Miles to Go - Travel Tips, News & Reviews You Can't Afford to Miss!

When I decided to start Miles to Go, it was due in part to years of listening to Dots, Lines & Destinations. It's a podcast run by three friends who frequently come off the rails while digging deep into the world of travel. It's definitely a different show than Miles to Go. But, I've been a guest on their show a number of times and enjoy listening to them on a weekly basis. We recorded a joint show this week, and there's even some bonus content where we get even crazier! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

Many of you have hotel credit cards that award free night certificates, usually on an annual basis when you pay the annual fee. When's the right time to use them, especially when you consider hotel rates are all at crazy low levels? Meanwhile, I've got Leslie Harvey from Trips With Tykes back on the show this week. We're talking about some places to consider if you want to drive to your spring break vacation this year instead of flying. We also touch on the surprise announcement that Disneyland is allowed to reopen. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

As we got a month or so into the pandemic, it became pretty clear that many of us wouldn't be able to get much value from travel credit cards. When you consider how much some of annual fees can be on various cards, it's important to make sure you're getting enough value to keep those cards in your wallet/purse. Who best to discuss the best credit card perks out there? How about a guy who showed up to his first podcast appearance with a ziploc baggie filled with credit cards! Julian Kheel, Senior Finance Editor at CNN joins us this week to take about his favorite credit card perks. We don't get to touch on all of his favorites, so you can read the rest of them here. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

Just about a month ago Hyatt announced that many of their resorts in Latin America would be providing free COVID-19 testing for guests traveling to America after their stay. With the US now requiring a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country, it was a good move by Hyatt. Nick Serati, co-founder of Thrifty Traveler, covers a couple of key areas for us this week. First, he's got a great review of the new Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. Then, he and I break down what it was like to go through the free COVID testing at the resort and to travel back to the US shortly after the new regulations were in place. First-hand experiences like this should help you plan your next trip! You can find Nick on Twitter and Instagram and you can also get a discount on Thrifty Traveler Premium by using the code "THRIFTY". Lastly, I close out the show with some thoughts on recent changes that could be positive news for road warriors. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

This week I'm breaking down a reader question on which credit he should keep and which one he should ditch. And, we'll catch up with Becky Pekora again, this time to talk about a trip to Iceberg Alley. Don't forget, we're giving away a free year of Straight to the Points premium service to two lucky listeners. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

We've got two new topics for you this week and both can make your next dream vacation a whole lot more achievable. Spencer is back with us from Straight to the Points talking about his new premium service. To celebrate the launch, we're giving away a free year of premium service to two lucky listeners. His service is super clutch for finding award inventory for that awesome trip you've been trying to plan. How easy? He'll deliver all the information on how to book right to your inbox (or text). It doesn't get much easier than that! And, if you're a small business owner, we have all the details on the new Brex sign-up offer, where you can earn up to 110,000 points. Those can be transferred to airlines such as JetBlue, Air France/KLM and Emirates for free flights to almost anywhere you can imagine. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

As we look into the crystal ball of travel, there are still clouds. However, the fog is lifting just a bit and we can start to see some really great travel deals on the horizon. I've finally started thinking about travel, just like a lot of other folks. There are some tremendous deals, whether you're spending cash or using miles and points. Summer Hull and Richard Kerr join me this week to talk about some of the trips you should be thinking about booking now before these great opportunities disappear. Whenever Richard is on the show you can be assured he'll be lobbing insults my way and correcting me when I get out of line. Summer is along for the ride as chief referee and the smartest traveler in the room. If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

