that should have cost me much more! 

– Travel Freely Member, Dave                    

A man and woman are seated at a table set for a meal by a large window overlooking trees and the sea. The man is holding a piece of bread, and both are smiling. The table has menus, a napkin, and silverware.

California, Ireland, and Chicago

We used the first two nights for a short trip to Chicago and stayed in a luxury hotel with views of the Watertower, the lake and Michigan Avenue. Our hotel costs were completely free. After that, we planned a trip to Big Sur, California, one of our favorite vacation destinations. We enjoyed a suite overlooking the Pacific. But instead of paying over $600 per night as we had in the past, there was no charge once we applied our earned free nights. Needless to say, we are now thrilled about being able to use travel reward programs. All made possible through Travel Freely. 

– Travel Freely Member, David and Maureen

Four people in outdoor attire pose smiling on a sunny day with the iconic ruins of Machu Picchu and mountainous landscape in the background.

Peru, France, Alaska, and more

Travel Freely has allowed me to literally travel for free over the past year. Without having to worry about airline costs, I am free to splurge in other areas- lodging, activities, etc. I capped off my first year of free travel with a trip to southern France this past summer, and this opportunity is only available because of the points I’ve earned with Travel Freely!

– Travel Freely Member, Rebecca

A woman is standing between two young girls on a boat with a calm sea and sunset in the background. The woman is smiling, holding a tote bag, while the girls, one in a turquoise shirt and the other in glasses and a printed tee, smile at the camera.

Disneyland, London, NYC, and Canada

Traveling for free has opened my eyes to a completely new way of looking at travel for my family of six. I thought I was doomed to 20+ years of costly family vacations. In the past 12 months, we have racked up over 300,000 points – worth more than $3k of travel! We used some of these points last year to take a family trip to enjoy the beaches of Southern California and enjoy a day at Disneyland. This past summer, my wife used points to take my daughter on her 13th birthday trip to NYC for 2 days followed by 4 days on Prince Edward Island, Canada to see the sights that inspired my daughter’s favorite book series, Anne of Avonlea.

– Travel Freely Member, Jared and Mandy

A couple stands together on a balcony overlooking a sandy beach and ocean. The woman wears a white sweater, and the man is in a suit with glasses. A coastline with hills and an overcast sky is visible in the background.

New York and California

We returned to Manhattan, where we got engaged, for an incredible 1-year wedding anniversary. With the flights and hotel completely covered by points and card bonuses, we were able to indulge in the city’s top restaurants all weekend, guilt-free!

My wife and I also took a much-needed Spring Break to California. It included TSA PreCheck, an SW companion pass flight to LAX, and 3 free nights at the incredible Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel. We joined Travel Freely to pursue luxury travel experiences in an affordable way. We never imagined that we’d be able to do all of that…. for FREE.

– Travel Freely Member, Jeff and Anne Clarke

A Travel Freely Family making the most of their points!

Disneyland

We knew a trip to Disneyland was on our Family Bucket List. Thanks to Travel Freely we easily mapped out the cards and bonuses that would get us there. We used bonuses through Chase Ultimate Rewards which transferred to Southwest Airlines points for miles. Points also covered two nights at the hotel.

In all, we saved about $1,250 getting there and staying there. Basically we did Disneyland for over 50% off!

– Travel Freely Member, John