Favorites, Friends and Affiliates

If you're looking for the gear and products we use, which credit cards we have and love or the apps I recommend for various purposes, you're in the right place. Some are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission for every purchase you make when you use my link or when you use my link to apply/join, but some are just my favorites that I'm sharing because I think you'll love it too. If there is a mutual benefit, I'll be sure to mention how you are benefitting by using my link, because there are benefits to using some of my links!

Travel Gear

My carry-on and underseater sizes of luggage from Samsonite

Samsonite Theorym Global Carry-On Spinner

This is our go-to luggage for longer term travels, as it fits a large amount of clothing for the space, has outer pockets for easy access to packed items you need frequent access to and is lighter than an average piece of carry-on luggage at 6.6 pounds. The outer dimensions are also ideal for being a carry-on luggage on *some* airlines. The one downfall to this luggage is that as a soft-side piece of luggage, it is possible to overstuff the luggage to the point that it may not fit in the overhead compartment on a plane, therefore requiring to check it at the last minute on a flight. So my advice is to not push your luck packing too much when flying (we usually need a lot less on trips than we think we will when packing).  

**2025 Update- This particular carry-on is available again after not being available for a short time, but the dimensions have changed. Samsonite changed the dimensions on many of their carry-on luggage in 2025 to keep up with dimension requirements for the majority of major airlines. What is available online is slightly smaller dimensions than what we purchased in February 2024. Our carry-on luggage no longer qualifies as carry-on luggage. We plan to upgrade our luggage in the future so we have a larger carry-on that is within the proper dimensions for most airlines, but in the meantime, we will be packing even lighter using our underseater luggage as our carry-on and another backpack style bag for our personal item. 

Samsonite Theorym Underseater

The Theorym Underseater is the same line and same color as our Carry-On Spinner, but a slightly smaller size at 18"H x 14"L x 9"W and only 5.1 pounds. This size fits as a carry-on for all but a few airlines around the globe, and as a personal item that can be stowed under the seat in front of you (hence the name) in a small handful of airlines. We purchased the Underseater at the same time as our carry-on, wrongly assuming that it would fit under the seat in most airlines. This particular size of luggage is highly under-rated, in my opinion. While we can't get away with using both pieces as they were intended on most flights, I'm still happy with the choice of luggage, as Samsonite is a high quality brand with a good (10 year!) warranty on their products, and we take enough trips by car that utilize either or both pieces that I don't feel like either was a waste of money... just an inconvenient time to make our first pricey luggage purchase with the airlines making their changes just a year later. 

I will update the luggage we use when we make the upgrade to new pieces.

Affiliate Partnerships

All of my affiliate partnerships as of right now (June 2025) have begun by purchasing the product on my own and loving it first, and then applying for affiliate partnership with the company so I can get some kickback for the love I send their way.

Harvest Right Freeze Dryers

Harvest Right is the #1 brand of freeze drying machines available to the public. If you're wondering why I have partnered with them as an affiliate, well.... there's a TON of reasons! For starters, I have a garden at home, and I do a lot of preserving of the harvests from that garden. Herbs are just better freeze dried versus dehydrated (which I still use occasionally also) and peppers of all kinds can become shelf stable when freeze dried. But the biggest reason I have a freeze dryer is for preserving foods and full meals that fit my personal needs and diet restrictions. Ray and I were both diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome, an allergy to all mammal meats and by-products. If you have ever gone on a long backpacking or camping trip and taken meals in a pouch that can be rehydrated with hot water, you're eating a meal that was likely freeze dried... but most of those pre-packaged meals are either beef based or contain some kind of dairy! Being able to make my meals at home with safe ingredients, freeze dry and package them up myself means I can know with 100% certainty that the meal I've packed is safe for me to eat without any potential for an allergic reaction (that would NOT be good on a backpacking or camping trip, far from emergency room and even worse if the cell phone signal is spotty or nonexistent). Since I am able to totally control what goes in those meals, I can also season to my liking ahead of freeze drying and packaging... and that includes controlling the amount of salt in it. If you're familiar with prepackaged meals, unfortunately a lot of them still contain more sodium than we really need. By using my link HERE or clicking on the logo above, I will earn a 3% commission on any purchases you make from Harvest Right, at no extra expense to you.

Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh is a meal delivery service that I have used for a few years now and absolutely LOVE. Meal delivery service isn't specifically for the travel/adventure minded folks- this is a service that can benefit literally anyone. But the great part about Hello Fresh is that you're not locked in to a specific length of time for a subscription, and you can skip deliveries or pause your service with no penalty and pick back up when you're ready for your next delivery... a huge benefit to anyone who travels AND loves the convenience of having healthy meals delivered right to your door! There are dozens of meals to choose from each week (or stick with the meals automatically chosen for you), meals can be adjusted to feed anywhere from 2 to 6 people and you can choose which day of the week you receive your delivery. The ingredients are just as fresh as going to the grocery store, but with the benefit of no drive to the store, shopping for all the ingredients, waiting in a line or fighting with a self checkout, and you've even got the option of adding on extras from appetizers, quick and easy breakfast, lunch and snack options, or including a dessert to a delivery.

Personally, I have 3 or 4 meals per week delivered by Hello Fresh and I keep the extras to a minimum, only ordering an appetizer or dessert a couple times a month as a special treat. Having half of my dinners already planned out for the week means the remaining dinners and lunches take a lot less time for me to plan, I can usually plan something around what I have in the freezer, and honestly.... sometimes I still use a recipe from Hello Fresh and tweak it with the seasonings and vegetables I have on hand. Oh, and my favorite part about having meals delivered to my door- the ingredients included are the perfect amount for that meal, so I don't have a refrigerator full of condiment jars that are partially used, nor do I have multiple packages of meat that are partially used (others cooking for just two know the struggle of buying meat for a meal for just two people). If you're like me, partially used ingredients from the grocery store have a tendency to sit in the fridge until they need to be tossed because you haven't come up with another meal to use it in. That waste doesn't happen with Hello Fresh meals!

Use my link to Hello Fresh and score yourself a free box on me! In return for using my link to sign up as a new customer, Hello Fresh will credit me $60 that I can use on future orders. The best part about Hello Fresh referrals is that they are offered to every customer. That's right, after you've signed up, you can refer your friends to join Hello Fresh and receive the same referral credit!

Credit Cards I Love And Recommend

I'm going to start this section by saying that using credit cards for the cash back, airline miles or other benefits isn't for everyone. For starters, I don't recommend using credit cards to anyone who has trouble paying their bills each month, or using self control to only use the card for expenses they would otherwise make with their debit card. And of course there are those who simply don't qualify for these credit cards. I promise, there's no judgement from me! I had my own financial woes in my early 20's after getting approved for my first credit cards and not knowing how to properly manage my finances. You can still travel and take vacations even if your finances aren't in tip-top shape, you'll just be using your debit card or cash to pay after you've saved up for it rather than a credit card (that ideally is paid off right away also). 

Citi AAddvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

We have this card because it is a healthy balance between travel benefits and fees for us. The annual fee of $99 is waived for the first year, and we are earning 2X AAdvantage miles on every dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants, 2X AAdvantage miles on every American Airlines purchase, and 1 AAdvantage mile for every dollar spent on other purchases. We are also earning 1 loyalty point for every eligible AAdvantage mile earned from purchases. Other travel benefits include 25% savings in inflight food and beverage purchases, no foreign transaction fees, we get our first checked bag for free on domestic American Airlines itineraries, and we get preferred boarding on American Airlines. 

This card is one of our daily driver cards, used for regular, daily expenses such as groceries, gasoline, and restaurants, and is paid off regularly to avoid interest charges from accruing. In this way, we are paying for our everyday expenses just like we would if we were using our debit card from our checking account, but we are earning the miles for purchases we would be making anyway.

Citi and American Airlines also offer three other levels of World Elite Mastercard- the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card, with fewer benefits but no annual fee, which is perfect for the more practical travelers who may not spend as much or travel as often each year. The higher tier cards are the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard and the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard. The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard earns more miles on those same purchases and comes with more travel benefits, but comes with a higher annual fee of $595. The business card comes with the standard $99 annual fee and many of the same perks as the Platinum card we carry, but the categories that earn 2X points are expanded to include telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, and car rentals. There are a few other slight differences in terms and benefits for the business card holder as well. 

Click HERE to compare the Citi / AAdvantage Mastercards I mentioned above before applying for your own. I don't receive any commission or referral fees from Citi nor American Airlines for anyone who applies and is approved for a card. 

Travel Phone Apps 

These are the phone applications that are designed specifically with travel in mind. I won't list out every single app for airlines, car rentals or hotel chains since there are entirely too many, but I will say that if you frequent the same hotel chain or if you use a specific car rental agency often (even just a couple times a year), you should have an account with that company and have their app on your phone. Making reservations with a company directly and not going through a third party application like Expedia, Kayak or Travelocity means you can accrue points with that company worth discounts later on... sometimes some pretty good discounts when those points add up!

Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline, Hopper, etc

I know, I just said to book directly with a company rather than through a third party app, which is what all of these are. But it's always a good idea to shop around when you're planning a trip to find the best deals on airfare, hotels, car rentals or cruises. Sometimes you might discover a deal through the third party app that you may not have found otherwise, or accommodations that you didn't know existed without these apps that compare dozens and dozens of vendors for you. Some international locations you may travel to may not have the hotel chains you're familiar with, so you would be relying on an official tourism page, an online map, a travel agent or a combination of these to find accomodations without the above mentioned websites/apps. I still recommend booking directly with the vendor whenever possible though, as any changes to your itinerary or cancellations could leave you footing the bill for travel not taken and getting the runaround from the third party vendors in your attempt to obtain a refund you believe you are entitled to (if you can reach anyone at all). Booking direct means you will always, with very few exceptions, be able to reach a person or at least an automated system that will assist with changes or cancellations.

IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn

IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which includes 19 different hotel brands and over 6,000 global destinations. The common hotels in this family that most of us know and love include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Garner, Avid, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Atwell Suites, as well as others in their premium and luxury collections. If you are an IHG member, regardless of which status you hold, I highly recommend downloading this app if it is compatible with your device.

Unlike most apps, this one isn't found in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Use this link to go to the website and set up your account and link to your IHG One Rewards account. (There's no bonuses for you or me if you use this link, just awesome points to earn) Some restaurants and bars have a relationship with IHG and allow you to earn IHG points for every dollar you spend on your drinks and meal with them. Like the One Rewards, the Dine and Earn program has tiers to it's membership, allowing you to earn up to 8 points per $1 spent at the restaurant.

These are the exact same points found in your IHG Rewards Wallet, redeemable for discounted or free nights at many IHG hotels. Occasionally there are bonuses available in the app, in the form of surveys or reviews in the app after you've enjoyed your meal. Even without bonuses, in one year's time I accrued 3,462 points without trying... just from meals I was already eating in restaurants. That's as many points as I earned with my elite bonus for a one night stay in Holiday Inn Panama City, FL that cost me $180... again, for meals we were already eating! If you're an IHG member, you can't miss these free points!!

Other Phone Apps 

Other phone apps I would recommend are going to be apps that are going to save you money on everyday purchases that you make already anyway, both in brick and mortar stores and online, or they are apps that are going to make you money for doing one of several things- scanning receipts from purchases you make, taking online surveys, or playing games (or in one case, simply walking earns you the points that you can redeem for money!). None of these apps are going to make you rich. All of them take time to accrue to a worthwhile amount. But how nice is it to be slowly earning money for things you're already doing anyway?!?

Fetch

My favorite of all the phone apps that pay me, albeit slowly, is Fetch. You can download the Fetch app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. During sign up, use my referral code T2AEVA to get bonus coins after you snap your first receipt (currently 2,000 coins). When you use my referral code, I will get a one time referral bonus for you signing up and starting to use the app (also currently 2,000 coins). After you sign up, you will also have a referral code that your friends can use to sign up and earn both of you even more referral coins.

The Fetch app allows you to scan up to 35 receipts within a rolling 7-day period, so if you make purchases often, you may hit that maximum and have to wait to scan more. Every receipt scanned is worth a minimum of 25 coins, as long as the date and total are clearly visible (preferrably the vendor name also, but most apps will take receipts even if the vendor name isn't clear or isn't printed on the receipt). For digital receipts, you can connect your email, Amazon, WalMart and other accounts to Fetch and the app will automatically check those connections for new receipts when you open the app, and you can also shop numerous websites through the Fetch app to earn more coins. 

Fetch also partners with numerous brands, so purchasing products from those brands can earn you extra coins... sometimes thousands! You can also download games through the Fetch app and earn coins once you hit certain milestones in the games, but it is perfectly acceptable to use Fetch only for receipt scanning. For an example of how quickly the coins can accrue, a couple weeks ago I did my grocery shopping at WalMart, and several brands (Ball canning jars, Olipop prebiotic soda, Pillsbury and Simply Lemonade) caused my receipt to be worth 2,750 coins, instead of the base 25 coins per receipt. These are brands I already use and love, and just timing my purchase while Fetch offered specific bonuses gave my balance a quick boost!

