This week, a bonafide travel hacker and self-proclaimed “bad boy of the travel industry” joins the show to discuss his two services that help millions travel more for less.

Jonathan Weinberg is the founder and CEO of our beloved AutoSlash and, more recently, HotelSlash. So who better to hop on the podcast and make both Gunnar and Kyle smarter about the worlds of hotel and car rental booking? Jonathan talks about his career before getting into travel – including his firsthand experience being in the Twin Towers on 9/11 – and then walks us through how and why he founded the two money-saving booking platforms that Gunnar and Kyle use all the time. Plus, we chat about Georgia (the country, not the state) and get a little giddy about a handful of new Park Hyatt properties in the pipeline.

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Thanks to HotelSlash for sponsoring this episode of the show!

00:00 - A quick note about today’s episode

00:18 - Introducing AutoSlash and HotelSlash CEO, Jonathan Weinberg!

01:48 - Ruffling feathers in the travel industry

06:55 - Something Hot: Why we can’t stop talking about Georgia (the country, not the state) and a flight deal to get you there

12:45 - Something Hotter: Park Hyatts are renovating, opening, and expanding all over the world - our favorites are…

16:40 - A word from our sponsor: HotelSlash, the easiest way to book a cheaper hotel stay - and rebook when prices drop

17:47 - Jonathan’s path into the travel industry: A travel-filled childhood, working on Wall Street, finding flight deals, & more

24:00 - A harrowing experience inside World Trade Center Tower 2 on Sept. 11, 2001 - read Jonathan’s firsthand account

29:20 - The how & why behind AutoSlash

33:43 - Pivoting to HotelSlash and how it’s different from other hotel booking sites

41:10 - Becoming “bad boys of the travel industry”

47:15 - International driver’s permits: Do you need them?

50:35 - Listener Feedback: Amy’s wins in Montana,including a sweet rental car deal

53:00 - On the spot: Gunnar and Kyle’s thoughts on hidden city ticketing (or “Skiplagging”)

Produced and edited by Sylvia 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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Bluesky

Using points and miles to travel for less is what we’re all about … but even two brilliant, handsome podcasters like us (yes, that’s sarcasm) need some help to earn more of them, get organized, and redeem those awards for better travel. So this week, we open up our toolboxes and run through the tools we use to travel better - including a few tools we created for our listeners to use for free! Come to get smarter about points and miles, stay to hear the rollercoaster that is Gunnar’s self-esteem during this episode.

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00:00 - The most annoying person at the party: The person who just got back from vacation

01:54 - Recapping Kyle’s trip to England and Scotland (that we previewed in Ep. 12)

09:25 - Something Hot: The Amex Platinum Lululemon credit & how to use it on gift cards

12:20 - Something Hotter: The Park Hyatt Tokyo was wide-open using Hyatt points!

15:00 - Something Cold: Who is the Amex Platinum for Business Card for?

17:45 - A word from our sponsor: Get max value from your points with Thrifty Traveler Premium

18:50 - The Extra Mile: Our tools of the trade for next-level award travel

19:15 - The tools we use to earn points and miles (Cardpilot, Rakuten, & more)

30:00 - The tools we use to organize our cards, points and miles (Card benefit spreadsheets, Travel Freely, & more)

38:00 - How we spend our points and miles wisely (Award alerts, award search tools, the guide to transfer bonuses, & more)

45:30 - Listener Observation: How to beat AA’s solo passenger tax

48:00 - On the Spot: What would Gunnar change about himself … travel-wise

Produced by Nick Serati and Gunnar Olson
Edited by David Strutt (Find him @davidstrutt on Fiverr!)
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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Bluesky

Gunnar and Kyle celebrate their recent travel bookings (a.k.a. “Getting Booksy”) before diving into an extremely busy couple days of travel news. Gunnar introduces an unhinged new “Stoke Scale” to help the guys rank a flurry of new route announcements from Italy to Hong Kong, and more. Plus, they break down stories you need to know about the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hilton’s woes, Delta’s future in Mexico City, some intriguing new Capital One transfer partners, and more!

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00:00 - Kyle and Gunnar both booked something (Kyle to Hong Kong, Gunnar to Italy)

03:45 - Routes news: All the new routes you should be excited about, ranked on the brand new “Gunnar Olson Stoke Scale”

12:15 - Bad news for consumer rights, worse news for Delta flights to Mexico City (MEX), and some great news from Google Flights

20:07 - What’s the easiest way to stay up on the news? The Daily Beat Newsletter! Sign up (for free) today!

20:40 - Hotel news: The Park Hyatt Tokyo is reopening, the sorry state of Hilton, and White Lotus France hotel speculation

32:00 - Credit card news: The revamped Amex Platinum gets rave reviews, Chase chases Amex with new hotel credits, intriguing new Capital One transfer partners, and Avios news

45:00 - On the spot: Kyle tells us more about his dogs!

46:45 - A heartfelt tribute to the late Katherine Olson, Gunnar’s grandma who helped spark his life in travel

Produced by Erica Kamrowski and Gunnar Olson
Edited by David Strutt
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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Bluesky