Miles to Go - Travel Tips, News & Reviews You Can't Afford to Miss!

It's a great question. After a year of largely staying home and earning miles and points from credit card purchases, it's time to start traveling for many folks (and will be soon for many more). Should you be paying cash for airline tickets and hotel rooms or burning down that pile of miles and points? Richard Kerr from The Points Guy and Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler are helping me answer tha...

Plenty going on this week! Delta was one of the airlines to announce shortcuts to status this week. When will we see more of this? And, Hilton hotels sending out strong signals that customers should expect fewer amenities in the future . What's on the chopping block? Lastly, Richard Kerr joins me for another camping fail. He always seems to get plenty of enjoyment out of my camping misery. If you...

I've been keeping tabs on the travel world as I get closer to being back on the road. This week I caught up with folks who traveled within the past 10 days. First, we catch up with Paul Singh , a friend and co-investor in a number of startup companies. He's been on the road a couple times a month, hopping on airplanes, connecting in hubs, renting cars, all the things road warriors used to do. Then...

When I decided to start Miles to Go, it was due in part to years of listening to Dots, Lines & Destinations . It's a podcast run by three friends who frequently come off the rails while digging deep into the world of travel. It's definitely a different show than Miles to Go. But, I've been a guest on their show a number of times and enjoy listening to them on a weekly basis. We recorded a joint sh...

Many of you have hotel credit cards that award free night certificates, usually on an annual basis when you pay the annual fee. When's the right time to use them, especially when you consider hotel rates are all at crazy low levels? Meanwhile, I've got Leslie Harvey from Trips With Tykes back on the show this week. We're talking about some places to consider if you want to drive to your spring bre...

As we got a month or so into the pandemic, it became pretty clear that many of us wouldn't be able to get much value from travel credit cards. When you consider how much some of annual fees can be on various cards, it's important to make sure you're getting enough value to keep those cards in your wallet/purse. Who best to discuss the best credit card perks out there? How about a guy who showed up...

Just about a month ago Hyatt announced that many of their resorts in Latin America would be providing free COVID-19 testing for guests traveling to America after their stay. With the US now requiring a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country , it was a good move by Hyatt. Nick Serati, co-founder of Thrifty Traveler, covers a couple of key areas for us this week. First, he's got a great review...

This week I'm breaking down a reader question on which credit he should keep and which one he should ditch. And, we'll catch up with Becky Pekora again, this time to talk about a trip to Iceberg Alley . Don't forget, we're giving away a free year of Straight to the Points premium service to two lucky listeners . If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating . That help...

We've got two new topics for you this week and both can make your next dream vacation a whole lot more achievable. Spencer is back with us from Straight to the Points talking about his new premium service . To celebrate the launch, we're giving away a free year of premium service to two lucky listeners . His service is super clutch for finding award inventory for that awesome trip you've been tryi...

As we look into the crystal ball of travel, there are still clouds. However, the fog is lifting just a bit and we can start to see some really great travel deals on the horizon. I've finally started thinking about travel, just like a lot of other folks . There are some tremendous deals, whether you're spending cash or using miles and points. Summer Hull and Richard Kerr join me this week to talk a...

So much to talk about in travel this week. American Express dropped a whole slew of limited-time statement credits for virtually all their travel cards. Make sure you take advantage of these credits ! The UK is instituting a government-supervised quarantine for travelers arriving from 22 high risk countries. Canada is taking it a step further, and mandating quarantine for a minimum of 3 nights in...

COVID-19 continues to create travel pitfalls for many folks. Summer Hull is an experienced traveler and even she has run into a few curve balls she didn't see coming. She joins us again today to tell you how to avoid travel pitfalls right now. We talk about ski trips, vacation rentals and some tips on how to protect yourself if you're traveling right now. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway...

