Travel, Points + Miles Podcast
124
July 12, 2023
Card Optimization, Last Minute Travel, Health Insurance Woes and AI Bedtime Stories
#124: Host Chris Hutchins shares insights from optimizing different aspects of his life, including a tool to find the best credit card combinations, thoughts on last minute trip planning, a story of optimization gone too far, a fun use of AI to automate bedtime stories for his daughter, tips for ensuring you don't get stuck with unplanned medical bills and a way to preserve fresh berries for longer. Finally, he makes an exciting announcement about the newest addition to the ATH team. Partn...
120
June 14, 2023
Mailbag #9: Best Two-Card Combos, Travel Tactics, Finance Apps, Health Tricks and More
#120: Host Chris Hutchins shares a ton of amazing tips, questions and wins from listeners. He covers a range of topics including the best two credit card combos, United Airlines’s recent points devaluation, ways to maximize travel points and monitor hotel price drops. Chris also draws from his personal experiences to share travel tactics learned from recent trips to New York and Cabo, along with other valuable tactics related to health, personal finance, cell phones, and more. Partner Deal...
115
May 10, 2023
Iceland: Planning an Epic Adventure with Brandon Presser
#115: Award-winning travel writer, Brandon Presser joins Chris to share the beauty and wonder of Iceland. They discuss everything you need to know to plan the ideal trip, including when to visit, suggested itineraries, cultural norms and social etiquette, top hot springs, waterfalls and hiking destinations, the perfect season to chase the Northern Lights and novelty Icelandic cuisine. Finally, Chris offers tips on how to maximize your points and miles to make your Iceland trip more affordable an...
113
April 26, 2023
Unlocking the Power of Plastic: Maximizing Your Hidden Credit Card Benefits
#113: Chris takes listeners on a journey into the world of credit card perks, revealing little-known benefits that can save you thousands of dollars. From travel insurance and purchase protection to rental car discounts and concierge services, Chris unveils a wealth of insider tips to help you get the most out of your credit card. Whether you're a seasoned cardholder or just starting out, you won't want to miss this eye-opening exploration of the hidden gems hiding in your wallet. Partner ...
111
April 12, 2023
Mailbag #8: Earning More Points, Top Listener Tips, Monitoring Price Drops, Paying Taxes on a Credit Card and More
#111: Host Chris Hutchins covers top tips from listeners, paying taxes with your credit card, tactics for earning more points, monitoring flights for fare drops, hotel discounts, southwest companion pass and more. This episode is packed with so many great tips and tricks! Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclosure) For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals ATH Links ATH Membership Chris' Card Optimizer Tool Ep104: Optimizing Your Insuran...
110
April 5, 2023
Travel Smarter, Cheaper and Longer with Nomadic Matt
#110: Travel expert and author Nomadic Matt (Matt Kepnes), joins Chris to reflect on their most unforgettable travel experiences and discuss the importance of staying flexible, embracing a slow travel philosophy, and living in the moment. Matt also offers insights on travel insurance, and shares his top picks for off-the-beaten-path travel destinations, must-have travel gear, and effective strategies for planning a budget-friendly trip. Matthew Kepnes (@nomadicmatt) is a bestselling author an...
107
March 22, 2023
Italy Unlocked: Insider Tips, Must-See Destinations and Booking Flights/Hotels on Points with Leigh Rowan
#107: Italy travel expert Leigh Rowan joins Chris for a third time to discuss all things Italy. Leigh talks about why he feels most at home in the country with the most spectacular cuisine, gorgeous coastlines, ancient ruins, and rich history. He provides money-saving tips, gives suggestions on where to stay, reveals his favorite off-the-beaten-path locations for an authentically local experience, and explains why life is better in Italy. They also discuss the best ways to use your points and mi...
102
Feb. 15, 2023
Traveling to Japan with Points & Miles
#102: Host Chris Hutchins (@hutchins) breaks down the different ways you can use your points and miles for free flights to Japan. He also discusses how to use your points for free hotel/resort stays in Japan, and shares some of the best credit card bonuses right now for quickly rack up points for your next trip. Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclosure) For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to our Partner Deals Selected Links From The Episode Fifth Freedom Fl...
101
Feb. 8, 2023
Planning the Best Japan Trip Ever with Brandon Pressor
#101: Travel writer Brandon Presser joins Chris to discuss all things Japan. They cover why they both love the country so much, what makes it worth a visit, where you should go, what you should see and do, and all the incredible foods you should be trying (including their favorite spots to eat at). Brandon Presser (@brandpress) is a freelance travel writer who has lived in Japan twice, written 3 books on the country and has traveled there in all but one of the last 20 years. Aside from Japan,...
94
Dec. 21, 2022
How to Experience London Like a Local and Get There on Points with Jessica Dante (+ Chris' Trip Report)
#94: Founder of Love and London, Jessica Dante, joins Chris to discuss all things London. They cover what to eat, see, do, and where to stay. Jessica also shares her favorite hidden gems, offers alternatives to overhyped tourist sites, and provides tips to experience the city like a true local. Then Chris provides a recap of his recent trip to London and walks through how to use use your points/miles for your next trip. Jessica Dante (@loveandlondon) founded the digital media company Love and...
89
Nov. 23, 2022
Booking Flights with Points and All Things Award Travel with Tiffany Funk
#89: Award travel pro Tiffany Funk joins Chris to talk about booking flights with miles, the advantages of having travel flexibility, the ins and outs of transferring points, ways to put your points and miles to good use, and the best sites/tools for booking award travel. Tiffany Funk (@tebfunk) is the co-founder and president of point.me, a one-stop tool for maximizing points and miles. She's also the Executive Director for the premium travel site One Mile at a Time. Having visited over 80 c...
86
Nov. 9, 2022
The Best Deals for Vacation Rentals, Exchanges, Fractionals, Timeshares and More!
#86: Host Chris Hutchins delves into the topic of vacation homes in today’s solo episode. He explores the pros and cons of vacation home options, including home rentals and exchanges, fractional ownerships, vacation real estate investment funds, and timeshares. Chris also discusses his family’s experience owning timeshare properties, shares special offers for ATH podcast listeners, and more. Partner Deals Pacaso: Free early access to listings and $2,500+ in closing credits For all the deals, di...
84
Oct. 26, 2022
The Vagabond's Way: Time Wealth, Slow Travel, and Immersing Yourself in a New Place with Rolf Potts
#84: Travel writer and author, Rolf Potts joins Chris to discuss time wealth, why that's such a vital topic in life and what anyone can take from the concept to travel more richly. They also talk about how to adapt to the changes in travel technology and still have amazing adventures, why Rolf once traveled for six weeks without luggage and what you can learn from that experiment, how leaving your phone behind or getting lost might create richer experiences, and why he thinks that as you get old...
83
Oct. 19, 2022
Life + Travel Listener Q&A (Fighting Jet Lag, Favorite Podcasts, Food Tricks and More)
#83: Host Chris Hutchins tackles questions about fighting jet lag, his favorite podcasts, cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance, virtual assistants, food planning, virtual credit card numbers and much more. This episode is packed with many of the incredible insights that Chris has earned from his years optimizing his life! Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclosure) For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to our Partner Deals Resources Mentioned Timeshifter App...
76
Sept. 7, 2022
Credit Cards Points and Miles Q&A (Best Cards, Top Bonuses, Earning on a Budget, Points Apps and More)
#76: Host Chris Hutchins tackles questions all about credit cards, points and miles. From his favorite credit cards (and two card combos) to racking up points on a small budget, preventing points from expiring, redeeming points, tools and services to manage your points, and what happens to your points when you die. Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclosure) Vuori: 20% off the most comfortable performance apparel I've ever worn For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, g...
71
Aug. 12, 2022
Bonus Q&A: Favorite Places to Visit in Every Continent with Sebastian Modak
#71: In this bonus episode, expert traveler, writer, and journalist, Sebastian Modak, and Chris break down their list of favorite places to visit on each continent. They talk about bridge jumping in Bosnia, scuba diving in Coiba National Park, the thrill of crossing the streets of Hanoi during rush hour, and a lot more. Sebastian Modak (@sebmodak) is a writer, multimedia journalist, and the editor-at-large at Lonely Planet. He spent 2019 circling the globe as the New York Times 52 Places Trav...
