Travel Rewards for Full-Time Travel
We did not start this yesterday.
For years, we have shared our journey toward financial independence, early retirement, and now full-time travel through our YouTube channel, blog, newsletter, and community.
Today, we are living the next part of that journey in real time.
We sold our house, left our careers, and now travel full-time. That means travel rewards are no longer just a fun hobby or a way to make vacations cheaper. They are part of how we think about comfort, flexibility, food costs, travel days, decision fatigue, and quality of life on the road.
This page collects what we are learning as we test hotel loyalty, airline rewards, points, miles, and status benefits in real life.
We share the wins, the mistakes, the numbers, and the tradeoffs — because we are still learning too.
Why This Matters
When you travel once or twice a year, a free breakfast, lounge access, late checkout, or a better flight can feel like a nice bonus.
When you travel full-time, those things can change how your day feels.
- A hotel breakfast can reduce decisions
- A lounge can make a long stay easier
- A better room can matter when it becomes your temporary home
- A points redemption can make an expensive travel day possible
- A good program can help
- A bad fit can waste time and energy
That is what we are trying to understand.
Not in theory. In real life.
What We Are Testing
We speak with people building similar lives around the world — in cafes, hotel lounges, emails, YouTube comments, and inside our community.
We hear their questions and frustrations, and we share ours too.
So when we test a hotel program, airline redemption, status benefit, or travel strategy, we are not only asking, “Is this a good deal?”
We are asking:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Does this make full-time travel easier? | The lifestyle has to work day after day |
| Does it reduce friction? | Less planning and fewer decisions matter |
| Does it improve comfort? | Comfort affects energy, health, and happiness |
| Does it save money meaningfully? | Small wins only matter if they add up |
| Is it worth the effort? | Not every program deserves attention |
| Would we do it again? | Real-life usefulness matters most |
Hotel Loyalty
Hotels are a major part of our full-time travel lifestyle. They affect where we sleep, what we eat, how much we spend, how much we plan, and how comfortable we feel in a destination.
These are the hotel loyalty programs we are currently testing and writing about.
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards for Long-Term Travel
Hyatt Globalist
Is Hyatt Globalist Worth It?
Airline Rewards
Flights are another major part of the lifestyle, especially when moving between regions or returning to Canada to see family.
More airline rewards articles will be added here as we publish them.
This section will include how we think about airline points, business class redemptions, airline alliances, long-haul comfort, and the tradeoffs between cost, flexibility, and convenience.
Credit Cards
Credit cards can support both hotel and airline strategies, but they are only one part of the system.
For our current credit card resources, visit our Credit Cards page.
Thinking Through Your Own Plan?
If you are actively planning early retirement, full-time travel, or a travel rewards strategy and want a second set of eyes, we offer one-hour consultations based on our lived experience.
This is not financial advice. It is a conversation with people who are living this lifestyle, testing these systems, and sharing what we are learning along the way.