In this captivating discussion, Ryan Smith, a seasoned travel writer who has visited every country, shares his insights on the world of travel and points. He recounts his exhilarating first experience flying business class and dives into the allure of South America, sharing invaluable tips for savvy travelers. Ryan reflects on unique cultural encounters from his adventures in Nigeria and Bhutan, emphasizing the importance of understanding diverse cultures. The conversation also tackles major shifts in the airline industry, providing an intriguing look into the future of travel.

Dia Adams, a freelance travel advisor, dives into the wild world of loyalty programs and travel points. She shares her pet peeves about inconsistent bank rewards and the fallout from Google altering content visibility. The discussion heats up with takes on the Alaska-Hawaiian merger and surprising airline redemption tales. Listeners will appreciate her insights into Hotels.com’s One Key program and the quirky but valuable travel miracles from the past year, all wrapped in a lighthearted Festivus spirit!

Tom and Trevor delve into their Thanksgiving travels across Europe, sharing delightful anecdotes from Budapest and Vienna. They highlight the enchanting Christmas markets and the luxurious atmospheres of the Park Hyatt and Párisi Udvar. The duo navigates the challenges of family travel during the holidays, sharing laughs about flight mishaps and cultural quirks like European tipping. Their experiences encapsulate the joy and chaos of holiday globetrotting, leaving listeners inspired for their own adventures.

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.

Dive into the changing world of airline travel, with Delta's drastic changes in first-class sales creating new strategies for frequent flyers. Discover how co-branded credit cards can complicate loyalty and the diminishing value of elite status. Learn to rethink your travel approach, focusing on flexibility and actual needs rather than chasing elusive rewards. Lastly, explore the power of community in optimizing travel experiences, making informed decisions, and maximizing your mileage.

Episode 45: Show Notes. We’re always looking to try new things, but our recent trip to Colombia and Spain unlocked new levels of exploring the unknown! We centered the trip around 1 single itinerary, and didn’t have our flights home until more than halfway through the trip. Our exploration of two cities begins in the one with higher altitude than we’re used to: Bogotá, Colombia, and we explain how we devised our itinerary and why we insisted on flying LATAM. We assess the Priority Pass restaurant options at Houston Airport, how Bogotá welcomed us (and especially Thomas!) with a feast of local delights, what hotel hopping is like in Colombia, the attractions and activities of Colombia’s sprawling capital, and the exercise one can get traversing the El Dorado airport lounge. Then, we unpack everything that happened on our flight to our second destination, Madrid, with a brief interlude to the recent spate of airline alliance dissolutions. We discuss our first experience of AC Hotels by Marriot, how exploring new areas in Madrid led to a wonderful steak dinner for Trevor’s birthday, why we changed flights multiple times and what these changes cost, and why many hotels are choosing to consistently shuffle their inventories. To end, we detail the trip home via Germany on Lufthansa First Class, why Lufthansa’s onboard lavatory system always leaves us scratching our heads, the joys of Global Entry’s Mobile App, and an important event to look forward to on the 9th of December, 2024.  Key Points From This Episode: [0:00:57] A tale of two cities and a diversity of altitudes. [0:01:41] No holiday left behind.  [0:02:49] How we devised our itinerary for Columbia, and why we insisted on flying LATAM.  [0:05:43] From Bogotá to Madrid, and every other flight in between.  [0:10:34] The Priority Pass restaurants that we visited at the Houston airport before departure. [0:15:16] Arriving in Bogotá, the Grand Hyatt, and a feast of local delights.  [0:19:36] Hotel hopping in South America, and our experience of the JW Marriot. [0:25:09] The Salt Cathedral, Monserrate Hill, and other attractions and activities in Bogotá.  [0:36:28] Why we loved the El Dorado lounge and everything from our flight to Madrid. [0:42:21] How airlines divorce themselves from their alliances.  [0:43:43] Landing in Madrid and trying something different – the Hyatt Madrid Residences.  [0:48:00] Exploring new areas of Madrid, and Trevor’s delightful steakhouse birthday dinner.  [0:51:14] A new hotel brand experience: AC Hotels by Marriot. [0:55:48] Discussing the modern shuffle of hotel inventories.  [0:59:30] The many flight changes from our trip and what they cost.  [1:01:44] Luxury remote stand experiences, Lufthansa First Class, and friendly faces abroad. [1:06:02] Unpacking Lufthansa’s lavatory system and unmatched onboard service  [1:13:30] Why we hope for the return of mobile lounges, and the joys of the DFW Mobile App. [1:22:10] What you can look forward to on the 9th of December in Arlington, Virginia.  Quotes: “[Bogotá] reminded me my of first trip to Bangkok and having pomelo; rose apple, and all these tropical fruits that you don’t find here in North America — that’s part of the joy of traveling; going to other environments; other places and being able to experience the local product.” — @TKtweetsKim [0:18:30] “For better or for worse, I feel like Bogotá is a city of ‘glad I did it once and checked the box.’” — @tmount [0:29:17] “LATAM, for the price of the ticket, I felt like we got very good value, but I don’t see that as a ‘go out of my way to do.’” — @tmount [0:41:10] “The thing that insulates us is we do have this miles and points hobby that helps quite a lot – we can at least utilize other currencies other than dollars or euros to help shoulder some of the burden of that financial cost.” — @TKtweetsKim[0:54:30] “Sometimes, you’ve just got to accept [paying more to change flights] to get the experiences you want.” — @tmount [1:01:37] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: LATAM Airlines  Priority Pass  Emirates   Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar  Landry’s Seafood  United Club  Grand Hyatt  JW Marriott Hotel  Monserrate Hill  El Dorado Lounge  SAS Star Alliance  Qatar  Hyatt Regency Madrid Residences  AC Hotels by Marriot   José Andrés  Lufthansa  DFW’s Mobile App  Coles Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X

