Happy Birthday to me!
And some gifts for YOU
My grandfather used to show up at our house on his birthday with bags full of gifts for me and my siblings. I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit as a child of two public school educators and he was a business owner and former rocket scientist (yes, really!). He didn’t have a huge disposable income but put his family first and one of the ways he showed his support was by helping us pay for opportunities we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. It brought my grandfather so much joy to give others gifts. It’s a trait we always shared.
He paid for everything on his credit card, and paid it off each month, accruing all of his points on his General Motors card to earn points for a new Cadillac. While I had no idea what he was doing as a kid, I now know that this wasn’t the best redemption. He got one cent per point whereas for travel you can get 2x or much more. But he was agoraphobic and afraid of travel, so for him, this was what worked. He passed away in his 90s a few years ago so thankfully he never saw me turn into a points maven — and never had to face that he could have gotten more value from his points ;)
Today is my Birthday and my husband got a sitter and made plans which is the best gift anyone can give me — the gift to not have to plan anything!
Birthdays are always a mixed bag for me. I feel pensive, grateful, excited and overwhelmed. It’s May and in my birthday feels like another big thing to add to the schedule during an already crazy busy time. I am so fortunate to be here, and to have the incredible family, friends and community I have and it IS something to celebrate. Like I said, birthdays are such a mixed bag!
While I like to think of myself as forever 27, and have less and less enthusiasm as the years go by and I’m farther from that, I appreciate the chance birthdays give to reflect on the past year. Today I am thinking about how far the Brooklyn Family Travelers project has come and where I want to go (figuratively — and of course literally).
I love this substack. I love the community, I love writing and sharing my thoughts with you all and I pinch myself daily that not only do I have thousands of people opening and reading my posts but nearly 150 of you pay to be here, read my posts and support my work!
For my birthday this year, I have a few gifts I am giving:
I’m gifting new paid subscribers 10% off annual subscriptions through 5/31. I have challenged myself to grow this substack to 200 paid subscribers this week. Have you been on the fence about subscribing? The paid posts give you access to incredible info that can save you a fortune on travel. Subscribing now gives you access to all of this AND helps me reach my birthday goals. It’s a win-win ;)
All PAID subscribers (existing and new subscribers (monthly and annual!) between now and 5/31 will be entered to win A YEAR of free classes.
I am working on a new class on how to spend the 100K points from that #1 card for travel. The winner gets access to that class and all the rest of my classes for free! Remember that all annual subscribers get exclusive discounts on other classes as well even if you don’t win :) Winner will be notified by 6/4/25.
All founding subscribers will receive a souvenir in the mail from one of my trips. I’m adding this new fun perk to the FOUNDING subscriber membership! Here are the types of souvenirs I like to bring back from trips so you get an idea of my shopping style 😍
Over the next few weeks, I will be creating a new members only chat for paid subscribers to ask points/miles/family travel questions, share wins, discuss credit cards, points and more. This is SUPER exciting and will provide a huge benefit to subscribers! I am so excited to launch this and becoming a paid subscriber will give you access 🖤
And as a reminder, paid subscribers get:
Access to all the archives as well as full access to posts (removes the pay-wall) to help your family travel for nearly free without sacrificing style or culture.
Discounts on workshops and classes
A members-only chat (coming soon!)
In-depth points and miles strategies to save you a ton of money, full city edits and trip reports and unique, interesting recommendations not shared with free subscribers!
Founding subscribers get all of the above plus…
A 30 minute 1:1 travel coaching session (value: $125)
A souvenir from my travels delivered to you
The knowledge that you are truly supporting a small woman-owned business 💪
A couple notes:
If you are one of the many people who asked me on instagram where this dress is from, here is the link! Highly recommend - so summery and pretty and perfect to take on a trip :)
Get a free wallet edit! There are a lot of cards out there with great welcome bonuses and I want to help you pick the right one. Fill this out for complimentary advice. As always, using my links to apply for any cards is much appreciated. DM or email anytime for a link!
The $1000 off estate plans with Steward ends on Friday 5/31! This is an unmissable opportunity to protect your family with a comprehensive plan (aka will, trust, healthy proxy and power of attorney) for an incredible price of $2,000 in all. Use this link to sign up and make sure to mention BKFAMILYTRAVELERS to save. This super generous discount was exclusively offered to our community. I know so many of you have already signed up — for anyone else, don’t miss this!
There is a current transfer bonus from the 100K card bank (sorry, not allowed to mention the name of the bank here!) to Virgin and Air France/KLM but feel free to DM me for it! A transfer bonus of 25% means that for every point you transfer, you’ll get 1.25 points. I prefer to save this bank’s points for hotels (see why HERE), but if you have specific plans in mind and have a stash of these points, transfer bonuses can help your points go farther. They end soon so don’t miss checking this out! I do not recommend transferring points in advance without a specific use for them btw. More on transfer bonuses HERE!
Remember if you were denied or your application went in review, you have 30 days from the time you applied to have the bank reconsider your application (which means you’ll still get the offer you applied for even if it ends before you get approved!). HERE is a post with more info on that! And here’s a comment from the bottom of that post that made me so happy ☺️
Finally, sharing a few must haves that I bring with on every trip. Hope it helps you as you start to shop/pack for summer!
This travel steamer (necessary!)
This phone charger (can charge my phone fully in a super short time while on the go)
These headphones (that actually block out airplane noise)
This sunblock (I have been using this for myself and my kids for years). Being able to brush it on and stash it in my purse has saved us from many sun burns! Will scream from the rooftops for the rest of my life that this may be one of the best products ever.
And this carry on suitcase! (the only one I use - I like the blue!)
Feeling very ready for summer :)
Thanks for being here — and for being a part of this incredible community. Brooklyn Family Travelers means so much to me and sharing it with you makes it even. more special.
Have a friend or family member who would love Brooklyn Family Travelers? Why not spread the word? Good friends help friends travel (for nearly free) 🖤
Happy Birthday!