I spoke twice this morning (and afternoon) at the Chicago Seminars 2016. I had a great time – loved talking miles and points with all of you. If I met you and you have any questions, feel free to email me at dan at pointswithacrew dot com – I’m happy to talk miles and points and give my thoughts on anything you want!
Begin with the End in Mind
My first presentation was on beginning with the end in mind – specifically, make sure that you figure out where you want to go FIRST, and only then get the cards / points / miles that you need to get you there. It does no good to get a Marriott card if you want to stay at a Hilton, and the Southwest Companion Pass does you no good if you’re trying to fly first class to Europe or Asia.
Here are my slides for Begin with the End in Mind.
(SEE ALSO: Begin with the end in mind: a beginner’s primer to miles and points)
(SEE ALSO: The truth of the traveler’s triangle: The relationship between Time, Price and Location)
Finding value in Category 1 and 2 hotel redemptions
My afternoon presentation was on how you can find value in low level (Category 1 and 2) hotels. They don’t all have to be Rodeway Inns
(SEE ALSO: Is it ever a good idea to book a Rodeway Inn?)
(SEE ALSO: Okay – I stayed at a Rodeway Inn (and lived to tell the tale!))
We talked a little bit about 3 reasons “budget” hotels DESTROY nice ones, and I ranked the 8 hotels we stayed at on our vacation.
In Europe, the Comfort Hotel Roma Airport Fiumicino review: The cheapest hotel turns out to be the best. And in Singapore, the Centennial Conrad Singapore wanted to charge $20 to wash my underwear, but the Doubletree Johor Bahru is somehow only a Category 2 hotel!?!
Here are my slides for Finding value in Category 1 and Category 2 hotels.
A few other notes, links and miscellany
Here are a few links to some of the posts that I’ve written in the past that I mentioned in my presentations.
Various craziness talking about my goal of trying to visit all 3,143 counties
- #TBT – All 88 counties in Ohio in 24 hours (EFOHC)
- #TBT [VIDEO] All 67 counties in the 6 New England states in 27 hours
- #DiveInAllFive – Jumping in all 5 Great Lakes in one day [VIDEO]
A few of my other posts that I mentioned during my presentations.
- My (free) $6500 family train vacation on Amtrak
- Reviewing the Amtrak Empire Builder route from Chicago to Seattle
- Hyatt House San Juan: Pretty good for only 8000 points / night!
- Aer Lingus Business class review to…. FLIGHT CANCELED?!?!?!
Also, several people asked about a chart that says which transferrable currencies transfer to which hotel / airline, along with which airlines partner with which other airlines. I found the chart that lists that out – it’s Flexible Bank-Point Airline Transfer Partner Master Guide at Well Traveled Mile.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Where is the worm picture
Enjoyed you presentation yesterday.
Enjoyed hearing your presentation and learning which hotel programs to focus on. Thanks!