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!

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Bluesky

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - The new Amex Platinum Card has a new look … but does it matter?

02:10 - The nuts and bolts of the new (and improved?) Platinum Card from American Express – and our reaction in 5 words or less

04:00 - Something Hot: The Platinum Card credits you love aren’t going anywhere

06:45 - Something Cold: An eye-watering $895 annual fee

11:15 - Want more travel rewards and credit card news sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Extra Mile newsletter today!

11:45 - We go credit-by-credit to see if we can make an $895 annual fee work on the Amex Platinum card work, from $600toward hotels to $300 for Lululemon credit to one serious dud

33:00 - How to get organized and recoup that $895 annual fee

36:30 - Time is of the essence: The moves Platinum cardholders need to make ASAP

44:00 - “Is the Amex Platinum a good credit card for most travelers?”

46:55 - Listener Question: Emily wants some credit card advice before taking a gap year

51:30 - Nick puts Gunnar & Kyle On the Spot: If you could only transfer points to one program for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Produced by Jackson Newman & 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!

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Bluesky

This week, the guys dig deep on their favorite travel app: Flighty! Ryan Jones, the CEO of the incredibly powerful and beautifully designed flight tracking app, joins the podcast to explain how Flighty keeps travelers up-to-date using data data and what they’ll love about the new iOS features on the app. Plus, the guys compare their own delay data, pick their favorite underrated features, and discuss other travel apps and websites that are doing it best.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Introducing Flighty CEO (& Eagle Scout!) Ryan Jones

01:00 - Everything you need to know about the Flighty app & how it works

12:10 - A sneak peek at the newest Flighty update in iOS!

22:32 - Flighty’s delay predictions – & who has the most total hours lost to delays

26:32 - Why flight tracking? How Flighty started at an airport Chili’s

35:30 - Are airlines getting better or worse at flying on-time?

37:50 - Underrated Flighty features: Decoding delays, Friends Flights, previous flights & more

48:30 - How to use Flighty Pro as a regular traveler - it’s not just for just road warriors!

55:45 - Listener Question: What are your favorite travel apps and websites?

1:00:40 - On the Spot: Have you ever missed a flight?

Produced by 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!

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Bluesky

This week, we interview the most interesting man in travel: Peter Thornton! As Thrifty Traveler’s Senior Award Deal Analyst, Peter is responsible for finding all the best uses for your points and miles, but his long career in travel has touched nearly every aspect of the industry. From being a flight attendant to finding mistake fares for Airfare Watchdog and now analyzing points and miles deals, Peter knows more about airfare than anyone out there. And he’s the only one who played guitar for Ja Rule, Paul Walker, and Vin Diesel at MTV Spring Break 2001…yeah, we get that story on the pod, too!

Watch us on YouTube!

Special shoutout to the sponsor of this week’s episode, Abundo Wealth!

00:00 - The worst airline websites that expert Peter Thornton has to deal with

04:50 - Something Hot: Peter’s favorite flight deals of all time - including some classic mistake fares

09:50 - Why you should never drive in London – and what not to put on your immigration documents

12:10 - This week’s show is sponsored by Abundo Wealth!

13:00 - Road tripping, the Rand McNally Road Atlas, and falling in love with travel with Peter Thornton

15:25 - Becoming a flight attendant and getting into the industry with North American Airlines

18:15 - Joining Airfare Watchdog and pioneering the cheap flights game

21:00 - Accepting his job offer to Thrifty Traveler at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

22:30 - How to find points and miles award availability as TT’s Senior Award Analyst

25:00 - Calling the airlines so you don’t have to – and the worst airline hold music

28:00 - What do you wish more travelers knew about award travel?

32:00 - What’s to blame for what Gunnar calls “Hot Flight Summer?” Why has points and miles availability been so good?

35:00 - Looking forward: Making predictions about airfare, points and miles availability, and more in the world of travel

39:15 - The legend of “Cave Matthews Band” and why Peter was featured on a game show called “Dude This Sucks” for MTV Spring Break

42:15 - Listener Question: How far in advance should you book award travel to get the best rates?

46:00 - On the Spot: Overlooked destinations that should get more love than they do

Produced by 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!

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Bluesky

It’s our first ever mailbag episode! Kyle’s on vacation, so we lined up a bunch of the best questions we’ve been asked and gave you our best advice. We tackle topics such as positioning flight tips, what we would pay for a Delta One upgrade, how to maximize your Amex Platinum credits with a refresh coming, destinations that exceeded our expectations, airlines as NFL quarterbacks, and the best and worst parts about our jobs. And remember: Be like Kyle and take your vacation days, people!

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Kyle’s on vacation, and you should, too! (Only 48% of Americans use all their vacation days…and that stinks)

03:00 - It’s Mailbag time! Brought to you by…us! Sign up for Thrifty Traveler Premium today. Use promo code “TTPOD” for $20 off your first year of flight deal alerts.

04:00 - Airlines & hotels questions - More Southeast Asia flights, positioning flights strategies, Delta One upgrades, and more.

18:35 - Award travel questions - Thailand on points, biz class to Tokyo, booking to Athens now that Emirates fees got too expensive, and more.

34:30 - This week’s show is sponsored by Abundo Wealth!

35:30 - Credit card questions - When cash back makes sense, ways to get points fast, with the new Amex Platinum card coming, can you double dip on credits?

51:00 - Travel tips and wanderlust - Places that exceeded our expectations, Glacier National Park recommendations, best backpacks and more.

59:15 - Personal questions: Fear of devaluations, fighting FOMO, airlines as NFL quarterbacks, and why we love our jobs!

01:13:00 - On the Spot: What’s our best episode of the pod so far?

Produced by 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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Facebook
Bluesky