Saverocity Observation Deck - Miles, Points, and Travel Podcast

It's a Festivus for the rest of us! We gather around the aluminum pole one last time and discuss our airing of grievances (it's 2020, there were a lot), feats of strength, and Festivus Miracles. We also make an important announcement about the future of the podcast.

Episode Description Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points and the amazing award newsletter swings by. We celebrate a big life change before moving on to discuss his recent trip to Dubai, including the Al Maha resort. We of course discuss what it’s like going to Dubai during a pandemic and all the fun things […]

We talk to Ivan (@saianel) about his recent trip to see the Great Migration in Tanzania and how it compares to the other two (!) safaris he's been on. We talk luxury safaris, best animal sightings, and a whole lot more. Plus, some great bucket list travel talk.

Jeff Brownson returns to discuss spending a month remote schooling with his wife and children in Mexico this past September. We discuss why they decided to "study abroad" for awhile, Chichen Itza, scuba diving, hurricanes, and how a covid scare almost stranded Jeff in Mexico (spoiler alert: he's fine).

Trevor and Joe check in about what's been going on. We've been signing up for some new credit cards, taking advantage of AMEX 3X referral opportunities, and even have some upcoming trips.

We welcome back Becky Pokora from sightDOING who took a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks recently. We discuss the long hikes you can take when not traveling with two kids and a dog (like Nick did!), renting a boat to go fishing, what flying cross country felt like, and a whole lot more. Becky teaches both Joe and Trevor some new terminology/names and a great time was had by all.

We hit up not one, but two guests on this week's news focused Observation Deck. First, Leslie from Trips with Tykes drops by to discuss which airline's no change fee policy comes out on top. Then, Gideon the Freequent Flyer chats about what plays will be available with the new Chase Freedom Flex.

We close out the summer with one final road trip report. Nick S from our Discord channel joins to chat about a two week road trip extravaganza. We talk packing, tips for kids, beautiful scenery, and how travel hacking helped take some of the edge off the costs.

The miles and points community was all abuzz when Miraval Berkshires' opened with the BOGO promotion, but the shine has dulled a bit due to MA's restrictive travel policies. Still, we had a man on the ground in Mike D, longtime listener first time caller, so we discussed the Miraval Berkshires in detail.

Tom Kim is back to do a dive into the dark underbelly of fuel rewards and grocery gas points and a look back at a wonderful trip from the not so distant past.

We've made a lot of friends doing this podcast, but it's not often we get a chance to talk to personal friends from before the podcast! Joe talks to Jen Che from Tiny Urban Kitchen, a food blog, and her husband Bryan who have been living in Hong Kong for the last few years.

Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points and 10xTravel is back to discuss airline cancellation policies, award trends, becoming a famous Instagram personality, and a whole lot more!

We talk Vegas re-opening and the future with Michael Trager of TravelZork and the ZorkCast. We discuss his miles and points origin story, what Vegas looks like and what it maybe should look like, and more!

We talk to Dia Adams of Forbes and the internet at large about renting a beach condo in May (!) in North Myrtle Beach, SC. We discuss what summer travel might look like for folks, the appeal of vacation rentals, whether we'd consider visiting Disney World, life, and a whole lot more.

Dustin from Waller's Wallet returns to discuss which banks are doing best by their customers during the covid-19 pandemic and chat about local places to visit if you're thinking about taking a road trip this summer.

Bethany Walsh of Bougie Miles joins the podcast to discuss Vegas, gambling, double dip opportunities including casino status, gambling, Canadian music artists, gambling, and much more!

Amol of Travel Codex (and a pretty good Twitter follow) joins the podcast to discuss how things are going in Atlanta from the perspective a doctor working in hospitals there. We also discuss Bali and why breakfast in Asia hotels is so great.

Episode Description Stefan from Rapid Travel Chai and Every Passport Stamp joins Trevor (in person!) to discuss some travel over drinks. They discuss Stefan’s travel around the US, their love of history and presidential libraries, and debrief FTU from March. Note: this episode was recorded about a month ago, aka before things really popped off in […]

Steve Kriese of the DCL Podcast swings by to share some of his thoughts as a pilot with Alaska Airlines regarding COVID-19 related effects on the airline industry, how it affects pilot working hours and conditions, and how the current crisis compares to what happened to air travel after 9/11.

