You’re scrolling Instagram and someone from your college is posting from a Maldives overwater bungalow. Your coworker just got back from ten days in Japan. Your neighbor mentioned they’re doing Hawaii again this year — their third time. And you’re sitting there doing the math, because you know what flights cost, you know what hotels…
The travel agent model is built on commissions. That’s not a criticism — it’s just how the business works. When a travel agent books your resort, the resort pays them a percentage. When they book your cruise, the cruise line pays them. Which means the person giving you advice on where to stay has a…
Complicated international trips. Exotic destinations. Balancing when to prioritize luxury accommodations and unique experiences versus budget-minded practicality and authenticity . Without an expert, these trips could easily go sideways. Many people have done everything right. They saved their favorite influencer posts for itineraries, signed up for credit cards, and can picture waking up in that…
I get asked some version of this question almost every week — usually by someone who has a credit card with a pile of points they’ve never touched, a dream trip they’ve been putting off, and a sneaking suspicion that “travel hacking” is either too complicated or too good to be true. So here’s the…
When I first got into credit cards, I had no idea what I was doing with points. When I got an email for a special offer on Apple gift cards, I went for it thinking it was a good deal to take the sting out of buying a new iPhone. Little did I know that…
