Intro
This Thanksgiving, we took on our most ambitious family trip yet: a journey through Germany and Austria with all five of us. Planning for a group this size wasn’t easy, but with strategic use of award travel hacks—cheap cash flights, hotel points, free-night certificates, and membership perks—we turned a tricky itinerary into a memorable adventure.
With stops in Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna, we focused on maximizing value and comfort while keeping costs under control. Here’s how we planned and executed this special holiday trip.
Planning
We started our planning with a classic route—Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna—a popular itinerary known for its accessibility and seamless train connections. When considering dates, we looked at both Thanksgiving and Christmas to maximize PTO, but quickly discovered that late December prices were nearly three times higher. Choosing Thanksgiving not only saved costs but also allowed us to enjoy the festive charm of the Christmas markets, which typically start in late November.
Because we were traveling with parents, comfort was a top priority throughout the planning process. This meant focusing on nicer hotels with central locations, ideally near train stations, to make getting around easier and more enjoyable.
Flights
Our first priority when booking flights was to check for award availability. With our dates and destinations already set, it was easy to scan through several transfer partners—Air France/KLM via AMS or CDG, and Aeroplan/ANA for Lufthansa/United. However, we quickly realized that securing five tickets at a reasonable redemption rate wasn’t feasible.
We then shifted our focus to cash bookings. Using Google Flights, we experimented with different airport combinations and date ranges until we found a great deal: flights departing the night before Thanksgiving for around $900 per person. While this wasn’t an award booking, it aligned with our deep value philosophy—sometimes, paying cash for a reasonable fare is the best option when point redemptions aren’t ideal. To further maximize value, we opened a new credit card (BofA Alaska Airline Visa Signature) and put all of the travel expenses on the card for the sign on bonus.
Accommodations
Booking accommodations for a family of five—especially with the challenge of needing two rooms, one large enough to fit three—was one of the trickiest parts of our planning. Here’s how we made it work:
Munich (4 Nights):
Munich posed the greatest challenge due to the limited availability of rooms that could accommodate three people. Airbnb prices were also surprisingly high. After an extensive search, we found the Holiday Inn City Centre to be a perfect fit. Thanks to a corporate discount and Platinum Elite status through the IHG Premier credit card, we secured a great rate while earning a substantial number of IHG points for future use. The hotel’s fantastic location, flexible check-in/check-out times, and complimentary breakfast (enhanced by our IHG membership) made this a highly cost-effective choice.
Salzburg (2 Nights):
Compared to Munich and Vienna, Salzburg is a smaller city with fewer hotel options. Fortunately, Marriott has a few properties in the area, and we found the Mayburg Salzburg Hotel to be reasonably priced. With two Marriott credit cards in the household, each offering a free-night certificate (FNC), we only had to pay for one night per room. The location was ideal, within walking distance of both the train station and downtown, making it an excellent base for exploring the city.
Vienna (4 Nights):
Vienna offered the best redemption value of our trip. Using a combination of 156,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points and a free-night certificate, we secured a premium suite with a connecting king room for four nights at the Andaz Vienna. Booking the same accommodations with cash would have cost approximately $4,000, giving our redemption an impressive value of ~2.6 cents per point (ccp). Conveniently located next to the main train station and the Belvedere Palace, the hotel was perfectly situated for exploring the city.
Prior to our stay, I contacted the hotel to request connecting rooms and extend our Globalist breakfast benefits to all five of us, a request they graciously accommodated. The hotel exceeded our expectations with its stellar service, thoughtful touches, and luxurious amenities, including a mini-fridge stocked with complimentary snacks and drinks—a delightful perk.
This redemption was easily one of our favorites of the year. The Andaz Vienna truly delivered a world-class experience, and we look forward to sharing the full details in an upcoming hotel review.
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Expense Breakdown
The final expense breakdown for the trip is another testament to the effectiveness of deep value travel philosophy. By using free night certificates and Hyatt points redemption we were able to reduce our estimated cost by half. And like we mentioned above, all the cash expenses were put on a new credit card, earning us extra points for our next trip.
| Expense Items | Estimated Cost / Person | Actual Cost / Person |
| Flights: SFO -> MUN / VIE | $850 | $851.43 |
| Trains tickets | $50 | $51 |
| Hotel: Holiday Inn City Centre(4 nights) | $250 | $250.67 |
| Hotel: Mayburg Salzburg(2 nights) | $100 | $41.66 |
| Hotel: Andaz Vienna(4 nights) | $800 | 31.2k UR pts |
| Total Cost per Person | $2050 | $1194.76 + 32.1k pts |
Conclusion
Our Thanksgiving trip through Germany and Austria was a rewarding experience, blending family time with the charm of festive markets and efficient travel planning. With a mix of strategic point redemptions, cash bookings, and free night certificates, we kept costs manageable without sacrificing comfort or quality. Here are some key takeaways from this trip:
- Leverage Google Flights: For cash bookings, Google Flights is an invaluable tool. By experimenting with different airport combinations and date ranges, we uncovered a great deal for our flights.
- Join Multiple Hotel Loyalty Programs: In each city, we opted for a different hotel chain. Having memberships with multiple loyalty programs gave us the flexibility to choose the best option in terms of location, comfort, and value.
- Track Your Free Night Certificates: Free-night certificates are particularly valuable for international travel, where the quality of hotels available for redemptions is typically higher. In both Salzburg and Vienna we applied the FNCs on comfortable hotels in central locations.
- Maximize New Credit Card Bonuses: Large travel expenses, like flights and hotels, are excellent opportunities to meet the minimum spend for a new credit card sign-up bonus. By doing so on this trip, we set ourselves up for future travel rewards.
This trip is a perfect example of how deep-value travel combines smart planning, flexibility, and leveraging rewards to create memorable experiences. With the right strategy, even ambitious itineraries like ours can be affordable and seamless.
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