Good afternoon everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  9 years ago today (back on May 1, 2013), Travel with Grant was born!  Even though I am not a full time blogger and writing this post from a tropical beach, I’m still very happy and grateful to still be writing and sharing my thoughts with my readers.  Every year (when I remember), I like to write a birthday / blogiversary post about TWG.  If you want to reminisce through the years, check out these old posts: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, no Year 7 (I forgot about it during the pandemic), and Year 8.

I cover a wide variety of travel topics and don’t tend to follow the travel blogging crowd (I think of myself as Dory from Finding Nemo, just swimming around doing my own thing).  Some of these posts were very popular and got lots of pageviews, but others didn’t get as much love as I thought they would.  But without further ado, here are my 9 favorite posts from the last year (May 2021 – April 2022) in chronological order.

1. AutoSlash Saved Me $1300+ on 2 Hawaii Car Rentals (Final Results) (August 12, 2021) – I love AutoSlash and use it every single time I book a rental car.  No matter how good of a price I think I can find on my own, AutoSlash can somehow find an even lower price.  Rental car prices were crazy last summer, especially in Hawaii, but AutoSlash worked their magic and saved me $1,300 on the original rental rates I booked.
2. How to Use Home Depot Store Credit for Online Purchases (August 30, 2021) – First of all, I am not a fan of Home Depot store credit since you literally have to go inside a store to use the cards, since they do not work online.  I figured out a workaround to use the store credit for an online purchase, but that required a trip to the store to order and another trip to the store to pick up the order.  I really wish the process were easier.
3. PSA: Keep Checking IHG Award Prices for Price Drops, Then Rebook or use Free Night Certificates (November 7, 2021) – IHG award prices differ by date and the rates change on an almost daily basis.  I have seen prices drop 5K – 10K points per night over a few days or week.  It pays to keep checking the rates and rebook if the price drops.
4. How Much Money Did I Make from Bank Account Bonuses in 2021? (December 13, 2021) – 2021 was a pretty good year for bank and brokerage account bonuses, but I am hoping 2022 will be an even better year.  I am juggling a few bank accounts right now and waiting for the bonuses to post.
5. How Much Did I Pay in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2021? (December 15, 2021) – I paid a ton in credit card annual fees in 2021 and promised myself that I would try to reduce the amount I pay in annual fees in 2022.  There are a few credit cards that have annual fees that were marginally worth it, so those are on the chopping block this year.  I have to make 2 retention calls tomorrow, so let’s see how that goes.
6. How to Book Annual Flex Night Award from Chase IHG Personal & Business Premier Credit Cards (April 13, 2022) –  Apparently I didn’t write anything interesting for almost 5 months between December and April, but I am really excited to book my first IHG Flex Night Award.  I am also eyeing the Chase IHG Business credit card in July / August when my personal Chase IHG credit card annual fees and Flex Night Awards post to my account.
7. PSA: Register ASAP for Chase IHG Premier Personal & Business Credit Card $50 United Airlines TravelBank Credit (April 15, 2022) – Please learn from my mistake and register for the $50 United Airlines TravelBank credit now, not when you actually want to use the travel credits.  It is kind of fun writing posts about things that I messed up on and I know readers like those posts too.
8. Reminiscing About and my Plan for my US Bank Radisson Rewards Premier & Business Credit Cards (April 16, 2022) – Club Carlson / Radisson Rewards had a good run, but now I need to figure out what to do with my Radisson Rewards points stash.  I have a few ideas in mind, so look for this post in the coming days.
9. Stop Ignoring Vacasa Vacation Rentals! Get Awesome Condos for 13,500 Wyndham Rewards Points per Night (April 18, 2022) – Last but not least, I love Vacasa Vacation Rentals.  The price is right and I love staying in awesome condos near the beach.  If you haven’t considered Vacasa, I highly recommend taking a look before this deal is gone.

If you have a favorite post from the last year that didn’t make the list, please let me know which post you liked and why.  I am always curious what readers like to read.  If you have any questions about any of these posts, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!