Holiday Report US West Coast: Part 1 - Los Angeles to Las Vegas

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Bindi and I have been able to see lots of places that we could never have afforded to, if it were not for using points, or at least defraying the cost by searching out bargain fares on flights or hotels.  

We've been spending some time in Panama of late.  So we started our trip from there.

In September we converted Delta 35,000 points each, to travel up to visit my family in Ohio, and then from there to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary by driving and touring the US West Coast.  

My Cousin Who Lives in Africa, Was Also Visiting Ohio

Delta allows you to have a stopover at 1 location, and then another flight to an entirely different destination, when redeeming award tickets.  Effectively, you're getting 2 trips, for the price of 1 redemption. 

So we flew from Panama to Ohio, then later to California, and finally back to Panama at the end.  All for 35,000 points. 

We had decided to visit Las Vegas, the Napa Valley, and drive south along Highway 1, since these are places we've always wanted to see.

Holiday Report US West Coast: Index

• Part 1 - Los Angeles to Las Vegas
• Part 2 - Las Vegas to San Francisco
• Part 3 - Napa Valley
• Part 4 - Highway 1

The Definitive Guide to 10 Best Rate Hotel Guarantees Series: Part 1 - Choice [with Video]

We try to get sales on hotels or airlines, since it saves us money.  And we've often gotten some great prices, if we've been able to plan in advance.  Other times, we've gotten some great last-minute prices by using a few tricks that I've posted about earlier.

Sometimes we have to transit through a city or airport, and need just one night in a hotel.  When that happens I like to start by looking for Best Rate Guarantees, and if you locate one you can stay for free.  Totally free.  Hotels which could cost +$500/night, FREE.  And there are some nice places we've stayed at, and others we have coming up.  You can also use them to lower the overall cost of a longer stay, of more than just 1 night.  

But how hard is it to find one?  What are the rules?  How can it be free? 

A Hotel We Got for Free in Manhattan! Regularly $450/night