The Travel Points Podcast

Eating scorpion tails on a trip doesn't entice me, but hearing new music does. Sometimes the music is great, other times not so good.  I think music helps people absorb a trip, either in memories, cultural significance, or something else.  Although not much travel took place in 2020 due to Covid, this podcast episode has a mix of music that I've enjoyed on trips, that reminds me of places, and some songs and artists from various countries that I like or find interesting.  It's a mix of new and old, foreign and domestic, with an assortment of styles and tastes.  Here's the setlist 1.  Busiswa, Kamo Mphela - SBWL (feat. Kamo Mphela) 2.  Sapna Awasthi, Sukhwinder Singh - Chaiyya Chaiyya 3.  Elza Soares, Oswaldo Borba - Se Acaso Voce Chegasse 4.  SAULT - Wildfires 5.  Celeste, Gotts Street Park - Lately 6.  Dave Van Ronk - Hang Me, Oh Hang Me 7.  Michael Nau - Love Survive 8.  Orlando Julius, The Heliocentrics - Buje Buje 9.   Cymande - Bra 10.  Manu Chao - Me Gustas Tu 11.  Lijadu Sisters - Come On Home Intro Music: YACHT, RAC - Second Summer - RAC MixOutro Music:  SAINt JHN, Imanbek - Roses - Imanbek Remix

In and outside of the loyalty and reward points and miles space, there's plenty of talk about "free" travel, almost all of which doesn't end up to actually be free travel.  In short, so many people omit details and costs that negate exactly what they claim to be promoting.  I like to create goals, and one goal that lingers every time I'm ready to create a new trip somewhere, is to travel for free - free as in no out of pocket expense. This episode is about a pretty cool road trip that culminates in a summary of an example of a free trip.  As an early birthday gift to my friend, we flew then drove around and across Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota in mid-September.  This is our trip: Alaska Airlines flight, MSP -> SEA -> FCA (Kalispell, MT) Kalispell (MT) Glacier National Park (MT) Big Sky (MT) Yellowstone National Park (MT, WY) Beartooth Pass Scenic Highway (MT) Devils Tower (WY) Deadwood (SD) Mount Rushmore (SD) Wall Drug (SD) Delta-09 Missile Silo (SD) Badlands National Park (SD) We hit just about everything we could in the 6 days that we had for our road trip.  The only other things that I can think of along our journey that would have been nice to see are Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and Custer State Park in South Dakota.  Each of those would take some time, and in the case of Grand Teton, likely a significant amount of time that we really didn't have.  Even with wildfires all around us and Covid still going strong, we managed to have a nice trip. Part of how I overcame extra expenses on this trip was through the Dosh app.  It's pretty simple, just plug in the credit cards that you use most and cash back posts to your account after purchases.  Please use my code for Dosh (https:/link.dosh.cash/JEFFREB113) if you don't already have and use it! Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Notiflyr is one of the best cheap airfare services in the world, period. Although I've kept tabs on the best cheap airfare websites around the world, until fairly recently I hadn't heard of the company. After digging into more details and looking more closely at the quality of the flight deals they offer, I was hooked, and am now a proud member. Notiflyr sources their own flight deals, they aren't copying other deals from other websites and companies. They are US based, and grew from humble beginnings, basically a couple of smart guys who learned technical skills on how to find the best airfare deals. The quality of the deals and related information is outstanding, and will only get better. This is an interview with Steven Ryals, one of the founders of Notiflyr. We talk about how he entered the world of cheap flights and what the current state of affairs is like.

Podcast explores a special and unusual place in NE India called Varanasi. India's most religious city, millions of people come here each year to bathe in the holy Ganges River and also to die. Audio from the Aarti fire ceremony, interviews with locals, and a first hand account of what it's like in this special place.

Music is an interesting aspect a lot of people ignore when traveling. I almost always try and hear what's being played in the destinations that I travel to.  Music gives me a look into where I'm at beyond the tourist sites, local food, and landscape. In a way, the music being played is an audio overview of the people and area that you're visiting.  This podcast is just a quick mix of some varied songs. Some current, some a bit older. Some domestic and others foreign. Some from my travels, others just songs I thought you might enjoy. 1. Polo & Pan - Nana 2. Jim James - Wild Honey 3. Elza Soares - O Mundo Encantado De Monteiro Lobato 4. Gnonnas Pedro - Yiri Yiri Boum 5. Chastity Belt - Seattle Party 6. Irma Sokhadze - Oranzhevaya pesenka 7. Edith Piaf - Non je ne regrette rein 8. The Tallest Man on Earth - Thousand Ways 9. BRONCHO - Try Me Out Sometime 10. Kaiser Chiefs - Remember You're a Girl

I caught up with Drew from Travel is Free, one of my favorite points and miles related websites. Drew and his wife Caroline have done a significant amount of International travel together, with much of it documented on his website. His travel resources, tips, and tricks are fantastic, with a good deal of unique and creative content. Drew and his co-host Dave together run the Travel is Free podcast, and are usually on the other side of the microphone asking questions to their guests. In this episode, it was my turn to ask him more about himself, his travels, and a deeper dive into how things evolved to this point. He's a unique guy with a unique story! For more information, go to www.travelisfree.com or search for the Travel Is Free podcast on iTunes or similar media.

