It’s the Thrifty Traveler Podcast Holiday Party, and what better way than to celebrate than with another mailbag episode?! We listen and react to voicemails from some beloved listeners and colleagues, including questions about the biggest story of the year, a bunch of incredible booking brags, the worst travel mistakes we’ve made, how our listeners (and bosses) really feel about all the Canada stuff. Plus, Gunnar kicks off the show with an extra special (cringe? brutal?) introduction. Happy Holidays, Thrifty Travelers!

The end of the year is in sight, so it’s time for Gunnar and Kyle to pretend like they’re high schoolers on the pod (honestly, not a stretch) for some 2025 superlatives, yearbook style. Who was the class clown of travel? Most popular? Cutest couple? Best hairline?! Plus, the guys unveil the winners of TT’s second-annual First Class and Lavatory Awards, recognizing the absolute best and rock-bottom worst from the year of travel. Oh, and Kyle shares his unattainable childhood dreams and what he was really like in high school.

It’s a December news roundup! On the latest Thrifty Traveler Podcast Gunnar and Kyle run through eight major news stories in travel and points and miles, including breaking down the latest Unicorn alert for Delta One flights to Brisbane, a pair of troubling trends in points and miles, a hefty fee if you don’t have Real ID, some lounge and check-in openings, and more!

This week on the show, the guys are joined by Alex and Jess from the Points Talk Squad (formerly Travel Mom Squad) who spend the show teaching (and sometimes counseling) Gunnar how to travel with an infant! They dive into what it’s like having parents who are proficient in points and miles, how to survive delays as a family, how to earn and redeem even more points for bigger groups, and continually reminding Gunnar that everything is going to be OK. Plus, they take a listener question about Capital One Venture card sign-up strategies and get divided by the toughest On the Spot question yet. Leave us a voicemail for our upcoming holiday episode! We want to hear about your trips, big wins, and burning travel questions. Leave us a 1-minute voice message at thriftytraveler.com/voicemail and you might be featured.

The guys bring on co-worker and extra special guest Kasey DellaPenna - aka @kaseymeetsworld - to share her story of becoming a backpacking digital nomad and travel influencer … who splits her time between living in Guatemala, the U.S., and traveling the world. After a whirlwind trip, she recaps a visit to Hong Kong, Shanghai to cap off her official worldwide ranking of all the Disney parks. Plus, our most beautiful places on earth - and why Kasey is proudly a Disney adult.

Airport lounges aren’t just for the rich, the elite, and the bougie – we think they’re a crucial money-saving strategy for (nearly) all everyday travelers. Gunnar and Kyle argue that lounges are actually a thrifty way to travel, not to mention a fun way to start your trip! They talk about the best, cheapest ways to get into the lounge, some expert tips to maximize your lounge access, and run through some of their absolute favorite lounges around the world. Plus, they talk about using AI chatbots in trip planning, a new welcome offer on their favorite premium credit card, and finally answer the question: Did Gunnar get overserved at the company retreat last month?

Almost everything went wrong in air travel over the past week and change - including for Gunnar and Kyle’s own flights - as the shutdown took a nasty turn with thousands of delays and cancellations. Shutdown or not, the guys dig into all the strategies they use to get through air travel disruptions (relatively) unscathed. Tune in for tips for booking, tracking your flights, and how to get things back on track. They also discuss what’s next after the shutdown (hopefully) ends, give some kudos to Bilt 2.0, chastise Qatar for going “basic”, and review their Palm Springs company retreat!

It’s another news breakdown! This week on the show, we dig into eight big news stories in travel, from Southwest’s newest lounge (including our suggestions for what Southwest should offer), more new lounges in Salt Lake City, the dramatic return of Australia and New Zealand business class points deals, and some surprisingly good news from both United and Hilton. Plus, Gunnar finally finds a workaround to talk about Canada on the pod … while giving Kyle some editorial control. Teamwork!

On this week’s podcast, Kyle recaps a whirlwind trip that included an overwater villa in Bora Bora, driving the wild landscapes of New Zealand, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and a 10-seat mezcal bar in Sydney - booked almost entirely using points and miles … including several business class flights! The guys walk through how he did it, cover some highlights and hard lessons, too. Plus, they talk about some stellar SkyMiles sales to Mexico, an update on how the ongoing government shutdown is affecting travel, and debrief from the Thrifty Traveler team’s recent retreat in Palm Springs.

It’s finally time for a mistake fare episode! Kyle and Gunnar talk about the most exciting fares in the world of flight deals, when airlines accidentally sell tickets at ridiculous discounts. The guys talk through their favorite mistake fares from over the years, how to find and book the next one, and what you need to watch for. Plus, they discuss why holiday flight deals are so much better this year, their new favorite mileage program that might not be on your radar, and Delta’s possibly problematic credit card rule.

This week, Gunnar and Kyle (who both coincidentally wore fresh Lululemon gear on the pod, courtesy of new $75 credits) spend some extra time digging into the ongoing government shutdown and what it means for travelers heading to airports today, tomorrow, next week and beyond. But the big topic of the day is diving into the premium travel boom, as airlines install fancier seats, build new airport lounges, and generally cater to the upper crust. Gunnar and Kyle debate whether or not that’s good news for budget travel. Plus, they enjoy an Alaska Airlines executive’s recent jab at his competitors and chat about United’s exciting new routes.

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.

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.

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!

After months of waiting and weeks of leaks, The Platinum Card from American Express has finally relaunched with tons of new features and credits…and a whopping $895 annual fee. This week on the Thrifty Traveler Podcast, we break down this overhaul of one of the most popular (and priciest) travel credit cards out there to decide if all the new perks can actually add up to nearly $900 in value - and what current cardholders should do ASAP.

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.

This week, we have on 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!

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!

We’re going back to basics this week by showcasing all the strategies, tips and tricks that we use to book the cheapest flight - every single time we fly. That requires some mythbusting about the dumbest tips out there (here’s looking at you, incognito searchers and Tuesday-only bookers) and shed some light on the actual best tips (i.e. Google Flights Explore and price alerts). Never get fleeced on flights again with these tips. Special shoutout to the sponsor of this week’s episode, Abundo Wealth!

News, news, and more breaking travel news. There’s been so many big stories in the travel world lately, Gunnar and Kyle blew up the normal show format and spent the episode going beyond the headlines, breaking down everything you need to know. There’s more on new pricing shenanigans from airlines and Uber, the ins and outs of Alaska’s new loyalty program, a big upgrade for Google Flights, and much much more.