The Thrifty Traveler Podcast

Heading home for the holidays can be expensive, especially this year… but it doesn’t have to be. We’re in the heart of holiday flight booking season, so Gunnar and Kyle give all their best tips for saving on flights on those high-demand holiday season flights. The guys go through when to book your trips (spoiler alert: sooooon), where to target for the best deal, and when to turn to your points and miles to get home for the holidays. Plus, the guys gush about Japan Airlines again, welcome the return of cheap flights to Europe, and revisit Kyle’s Hilton vs. Hyatt take.
Thanks to our sponsor, Monarch! Go to Monarch.com and use code “THRIFTY” to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50!
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Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today.
00:00 - Our points & miles Santa Claus
00:40 - Advice for traveling over the holidays
01:50 - Julius in Malta welcomes us back to the show
02:50 - Something Hot: Hilton’s new card offers
06:30 - Something Hotter: Cheap flights to Europe return!
08:25 - Something Hottest: JAL miles keep getting better!
13:50 - A word form our sponsor: Monarch!
15:00 - What’s the best time to book holiday flights?
18:00 - And what the heck is going on with flight prices?
23:45 - Tips for finding cheaper flights over the holidays
31:50 - Holiday sweet spots: Traveling abroad & biz class
36:40 - Listener Question: Our flight cancellation playbook
41:15 - On the Spot: What’s the ideal Thanksgiving trip?

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
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You’ve earned the points, you’ve booked the trip … but how do you make your travels more enjoyable? On this (perhaps not final?) episode of Starter Kit, the guys walk through the little things you can do to improve your entire trip, from the planning process to booking lodging, rental cars, and trains to making your airport experience easier - and even how to beat jet lag and find activities to do abroad. And in the name of keeping things thrifty, they spill the beans on the best way to cover these extra expenses with points and miles.
Watch us on YouTube!
Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium.
00:00 - Has Kyle achieved travel nirvana?
02:50 - Tools & apps to organize your travel plans
07:50 - Make the airport easier: TSA, lounges & Flighty
20:00 - Lodging tips: Finding the best hotels & vacation rentals
26:05 - Saving on rental cars with Autoslash or Turo
31:00 - How to find other forms of transportation
32:45 - Tips for traveling better on the ground
45:30 - Your final flight plan!
47:00 - Kyle’s final advice to travelers: Get out there!
Volume 5 Flight Plan:
Organize your travel plans with TripIt, Google My Maps, and more, and understand your phone plan or eSim
Streamline your airport experience with TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, Flighty, and other apps and services
Cast a wide net when looking for lodging: Don’t just search Airbnb and Google Hotels - go deeper
Stop overpaying for rental cars: Use tools like Autoslash or Turo for better rates
Use our tips to improve your travels on the ground (and earn Capital One miles to cover them!)
Related Episodes & Links Mentioned:
Ep. 31: Beating Rental Car Companies & Hotel Chains with Autoslash CEO Jonathan Weinberg
Bonus: Why Flighty is Our Favorite Travel App
TripIt — TripIt
Google — Google My Maps · Google Hotels · Google Maps / Street View
Saily — Saily eSIM
Airalo — Airalo eSIM
Thrifty Traveler Premium — Thrifty Traveler Premium Flight Deals (Use promo code START for $20 off your first year!)
TSA — TSA PreCheck · TSA Digital ID / Touchless ID information
CLEAR — CLEAR+
Global Entry / Mobile Passport Control — Global Entry / Trusted Traveler Programs · Mobile Passport Control information
Flighty — Flighty
LoungeReview — LoungeReview
American Express — Amex Global Lounge Collection
Airbnb — Airbnb · Airbnb Experiences ·Airbnb Reverse Image Search
Vrbo — Vrbo
AutoSlash — AutoSlash
Turo — Turo
Rome2Rio — Rome2Rio
Viator — Viator
Cashback Monitor — Cashback Monitor
Capital One — Capital One Offers · Capital One Travel · Capital One Miles redemption guide
Rakuten — Rakuten
Copenhagen Card — Official Copenhagen Card
Charles Schwab — Schwab Bank Investor Checking
AllTrails — AllTrails

