TravelStories Episode 58: No Way Home
No Way Home Episode 58: Show Notes. Planning the trips are getting harder and harder. The way home often becomes more challenging, with many…
Swap expired World of Hyatt free night awards for points
I recently found myself in the unfortunate position of having to cancel a Hyatt stay booked with a Category 1-7 free night award that was itself just days from expiration.
Using Fluz as intended: don't sleep on expiring "boosts"
Over the years I’ve occasionally mentioned on the blog, and described extensively in Subscriber-only Newsletters, Fluz, the third-party gift card merchant. As a reminder, the pub..
TravelStories Episode 57: Travel Banter with Michael Trager
Episode 57: Show Notes. Sometimes you just need to do some travel banter! And who better to do it with than TravelZork Travel’s Michael…
Another domino falls: Giant hikes prepaid debit card fees by 34%
Over the past few years a lot of travel hackers have migrated to the ease and comfort of manufacturing spend from home. While I do plenty of manufactured spend online,
Milenomics² [No Annual Fee] Episode 78: A Heightened Sapphire Reserve Offer and UR Deep Dive
0:25 Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Offer 05:14 Chase Referrals 06:30 Sapphire Churning Restrictions 12:09 Two Player Mode 13:50 Ultimate Rewards: Value and Utility 23:31…
TravelStories Episode 56: Two Cruises
Two Cruises Episode 56: Show Notes. This episode, we head back to the high seas to talk about not one, but two different cruises!…
TravelStories Episode 55: Airline Products We Wish Would Make a Return Flight
Episode 55: Show Notes From COVID to cutbacks, there were a lot of reasons why airlines let go of some of their more luxurious…
TravelStories Episode 54: Looking Back at Covid Lockdowns with Chris
Episode 54: Show Notes. Today, we are taking a trip back in time to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as we approach the…
Hoarding, rationing, and the next dollar problem
I have recently found myself in what should be an enviable position for any travel hacker: I’ve booked all my upcoming flights and stays, used up my quarterly and semi-annual
TravelStories Episode 53: Aspirational Flying with Han Chicago
Episode 53: Show Notes What does it take to plan the ultimate luxury travel experience? In this episode, Tom and Trevor sit down with…
TravelStories Episode 52: A Trip Down Under
Episode 52: Show Notes We’ve taken many trips to Australia, but our most recent one was certainly one to remember! In today’s episode, Trevor…
Use airline booking portals to evade VRBO damage deposits
I like staying in hotels. This isn’t a normative judgment, if anything it’s a confession that like everyone on Earth I’m the product of my upbringing: growing up, when my
TravelStories Episode 51: Everyday Carry
Everyday Carry Episode 51: Show Notes. Today’s episode is years in the making as finally, Tom and Trevor sit down and do a deep…
My successful delayed baggage claim through American Airlines and Chase
On December 24, 2024, American Airlines suffered a nationwide groundstop which naturally resulted in a series of delays. My partner and I were scheduled on a short nonstop flight..
TravelStories Episode 50: Points, Perks, and Possibilities with Joey Redmond
Episode 50: Show Notes Are loyalty programs becoming less valuable, or are they evolving to meet the demands of modern travelers? In this episode,…
Cash, leverage, debt, equity, and the difference between fake and real opportunity costs
Worth doing with cashMany years ago when I spent more time on the travel hacking circuit, I heard a guest talking about a then-current Office Depot/OfficeMax deal. She exclaimed,..
Upton Sinclair, petty capitalism, and intrusive thoughts
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”I’ve been thinking about that line from Upton Sinclair’s campaign me..
Comparing Bank of America Preferred Rewards and US Bank Smartly relationships
For a good number of years, Bank of America has offered the highest cashback rebate on unbonused spend through their “Preferred Rewards” relationship program. Once you’re enrolle..
Two years investing with Prosper peer-to-peer lending
For the last few years I’ve been scaling up my investments with the Prosper peer-to-peer lending platform. Since there is essentially no community information available (the Pros..
TravelStories Episode 49: Talking a World of Topics With Ryan Smith
Episode 49: Show Notes In this episode, we welcome Ryan Smith, the news managing editor for upgraded points and a prolific writer published by…
TravelStories Episode 48: Festivus with Dia Adams
Episode 48: Show Notes What’s the holiday season without a little airing of grievances? Join us for our Festivus 2024 special, where we pull…
Two steps forward and one step sideways with Hyatt awards
I’ve seen a number of people write about two big improvements to the World of Hyatt award booking system: during the reservation process, Guest of Honor Awards (giving the guest