frequent flier programs

Podcast #188 — My Top Travel Tips to Survive Airport Chaos

Distilled my travel advice down to the top 13 travel tips to avoid the current chaos. Also, the scrapping of COVID travel test rules and why frequent flier award travel is a bargain again.

Read More

Podcast #187 — Moving to a Non-Hub Airport; What Makes A Great Taproom?

The last episode recording in Chicago before we relocate the TravelCommons studios, and our lives, down to Nashville. We close out our threads on in-flight mask mandates and hotel housekeeping, and critique an academic paper about the moral hazard of frequent flier elite status. I talk through the changes I’ll have to make when flying…

Read More

Podcast #173 — What’s New in Travel Insurance; Keeping Ahead of Expiring Miles

As travel bookings beginning to rise with vaccination rates, we talk with Michael Giusti of InsuranceQuotes.com to find out what’s changed over the last year. I make the rounds through all my frequent traveler programs to reset impending expiration dates. We also talk about yet another travel data breach, a favorite beer bar is a…

Read More

Podcast #172 — Timeshares Without the Pitch; Notes on Tucson

Escaped Chicago winter for a week of hiking and eating in Tucson; CEO of Koala talks about renting timeshares; travel planning gets hot and then cools back down

Read More

Podcast #152 — Overwhelming Travel; New & Old Restaurant Trends

Latest in Sustainable Food Delivery  Moving the TravelCommons studios kept me mostly off the road this month except for a quick trip to Nashville, but staying out of restaurants has helped me finally drop the last bit of Christmas weight. We talk about the “earn and burn” strategy for frequent travel awards; answer a listener’s…

Read More

Podcast #136 — Is Cash A Waning King; Don’t Make It Hard to Cash in on Loyalty

After traveling with younger colleagues who pay for everything with cards, I wonder if I’m the last generation of cash payers. I also talk about the upcoming smart luggage ban on US airlines and a long Saturday afternoon trying to redeem some British Airways Avios points. All this, a new Uber driver story, and a…

Read More

Podcast #134 — Value of Loyalty; Need Those 5 Stars

Finding a Jag in the Hertz Presidents Club aisle has me thinking about the differing value of loyalty from hotel, airlines, and car rental companies while 5-star rating schemes are pushing grade inflation. All this and comments on luggage discounts, traveling while injured, and #metoo while flying at the direct link to the podcast file or…

Read More

Podcast #116 — Traveling Thru Japan; Luggage Trends

Back behind the microphone after an extended summer break highlighted by a two-week family vacation in Japan. We talk about traveling in Japan. It was a fantastic time, though we were lost without translation at times. But with the US dollar buying 124 yen, it was the right time to go. We also talk about…

Read More