There’s something magical about a road trip. The kind of trip where you don’t need boarding passes, TSA lines, or even much of a plan. Just you, a rental car, a playlist, and the open road.
This is the story of how my trip from Chicago to Nashville took a sharp left turn into chaos, how I ended up staring down the barrel of a $600 Super 8 by Wyndham, and how a stash of hotel points saved the day (even if they couldn’t save me from a morning without coffee).
I’ve always loved the freedom of road trips. The sense that you can pull off for a quirky roadside attraction, take the long way through rolling hills, gas station snacks, or just keep driving until the skyline of a city appears in the distance. But as much as road trips are about spontaneity, they also carry a truth that seasoned travelers know: sooner or later, something will go wrong.
Flat tires, wrong turns, bad weather, or in my case, a rental car that decided it had lived a full life and was ready to quit.
When the Rental Car Quit
It was late at night, that tricky part of a road trip where excitement starts to fade and fatigue begins to creep in. I had been driving for hours, the highway illuminated only by my headlights and the occasional pair of taillights far ahead.
Then it happened.
A noise. Not just any noise, but one of those noises that immediately makes your stomach drop. A grinding, wheezing sound — like someone had filled the engine with marbles.
The dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. First one warning light, then another, until I was half-expecting to see “ABANDON HOPE” scroll across the screen. Within minutes, the car started coughing and sputtering. Not trying to get stuck by the side of the road, I pulled into this abandoned weigh station, which is lit up like a car dealership lot.
There I was: stranded on the side of a Kentucky highway, middle of nowhere, and not a mechanic in sight.
AAA: My Midnight Hero
In moments like this, I thank past-me for paying for the AAA membership. Because let me tell you: when you’re stuck at midnight in the middle of nowhere, having someone to call makes all the difference.
AAA dispatched a tow truck, and within 15 minutes I was riding shotgun while my lifeless rental car was strapped to the back. The driver and I made small talk while classic rock (or was it metal?) played on the radio. He asked where I was headed, and when I said Louisville for the night, he just chuckled.
“Hope you’ve got a room booked already. Big concert weekend. Place is packed.”
The Louisville Hotel Search from Hell
I hadn’t booked a room in advance. I wasn’t planning to stay anyway. Normally, that’s not a problem — one of the joys of road trips is keeping things flexible. But as soon as I pulled out my phone and started searching, I realized the driver wasn’t kidding.
Every hotel: Sold Out!
Scrolling through apps at 1 a.m. while exhausted is bad enough. Scrolling while realizing an entire city is fully booked? That’s next-level despair. My eyes were burning as I swiped through page after page of unavailable hotels. I tried Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt — nothing. Even the quirky boutique hotels were at capacity.
Finally, one listing popped up like a beacon in the dark. A Super 8 by Wyndham. Not exactly the dream, but beggars can’t be choosers.
And then I saw the price.
The $600 Super 8
$545 plus taxes.
For a single night at a Super 8 by Wyndham.
I blinked, thinking maybe it was a mistake. Refreshed the page. Same number.
Hotels were scarce, and the last remaining room in the city had become a “luxury” commodity overnight. My options were simple: pay $600 for a budget motel or… what? Sleep in the tow truck? Sleep in the broken car? Curl up in the corner of a Waffle House?
I’ll be honest: I laughed. Not the good kind of laugh. The tired, slightly delirious laugh of someone realizing that demand pricing doesn’t care about your dignity.
But then, in the haze of exhaustion, I remembered something important: points.
Points to the Rescue
I opened the Wyndham app, fingers crossed. Maybe, just maybe, there’d be an option.
And there it was: the same Super 8, available for a flat 15,000 Wyndham points.
Cash price: $600.
Points price: 15,000.
I didn’t even hesitate. Booked instantly.
Walking into that Super 8 by Wyndham, I felt like I had just pulled off the heist of the century.
The room itself? Surprisingly clean. Fresh sheets, no suspicious stains, and just quiet to let me collapse into sleep.
For a budget motel, it was… honestly kind of nice.
Morning Without Coffee
The next morning, though, I discovered the one tragic flaw in my logic: no coffee.
