Here's where TPG kids are looking forward to traveling to next
The travel industry saw a boom this summer, with travelers clamoring to regain their vacations. The U.S. finally saw signs of hope regarding COVID-19 cases, as numbers were down, vaccination rates were up and the economy continued on an upward trend.
Recently, the pandemic seems to have taken a turn for the worse, as the delta variant has posed a threat to families — particularly those with young children — and many parents wait patiently for a COVID-19 vaccine to be made available for children under age 12.
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Adults aren't the only ones pouting in response to having to cancel another trip. Add kids to that list, too.
With school back in session and fall travel plans derailed for many, we asked some TPG kiddos (the families of TPG staffers) to share with us where they want to go -- when it's safe to do so -- on their next great travel adventure.
Here's what they had to say.
Juan Ruiz, Credit Cards Editor
Juan's twin daughters can’t wait to visit Paris and see the Eiffel Tower live and in person one day. They've seen the movie "Leap" (an animated film based in Paris) a dozen or so times and want to experience the City of Lights for themselves. Last year, they said their dream was to visit Hawaii — where they spent their spring break this year — so Paris is next on their list.
Related: Visiting Paris in Winter: Is It Worth the Trip for Families?
Rachel Malone-Olson, Vice President
Rachel just got back from a family vacation to the beach and her two-year-old can’t wait to go back. When asked where she wants to go next, it’s no surprise that she said, “Water, swimming, swimsuit, water.”
Related: 13 of the best beaches in Florida
Benét Wilson, Senior Credit Cards Editor
Benet’s 15-year-old daughter, Carmen, told us that she wants to go to South America on her path to traveling to every continent. In particular, she’s considering Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, because of the beaches, the weather and the food.
Related: Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro With Kids
Nick Ewen, Senior Editor
Nick’s six-and-a-half-year-old daughter says she’d like to go to the Galapagos. When asked why, she said, “Because I’ve never been there and I also want to see the Galapagos penguins.” She’s also excited to see 100-year-old enormous tortoises.
Related: How I saved thousands of dollars by DIY-ing an island-hopping trip in the Galapagos
Nathan Richardson, Executive Vice President
Nathan’s twins are big ski fans and requested to return to Swiss Ski School. They’ve also requested that wherever they go for Thanksgiving, they’d like there to be a kids club like Round Hill. At ski school, they love getting tape bubble gum at lunch and the kids club has a race car.
Related: How to plan your ski trip with points and miles
Scott Mayerowitz, Executive Editorial Director
At the beginning of the pandemic, Scott’s six-year-old daughter missed school so much that she would play pretend school at home. Now she’s got her imagination set on Hawaii, including a fancy buffet and lei at a traditional luau.
Related: Everything you need to know about visiting Hawaii now
Summer Hull, Editorial Director
It should be no surprise that Summer’s kids are looking forward to their next Disney-themed vacation. When Disney was closed, they spent time watching ride-through videos on YouTube and when things get stressful, they like to list their favorite rides and snacks and imagine what they would do when they were able to visit again.
She and her family have visited Disney throughout the pandemic but felt a little hesitant during a visit this summer after the mask mandates had been removed. Luckily, as of the end of July, Disney reinstated the mask mandate while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Mitchell Stoutin, Senior Director of Engineering
Mitchell recently discussed with his four-year-old son that an old friend of his builds spaceships in Los Angeles for SpaceX. When asked if he’d like to go see those, his son replied, “Yes. I want to go into space.” Good thing Mitchell might be able to redeem miles for a space flight on Virgin Galactic.
Related: Virgin Galactic selling tickets to space for an out-of-this-world price – $450,000
Ariana Arghandewal, Points and Miles Editor
Ariana and her 10-year-old niece are equally obsessed with Turkey and when asked where she wants to go next, her enthusiasm was evident. “Turkey is well-known for ancient artifacts, religious history and tea. There are many things to do…”, she writes. “All my classmates think it’s a poor country at war, but it’s not. I want to go back and spread the word about what a special place it is.”
Related: How to get to Istanbul on points and miles
Ashley Onadele, Writer
Unfortunately, Ashley decided to cancel her family's upcoming trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She'd been getting her toddlers excited for their beach vacation, so it’s no surprise that her three-year-old son responded, “Cabo, baby!” when asked where he wanted to go next.
Related: How to get to Los Cabos on points and miles
Bottom line
Right now, with school back in session, many families are in planning mode and deciding where and when to go on their next family trip. With their canceled trips in the rearview, TPG kids, like many other children, may have desired vacation destinations on their minds. And right now, simply talking about travel with your kids or discussing where to go with them is a light at the end of the tunnel that we all sorely need.
Related: Right now, travel is my lifeboat through the pandemic
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How we chose these cards
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- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
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Rewards Rate
| 5X | Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com |
| 1.5X | Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year |
| 1X | 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.Earn 150,000 points120,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$695Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Good, Excellent
Why We Chose It
It's hard to find a card that competes with the mile-long list of benefits that come with the Amex Business Platinum. While it's certainly not the card for the average consumer, a business owner with tons of expenses -- especially related to travel -- will find this card incredibly valuable. This card is similar to the consumer version that Amex offers, but with more business-oriented perks around statement credits and earning rates that are a better fit for business owners.Pros
- An up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four to five years
- Up to $400 annual credit for eligible U.S. Dell purchases (enrollment required)
- Gold status at Marriott and Hilton hotels (enrollment required)
- Access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and Hotel Collection
- Extended warranty protection
- International Airline Program and Cruise Privileges Program
Cons
- Steep annual fee
- Difficulty meeting $15,000 welcome offer for smaller businesses
- Limited high-bonus categories outside of travel
- The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
- Unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline.
- $189 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® membership. CLEAR® is available at more than 50 U.S. airports and stadiums.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market as of 9/2021.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.