Episode 44: Show Notes. Lufthansa’s First Class is revered as one of the more aspirational airline products to flight; Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal (FCT) is among the top 3 airline lounge experiences, and Trevor and Thomas both agree. Miles and Points expert and writer JT Genter joins us to share about himself, and to discuss his first Lufthansa First Class experience. JT and his wife, Katie, are digital nomads, and our conversation begins with a brief look at their recent jam-packed travel schedule. After JT details his approach to living as a digital nomad, he offers some advice, recommendations, and strategies for life on the road. JT's retelling of his LH F experience begins with how he met Trevor at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, before moving on to his arrival and overall impressions of the Lufthansa FCT. He then describes how he felt about the food, drinks, and service aboard Lufthansa’s Retro livery, and why he can’t wait for his next LH F experience. Somewhere in between, we discuss the degradation of travel apps like ExpertFlyer and why this loss of value is a common industry trend, and to end, JT describes his roles and responsibilities as a travel blogger and as the Editor-In-Chief at AwardWallet, and how he would fix common industry pain points to give miles and points a better future.  Key Points From This Episode: [01:20] JT Genter details his professional history and how he entered travel.  [04:03] A quick look at his recent (and extensive!) travel log.   [05:26] JT’s approach to living as a digital nomad.  [10:03] His experience of traveling to Calala Island, and where Hyatt and Hilton fit in.  [11:05] JT’s advice and recommendations for life as a digital nomad.  [14:42] How Trevor and JT ran into each other in Germany.    [17:02] JT’s first-ever Lufthansa First Class (drinking game trigger word!) experience. [20:50] Why many flight apps like ExpertFlyer are rapidly decreasing in value.   [25:18] Getting back to JT’s first-class experience as he walks us through his airport arrival.   [26:57] His thoughts on the lounge in Frankfurt. [33:25] Lufthansa’s unique first-class terminal adventure.  [36:30] Unpacking JT’s in-flight experience aboard Lufthansa’s Retro livery.   [39:40] How he felt about the food, drinks, and onboard service.   [43:18] His final thoughts on flying Lufthansa First Class for the first time.  [44:33] Shifting gears as JT explains his role and responsibilities at AwardWallet.  [45:42] Our guest shares his perspective on the future of miles and points, with some suggestions for fixing common industry pain points.  [53:02] How to connect with JT.  Quotes: “It’s now been seven years [that] we’ve been full-time digital nomads. – We want to slow down, but we’re not anywhere close to settling down.” — @JTGenter [03:51] “The crew was very welcoming once we got on board. We had an incredible crew, probably some of the nicest flight attendants we’ve ever had, which seems to be par for the course with Lufthansa.” — @JTGenter [37:25] “The whole Park Hyatt motto of ‘luxury is personal’ is so true. Not one size fits all.” — @JTGenter [39:04] “I can’t wait to [fly Lufthansa First Class] again!” — @JTGenter [43:27] Longer Quotes: “The people who are writing about points and miles choose not to write about [the best travel hacks] because they don’t want to kill it off, or they don’t go through the experience themselves. There are a lot of people in the miles and points community who write about it but don’t really live it.” — @JTGenter [47:32] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: JT Genter JT Genter on X JT Genter on LinkedIn JT Genter on Instagram  JT Genter on Threads  Katie Genter on X  Adventures of JT and Katie  JT and Katie's Travel Schedule AwardWallet  Lufthansa  ZorkFest  Calala Island Hyatt Hilton ExpertFlyer  SeatGuru AeroLOPA  Chicago Seminars  AwardHacker  ITA Matrix  Seats.aero  EasyPASS  Park Hyatt Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X

As summer bids farewell, the hosts share their travel tales, including an adventurous Carnival cruise and a subpar experience at Cap Cana. Thomas reveals why he chose Carnival over his usual Royal Caribbean, delicious dining options aboard, and the challenges of cruising—like getting seasick! Trevor reflects on declining service at the resort, hinting he may not return. They also discuss insights from a major travel seminar, offering tips for maximizing both fun and value in future travels.

