Hola Reader,

I'm writing to you from our very sunny balcony on the last day of our amazing spring break trip to Costa Rica. Somehow the two hour time change never quite registered with my body so I've seen some incredible sunrises this week - I'm usually a sunset girl, so I'm not complaining because they've been absolutely beautiful.

Costa Rica has truly been a delight and I can't wait to share more over on the blog. For now I'll share a few quick highlights:

• Wildlife - We knew we'd see plenty of unique animals on this trip, and it didn't disappoint. We've seen sloths, monkeys, iguanas, toucans, agoutis, sting rays and so so many more creatures!
• Special places to stay - For city trips I typically choose our accommodations based on price, good reviews and convenient location. But I've learned from talking to many others that in Costa Rica your choice of where to stay can really impact your experience - for better or worse. For example, we spent three nights at this amazing lodge that's far from everything else but offers an incredibly peaceful atmosphere, great hiking trails on-site and world-class bird watching! We also spent a fabulous day at this hotel (which had been my other option for where to stay in the area).
• It's all about balance - As the kids get older and have more preferences, I'm really trying to plan experiences that are engaging, fun and also relaxing. On this trip we spent the first half checking out awesome tours, pushing ourselves on adventurous activities, hiking in the humidity and more. Now for the second half we're relaxing at a beautiful, secluded resort enjoying beaches, pools and warm Tico hospitality. They're very grateful for the balance between "trip" and "vacation".

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How to pay for a trip to Costa Rica

Naturally our family flew down here on points and we're covering our current resort stay as well! It's all made possible by this credit card but we actually supplement it with this card that we use for nearly all of our everyday purchases - the points can combine (even across spouses) and the free card earns us more!

If you aren't interested in opening a new credit card at the moment, one of the best free ways to rack up frequent flyer miles is through shopping portals. You can earn points back on purchases you'd make anyway. Right now the American Airlines eShopping program has a 1,000 point bonus for new members - just yesterday I saw that American is offering flights to Costa Rica for 12,000 points, so that's a great bonus to start you off.

The other option I use a lot is Rakuten (formerly eBates). Normally Rakuten provides cash back, but if you have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards you can choose to earn that way instead. It's a great choice because those points can be worth 2+ cents each when you transfer them to a partner airline like Air Canada (which allows you to book United flights for far fewer points).

You can find a lot more tips like these when you download my new eBook, The Busy Mom's Guide to Free Travel.

The sun's getting high in the sky here in the tropics and it's time for my unlimited supply of Costa Rican cold brew to begin. Signing off for now and wishing you all pura vida!

Safe travels,

Melissa

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