Our Best (& Worst!) of 2025 Travel!

We revisit a year of family travel to rank the hotels, flights, and upgrades that delivered real value, and we tell two travel stories that never made it to air: a runaway carry-on on an escalator and a seatmate who ate our snacks. We also reassess elite status and share where we’ll spend points next year.

• best hotels across Barcelona, Cabo, Lake Tahoe, Cologne
• worst stay experience at Thompson Dallas and why
• top suite upgrade at the Seabird with ocean views
• business class joy on the return from Europe
• economy comparisons between JAL and Singapore Airlines
• practical value of Hyatt Globalist for a family of five
• metro over location myths in Barcelona
• stressful escalator mishap and how we handled it
• the strange snack incident on a short-haul flight
• points strategy over pricey short cruises

Happy holidays to you, Merry Christmas, happy holidays to you, your family, and everyone you know. We will be back in two weeks with a fresh new episode.