Nearly $15,000 in flights and hotels. Four countries. Ten unforgettable days. And a birthday our family will be talking about for years to come.
When my oldest daughter turned 16, I gave her a different option.
“Instead of a party and presents, I’ll take you and a friend anywhere in the world.”
There was just one catch.
We were going to make it happen almost entirely with points and miles.
She didn’t hesitate.
Italy.
Over the next ten months, she planned nearly every stop herself. Rome. Florence. Lake Garda. Shopping. Gelato. History. Beautiful hotels. She researched restaurants, built our itinerary, and counted down the days until departure.
Little did she know, I’d be adding one surprise destination to the trip.
Switzerland.
Looking back now, this wasn’t just a birthday trip. It became one of the most meaningful experiences we’ve shared together—and a perfect example of why I started Tracy on Points.
Trip at a Glance
👭 Travelers: 3 (me, my daughter, and her best friend)
📅 Length: 10 Days
🌍 Countries: 5 (Italy, Switzerland, France (layover), Netherlands (layover), and the United States.
💰 Retail Value: Nearly $15,000
🎟️ Points Used: 267,000
🏨 Hotels: 5
Our Route
Here’s the route we took over 10 unforgettable days—from Washington, D.C. to Rome, Florence, Lake Garda, and the Swiss Alps before flying home through Amsterdam.
10 days. Four countries. Three travelers.
Atlanta → Washington DC → Paris → Rome → Florence → Lake Garda → Zurich → Lauterbrunnen → Grindelwald → Amsterdam → Atlanta
While points covered the biggest expenses, we still budgeted for trains, food, activities, and shopping. That’s one thing I always remind people: points don’t make travel completely free—but they can make incredible trips financially possible.
💰 Trip Cost Overview
✈️ Flights
Retail Value: $7,801
Booked With
- 27,000 Chase points (transferred to Virgin Atlantic)
- 84,000 Flying Blue miles (transferred from flexible point credit cards)
- $1,403 taxes & positioning flights
🏨 Hotels
Retail Value: $7,060
Booked With
- Hyatt points
- Hilton points
- 1 Hyatt Free Night
- 1 Hilton Free Night
🚆 Ground Transportation
Cash Paid
$1,492
🍝 Food
Cash Paid
$1,550
🎟️ Activities
$1,053
🛍️ Shopping/Misc
$533
Total Retail Value
Nearly $15,000
Points and miles covered nearly $15,000 in flights and hotels, making this once-in-a-lifetime trip possible for our family.
How We Flew to Europe for Just 27,000 Chase Points
One of the biggest misconceptions about award travel is that you have to fly from your home airport.
We live in Atlanta, but the best award availability wasn’t from ATL.
Instead, I found an incredible redemption departing from Washington D.C.
Virgin Atlantic was charging just 12,000 points per person for Air France-operated flights to Rome. Even better, Chase was running a 40% transfer bonus at the time, meaning I only needed to transfer 9,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per ticket.
Three flights to Europe cost us just 27,000 Chase points after the transfer bonus.
That’s one of my favorite points strategies: always check for transfer bonuses before moving your flexible points.
To make it work, we booked inexpensive Delta flights to Washington D.C. the day before our international departure and stayed overnight at the Hyatt Place Dulles Airport using a Hyatt Category 1–4 Free Night Certificate.
Rather than treating it as just a positioning flight, we turned it into part of the adventure.
The girls had never been to Washington D.C., so we spent the afternoon exploring the National Mall and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before heading back to the airport for our overnight flight.
💳 Points Lesson: Always search multiple departure airports and check for transfer bonuses before moving flexible points.
Rome: The Adventure Begins
After a layover in Paris aboard Air France, we landed in Rome.
Following one of the most memorable taxi rides of my life through Roman traffic, we arrived at the DoubleTree by Hilton Rome Monti.
We booked two rooms using Hilton Honors points plus a Hilton Free Night Certificate, paying nothing out of pocket for our stay. Because of Italy’s occupancy rules, we needed two rooms, but the hotel placed them side by side.
The location couldn’t have been better.
That first evening we wandered toward the Colosseum, stopping for fresh pasta before turning the corner and seeing the ancient amphitheater glowing against the night sky.
No matter how many photos you’ve seen, nothing prepares you for that first glimpse.
Of course, we stopped for gelato on the walk back to the hotel.
Travel doesn’t always go perfectly, though.
That first evening, my daughter’s friend started feeling under the weather. By the next day she had developed a pretty nasty cold.
Armed with Google Translate and plenty of determination, I found myself navigating an Italian pharmacy trying to explain symptoms in another language. Thankfully, the pharmacist was incredibly helpful, and after a little trial and error we found what she needed.
It’s one of those reminders that even dream vacations come with real-life moments.
The following day we walked more than 20,000 steps exploring Rome.
We toured the inside of the Colosseum.
Sipped Aperol Spritzes in Piazza Navona.
Found the most incredible cannoli we’d ever tasted (yes…we went back for seconds).
Enjoyed more gelato than anyone probably should.
Then took the train to tour the Vatican Museums.
By evening our feet were screaming, and dinner at the hotel restaurant sounded like the perfect ending to an unforgettable day.
Florence: A Birthday to Remember
The next morning we boarded the train to Florence.
Immediately the city felt different.
Quieter.
Cooler.
More relaxed.
The girls had one major priority.
