Award Travel 101
I Quit...to Travel
Angie and Joe are off traveling this week, so Mike takes over the podcast with community member Erin Kilpatrick to discuss her “mid-life renaissance” this year which would not have been possible without award travel.
Thrifty Traveler Premium
Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code "AT101" for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Again, you can find them at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium
All about Erin
- Start in award travel
- First rewards card
- First personal award trip
- Joined AT 101 in 2018 and 201 in 2020.
- This Year- Mid-life renaissance!
Countries Visited
- Ecuador (Galapagos), Uruguay, England/Wales, Norway, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Sweden
Upcoming
- Portugal, Turkiye, Brazil, Germany, Tunisia
Preparation
- Normal card applications, ~3-4/year, no particular plan
- Last minute decision to quit and take this journey
- Opened Hilton Surpass and Hilton Business
- Opened Barclays AA Aviator Red - 60k miles
- Bought some Choice points (US Travel Association promo)
- Started the journey with ~ 2 million points/miles
By the Numbers Thus Far
- 4.5 months
- 50 hotel award nights: 50
- 58 paid nights: (cheap in S. America)
- 40 other nights free w/ friends/family, volunteer work
- 12 award flights
- 9 cash flights ($2000)
Solo Travel Summary
- Full social calendar
- Met fellow travelers
- Visit friends around the world
- Met up with friends/family when paths cross
- The more you travel, the more people you meet from around the world to network and socialize with in the future
Money Savings Tips
- Pick low cost of living countries
- Stay in one place longer
- Grocery store
- Stay flexible- refundable fare on discount airlines
- Negotiate directly with locals vs third party
What Erin Has Learned
- Diversification! Variety of points and mile currencies.
- Focus on the more important things in life
- Hilton program- 5th night free
- Choice Hotels - secret of Europe
- Amex uber credits work in Ecuador (USD)
- Capital One Points- Redeem through Capital One statement credits vs Travel portal.
- Fringe benefits of the award travel credit cards/status
- Priority Pass - Most lounges are great outside the US, even in tiny airports.
Send us a text message to share your thoughts about this episode.
Where to Find Us
For questions, you can join us in the free 110,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
- To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
- You can also email us at 101@award.travel
- Our next meetup is located in SEATTLE on AUGUST 16–18, 2024. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit "Out to SEA" on the award.travel website.
Angie and Joe are off traveling this week, so Mike takes over the podcast with community member Erin Kilpatrick to discuss her “mid-life renaissance” this year which would not have been possible without award travel.
Thrifty Traveler Premium
Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code "AT101" for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Again, you can find them at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium
All about Erin
- Start in award travel
- First rewards card
- First personal award trip
- Joined AT 101 in 2018 and 201 in 2020.
- This Year- Mid-life renaissance!
Countries Visited
- Ecuador (Galapagos), Uruguay, England/Wales, Norway, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Sweden
Upcoming
- Portugal, Turkiye, Brazil, Germany, Tunisia
Preparation
- Normal card applications, ~3-4/year, no particular plan
- Last minute decision to quit and take this journey
- Opened Hilton Surpass and Hilton Business
- Opened Barclays AA Aviator Red - 60k miles
- Bought some Choice points (US Travel Association promo)
- Started the journey with ~ 2 million points/miles
By the Numbers Thus Far
- 4.5 months
- 50 hotel award nights: 50
- 58 paid nights: (cheap in S. America)
- 40 other nights free w/ friends/family, volunteer work
- 12 award flights
- 9 cash flights ($2000)
Solo Travel Summary
- Full social calendar
- Met fellow travelers
- Visit friends around the world
- Met up with friends/family when paths cross
- The more you travel, the more people you meet from around the world to network and socialize with in the future
Money Savings Tips
- Pick low cost of living countries
- Stay in one place longer
- Grocery store
- Stay flexible- refundable fare on discount airlines
- Negotiate directly with locals vs third party
What Erin Has Learned
- Diversification! Variety of points and mile currencies.
- Focus on the more important things in life
- Hilton program- 5th night free
- Choice Hotels - secret of Europe
- Amex uber credits work in Ecuador (USD)
- Capital One Points- Redeem through Capital One statement credits vs Travel portal.
- Fringe benefits of the award travel credit cards/status
- Priority Pass - Most lounges are great outside the US, even in tiny airports.
Send us a text message to share your thoughts about this episode.
Where to Find Us
For questions, you can join us in the free 110,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
- To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
- You can also email us at 101@award.travel
- Our next meetup is located in SEATTLE on AUGUST 16–18, 2024. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit "Out to SEA" on the award.travel website.