Some days you shouldn’t even get out of bed.  This is usually said in retrospect after something later in the day has gone wrong.   I didn’t even get that far and found myself in hot water.  I tried to hide under the covers but trouble arrived anyway.

It came in the form of a statement and a loaded question from a beautiful 5’09 brunette who basically rules my universe named Lilly.

“You’re not helping me at all!  You do the points and miles THING, write a blog and I’M the one in the Travel Business!”  I help you, a lot!  What are you going to do about it?  I’m pulling the sheet over my head now.  It’s Quid Pro Quo time… and rightfully so.

To me, Points and Miles are a semi-complicated hobby that helps to make the core parts of a trip less expensive or free.  It doesn’t plan tours or offer travel packages usually (Marriott’s program with points and miles) and if you don’t have the credit scores, patience or time to invest, it’s probably not for you.  Some just like the simplicity of a Travel Agent.

This is where Lilly comes in.  She is a Travel Agent of sorts with a popular company called World Ventures.  When she started, she bought a membership, which came with a website that was full of trip choices that were fantastic, inexpensive and required very little thinking to plan, you just showed up and enjoyed yourself.  It was explained in a Sam’s Club/Costco sorta-way.  You pay a monthly membership fee and the savings are passed on to you.  Apparently  a lot of companies don’t really make most of their money on product, it’s from the memberships.

Me:  How do I get Hotel points from this?  Lilly: You have a vacation and you relax and don’t worry about it.  Me: But!…  Lilly:  This is not complicated, it’s easy, they’ve done the work, you show up and RELAX!  Me:  I just don’t get it, no points?  Lilly:  Take a valium and go away…

So we go to Florida, three nights at the Gaylord Palms (Marriott on steroids).  We had to fly there, Hah! I used Airmiles.  We arrive and I sneak away from Lilly to check in.  You know I’m here on World Ventures, I say to the front desk clerk, but I’m also Gold with Marriott (I whisper and hand him my Marriott Elite #).  He says I really can’t upgrade you because you’re already there.  World Ventures?  yeah, ok.  Add my number anyways…and how much is our room normally I ask, $550 a night.  LILLY! What did this trip cost?  Don’t worry about it, but it was less than $500 TOTAL, sensing the panic in my eyes, she lists off the extra’s that were included in the price, Passes to Universal Studios,  I mean we are talking Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, breakfast(s), transportation to the parks and so on.  OK, I can live with that.  It was an awesome trip.  The hotel, the WHOLE hotel, was IN a dome, Incredible!  We’ve since been on a few more of these “Dream Trips” and the value has been excellent.

Also, I called Marriott when we got home and they gave me points for the hotel stay, by the rules, they probably shouldn’t have, but then they’re Marriott,  Awesome.

Points and Miles are effort, World Ventures is easy.  I’m learning that it’s nice too have both.