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot



Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
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YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

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Earning and redeeming points can be full of trip hazards … and Gunnar’s tripped on almost all of them. So this week, the guys outline the biggest award travel mistakes they’ve seen (and made) so that you can avoid making the same mistakes on your own travel journey. Plus, the guys break down some positive points news from Qatar Airways, walk through their analysis of where you can score “poor man’s business class,” an help a listener out planning a trip to Europe next year.
Download SAILY's app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/thrifty ⛵
Watch us on YouTube!
Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today.
00:00 - R.I.P. the TSA line water bottle chug
02:45 - Holly welcomes us back from the Dolomites!
03:40 - The best flights to find “poor man’s business class”
10:30 - Qatar backs off its restrictive booking rules
15:50 - Thanks to our sponsor, Saily!
16:45 - The 10 most common award travel mistakes
45:00 - The 1-year-out award travel checklist
47:30 - On the Spot: How many of these mistakes has Gunnar made?
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Award travel can feel overwhelming and complicated … but not with the right tools and organization. This week on our special Starter Kit series, Kyle and Gunnar walk through all the websites, apps, and tools they use to organize their credit cards, points, miles, and travels. From a credit card benefit tracker to ways to use your pesky monthly dining credit to the best services to maximize your points and miles, it’s all here.
Watch us on YouTube!
Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium.
00:00 - When did Kyle realize it’s time to get organized?
02:40 - Using our Credit Card Benefit Tracker
06:35 - How to organize your credit cards
12:00 - Understanding & maximizing your credit card perks
17:00 - Tools you need to book award travel
33:00 - Your Vol. 4 Flight Plan

Volume 4 Flight Plan:
Find tools to manage your credit cards, your benefits, and your passwords
Bookmark resources that can help you maximize your card credits and benefits
Sign up for free sites that take the guesswork out of booking award travel (like TripIt, Aerolopa, MaxMyPoint, and more)
Consider signing up for our tools: The free Card Benefit Tracker or Thrifty Traveler Premium

Related Episodes:
Ep. 30 - Tools of the Trade: How We Earn, Organize & Redeem Points Smarter
Ep. 50 - Inside Thrifty Traveler with Founder Jared Kamrowski
Ep. 17 - Have Banks Lost the Plot With Premium Credit Cards?
Ep. 46 - What’s in Our Wallets & Our Points Planners

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some deals are just unbelievably good in the world of points and miles … and a select few are too good to last forever. That’s why the guys are shining the light on some of the best deals in all of points and miles - the ones you should book ASAP before they disappear. Whether you’re spending 2,000 miles on a domestic flight, 60,000 miles to fly business class to Japan, or flying lie-flat to London for a fraction of the miles (and fees) that other airlines charge, we analyze the endangered species of points and miles redemptions. Plus, the guys unpack Alaska’s family-friendly update and wonder aloud: Should there be a smoking section inside Southwest’s upcoming lounges?
Thank you to our sponsor, Bilt Rewards! Earn points on rent and make your entire neighborhood more rewarding with Bilt. Sign up at joinbilt.com/thrifty.
Watch us on YouTube!
Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today.
00:00 - Travel hacks we won’t gatekeep … even questionable ones
02:05 - Sherie welcomes us back to the show from Lauterbrunnen!
02:45 - Alaska goes worst to first for its lap infant policy
07:20 - Southwest announces lounges and a premium card
12:10 - A word from our sponsor: Bilt Rewards!
13:20 - Endangered: The 10 best deals that are too good to last
46:20 - Extinct: The ones that got away
50:35 - Jennifer asks: When should you buck the flights first rule?
52:20 - Katie asks: What happens to your points bonus if you downgrade?
54:50 - On the Spot: What deal would you un-gatekeep?

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.