Thanks to a football game, I learned how to travel the world for free.

I was so excited to see my favorite football team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, play a special game against the San Francisco 49ers in London in 2013. However, when the NFL’s travel packages were announced, I was outraged: the official rates were extremely high, and I was sure I could do better on my own.

Sure enough, with just a few minutes of research, I was able to knock the price down to about half of what the official packages demanded. Given this success, a funny thought captured my imagination.

I wondered: “How close to free was possible?”

So began my journey into the incredible world of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs. By mastering the art of miles and points, I was able to not only go to the game, but also take my mom, dad and brother on their first overseas vacation.

The trip blossomed from a simple weekend in London to a huge adventure.

Not only did we go to the game:

We also explored the south of England:

Traveled along the beaches of Normandy:

Marveled at the Palace of Versailles:

…and finished our trip in Paris:

Along the way, we stayed in 5-Star hotels so exclusive that the Vice President of the United States once got in trouble for spending too much to stay at one of them!

The Beginning Of Something Incredible

All told, we saved an incredible $7,232 in total on our trip. Since then, I’ve booked more than 116,000 miles of free flights and several weeks of free stays in 5-Star hotels and resorts for my family and friends. That includes a whirlwind, 25,000 mile adventure across the Pacific, flying to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan in some of the world’s most luxurious Business Class cabins at a savings in excess of $20,000.

Just a couple years ago, I thought simply going to a booking engine that searched multiple airlines was a savvy way to save big on travel. Now, I’ve earned more than 600,000 points and miles with powerful airline and hotel programs.

That’s more than enough to allow me to drop everything and travel anywhere in the world – First Class – in minutes. Best of all, I earned nearly all of these miles from home, without paying for a single flight or night at a hotel.

While I prefer to use miles and points wisely so I can travel as many places as possible, just the thought of being able to go anywhere in the world for pennies on the dollar is incredible.

Your Dream Trip, In Reach

PointsAway is my way of paying forward this gift of free and incredibly cheap travel to others. I believe almost everyone has a dream trip they’d love to take if only they could only afford it. Each week, readers send me trips and I put together step by step guides showing them how to best apply points and miles to bring their unique adventure within reach.

Looking for inspiration on where to get started? Simply use the form below and I’ll send you a list of my 11 Favorite Reader Trips we’ve put together so far – including our guide to show one reader how to Circle the Globe and Get Paid 2¢ To Do It.

I hope you’ll join me on this awesome adventure. With this site, I can’t wait to show you how your dream trip is literally just…points away.