Not “bad coffee.” Not “lukewarm lobby coffee.” Literally none.
Wandered downstairs to the breakfast area. No carafe in the lobby. Asked the desk clerk, who shook her head apologetically. Checked the coffee machine, tried to open it for exactly 5 seconds, and declared I have no idea to open this and therefore no coffee!
I was stunned. Super 8 had rebranded itself with cleaner rooms and slightly better branding, but apparently, coffee hadn’t made the cut at this location. An in all this commotion, completely forgot about the in-room coffee maker. Oh well.
So I trudged down the street to Starbucks, where I bought the largest coffee they offered. And you know what? It tasted like victory. Because I was drinking it with the $600 I hadn’t just spent on that motel room.
The Points Math
Here’s where my inner points nerd comes out.
According to NerdWallet’s valuation, Wyndham points are generally worth about 1 cent per point. That means 15,000 points should be worth around $150 in cash value.
But in this case?
- Cash price: $600
- Points price: 15,000
- Value: 4 cents per point
That’s quadruple the normal value. In points-and-miles lingo, this was a unicorn redemption.
And that’s the beauty of points. Sometimes they’re just okay — saving you a little cash here and there. But other times, they swoop in and save you from a financial disaster.
Why I Always Keep an Emergency Stash
This experience taught me something: points aren’t just for aspirational redemptions.
Yes, it’s fun to use them for fancy resorts, luxury flights, or bucket-list vacations. But sometimes the most valuable use of points is in emergencies. When plans fall apart, when prices skyrocket, when you’re stranded in a festival city at 1 a.m. with no other options — that’s when points shine.
Had I blown all my points on a random “treat yourself” weekend earlier in the year, I would’ve been stuck paying $600 for a Super 8. Instead, I got a clean bed for free and the satisfaction of knowing my years of collecting and hoarding points weren’t for nothing.
Lessons for Fellow Travelers
If there’s one takeaway from my $600 Super 8 (mis-)adventure, it’s this: always keep a stash of points and diversify.
A few practical tips:
- Diversify your stash. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Wyndham saved me this time, but next time it might be Marriott or Hyatt.
- Don’t obsess over valuations. Yes, points have “average values,” but the real value is what they save you when you need them most.
- Treat points as a safety net. Aspirational redemptions are fun, but practical redemptions are often lifesavers.
- Stay flexible. A fixed 15K redemption at Wyndham might not sound exciting, but when cash rates explode, it’s gold.
Why No Coffee doesn’t really matter
I know I keep harping on the coffee thing, but for me, it’s symbolic. That morning walk to Starbucks reminded me of something: travel is never perfect. Even when points save the day, even when you pull off a 4 cents-per-point redemption, there’s always something that doesn’t go according to plan (because your coffee and sleep starved brain doesn’t think clearly)
But that’s okay – that’s part of what makes these stories worth telling.
Bonus points? The hotel is really close to the airport. Louisville is a UPS hub, so you can watch big widebodies land every 5 minutes from the parking lot. I spotted 757-200F, 767-300F, MD-11F, and even a 747-8F.
Would I Do It Again?
Absolutely, yes!
If I had to relive that night, I’d book the Super 8 on points every time. Not because it was luxurious, not because it had amazing amenities (clearly not), but because it turned a potentially expensive nightmare into just another funny travel story.
When I look back on that trip now, I don’t remember the stress of the breakdown or the despair of seeing “Sold Out” on every hotel app. I remember laughing at the absurdity of a $600 Super 8, the relief of booking it for free, and sipping Starbucks coffee with the smug satisfaction of a points nerd who knows they won.
Final Thoughts
Road trips are unpredictable. Cars break down. Cities sell out. Hotels charge laughable prices. But that unpredictability is exactly why I travel with a safety net of points.
This time, 15,000 Wyndham points saved me from paying $600 for a budget motel. That’s a story I’ll laugh about for years — even if I’ll also never forget that a Super 8 once left me without coffee.
So here’s my advice: keep your points close, your AAA card closer, and maybe toss some instant coffee in your glove box just in case.
Because you never know when you’ll find yourself stranded at midnight, staring at a $600 Super 8, and thanking your past self for being just prepared enough.
