Although we have loved our holiday break in United States, we thought it was finally time to get our feet wet again with some international travel in 2025.
We Are Heading to Europe!!
Although we will still be mixing in some content from past trips, we thought we would give you a heads up on a whole lot of new European experiences coming your way. As I write this, we have safely landed in Stockholm, Sweden. We are currently enjoying the afternoon fikas and touring all the amazing sites that this city has to offer. But before we get too far, we wanted to share why we chose to visit Europe during the winter, a season that many travelers tend to avoid.
Why Winter?
First and foremost: cost. Back in December, while scrolling through Travel Tuesday deals, we stumbled upon what can only be described as the perfect plane ticket. A flight to Sweden in February for just $250?! Of course we had to snagged it.
Of course, affordability wasn’t the only factor when choosing this destination. Europe has always been at the top of our bucket list since we knew we wanted to travel together. However, when comparing prices to destinations like Japan and Southeast Asia, we always struggled to justify the expense. That said, we’ve kept an eye out for deals, and when this one popped up, we knew it was the right move for us.
Another reason we opted for a winter trip was the uniqueness of it. Most people don’t associate Europe with winter travel unless they’re heading to Switzerland for ski season. But that’s exactly what intrigued us. When researching this trip, we found it surprisingly challenging. There aren’t nearly as many travel guides or recommendations for visiting Europe during the colder months. From planning an itinerary to figuring out what to pack as backpackers, we noticed a serious gap in available content. So, we thought, why not fill that gap ourselves?
The Preparation
Getting ready for this trip was more challenging than we originally anticipated (as mentioned above). However, there were a few things we made sure to do to make our trip as seamless as possible.
- We both got TSA pre-check and Global Entry.
We debated this decision for a while, wondering if it was worth it, but we finally decided to take the plunge. TSA Pre-Check allows us to breeze through airport security with virtually no lines, no removing shoes, and no pulling out laptops! At PDX, it took us just 10 minutes from entering the airport to reaching our gate, crazy I know! Global Entry, on the other hand, will come in handy when we return to the U.S., helping us skip long customs lines and making our travel day that much easier.
- Compiled our Points.
With the credit cards and loyalty programs we have, we’ve been strategically racking up travel points that will help us to “travel hack” this Europe trip as much as possible. Here is what we’ve compiled so far:
- $300 annual travel credit (Capital One Venture X Rewards Card)
- 15,000 Capital One Points (Capital One Venture X Rewards Card)
- 165,850 Hilton Points (Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card)
- 150,000 IHG Points (IHG Rewards Club Premier Chase Credit Card)
- $50 annual travel credit (IHG Rewards Club Premier Chase Credit Card)
- Getting a New Travel Card
While researching hotel options, we realized we were missing out on a great opportunity, Hyatt points. So, we decided to open a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which offers 1:1 point transfers to Hyatt hotels and 11 major airlines. With some Hyatt stays costing as little as 3,000 points per night, this was a no-brainer. Plus, the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
Now that we are all ready to go, all that’s left is one question; Is Europe in the winter worth it? We’re here to find out! Join us as we take on our first European adventure, starting with Stockholm, Sweden. We can’t wait to share everything with you!
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