40,154 Southwest points + $310.60= Trip for 4 to Portland, Oregon

Trip Reports, ,

Portland Oregon

Kim, Lucas, Theo & I recently got back from a quick trip to Portland, Oregon.

While we only had a few days there, it was still a really fun visit and the first time we all stepped foot in the state of Oregon. The trip was also Theo’s first time flying on a plane! (Lots of firsts!)

Here are the details that went into planning our trip to Portland, Oregon.

Why Portland, Oregon?

I chose Portland for a few reasons. First of all, I’ve wanted to visit the city for years and it never seemed to be the right time or we never seemed to have enough time.

While looking over options using my Southwest points, one criteria was to visit a state we haven’t been to before. For the dates we needed, this gave us a few options. Portland stood out due to the times and prices (with points) of the flights.

I’ve also heard for a long time about how great of a food city Portland was. (After visiting, we’d definitely agree!)

Trip Planning:

The Flights:

My Southwest Companion Pass is expiring at the end of the year so I wanted to use more of my points. I needed to purchase two tickets to fly, since Lucas is listed as my companion (companions fly free) and Theo flew as a lap baby.

We flew:

New York (LGA) to Portland (PDX)

  • LGA- STL
  • STL-PDX

The flight cost 12,818 Southwest points + $5.60. If I were paying for the flight, it would’ve cost $214. (Kim and my ticket cost the amount listed above, while all I need to pay for Lucas was the tax since he flew on my companion pass.)

Portland (PDX) to New York (LGA)

  • PDX- MCI
  • MCI- LGA

The flight came to 7,259 Southwest points + $5.60. I we paid for the flight, it would’ve cost $131. (Like I mentioned earlier, Kim and my ticket cost the amount listed above, while all I need to pay for Lucas was the tax again.)

Total costs of our flights: 40,154 Southwest points + $33.60.

Hotel/ Accommodations:

We had a difficult time figuring out where to stay during our visit. From what I had read, the best option was to stay downtown. I checked out all of my options with points and wasn’t really thrilled with what I found. The bottom line is that hotels in Portland are expensive!

While looking around online, I found an option in a very good location for a reasonable price.

The AAE Portland Downtowner first appeared to be a hostel but upon further inspection, I saw that it was more so, a motel. (It turns out that the property has one dorm room which is why it comes up in searches as a hostel at times.)

The property also has two names. Besides coming up in searches as the AAE Portland Downtowner, it is also known as the Downtown Value Inn. The reviews were mixed but the location and price seemed right so we took a chance and it worked out fine.

The Cost: Our first night cost $99 and the other two went for $89 per night.

Total Cost: Our three night stay came to $277.00.

Total Trip Costs: 40,154 Southwest points + $310.60.

Overall, this was definitely a reasonable price to pay for our visit. I could’ve stayed 9-10 miles away from downtown Portland at a hotel with points but then we would’ve needed a rental car. We also read that parking was pretty bad and pricey around the area.

Have you visited Portland, Oregon?

Other Trip Planning Posts:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *