Should I Stay or Should I Stay?

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Let’s talk about accommodations while on the road. This is something I think will interest Jim (@porwest ), and he may back me up on some of this. My just-completed vacation was 12 days long. I spent 11 of those 12 nights in the same hotel chain group, where I’m a member of their loyalty program. Of those 11 nights, five of them were free. That’s one of the joys of a loyalty program. If you get one of their credit cards you’ll, in most cases, get a large chunk of bonus points if you join and spend so much in a set period of time. So the stays get you points and buying your gas on the credit card gets you points, etc. In short, I left home with over 100,000 points. After five free stays I still have over 10,000 points…plus nearly 10,000 points to be added from credit card usage. (And the credit card company hates me because I take all of these perks and pay the card off every month. ) Yeah, baby! The photos are from the vacation. The top one was taken out of my window at the Holiday Inn in Gainesville, Florida, the day I met Jeff for lunch. I sent that to my brother and he responded with something about putting my teeth somewhere in him. The bottom shot is part of the grounds at the Staybridge Suites in Tallahassee. Isn’t that gorgeous!!! I love the Staybridge Suites because they have free laundry. And, taking a lesson/piece of advice from Jim, I did my laundry before I came home, so I was home with clean clothes! I think Jim is a member of Wyndham Rewards, so he can vouch for the way the loyalty programs help the frequent traveler. They definitely help travelers!!! PHOTOS: (Top) Outdoor pool in Gainesville (Bottom) Pond and gazebo on the grounds of the extended-stay suites in Tallahassee