We do find cheap flights without using credit card points!! While not always possible We try to spend less than: $500 flying to Europe $600 flying to South America $800 flying to Asia $800 flying to Africa And $400 flying to Central America and the Caribbean How do we manage this? We do NOT pick our destination or dates of travel until we find a good flight deal. We are very lucky to have flexible jobs that allow us to take time off almost whenever we want. The biggest challenge has always been not planning for a certain destination. So many times we think we have our travel planned out for the year then BOOM a flight deal for a country that wasn’t on our radar for that moment pops up and we are heading there instead! (Also we do not have children so that helps). We often have to jump on these deals quickly as they tend to disappear! I have def bought a ticket after the fact then told my husband 🤣 we have an agreement that if there are plane tickets under a certain amount I don’t have to check with him! Flexibility when traveling is sooo important and can lead you on a great adventure!