You can start redeeming the coins for rewards as soon as you hit 3,000 coins, but as they stockpile, they can be worth considerably more. Currently, Fetch coins cannot be converted into cash and transferred to your bank account, but they can be converted into virtual Visa cash cards, gift cards redeemable online at numerous online or brick and mortar stores, used to purchase entries into the sweepstakes Fetch runs, or even used towards travel purchases from vendors like Delta Air Lines, Princess Cruse Lines or Uber. Personally, I have only redeemed a few coins for sweepstakes entries, but in the two years or so that I've been using Fetch, I have redeemed $200 in gift cards to WalMart that I was able to use for in-store purchases. I'm not far from redeeming coins for another $50 gift card, but this time I am considering using it towards a purchase on Amazon for some of the travel gear I've been eyeing. 

Ibotta

Remember the coupon inserts in the Sunday newspaper? Or for those of you who are younger, do you remember seeing anyone use paper coupons for discounts on items or services? There are still some companies/manufacturers that distribute physical paper coupons, but most are going the digital route. Ibotta is an app that has essentially taken the place of the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts and expanded to include discounts at more retailers, both brick and mortar AND online. Similar to the newspaper coupon inserts, you do need to open the app and choose the coupons you might use from various retailers prior to making your purchase. In order to redeem those digital coupons, you can either link your account with the various retailers, link your debit/credit cards that are used to make the purchases, or scan and upload the receipt. Also like paper coupons, the value listed is in US dollars, so you don't have to convert points to cash.

You can withdraw the funds directly to your bank account, a PayPal account, or a gift card.... with one caveat- your balance has to be at least $20 in order to withdraw any funds. One way to accrue more funds in your account faster so you can withdraw your cash is to meet criteria in various bonuses that are offered. One bonus that is currently going on is the 'Midweek Class Cash Bonus': redeem 15 separate offers and earn an additional $3.00. Just like with coupons, there is an expiration date, so as long as you meet the criteria before then and redeem 15 offers, AKA digital coupons, you automatically get the bonus cash. Personally, I don't chase the bonus offers. If I qualify for one in my normal shopping, great, but I find that I just don't typically buy enough within the timeline to qualify, and the bonus doesn't always justify bulk buying for me. However, I'm shopping for two people. If you're the shopper for a household with lots of mouths to feed, you go through food faster and naturally buy more at one time. 

I've been using Ibotta for several years, although I couldn't tell you exactly how long. But the app has kept track of how much I have saved and withdrawn over the course of my time using the app: $440.44 Lifetime earnings (I prefer to call it savings), with a current balance of $17.78 with a couple purchases pending verification. Of my purchases, I will add that some of those purchases were hotel stays booked through the hotel chain's app, that I logged into via the Ibotta app so I got the cash back as well as the points with the hotel chain. There is a trick to making that work, as well as another app that gave me cash back also for the exact same hotel stays, so if you want more information on that, let me know. 

To get Ibotta on your phone, download it through the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, and make sure you use the referral code CAXQQBR. With this referral code, you'll get $5 extra after submitting your first receipt, and I will earn a referral bonus as well. 

Upside

Upside is a phone app that offers users cash back rewards on everyday purchases, specifically gasoline, groceries and restaurant meals. Upside partners with businesses to provide exclusive offers that we can claim within the app. In order to earn the rewards, you first have to claim an offer in the app, make the purchase as usual, and then verify the purchase in the app to receive the cash back. For many purchases, you can simply use a credit card that you have registered with the Upside app, and click a button after the purchase is made. Sometimes you verify a purchase by scanning an image of the receipt into the app. 

As for the gasoline purchases, I've found that sometimes it is more cost efficient to purchase my gas from a station that offers a lower price per gallon overall, but sometimes a gas station partnered with Upside is more convenient while I'm traveling. I have only redeemed savings at restaurants a handful of times through Upside, although if you frequent the restaurants that are partners, it would be prudent to sign up and earn that cashback!

Where I found this app to be the most beneficial was when we were driving across the country for work and we used a company gas card to pay for fuel... as long as the fleet card has all the pertinent information you need to enter in your digital wallet, you can make a small amount of cash on the side driving for work and filling up the gas tank with the company card... your employer is paying the same amount for gas regardless, but you can make as much as $0.20 per gallon each time you fill up your work vehicle. A few months after we had started using a company fleet card in the Upside app, one of our bosses mentioned it to us, as if he was sharing a secret hack with us... little did he know we were already using this trick to make some extra cash!

Like the other apps, Upside is available for both android phones through the Google Play Store, or the Apple App Store for I-Phones. When you are setting up your account, be sure to use the invite code SHAWNA2532. I'll get a referral bonus, but you're also going to get an extra $0.15/gal cash back for your first Upside redemption, and an extra 10% cash back on your first restaurant or grocery redemption. And once you're an Upside user, you will have your own unique referral code to share with others. 

Rakuten

Rakuten is a shopping app, similar to