Two months ago, I asked y’all to suggest some road trip ideas –
“Where should my family’s next travels take us? A road trip to Montreal? Perhaps Ottawa? Or maybe a weekend shopping in the States? I’m looking for your best road trip ideas from Toronto – no more than 5-6 hours away.”
Why was I asking? I had racked up a ton of Scotia Rewards on my handy little Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, and wanted to use them to offset the cost of a fun family road trip. So how did I earn enough points to fund our hotel stay?
It’s simple. Not only did I receive the introductory 20,000 bonus points with my first purchase because I signed up for the card early (new cardholders now earn 15,000 bonus points on their first purchase – worth $150 in travel!); I also earned 4x Scotia Rewards points for every $1 I spent at eligible gas stations, grocery stores, on dining and entertainment. Translation: while I was out and about spending money on my everyday purchases like groceries and gas, I was actually earning rewards that brought me that much closer to a much-needed vacation. Four times closer, in fact.
So, armed with ideas for a March Break mini vacation or staycation, I was ready to cash in my rewards for a fabulous little hotel stay in Montreal. And then, this happened –
“We are pleased to invite you to the 2013 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. This invitation-only professional conference for social media-minded moms and dads will take place May 8-12, 2013 at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.”
EEK! Okay, for those not in the know, receiving an invitation to #DisneySMMoms is like receiving a golden ticket to a chocolate factory – but better, because Disney chocolate is shaped like Mickey’s ears.
However, as the invitation came through right around the time I was planning to book our mini getaway, I had an interesting dilemma on my hands. You see, while most costs are covered at the Disney Social Media Moms conference, I did have to come up with airfare: four plane tickets to be exact. So, I had to make the following decision – and quickly:
1. Book the mini getaway as planned, and pay full price for four plane tickets.
2. Cancel the mini getaway and use my Scotia Rewards towards the cost of one of the flights to Orlando.
Hmm… mini getaway in Montreal, or 5-day vacation at Walt Disney World? Can you guess what I decided?…