0:22 Q4 5x Bonus Categories Chase Freedom: PayPal, Pet Stores, McDonalds Discover: Amazon, Target Don’t Forget: BofA Cash Rewards, US Bank Cash+ 03:19 JetBlue News Lounges coming to JFK and BOS late 2025 Premium credit card (from Barclays, ha!) coming “soon” that enables lounge access Markets themselves as having “The East Coast’s Best Leisure Network” 07:34 Southwest News (link) New seating options.  Assigned seats (80% want then) More space seats (why?) Less space seats Free bags to continue Cattle call to continue  International partners. Iceland air first up Vacation packages 11:36 Alaska/Hawaiian News Direct Link These guys are moving swiftly Hawaiian <-> Alaska point transfers now live Link accounts/status matching between programs in 2024 Combined single loyalty program in 2025 Hawaiian set to join OneWorld some time 2026 15:06 Chase UR 30% Transfer Bonus to Avios British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus Expires 10/31/2024 19:34 Delta: More Routes to Europe in Summer 2025 OMAAT Boston to Milan Minneapolis to Rome Atlanta to Naples Detroit to Dublin Boston to Barcelona Atlanta to Brussels New York to Catania Also: Delta cancels JFK-Munich route after one season

Episode 42: Show Notes We Welcome Richrd Kerr, VP of Travel at Bilt Rewards. Richard is a miles, points, and travel enthusiast whose vast experience has led him to lead a prominent facebook group (now Award Travel 101), write for The Points Guy, and ultimately to Bilt Rewards – the loyalty program for where you live. Richard is kind enough to share about Bilt; its some of its metrics; its unique value proposition. Richard carefully dissects common public misconceptions about miles and points. We discuss devaluations, the technological evolution of miles and points and the rise of social media, how Bilt members earn and redeem points, and what the industry looks like five years after the COVID disruption. Richard also shares details about his favorite family trips, how he and his wife homeschool their kids while on vacation, an unforgettable Aman Resort experience, and the eyewatering price of modern hotels. To end, our guest gives us his view of the future of miles and points as he shares helpful advice for finding big savings and great-value deals, and we discuss why Summer travel has been more chaotic than usual in 2024.  Key Points From This Episode: [00:00] Welcoming Richard Kerr as he relives an incredible family trip with his wife and son. [06:23] The ins and outs of Bilt Rewards and its unique value proposition.  [12:05] Bilt’s metrics and data points that help give insight on how the company operates.  [16:12] How the company’s airline, hotel, and other partners share their data with Bilt.  [19:50] Richard debunks common miles and points misconceptions.  [22:55] Unpacking points devaluations and in particular, having Alaska as a partner.  [26:18] The technological evolution of miles and points, and the role of social media.  [31:15] How Bilt’s members redeem their points. [33:41] Assessing the state of the industry five years after COVID.  [36:57] The ridiculous price of modern hotels.  [39:53] Richard’s predictions of the immediate future of miles and points.   [42:56] He and his wife’s Aman Resort experience.  [50:41] Their trip to Europe, and how they incorporate homeschooling in their travels.  [55:20] Why travel seems more chaotic than usual this Summer.  [57:42] Richard’s tips and tricks for big savings and great-value deals.  Quotes: “Our pitch [for Bilt] from the beginning was, ‘Look, this is not the standard. You can’t throw what you’ve always done before; you can’t use the same playbook; you’ve got to do something different to get our members interested.’” — @KerrPoints [0:08:50] “We’re literally spreading the wealth elsewhere so that the vast majority of our members can win, not just die-hard points and miles people. And I get it, it’s not a message that die-hard points and mile people want to hear, but we’re still doing really cool stuff [for them].” — @KerrPoints [0:15:09] “A loyalty program—as I have learned over the last three years—is as much of an art as it is a science.” — @KerrPoints [0:16:12] “There’s nobody writing anymore, because the next generation of folks, 10 years later, has come into Instagram and TikTok, and that’s where they think they’re going to make money.” — @KerrPoints [0:28:27]  “I’ve been commuting from Atlanta to New York for five years now so I knew what hotels cost. What I’ve seen in 2024 for hotel rates in New York City is just mind-boggling. I cannot comprehend who these people are who are paying for these hotels.” — @KerrPoints [0:37:22] “To everybody who’s followed my story; followed me; wished me well; were supporters when I was in the Facebook days; at The Points Guy read my stuff, I really appreciate it, and it’s just led to this dream job that I’ve somehow landed in.” — @KerrPoints [1:02:25] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Richard Kerr on LinkedIn Richard Kerr on Instagram Richard Kerr on X  Bilt  Bilt on YouTube The Points Guy  Etihad Airways  David Canty on LinkedIn Chase Ultimate Rewards  Alaska Airlines  Hyatt Grand Central New York  Aman Resorts   Spirit Frontier  United Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X  The Milenomics Podcast Network