by Ian Lesnick (West Hollow)
This past summer, I went on a cruise from Vancouver up to Alaska. It was my first time on a cruise, my first time in Canada (on Canada Day, nonetheless), and my first time using the National Education Association’s Member Benefits (NEAMB) Travel Benefits program.
I promise you: this isn’t an advertisement. NEAMB doesn’t even know I’m writing this, and I get no kickback. I’m writing this because using NEAMB Travel Benefits to plan our summer vacation was easy and helped my partner and I find the cheapest option while still enjoying an amazing trip.
We like to travel often, so finding the best deals is important to us. We are those types of travelers who have a dozen different sites open trying to find the cheapest, though most practical, option. We probably spend more time researching our travel options than actually traveling.
So, when I first heard about NEAMB Travel Benefits through a virtual presentation on one of our district’s conference days last year, I was intrigued – another tab to open up and cross-reference.
When you first sign up for an NEAMB account (neamb.com), you’ll actually see that there are many more benefits available to you: Retirement Planning, Insurance Options, Shopping Discounts, and more! I can’t personally speak to those, so feel free to explore and share! It can definitely be a bit overwhelming, so take your time with it and take a look at all the options you have. Or – give them a call and they can explain it all to you! Once you’re logged in, click on “Benefits and Discounts” and then “Travel.”
Whether you’re looking to book a hotel, resort or a cruise, rent a car or find a guided tour, or a cheaper flight to get you there, you can do it all from NEAMB Travel Benefits’ page.
Not only do you get a pretty good discount on these options, the portal also has a “Travel Dollars” point system. The more you use the portal, the more “Travel Dollars” you get, including $500 just for creating an account! My favorite part? To keep you coming back, they will have offers, including anniversary bonuses, where they give you more travel dollars for essentially doing nothing. Just give a call and they will add in more and more savings to your account!
We wound up saving hundreds of dollars just by booking directly on the NEAMB portal. When there was an issue, I gave a call to customer service and had everything settled seamlessly.
If you are ready to see how NEAMB can open you and your family up to more and more destinations across the world, you can sign up yourself for NEAMB Travel Benefits at neamb.com and see how far, literally, your union benefits can take you!
I’m not sure where we’ll be traveling next, but I do know that our first stop will be the NEAMB Travel Portal.
Go book that trip – you deserve it!