2024 in Review: Points Wins, Mistakes, and 2025 Goals
Jan 1, 2025
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Reflecting on a year filled with travel victories, the hosts highlight their favorite trips and the biggest lessons learned from points management mishaps. As they set ambitious goals for 2025, including Hyatt Globalist status and more business class travels, they predict exciting trends like better award pricing and increased trips to Thailand, especially with new seasons of popular shows stirring up interest. Tune in for strategies, resolutions, and a light-hearted take on the ever-growing travel bucket list!
Reflecting on their 2024 resolutions, Bryce and Travis acknowledge the difficulty of achieving travel goals while managing changing family dynamics and card fees.
They emphasize the importance of timely planning and booking, highlighting how hesitation can lead to missed award flight opportunities.
Looking ahead to 2025, they share bold predictions regarding improved award pricing and the rising popularity of Thailand as a travel destination.
Deep dives
New Year's Resolutions and Reflections
The discussion revolves around setting New Year's resolutions for points and miles travel, reflecting on past year's accomplishments, mistakes, and learning experiences. Both speakers express their mixed success with previous resolutions, highlighting the challenge of managing annual fees and travel strategies tailored to family dynamics. One key observation is how the more one travels, the longer the travel bucket list grows, making it difficult to feel a sense of completion. They encourage listeners to share their own points and miles resolutions for the coming year, emphasizing the importance of community in achieving travel goals.
Learning from Mistakes
Both speakers candidly share their biggest mistakes from the past year, focusing on the tendency to overthink decisions regarding card openings and travel bookings. Travis recalls missing out on a great opportunity to book award flights to Antarctica due to analysis paralysis. They also discuss the importance of timely planning and booking to take advantage of award availability, noting how hesitation led to missed chances. This exchange underscores the learning experience derived from mistakes and emphasizes a proactive approach to future resolutions.
Shifts in Travel Strategies
As families grow, travel strategies must adapt, which is a common theme in the conversation. One speaker discusses how their family's larger size has affected their travel plans and card utilization, noting a shift towards more family-friendly options. The challenges of finding accommodations that fit a family of five while still maximizing rewards is recognized, leading to pruning of less valuable cards. This shift exemplifies how personal circumstances significantly impact travel choices and point strategies, emphasizing the need for flexibility.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The speakers outline their travel plans and goals for 2025, with one heading to the Seychelles and the other venturing to Italy and Japan. They discuss strategies for maximizing points utilization while keeping an eye on emerging destinations and value-driven bookings. Awareness of how transfer bonuses and loyalty programs can significantly affect upcoming travels is highlighted alongside practical examples of booking strategies. This forward-looking perspective fosters excitement about maintaining an active and engaging travel lifestyle amidst evolving options.
Predictions for Points and Miles
Bold predictions for the coming year are shared, focusing on expected trends in award pricing and travel preferences influenced by popular culture. The speakers speculate that changes in airline award products, potentially sparked by competitive dynamics between airlines, could improve award pricing between North America and Europe. Additionally, there's a playful anticipation for the rise of Thailand as a top travel destination following its cultural representation in media. These insights reflect their keen observation of how external factors can shape travel habits and the market.
It's officially 2025, and in this episode Bryce and Travis are sharing their points and miles reflections, accomplishments, and resolutions for the New Year!
Bryce and Travis start by discussing their major highlights from 2024, including some fantastic trips and notable points wins. They also each share their biggest learnings and mistakes over the past year and what they would have done differently.
Looking ahead, Bryce and Travis outline their 2025 points and miles goals, from achieving Hyatt Globalist status to potentially pursuing more business class bookings. They also share predictions for industry trends in 2025, speculating about better award pricing between North America and Europe and increased travel to Thailand with the impending release of White Lotus Season 3.
Start the year off right and tune into this episode packed with valuable lessons and insightful forecasts for what's to come in 2025!
In this episode: 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:55 Housekeeping and Updates 01:36 Reflecting on 2024 Resolutions 04:12 Card Portfolio Adjustments 12:09 Travel Highlights of 2024 15:33 Biggest Mistakes of 2024 20:59 Lessons Learned and 2025 Resolutions 29:43 Unconventional Resolutions and Final Thoughts 35:57 Engage with Us: Share Your Resolutions 36:37 New Card Strategy for 2025 37:28 Travel Habits and Points Strategy 40:54 Upcoming Travel Plans for 2025 41:11 Travis' Travel Plans for 2025 49:11 Bryce's Travel Plans for 2025 55:23 Predictions for Points and Miles in 2025 01:05:33 Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Ahead 01:06:22 Join 10xTravel+ for Exclusive Benefits
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