Welcome Roadtrippers!

👋 Howdy Roadtrippers,

Welcome to the inaugural newsletter of our new series built just for you!

We’ll be in your inbox once a week with must-see road trip routes, sights worth detouring for, and ways to optimize your trips with points and miles.  

Like your favorite road trip pit stop, we’ll stop in to give you a brief break from your day, helpful travel tips to refuel you, and inspiration to get you on your way.

And because no road trip is the same, we hope you come back each week to see where the road might take us. Or if we’ve opted for a different method of travel... RVs and trains, anyone?? 👀 

You can even help us fine-tune this weekly road map by giving us feedback in our Pit Stop Poll down at the bottom. 

With that, let’s floor it and see what’s in store for today! 🚗  

The Route Report

Now, before we jump into picture-perfect drives and nostalgic Americana-drenched roadways, I want to clear the air on what counts as a road trip.

Cause in my experience as a born and (mostly) raised Texan, sometimes road trips are just a necessary means to an end. And I’m sure an 8+ hour road trip to grandma’s house for the holidays may not be what comes to mind when you think of a road trip.

Not when much more scenic options like taking in the sights along the Pacific Coast Highway or a fall foliage-festooned Kancamagus Highway exist.

But after many, many iterations of seemingly mundane road trips to get to a necessary destination, I’m here to argue that they count too.

It’s still a trip, on the road, in the car, with too many snacks and not enough playlists — are we there yet??

And whether you’re in the camp that prefers a drive-straight-through-the-night kind of pace or a detour-happy dawdler that’s content to let the road take you where it will, there’s always a way to use or earn points and miles to maximize your trip.

The (Roadside) Assist

Even if you aren’t up-to-date on the latest news, you’re probably aware that the world is a little crazy these days.

And the crazy is coming for our road trips, y’all… cause some of these gas prices are straight up delusional. 😵‍💫 

But sitting at home will make me crazier. The way I see it, the only real option to combat this war on road trips via wild gas prices is to maximize my earnings on gas. 🤷‍♀️ 

That’s where this card comes in. It’s having quite the moment in the spotlight, with a limited-time offer and recently refreshed with some new perks.

One of which is earning an elevated 3x points on gas and EV charging. 😎 

So every time I pull over to fill up the family car, whether I’m headed for groceries or the open road, when I pay with this card, I’m getting 3x points on every dollar spent on gas.

Here’s the math

The current average gas price today in Houston, TX is $3.74 — don’t come for me, Californians… your gas is $$$ but we have mosquitoes the size of small birds. That is a draw in my book.

My car has a 19.2 gallon tank, and let’s say I’m *super* responsible and don’t let it get too empty (just in case my husband is reading this 😬 ). When I fill up, I put about 15 gallons in my car.

$3.74 × 15 gallons = $56.10 spent on gas.

If I earn 3x points, that means when I pay with this card, I earn $56.10 × 3, or 168 UR points, when I fill up.

Not groundbreaking on its own, but if that happens every time I fill up, you can see how the earnings can add up throughout the year.

Throw in paying for the gas in my husband’s truck, and it really starts to accumulate.

It’s an easy way to basically automate earning points, without carrying an extra card in your wallet. And in this economy, I’m trying to earn points everywhere I can. 💁‍♀️ 

The Check-in

In the past, I might have directed you to a nice chain hotel with a loyalty program where you could transfer points and book rooms for a song.

But not today, friends, because the card I mentioned earlier has another recently added perk worth talking about when we’re planning roadtrips.

And that’s the sweet new offering of 3x on top vacation rentals, like Airbnb or VRBO.

Y’all, this is huge.

On a scenic stretch of the wild Pacific Coast Highway, that’s light on chain hotels and heavy on short-term rentals, guest houses and cottages, and locally operated hotels, Airbnbs are just the answer.

Take this absolutely gorgeous option in Albion, CA, along the coast:

$1,535 isn’t cheap, but for 3 nights in California, along the coast, with a view like that… I’d take it. 🤷‍♀️ 

Turn your road trip stop into a short getaway with hikes in the redwoods, an afternoon kayaking the Albion River, a visit to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, or tastings at wineries in nearby Anderson Valley.

Cap off your visit with dinner at The Ledford House Restaurant in Albion, or treat yourself to something extraordinary at the two-Michelin-star Harbor House Inn, a short 15-minute drive south in Elk, CA.

Wait… Airbnb has hotels?

If you can convince yourself to leave Albion and continue on your trek south, you’ll eventually wind through the Central Coast and come to Carmel-by-the-Sea where you can actually book a hotel room through the Airbnb platform.

You could actually earn 5x points with the same card if you book this through their travel portal, but the price was slightly lower on Airbnb when I checked.

The lesson here? Always shop around. 🛍️ 

Heading south from Carmel-by-the-Sea, you’ll eventually come to Santa Barbara, where you could book this cute little guest house. It’s walking distance from the beach, and the perfect place to spend two days before ending your Highway 1 road trip in Dana Point.

Let’s get math-ing (again)

$1,535 + $198 + $531 = $2,264 for 6 nights along the breathtaking California coast.

Multiplying that total by 3x, you’d earn 6,792 UR points on Airbnb stays alone, before we even factor in earnings on gas and dining that you could also earn 3x on when using this card.

Which may not seem like a ton at first, but if you transfer them to Hyatt at the 4:3 transfer ratio, you could book a night at one of their category 1 hotels, like this one near me, for 4,000 points a night and still have points left over. (With the 4:3 transfer ratio, you’d need to transfer 4,000 points to book a hotel priced at 3,000 per night.)

Bottom line is, this card is the all-in-one solution to earning points on everyday expenses and maximizing your travel budget — and a great tool to have in your road tripping wallet.

The Pit Stop Poll

I hope y’all enjoyed this first spin around the block. If there’s anything specific you’re interested in hearing about, I’m all ears.

See y’all next week!

29.7604° N, 95.3698° W

With contributions by Sam Anthony and April Wilson.

Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.