Lots of travel news to cover this week, and we've also got some timely tips to make sure you're earning the most miles and points you can, whether you're sitting on the couch or on a beach far away. Jon Nickel-D-Andrea joins us co-host for news this week. The biggest travel news of the week was the US announcing that all passengers arriving on an international flight will be required present a neg...

If you've been following along the past few months you know that our family bought an RV this summer to get over the depression of being trapped at home for quarantine. I'm catching up with Richard Kerr again, talking about all the things that drive me crazy about the RV life, including a long list of items we've had to buy to really be able to effectively camp. Richard continues to laugh at my mi...

As we put 2020 to bed and get started on 2021, I spent some time looking back on the year in travel. And, I dig into some reasons you might want to look past your favorite airline's credit card. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway ! In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Wyndham partnership with Barclays, Wyndham Rewards has given me 10 awesome prize packs to give away to you guys...

As the weather has turned colder, we're figuring out what it's like to plan a ski vacation during a pandemic. We're also breaking down the new Wyndham Earner credit cards. There are two personal cards that can be a good fit for leisure travel. And, small business owners will really like the unique bonus categories for the Wyndham Earner Business credit card. Don't forget to enter our awesome givea...

Is it possible to make flying so safe in the time of COVID-19 that your chances of catching the disease are 1 in a million? Delta thinks so. Gilbert joins us again this week from God Save The Points to discuss Delta's audacious plan for COVID-free flights . We're also talking about the small but growing list of countries that will let you enter if you can prove that you've already had COVID-19 (an...

We're diving deep into the new Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards today and we have an EPIC giveaway! And, we're going to spend time exploring some parts of the Wyndham Rewards program you might not be familiar with. Triple-dipping when you fill up your car? A luxury hotel down the road from the Kentucky Derby? Cabins in Branson, Missouri? Yup, yup, yup! Not to mention a great way to avoid resort...

How can you enjoy the scents, tastes and cultural experience of Paris while stuck at home in quarantine? Stephanie Rosenbloom, NY Times travel writer, tells us how on today's show. And, there's a limited time status match offer that could be really lucrative for you in 2021, and it can extend to your entire family. Find out more details about the Frontier Status Match . If you enjoy the podcast, I...

This week's episode is brought to you this week by the new lineup of Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards . What happens when you need an umbrella indoors, a hospital and the police all in one camping trip? The only person who can effectively answer that question is Richard Kerr . If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating . That helps us attract more listeners! The...

It's Black Friday and there are tons of deals to go through. In fact, we got done recording the episode this week and there were already more travel-related deals to report on! Marriott Black Friday Deals Virgin Atlantic Holy S&#t sale! Black Friday Travel Deals Master List Save up to $60 at Amazon for American Express Membership Rewards members Amazon Black Friday Deals Master List 8X Membership...

We've got a heck of a show for you today! Air Canada is back on the show with us answering your questions about the new Aeroplan. The program is barely a week old but there's already plenty of great stuff to talk about. If you missed it, we had the Air Canada folks on the show back in August when they announced the new program.  Here's a link to that show. Two big things to pay attention to today:...

As we look to the future of travel both in the pandemic and beyond, there are positive and negative developments. We've seen some pretty good deals being offered by airlines and hotel chains. 20% discounts on hotel gift cards were some of the best I've seen so far. Alas, that deal is gone. But, there is an easy path to decent hotel elite status just by applying for a credit card. On the bad side o...

Business travel evaporated when the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up in March. Since then, some business travel has slowly started to ramp up. Wondering what it's like to travel for business right now? Seth Miller from PaxEx. Aero has a first-hand account of life on the road. He also has some really interesting statistics on how people are earning and redeeming miles for travel. If you enjoy the podcas...

Las Vegas is such a unique destination. It's transitioned from being a gambling mecca, though there's still plenty of this. Great food, great clubs and great concerts all have something in common with gambling. They're all incredibly difficult to pull off in a pandemic. I'm joined this week by Shawn Coomer from Miles to Memories (both the blog and podcast ) who's a native of Las Vegas for decades....