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Why New Bern??
We have family in New Bern, and our schedules rarely overlap in an easy way to make a trip happen. It just so happened that our Eclipse Trip got canceled around the time that they had time off work. We were so excited to make this work out.
Reasons YOU might be interested in staying in or around New Bern include, Kitty Hawk, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and proximity to Jamestown, just to name a few.
Flights
Now flights into New Bern can only happen on American, and with a layover or two. I wasn’t super keen on that idea, but I looked it up anyway.
Choice #1
American Airlines straight to New Bern
21k points per person x 5 = 105k points
This flight was not a bad deal as flights go, and it would get us all directly into town. However, we needed to spend about 7 hours overnight in Dallas in order to get this deal. That made this a big no-go for me.
Choice #2
Southwest Airlines into Raleigh (2 hours away)
26,233 points per person x 3 = 78,699 points
2 Companion Passes – Fly for Free
This flight fit our timelines and was less points as a whole when you factor in our Companion Passes. This made the Southwest flights the winner.
Hotels
We are staying with family once we arrive in New Bern, so we did not need a hotel there. Our main needs were an airport hotel on either end of the trip, as we arrived late and left early. To use our Smith Family Rental Car Trick, we needed a hotel with an airport shuttle. We also generally look for a hotel that has breakfast available.
Option #1
Hyatt Place Raleigh – 5,000 points per night or $165
Includes: pool, hotel shuttle, beds for everyone, free breakfast
Option #2
Springhill Suites Raleigh Durham Airport – 23,000 points per night or $138
Includes: pool, hotel shuttle, beds for everyone, free breakfast
Rental Car
If you’re looking for tips on rental cars, check out our post about that here. We utilized our $300 credit from our Capital One Venture X to cover the cost of this rental car. We did not need the whole credit, so we will have some to use at a later date!
Activities
We are really hoping to see the local small town and also make it to a National Park property or two. If we have extra time in Raleigh we will stop by the Natural History Museum because my daughter LOVES it. I’ll write a trip update when we return to give you all the details.
Conclusion
My hope in writing these posts is that you will be able to see some of the process that goes into planning a trip. If you are looking to plan your own points and miles trip, grab the Points and Miles Family Planning Guide HERE.