So much to talk about in travel this week. American Express dropped a whole slew of limited-time statement credits for virtually all their travel cards. Make sure you take advantage of these credits! The UK is instituting a government-supervised quarantine for travelers arriving from 22 high risk countries. Canada is taking it a step further, and mandating quarantine for a minimum of 3 nights in a government-supervised hotel, at $500 a night plus testing costs! American Airlines is cracking down on people who play around a bit with the rules. The US may require a negative COVID-19 test for domestic flights. Hyatt is adding some pretty awesome properties for families. Hawaii is one of a handful of places you can go and enjoy a "resort bubble". If you're wondering what that is, we've got a firsthand experience of what it's like. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway! In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Wyndham partnership with Barclays, Wyndham Rewards has given me 10 awesome prize packs to give away to you guys! 10 lucky listeners will win a year of Wyndham Rewards Diamond status, their top-tier status! Along with a year of Diamond status, you'll also receive 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points, enough to redeem for a free night at thousands of hotels around the world. You can enter here, and stay tuned for ways to earn extra entries in the contest over the coming weeks! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! This week's episode of the Miles to Go is brought to you by the NEW Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Designed with road trippers and road warriors in mind, apply today and you could earn up to 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights at thousands of Hotels by Wyndham around the world. Whether it's the no-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, the $75-annual fee Earner Plus Card or the $95-annual fee Earner Business Card, Wyndham Rewards has a card that's right for you. Plus, with up to 8x points on eligible hotel stays and gas purchases, up to 5x points on marketing, advertising and utilities purchases with the Earner Business Card, and up to 4x points on restaurant and grocery purchases, your next getaway could be closer than you think. Earn like you mean it every day and get to free nights faster with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at wyndhamrewardscreditcard.com. Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

COVID-19 continues to create travel pitfalls for many folks. Summer Hull is an experienced traveler and even she has run into a few curve balls she didn't see coming. She joins us again today to tell you how to avoid travel pitfalls right now. We talk about ski trips, vacation rentals and some tips on how to protect yourself if you're traveling right now. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway! In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Wyndham partnership with Barclays, Wyndham Rewards has given me 10 awesome prize packs to give away to you guys! 10 lucky listeners will win a year of Wyndham Rewards Diamond status, their top-tier status! Along with a year of Diamond status, you'll also receive 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points, enough to redeem for a free night at thousands of hotels around the world. You can enter here, and stay tuned for ways to earn extra entries in the contest over the coming weeks! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! This week's episode of the Miles to Go is brought to you by the NEW Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Designed with road trippers and road warriors in mind, apply today and you could earn up to 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights at thousands of Hotels by Wyndham around the world. Whether it's the no-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, the $75-annual fee Earner Plus Card or the $95-annual fee Earner Business Card, Wyndham Rewards has a card that's right for you. Plus, with up to 8x points on eligible hotel stays and gas purchases, up to 5x points on marketing, advertising and utilities purchases with the Earner Business Card, and up to 4x points on restaurant and grocery purchases, your next getaway could be closer than you think. Earn like you mean it every day and get to free nights faster with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at wyndhamrewardscreditcard.com. Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

Lots of travel news to cover this week, and we've also got some timely tips to make sure you're earning the most miles and points you can, whether you're sitting on the couch or on a beach far away. Jon Nickel-D-Andrea joins us co-host for news this week. The biggest travel news of the week was the US announcing that all passengers arriving on an international flight will be required present a negative test result for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of their flight to the US. That's definitely going to mess with some travel plans. Marriott has announced some changes that will help folks qualify for elite status in 2021. Alaska Airlines has announced they're adding another elite tier for loyal customers who accrue 100,000 miles per year with the airline. American Express has new bonus categories for cardmembers to help offset those painful annual fees. And, Mike LaRosa from Coworkaholic joins us to talk about some ways to earn miles and points you might be missing out on. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway! In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Wyndham partnership with Barclays, Wyndham Rewards has given me 10 awesome prize packs to give away to you guys! 10 lucky listeners will win a year of Wyndham Rewards Diamond status, their top-tier status! Along with a year of Diamond status, you'll also receive 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points, enough to redeem for a free night at thousands of hotels around the world. You can enter here, and stay tuned for ways to earn extra entries in the contest over the coming weeks! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! This week's episode of the Miles to Go is brought to you by the NEW Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Designed with road trippers and road warriors in mind, apply today and you could earn up to 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights at thousands of Hotels by Wyndham around the world. Whether it's the no-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, the $75-annual fee Earner Plus Card or the $95-annual fee Earner Business Card, Wyndham Rewards has a card that's right for you. Plus, with up to 8x points on eligible hotel stays and gas purchases, up to 5x points on marketing, advertising and utilities purchases with the Earner Business Card, and up to 4x points on restaurant and grocery purchases, your next getaway could be closer than you think. Earn like you mean it every day and get to free nights faster with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at wyndhamrewardscreditcard.com. Hope you enjoy the show! If you have a suggestion for a future show find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and let me know what you'd like to hear about!