Used 1 million credit card points for a 2-week trip to Europe, luxury flights

A year before my wife’s 52nd birthday, I knew I wanted to do something special to celebrate the milestone. He loves to travel as much as I do, so I started planning a surprise trip.

In our eight years together, we traveled to 26 countries. We kissed on top of the Eiffel Tower, almost lost our stomachs riding camels at the Pyramids of Giza, and shared so many other found travel memories.

I felt the pressure of trying to plan the perfect birthday trip, but cost was still a consideration.

Fortunately, after a year of strategically saving credit card points and miles, I was able to afford a two-week trip to five European countries.

Here’s how we did it so we never fly economy or stay in cheap hotels.