Episode Description Han from Chicago returned from a vacation to Asia about a week before the NBA cancelled its season and COVID-19 finally became a reality to those of us who live in the States. We discuss why he regrets his trip, his experiences in Asia during the outbreak, and what it’s like starting quarantine […]

Grant Thomas from Travel with Grant swings by to discuss his (now canceled) trip to Ireland, newlywed life in the miles and points game, and what's in his wallet.

Dave Grossman from MilesTalk walks on in to discuss some of his favorite travel experiences including the Maldives and Australia. We then discuss frequent flyer arbitrage: how to use one airline's miles to fly on another. Dave shares some great examples of partner bookings that provide great value.

Craig from Middle Age Miles swings by to talk about Jordan, visiting Petra, the Amalfi Coast, and what exactly qualifies as "middle age." He also teases his upcoming accidental manufactured spending series on the blog.

Seth Miller from paxex.aero, Dots Lines & Destinations, and much more swings by to talk about his extensive trip to Asia, the unique experience of visiting Bhutan, dealing with GI issues abroad, and a whole lot more. As this is an audio format, we do not ask him to identify Bhutan on a map but we are sure he could.

Becky Pokora of SightDOING joins the podcast and we discuss our miles and points resolutions for the new year.

Trevor and Joe ring in the new year with some predictions for 2020. What do we think lies in store for the major airlines and banks? Will Hyatt stop awarding nights for spend on their credit card? Plus, we talk through booking last minute holiday travel.

Sam Simon from Milenomics is back for Festivus the Fourth. We air grievances, celebrate feats of strength, and marvel at Festivus miracles in miles and points this year. Hope everyone has a great holiday and a wonderful end to 2019!

Mark Ostermann of Miles to Memories (and co-host of the Miles to Memories podcast) joins the Observation Deck for a wide ranging, tangent filled discussion about using Avianca and British Airways miles, whether AA web specials might end up being a bad thing, and much more.

He did it! Stefan from Rapid Travel Chai and the Every Passport Stamp Facebook group visited his (not last) country and joins the podcast to talk about it. We discuss how he feels after finishing this journey, what he plans to do next, his mother in law's cooking class in Shanghai, Africa travel, and much more!

Spencer Howard of Straight to the Points and the best award newsletter going drops by to talk his recent trip to Europe, paying with points, EVA air, and much more. He also gives us a peek behind the award alert search curtain.

We finish things up with Robert Dwyer of Milenomics, discussing some miles and points blogs you should check out, the most rewarding bank overall, tips for getting into reselling, what we'd like to see Chase and Amex do, and more!

Robert Dwyer from Milenomics swings by to chat about an eclectic set of questions - curated by Bob himself! We have a great time talking about how the Saverocity Observation Deck came to be, our top three Hyatts, one card to rule them all, and much more!

Adam of Travel Fanboy influencing fame drops by the podcast to discuss what it's like to be a beginner, both as a miles and points person (previously) and as a content creator for miles and points beginners (currently). We have a wide ranging discussion about his being content booking domestic first class, what it's like to work with people who aren't insane about miles and points, casino stuff (natch), and a little bit about why he highly recommends everyone visit Detroit.

Podcast worlds collide as Leslie Harvey from Trips with Tykes joins Joe and Trevor to discuss why you shouldn't sleep on Bermuda, experiences with the Southwest Companion Pass, our predictions for the future of the 737 Max, and more!

Friend of the show Tom Kim joins the podcast to discuss how he's been gambling on Royal Caribbean to get "free" cruises. Spoiler alert they're not actually free but they're also not as expensive as you might think (statistically). We also discuss his overall impressions of Royal Caribbean and what upcharges and packages are worth the cost. Apparently cruising is like mileage running?

Episode Description Joe and Trevor catch up on summer trips, including Trevor’s round the world extravaganza. Tune in for our thoughts on Japan, Singapore, Budapest, and much more! Plus – did Trevor manage to get himself into Lufthansa first class? (Drink!) In our Patreon only Final Boarding Call segment, Joe covers various odds and ends […]

Joe hangs out with Jeff Brownson of Award Travel 101 to talk about how he randomly got the job, traveling around all of France during the Women's World Cup, the difference between when his wife plans what they're doing vs. when he plans things, and what's next for THE first miles and points Facebook group.

Trevor and Joe sit down with Caroline Lupini, freelancer extraordinaire, to discuss how she got into full time writing, her life as a digital nomad, what her parents thought of all of this and more. We also discuss some of her favorite countries and her wildly variable accommodations while out of the country.