70
Aug. 10, 2022
52 Places: The Art of Traveling Like a Journalist and Making Every Trip Memorable with Sebastian Modak
#70: Expert traveler, writer, and journalist, Sebastian Modak, joins Chris to talk about what he's learned from traveling to 80+ countries and living on four continents. They discuss what it means to travel like a journalist, how he uses those skills to plan a memorable trip, some of the unusual experiences he's had on his journeys, why travel is important for everyone, and he shares some of his favorite places to inspire your next adventure. Sebastian Modak (@sebmodak) is a writer, multimedi...
69
Aug. 5, 2022
Bonus Q&A: Favorite Destinations, Maximizing Points, Combatting Jet Lag and More with Nick Gray
#69: In this bonus episode, entrepreneur and author, Nick Gray and Chris discuss all things travel. They cover how to get the best value when purchasing airfare, tried and true strategies for combatting jet lag, favorite travel destinations, and more. Nick Gray (@nickgraynews) is an entrepreneur, investor, author, and founder of Museum Hack. His new book is “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party” How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings.” Partner Deals For all the deals, discounts and p...
66
July 20, 2022
Rental Cars: Saving Money, Avoiding Fees and All the Secret Tricks with Jonathan Weinberg
#66: Rental car expert, Jonathan Weinberg, joins me to discuss saving money and getting the best rate when renting a car. We also delve into the state of rental cars today, strategies to avoid paying exorbitant fees, the advantage of status loyalty programs, car rental insurance, money-saving hotel, airfare, and travel tips, and much more. Jonathan Weinberg is the co-founder and CEO of AutoSlash, a website dedicated to saving people money on car rentals. Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclo...
56
May 11, 2022
Listener Q&A Live Show + Big Anniversary Giveaway!
#56: Today, our Host, Chris Hutchins (@hutchins) celebrates the one year anniversary of ATH and the podcast! This was a live Q&A recorded on May 9th, 2022 with ATH listeners tuning in. Chris answers questions on earning points buying a house and car, how flexibility helps you save big on award flights, whether elite status is worth it and much more. This is a really fun episode with 3 big giveaways you can enter for 10k miles, a $100 Vuori gift card and a lifetime subscription to CardPointers. ...
55
May 4, 2022
Maximize Your Points: Stacking, Buyers Clubs, Redemption Tricks, and More with Julia Menez
#55: Points expert, Julia Menez, joins Chris to go deep on all things points and miles, including points stacking, optimizing rewards, tools to help organize your points and miles, using buying clubs to earn lots of points, and Chris shares how a somewhat sketchy website saved him an extra 15% off a new couch! Julia Menez (@geobreezetravel) is a points strategy coach, speaker and host of the Geobreeze Travel podcast, where she interviews travelers from all walks of life about their points and...
53
April 20, 2022
Planning Your Best Trip Ever with Brandon Presser
#53: Award-winning travel journalist Brandon Presser shares advice on choosing accommodations, critical factors to consider when planning a trip, his top travel tips, and his favorite off-the-beaten-path points of interest. He also discusses his traveling philosophy and shares his top lesser-known travel destinations! Brandon Presser (@brandpress) is a freelance features writer and travel expert. He’s written 50+ travel guidebooks, contributes to numerous influential publications, and can be ...
51
April 6, 2022
Unlocking Travel Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Leigh Rowan
#51: Travel Pro Leigh Rowan joins Chris for a second time to discuss luxurious travel tips, including getting the best prices on private jet travel, first-class experiences flying commercial, a look into high-end luxury resorts, and advice on tipping, luxury property rentals, and organizing your activities on your next vacation. Leigh Rowan (@leighrowan) is a serious travel optimizer. He is the founder and CEO of Savanti Travel, a travel management company for executives, and prior to that wa...
49
March 23, 2022
Bora Bora (Almost) for Free with Miles and Points
#49: This episode breaks down exactly how I booked a $20,000+ trip Bora Bora for less than $1,500 with points and miles. I'll break down finding flights, transferring the points, booking the hotels, my own recommendations for Bora Bora and all the tips and tricks you need to make a trip like this possible yourself. Partner Deals For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to our Partner Deals Selected Links From The Episode Chris' Blog Post on Bora Bora Suggested Ep...