We’re all bidding adieu to 2025, which was filled with excitement and intrigue for us. But with each year, we’re looking ahead to what the next year holds.

2025 was full of resetting our mental state

We started off the year with a three-night visit to the incredible Alila Ventana Big Sur. This was easily one of our favorite experiences from the past couple of years. The resort isn’t for everyone, but we found it refreshing and a much-needed jaunt through nature. It has a west-coast vibe that we are comfortable with given we live on the west coast. All meals are included in the price you pay for both cash and points bookings, so you can think of it as an all-inclusive, but with a strong focus on quality.

Later in the year, over the Labor Day weekend, we continued our journey of self-exploration with a stay at the Miraval Berkshires. This one is all the way over on the east coast, and thus had more east coast vibes. Similar to the Alila Ventana Big Sur, all Miraval resorts have a focus on wellness, with free and paid activities and all meals included.

Both trips were relaxing, but in their own ways. We talked a little about how things differ between both properties, and that overall we prefer the Alila Ventana. Overall, the Big Sur setting just appeals more to us and we thought both service and dining were executed a bit better there. The Miraval Berkshires is also a wonderful resort, but when you’re trying to figure out what’s best, the decision can come down to the margins.

2025 was full of family bonding

For spring break, we took advantage of a “free” Carnival cruise to take a trip to the Caribbean. This was all because I once held Caesars Diamond status and applied for the match… and then crickets for many months. Then, when I completely forgot about it, the offer came in. When Carnival says it’s free, you’re still responsible for taxes and port fees (as well as gratuities and anything you want to do onboard). So it’s best not to think of it as free. It’s more accurate to say it’s a discounted cruise fare.

Still, we had a lot of fun onboard the Carnival Horizon. It’s not as luxurious as other ships we’ve been on, and service was hit-or-miss (at times a bit frustrating), but it’s fine for the price we paid. There was some entertaining features on the ship, but sometimes we would find things unexpectedly closed. That gave us a chance to try out some new things and make the most of what we had, and we bonded a bit more because of it.

The destinations themselves were a bit touristy–but at some level, what cruise destination isn’t touristy?–and one (Grand Cayman) had rough waters preventing us from visiting. Despite their at-times tourist-trap nature, the kids learned a little about themselves and discovered new foods they enjoy to this day. Broadening your horizons is a good reason to travel, no?

Back within the warm confines of Southern California, we had a big group of us check out some theme parks. Between SeaWorld San Diego and Legoland California, the kids overall had fun. Their view–that Legoland is an overall better experience than SeaWorld–heavily influenced my writing on both parks. With many of our relatives living far from us, we’re thankful for having the opportunity to meet up with them as much as we do.

2025 was full of island love

As if going on a cruise in the Caribbean wasn’t enough, we also ended up visiting French Polynesia over the summer. Specifically, we spent some time in both Tahiti and Bora Bora. This was our first time in the area, and don’t tell Hawaii but we kind of like it more here. While Polynesian culture has heavy influences within both destinations, Hawaii feels a bit too commercialized while Tahiti and Bora Bora feel more raw. It’s that untouched aspect that makes this destination so special.

In Bora Bora, we stayed at the St. Regis, which we felt was mostly good but service wasn’t as polished as we were expecting. One of the things that sets Bora Bora apart from a place like The Maldives is that you can easily visit the main island for dining or adventure. That adds a lot of diversity to the things you can do and prevents you feel like you’re trapped at the hotel. It might not sound all the impressive, but if you’ve been to The Maldives, you might know how repetitive it starts getting around the fourth day.

You’d be remiss if you just focused on the more famous islands and passed on Tahiti itself. Yes, some of the city will remind you of being in a somewhat urban environment. But do yourself a favor and get out of the city limits. Once you do, you’ll uncover the true beauty of the island: full of vegetation, waterfalls, and off-roading opportunities. We stayed at the Intercontinental Tahiti, which does a phenomenal job especially when you consider it’s so close to the airport.

2025 was also full of discovery

While we’ve been to Europe many times, Alex doesn’t remember Amsterdam at all (how could he when he was just 1 when he visited?) and none of us had been to Brussels before. And so we thought it would be fun to end the year with exploring both cities. If you haven’t been to Amsterdam, you’re missing out–and, no, I’m not talking about the recreational drugs or red light district. This is a family show.

Instead, I’m talking about windmills and plenty of delicious cheese. We’ll continue to share our thoughts on this trip, as we’re just getting started on it. But it’s safe to say that we all had a blast. We took a tour of the surrounding area to see the windmills and explore cute towns. Everyone we met was very accommodating, and there is plenty to do within the city limits for people of all ages. Bet you weren’t thinking that was possible in Amsterdam, huh?

On top of that, there was a lot of interest from the kids related to the horrors of World War II. They watched The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and asked many questions. While we didn’t make it inside the Anne Frank House, we did stop by the Verzetsmuseum, which had plenty of information on the period including a section intended for children.

Not to be outdone by Amsterdam, we all had fun exploring Brussels together as a family. As referenced, none of us had been here before. That meant everything would be brand new for all of us. The good thing for the kids was that the city is known for chocolate, waffles, and fries. In fact, I thought the visit to the frietmuseum was going to get lukewarm reception from the kids. Instead, the kids didn’t want to go and I had to pry them out forcefully. Naturally, they made me promise them that we’ll return the next time we’re in town.

We are fortunate to be in the points hobby

As you could likely guess from the above, it’s absolutely a blessing that we are able to give our children the opportunity that many others are not able to give. We spent the whole year exploring the world and giving them a chance to experience cultures other than the one they’re used to, which should give them a more well-rounded viewpoint as they mature into young adults. Or at least that’s the justification that I’m telling myself.

Having a lot of points in the right programs helps enable this level of travel for us. I would still envision us traveling if we were not in the hobby, but I don’t think we would be able to experience quite as many destinations or bring along other family members if we were not in this game. It affords us some extra comfort on those lengthy flights to our destination and lets us hit the ground running rather than burning a day trying to catch up on sleep. And it allows us access to hotels that might be outside our price range. It’s absolutely a blessing.

Looking ahead to 2026

As we look forward to 2026, we’re going to have a lot in store for us. We’re going to focus a lot on new destinations for all of us, but there will be some familiar places thrown in too. I’ve come to learn that the kids respond better to layering in the new experiences over time. We mostly have all of our travel planned out already in 2026. Like I said, we’re planners. And that works the best for us when we’re booking award travel.

Thank you for spending the time reading the blog and hope you all have an excellent year in 2026.