Milenomics ² Podcast - No Annual Fee Edition

TravelStories Episode 46: Being a Thrifty Traveler with Kyle Potter

Dec 7, 2024

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.

57:41

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Episode guests

Kyle Potter

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Quick takeaways

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.

Intro

4min

Exploring Travel Fare Trends and Exciting Airline Innovations

2min

Navigating the Evolving Travel Landscape

28min

Connecting Through Travel: A Journey to Hanoi

14min

Exploring the Benefits of Thrifty Traveler Premium Services

5min

The Influence of Travel Inspiration on Decisions

2min

Exploring Thrifty Traveler Premium and Personal Travel Experiences

3min

Episode 46: Show Notes.

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]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Kyle Potter on LinkedIn

Kyle Potter on X

Kyle Potter on Instagram

Thrifty Traveler

Seats.aero Flighty

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X