Episode Description Travelcon (the non-hacking one) was in Boston this year, so Joe got together with a bunch of miles and points bloggers to chat about the state of miles and points blogging, where the space might be going, whether consolidation will keep happening, whether Canadians really are nicer, and a whole lot more! Featuring […]

Becky Pokora from sightdoing.net drops by and we chat about our recent trips that hopefully can inspire you as you plan your next ones. How can you enjoy Alaska by land or by sea, what is it like to go to the Women's World Cup, and how much wildlife can you see in Tasmania? We also talk about how Joe dealt with a grossly overcharged rental car.

Dustin from Waller's Wallet returns to talk about the baby that was born thanks to his trip to Brno (discussed in Episode 96), why he canceled the American Express Personal Gold (what?), discrepancies he's noticed studying prices on various travel portals, and a lot more!

Freequent Flyer is back! The man who works for you discusses how he hacked his way through his Hawaii honeymoon, airline partnerships and double dipping opportunities, and we somehow end up discussing the future of ride share services.

Toni Southam Perkins from Nachos con Huevos and Award Travel 101 drops by the podcast to talk finding award space for a family of six (!), why she loves Guatemala, her family travel philosophy and some truly crazy stories about her experiences overseas with the kids.

Ed Pizzarello from Pizza in Motion and the Miles 2 Go podcast drops by to discuss his crazy Disney parkeology challenge for charity, the perils of overscheduling "vacation", what loyalty might look like to consumers in the future, and why in the name of all that is good and just in this world did Bonvoy win at the Freddies? In Final Boarding Call, Joe talks about lessons you should probably take from his semi-disastrous family trip over spring break.

Stefan Krasowski from Rapid Travel Chai swings by to talk about his loyalty to Delta, how miles and points have brought him to the precipice of completing his visit to every country in the world, dynamic awards, Socotra and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and more! In Final Boarding Call, we discuss how Stefan earns miles and points these days, rant on the state of MS in a very specific region of the country, and talk about how all this consolidation has affected the miles and points blogosphere.

Drew from Travel is Free is back to writing full time and the miles and points community is better off for it. He joins the podcast to chat about what he's been up to, Eastern Europe, free stopovers using United, and more! We chatted so much we left in some extra banter at the end of the episode. (Note: Obviously we recorded this before United announced they're getting rid of their award chart. We haven't seen news about how this affects stopovers yet, maybe it won't, but it's still bad news).

Spencer Howard from God Save the Points joins us to chat about some of the more niche alternative mileage currencies to book awards. We dive into some of the nitty gritty of finding value using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Iberia Avios, Asia Miles, and much more. He also drops some knowledge about Lifemiles. Plus, what to do in Thailand. Spencer hangs out for our Patreon only Final Boarding Call segment to chat some specific award routes and some interesting thoughts on the evolution of the miles and points gamers view of buying miles. He also makes Joe's life and decision making as difficult as possible. Thanks for nothing, Spencer!

On today's episode we're joined by a special guest, Shane Rowley, who's been to Necker Island, Richard Branson's private island in the British Virgin Islands, twice. We chat about what it's like to be a guest at such a unique location, how much it costs in money or in miles, the amazing experience that is Necker Island, and what Richard Branson smells like.

Shawn Coomer from Miles to Memories drops by to play a little game: best no, low, and high annual fee credit cards for a "normal" user. We often get caught up in all the hacking but we found it productive to think about what cards to recommend to people who are looking to save money on travel but not go crazy. (Or at least dip their toes in the water besides deciding to get deep into it!). We also chat about planning trips to Asia, mistake fares, renting warehouses, and more! In our bonus Gold Patreon only segment, Shawn and I chat about buyers clubs which seem to be the hot new thing. I pick Shawn's reseller perspective brain about the potential pitfalls and breakdowns that could affect buyers clubs.

Seth Miller from Dots, Lines, and Destinations and lots of other cool places joins the podcast to discuss Zagreb, Sarajevo, Copenhagen, his experience on WOW Airlines (and what happens if they go out of business), in-flight Wi-fi, and much more. In a special buy or sell, Trevor has a striking realization about how to run a segment...

Becky Pokora from sightDOING{ drops by to help us celebrate our 100th episode! We discuss her experience with the Hong Kong Airlines mistake business class fare and how she handles building a trip around a mistake fare. Then, we discuss her trip (via said fare) to Harbin, China (哈爾濱) and their amazing ice festival. Hope you enjoy hearing about her spectacular experience as much as we did.