79. Pam's African Safari That Didn't Happen

Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad

Alex, Pam and Jess

Places & Travel, Education, Society & Culture, How To

4.9 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2024

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome back to another episode of Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, where today’s travel tale is all about adaptability and adventure! One of the most anticipated trips of the year was Pam’s African safari in the majestic Maasai Mara, complete with luxurious stays and game drives—all meticulously planned using points. Pam was ready to celebrate her birthday surrounded by the breathtaking landscapes of Kenya, but nature had other plans…hit play to hear the full story, or keep reading!

Just as the fun got started with a pre-safari stay in Mauritius, indulging in the island’s beauty, an unexpected email turned everything upside down. The safari was abruptly canceled leaving her with two options: scramble or salvage the trip. Thanks to points and miles, she chose not just to salvage, but turn it into an opportunity and adventure of a lifetime!

Transforming potential disappointment into a new story, she pivoted, and points and miles came to the rescue, allowing her to reshape her itinerary without a hitch.

In Sardinia, Pam swapped what would have been safari jeeps for coastal views and Italian cuisine. Each unexpected twist brought new sights and experiences—from luxurious hotels to local culture, proving that sometimes the best stories come from the unplanned.

Through it all, the journey was smoothed over by the flexibility that comes with using points and miles—proving invaluable in turning what could have been a major travel fail into an array of unforgettable moments!

So, whether you find yourself facing canceled flights, unexpected weather, or last-minute changes, remember, with the right mindset and a good stash of points, you can turn any travel mishap into a new adventure. Hit play to dive deeper into our journey and discover how she made the best of an unpredictable situation!

Links:

Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad

Links for This Episode: https://travelmomsquad.com/booking-an-african-safari-with-points

Episode Minute By Minute:

0:02 Pam's Planned African Safari Adventure (That never happened!)
1:00 The Dream Safari: Planning with Points and Miles
1:48 Unexpected Turn: Safari Canceled
4:27 Pivoting Plans: Shifting from Kenya to Sardinia
5:23 The Power of Flexibility with Points During Travel Mishaps
7:06 Exploring Mauritius: Beaches, Buffets, and Serenity
11:22 Transition to Sardinia: A New Adventure Begins
15:53 Experiencing Italian Charm: Local Culture and Cuisine in Sardinia
25:18 How Points and Miles Saved the Trip: Adapting on the Fly
36:04 Reflections on Travel Resilience and the Importance of Plan B
44:31 Embracing Unexpected Journeys and the Value of Adaptability

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	One of the most anticipated trips of the year was Pam's African safari in Kenya.
0:06.4	Imagine using credit card points and miles for a safari, the ultimate dream of many.
0:12.1	Her trip included a stopover on the island of Mauritius where things got interesting.
0:17.3	Stay tuned to hear all about how Pam turned lemons into lemonade.
0:22.1	Welcome to Points Talk with the travel mom squad.
0:25.3	We are three moms who've discovered how to leverage credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars of travel expenses for nearly free.
0:33.8	We've used credit card points of miles to take vacations to places like B, Paris, Greece, Maldives, Japan, and so much more.
0:41.7	And the best part? We each still have 800 plus credit scores. Imagine being able to take the vacation of your dreams for nearly free. It's totally possible and we're here to show you how.
0:53.1	Hey, I'm Jess. And'm Pam and Alex has the day off
0:59.0	today. And so you're just going to get Pam and I for today's episode. But it is going to be a good
1:05.0	one. There's going to be some some sweating going on by me, I think, because this is a nerve-wracking thing that happened to
1:13.2	Pam. All of us were so excited to hear about her stay at the J.W. Marriott Masai Mara for her
1:20.5	birthday. She was so excited about it. We were all excited to hear how she was going to pull off an
1:26.5	African safari on points.
1:29.2	Unfortunately, things did not go quite as planned.
1:33.3	So, Pam, tell us all about how you planned this trip before you encountered this bump in the road.
1:42.0	Yeah, I think that this was probably, this was the trip that I was looking most forward to this
1:48.1	year.
1:48.7	I mean, we've gone on an African so far before, and they're expensive, and we got a really
1:53.6	good deal when we went before.
1:55.4	But the Marriott Corporation opened up a J.W.
1:59.1	Mirate in the Maasai, Mara area recently, up a J.W. Merri in the Masan Mara area recently.
	...

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