Shopping.
Especially for leather.
We spent hours wandering through markets and boutiques before checking into one of my favorite Hyatt hotels I’ve ever stayed in: Il Tornabuoni Hotel.
Using Hyatt points, we booked a beautiful suite for the three of us overlooking a lively square filled with musicians and street performers.
It was absolutely stunning.
Then something happened I’ll never forget.
A knock on the door.
One of the hotel attendants had brought a complimentary birthday dessert complete with a candle for my daughter.
We gathered around, sang Happy Birthday, and celebrated in the middle of Florence.
Years from now, I doubt she’ll remember every restaurant we visited—but she’ll remember that unexpected birthday surprise in our hotel room.
That evening we enjoyed dinner at Ciro and Sons, where the pizza absolutely lived up to its reputation.
We were sad to leave Florence so quickly.
If I were planning this itinerary again, I’d absolutely spend another day here.
💳 Points Lesson: Points may afford you to stay in places you never thought possible (like the ll Tornabuoni)!
Lake Garda: When Things Don’t Go According to Plan
Our next stop was Riva del Garda on the northern shore of Lake Garda.
Getting there required three trains and a bus.
Everything was going perfectly…
…until it wasn’t.
At one of our train transfers in the middle of northern Italy, we gathered our luggage and pushed the button for the train doors to open.
They never did.
Before we realized what had happened, the train pulled away from the station with us still onboard.
For a brief moment, panic set in.
Instead of letting it ruin the day, I found the train manager, who thankfully spoke English. He helped us figure out which local train to take from the next station so we could work our way back and continue our journey.
It wasn’t part of the itinerary.
But it became one of the best lessons of the trip.
Travel isn’t about everything going perfectly.
It’s about learning how to adapt when it doesn’t.
Eventually we arrived at Du Lac et Du Parc Grand Resort, an independent property we chose to pay cash for. There weren’t any points hotels that made sense here, so paying cash ended up being the smarter redemption.
Although rainy weather kept us from enjoying the lake as much as we’d hoped, Riva del Garda completely charmed us.
The following day we boarded the ferry to Limone Sul Garda.
If you’ve never heard of Limone, add it to your bucket list.
Colorful buildings.
Crystal-clear water.
Towering mountains.
Lemon Gelato.
Limoncello Spritz
Lemon Trees Everywhere.
The sun finally peeked through the clouds just long enough for us to stroll the waterfront, browse the shops, and enjoy lemon gelato served inside an actual lemon.
It may have been one of the prettiest towns I’ve ever visited.
💳 Points Lesson: Sometimes paying cash for a hotel is the better redemption.
An Unexpected Stop in Switzerland
Originally, our trip was supposed to end in Italy.
But when I started searching for flights home, I couldn’t find a redemption from Rome that I loved.
Then I noticed something.
We were already traveling north.
Instead of backtracking, I searched flights from Zurich.
That’s when the trip changed.
I found excellent Flying Blue award availability home, transferred points from Chase and Capital One, and suddenly we had two extra nights in Switzerland.
Sometimes flexibility creates opportunities you never expected.
We checked into the Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport The Circle using Hyatt points.
That evening we took the train to visit the Lindt Home of Chocolate.
Let’s just say…
The generous chocolate samples were a pretty big hit.
The Day We’ll Never Forget
The next morning we were picked up for a full-day Swiss Alps tour.
Rain greeted us early.
Thankfully, the clouds began to lift.
Then we reached Lauterbrunnen.
I’ll never forget watching my daughter and her best friend walking through the village.
Their smiles were absolutely enormous.
They couldn’t stop looking around.
Every waterfall.
Every mountain.
Every little chalet.
It felt like we’d stepped into a postcard.
That moment—watching them experience somewhere so incredibly beautiful together—was my favorite memory of the entire trip.
Later we explored Grindelwald before making our way back to Zurich.
The following morning we flew home aboard KLM with a connection in Amsterdam.
💳 Points Lesson: Be open to the unexpected…sometimes flexibility creates the incredible memories you never anticipated.
What This Trip Really Gave Her
When I first offered my daughter a choice between a birthday party and a trip, I hoped we’d create some unforgettable memories together.
I didn’t expect it to change how she saw the world.
After we came home, she told me she wanted to study abroad someday.
And she definitely wants to return to Switzerland.
That’s when I realized this trip had become so much more than a birthday present.
It sparked curiosity.
Built confidence.
And showed two teenage girls just how big—and beautiful—the world really is.
Final Thoughts
This trip wasn’t free.
We still paid for trains, activities, food, shopping, and transportation along the way.
But by using points and miles strategically, we covered nearly $15,000 worth of flights and hotels that would have been difficult to justify paying for in cash.
More importantly, we created memories that will last far longer than any birthday party ever could.
That’s why I love points and miles.
Not because they help me collect points.
Because they help my family collect moments.
And if you’re just getting started, I hope this trip report shows you what’s possible.
You don’t need to know every trick on day one.
You just need to start.
One card.
One redemption.
One unforgettable trip at a time.
Could We Have Taken This Trip Without Points?
Honestly…
Probably not.
Like many families, we have to balance travel with retirement, college savings, and everyday life.
Paying nearly $15,000 just for flights and hotels would have made this trip difficult to justify.
Points didn’t just save us money.
They made the experience possible.
That’s why I love teaching families how to use them.