TravelStories Episode 46: Being a Thrifty Traveler with Kyle Potter
Dec 7, 2024
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Kyle Potter, the editor of Thrifty Traveler, shares insights into the ever-changing world of airfare trends, emphasizing the rising opportunities for premium travel on a budget. He discusses the evolving landscape of award travel and offers a glimpse into future travel predictions for 2025. Kyle also recounts a touching story from his trip to Hanoi, illustrating the magic of human connections while traveling. Plus, he highlights the benefits of Thrifty Traveler Premium, showcasing how it helps savvy travelers snag the best deals.
Kyle Potter discusses the evolving trends in airfare, emphasizing the significance of flexibility in securing great travel deals despite fluctuating prices.
The podcast highlights the challenges within the shifting landscape of award travel, urging travelers to stay informed and adaptable to new opportunities.
Innovative travel tools like 'Flighty' and 'Seats.Aero' are underscored as essential resources that enhance planning and maximize travel efficiency.
Deep dives
Optimizing Travel Itineraries
The discussion begins with an ambitious travel itinerary to Australia that includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, and Christchurch, showcasing the complexities of planning multi-city trips using premium cabin flights. The challenges of securing four seats in first class for a family of four are highlighted, emphasizing the excitement and difficulty of achieving such travel goals. The importance of planning in advance, especially while maximizing loyalty program benefits through upgrades and lounge access, is underscored. The episode reflects a blend of humor and practicality in travel planning, reminding travelers to remain flexible and open to various routes and methods.
Understanding Airfare Trends
The podcast delves into the phenomenon termed the 'September cliff,' discussing the notable drop in TSA passenger volume and what it implies for airfare trends. Despite some fluctuations in demand, the conversation reveals that overall travel numbers have rebounded, suggesting that the industry is experiencing continued growth. It is emphasized that while some airfares are high compared to pre-pandemic levels, there still exist incredible deals for savvy travelers who are willing to be flexible. The emergence of cheaper transatlantic fares also points to the variability in pricing, encouraging listeners to explore different options and remain vigilant in their searches.
Shifts in Award Travel Landscape
A significant topic of discussion is the changing dynamics of the award travel landscape, where reliable award availability has become increasingly elusive. The hosts lament the loss of once-valuable routes and availability for booking premium seats at low mileages, noting that many dependable options have become scarce. However, they highlight that adjustments in airline loyalty programs have also introduced new opportunities for travelers to explore, stressing the importance of adaptability. The conversation serves as a reminder that while the award environment is shifting, there are still pathways to rewarding travel experiences if one remains informed and proactive.
The Impact of Influencer Culture
The podcast acknowledges the rising influence of social media figures in the travel space and discusses the effects on the miles and points community. While influencers can generate widespread interest, the hosts point out that this often leads to an oversimplification of the more complex aspects of award travel management. The conversation suggests that this phenomenon may dilute the depth of knowledge shared in the community, favoring viral trends over detailed insights. Despite the presence of such influencers, the hosts encourage listeners to seek out thorough resources and advice to navigate the intricacies of travel rewards successfully.
Tools for Travel Planning
Listeners are introduced to innovative tools that can enhance travel planning, with a particular spotlight on the app 'Flighty' for real-time flight notifications. The benefits of utilizing such tools for alerts on delays and diversions are discussed, emphasizing their role in enabling travelers to stay ahead of changes. The episode also mentions the increasing popularity of 'Seats.Aero' as a vital resource for finding award availability, highlighting its effectiveness in pinpointing premium cabin seats. Coupled with Thrifty Traveler's alert service, which finds and notifies users of flight deals, these tools are deemed indispensable for any serious traveler looking to optimize their journey.
The travel space is constantly evolving, and the way in which airlines handle rewards systems is no different. Today on Travel Stories, we are joined by Thrifty Traveler editor Kyle Potter to discuss the miles and points game, airfare trends, and becoming a premium Thrifty Traveler. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Kyle’s career, the air revenue trends Kyle has noticed, what’s happening in travel awards, and more! We delve into the world of miles and points as Kyle shares his perspective on the trends before discussing why travelers playing this game can be optimistic about future benefits. He even shares a story from his trip to Hanoi, discusses his 2025 travel predictions, and talks about great travel tools. Finally, our guest tells us about Thrifty Traveler Premium and the benefits of this service. Thanks for listening!
Key Points From This Episode:
[02:36] A warm introduction to today’s guest, Kyle Potter.
[05:35] What Kyle is seeing in airfare trends today.
[12:48] The changes that are happening in the award travel spaces.
[18:27] A reminder that the world of miles and points travelers is really small.
[25:45] What Kyle thinks is causing trends from reward perspectives.
[29:24] The optimistic side of how airlines react to miles and points ‘millionaires’.
[33:07] Kyle shares a memorable travel story from his trip to Hanoi.
[39:45] What Kyle sees happening in travel in 2025 and his opinion on change fees.
[44:48] The award tools that Kyle thinks are good and why he prefers manual search.
[50:00] Kyle talks about Thrifty Traveler Premium, what they offer, and the cost of it.
Quotes:
“Travel can’t grow forever. – Things are going to plateau at some point but they really haven’t yet.” — @kpottermn[7:43]
“I still think we’ve got some good runway here for cheap domestic travel.” — @kpottermn[12:09]
“Many airlines out there have wised up to just how much they’re giving away to people who have points to play with.” — @kpottermn[27:39]
