Everything We Used to Plan Our Rome Trip (All in One Place)
Affiliate & Educational Disclosures
Affiliate Disclosure
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Educational Disclosure
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Credit card offers, benefits, and eligibility requirements can change at any time. Always review the terms and conditions directly with the card issuer and consider your own financial situation before applying for any financial product.
One of the questions we get asked most is:
"How can your family afford to travel like this?"
The truth is, we don't have a massive travel budget.
Instead, we've learned how to use points and miles to cover many of our biggest travel expenses—especially flights and hotels.
For our trip to Italy, points helped us significantly reduce what we paid to get our family of four to Europe. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on airfare, we redeemed points for our international flights and used hotel points for parts of our stay.
That meant we had more room in our budget for the things that made the trip memorable—fresh pasta in Rome, a cooking class, exploring the Vatican, train rides through Italy, and plenty of gelato along the way.
If you're brand new to points and miles, don't worry. That's exactly why we created Moms Chasing Miles. We believe family travel doesn't have to be reserved for people with huge incomes—it starts with learning how to make the money you're already spending work harder for you.
Below are the exact tools, websites, and resources we personally used to plan our Rome trip.
✈️ Step 1: Find Flights & Hotels
One of the biggest reasons we've been able to travel so much as a family is learning how to use points and miles.
If you're flexible with your travel dates, Roame is one of our favorite tools for searching flights and hotels that can be booked with points.
👉 Find award flights and hotels:
https://roame.travel/?via=momschasingmiles
Use code MCM25 for 25% off your first year.
If you're just getting started, these are the travel rewards cards we recommend most for families looking to travel for less.
👉 See our favorite travel rewards cards:
https://moms-chasing-miles.kit.com/c384508fe9
💺 Step 2: Watch for Flight Deals
One of the easiest ways to save money on travel is by letting the deals come to you.
We subscribe to Thrifty Traveler because they send incredible cash and points deals straight to your inbox.
👉 Check out Thrifty Traveler:
https://thriftytraveler.com/a/momschasingmiles
Use code MCM for $20 off your first year.
🏛️ Step 3: Book Your Activities
The most popular attractions in Rome can sell out weeks in advance, especially during the busy summer season.
Vatican Tickets & Tours
👉 Book here:
https://viator.tpx.gr/zeCySLCe
Golf Cart Tour
One of the best ways to see Rome without walking all day—especially with kids.
👉 Book here:
https://viator.tpx.gr/jDBHW6NZ
Rome with Chef Cooking Class
If we could only recommend one experience in Rome, this would be it.
Learning to make fresh pasta and tiramisu together was one of our favorite memories from the entire trip.
🚆 Step 4: Book Your Train Tickets
Traveling between Italian cities by high-speed train is one of our favorite ways to explore the country.
We booked our Rome-to-Venice train in advance using Omio to compare schedules and prices.
👉 Book train tickets:
https://omio.tpx.gr/KzV4OKbl
📱 Step 5: Set Up Your Phone Before You Fly
Before every international trip, we install an eSIM so we have data as soon as we land.
We've personally used Airalo for years throughout Europe and Asia and highly recommend it.
👉 Get an eSIM:
https://airalo.tpx.gr/QZT4I39f
🧳 Step 6: Stay Organized
Once everything is booked, these are the two free tools we use to keep our trips organized.
TripIt
TripIt automatically organizes your flights, hotels, tours, train tickets, and reservations into one easy-to-follow itinerary.
👉 Organize your trip:
https://www.tripit.com/
Travel Freely
Travel Freely helps us keep track of our travel rewards cards, annual fees, and when we're eligible for our next welcome bonus.
👉 Create your free account:
https://my.travelfreely.com/signup?bref=ajw
Thinking About Getting Started with Points & Miles?
One of the questions we get asked most is, “Which travel rewards cards do you use?”
We’ve put together a page that shares the travel rewards cards we use, along with information to help you understand how different cards can fit different travel goals. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to learn more, it’s a helpful place to continue your research.
→ Explore the Travel Rewards Cards We Use
❤️ We Hope This Helps
We created this page because these are the exact resources we personally use whenever we plan a trip.
Our goal is simple: help more families travel without feeling like they have to spend a fortune to do it.
If these tools help you plan your own Rome adventure, we'd love to hear about it. Tag @moms_chasing_miles so we can follow along!
Affiliate DisclosureSome of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them—at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products, services, and experiences that we personally use or genuinely believe provide value. Thank you for supporting Moms Chasing Miles!