Delhi is a big and wild place. As part of a recent around the world trip, this episode dives into all things Delhi, from an unexpected visit to a local hospital to seeing chickens slaughtered with bare feet. I thought I was ready to travel in India. I wasn't. The city has major issues, but it's uniqueness is appreciated even after leaving. Enjoy!

Tokyo was the first stop in a recent around the world trip using points and miles. Tokyo is an interesting place and is a significant city in many respects. Episode talks through the trip, what to see and do in Tokyo and some of the nuances of travel there.

Ric Gazarian is one of the worlds best traveled persons and is host of the popular travel podcast "Counting Countries".  He's usually behind the mic asking questions to his guests, many of which have traveled to every country in the world, but this time around we talked about some of his travels and adventures, and how he got into the spot that he's currently in.  Ric has traveled to 134 countries thus far, and his goal is to travel to all 193 UN recognized countries. Besides being an extremely well traveled individual, he's also an author, photographer, and filmmaker (Hit the Road India and Hit the Road Cambodia).  Ric's Counting Countries podcast and other media can be found at his website globalgaz.com.

10 music tracks from various parts of the world inspired for and by travel. Various genres of music, languages, and rhythms. Playlist: 1. Polo & Pan - Dorothy 2. Elza Soares - Boato 3. J.S. Ondara - Lebanon 4. Jax Jones, RAYE - You Don't Know Me (Radio Edit) 5. Indila -Derniere danse 6. Dimba Diangola - Fuma 7. LP - Other People 8. Giraffage, Japanese Breakfast, RAC - Maybes RAC mix 9. Dur-Dur Band - Aduun Hawli Kama Dhamaato 10. Xavier Rudd - Follow the Sun and.....HNNY - Cheer Up My Brother (exit song)

Late fall trip to Montreal, Canada. Podcast includes talk of what to see and do, food and restaurants, safety, using travel rewards to get there and fund the trip, and more. Nice city that I recommend visiting...in the summer though, not the late fall and winter!

Information about traveling into Belarus and the capital city Minsk including flights, transportation, lodging, and how it relates to points and miles.

From a psychology degree to the fashion runways in New York, to his own award booking service dolling out countless hours of points and miles advice, John Klukas is an interesting guy.  I saw down to talk all things points and miles, the mindset of an award booker, some sweetspot awards, examples of bookings, and what you can expect if you need help with your next award booking.  John is known as "The Flying Mustache" and definitely knows his stuff.  If you or your family need help with an award booking, contact him to see how he might be able to help, you'll be glad you do!

PGA Tour caddie Mark Urbanek sits down to chat golf, travel, and some points and miles. He has an interesting story and is currently caddying for the 60th ranked player in the world. For those who love golf or if you've been curious about what it's like to be a caddy on Tour, here's a first hand account.

Episode from my recent trip to Oahu, Hawaii. First time trip to any part of Hawaii. In the trip I surfed, hiked, visited Pipeline and the North Shore, Pearl Harbor, and drove every major road on the island.

Stefan Krasowski is truly a world traveler. He has been to 189 of the world’s 193 countries and is a member of the Circumnavigators Club and the Travelers’ Century Club. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and has also lived and studied in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. He's an expert in travel, reward credit cards, and all things points and miles and graciously took some time to chat after getting back from yet another trip.

It's not too much of a stretch to call Randy Petersen the Godfather of the points and miles hobby. He’s the pioneer behind many of the travel resources that millions of people all over the world use like FlyerTalk, BoardingArea, The Frequent Flyer Network, Inside Flyer magazine, MilePoint and many others.  The Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveler have called him the "frequent flyer guru" and the "most influential frequent flyer in America".  In case you're wondering, Randy is also a very down to earth , generous, and overall great guy.  In this episode, Randy reflects on his career in the travel and points & miles space and gives insight into where things are headed.

Michael Rutzen has spent more time free diving with great white sharks without a cage than any other person. He's a South African conservationist, film maker, cage diving operator and is one of the few people in the world that can understand and respond to white shark behaviour and body language. Rutzen started his career as a fisherman before joining the shark diving industry in 1994 establishing the pioneering techniques that are now the backbone of the industry. In 2000 he Driven to better understand white shark’s behaviour he found that observing them from a vessel was limiting so in 1998, he began free diving with white sharks in 1998 and founded his cage diving business, Shark Diving Unlimited, in 2000. He has hosted a number of high profile guests on shark observation and diving trips including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, and many more. His work has been featured on Discovery Channel, 60 Minutes, BBC, IMAX and other major medias. He may be the worlds leading expert on Great White Shark behavior. I sat down with him to chat at his workshop in Gansbaai, South Africa.

Few people know more about great white sharks than Andre Hartman.  He has been diving with great white sharks for the past 20 years, often without a cage or protection.  He has been bitten by great whites, ridden on top of them, and continues to dive to this day.  His work has been featured free diving on Discover Channel's Shark Week,  with Jean- Michel Cousteau, CNN, and through many other media publications around the world.   I sat down with Andre where he works at Supreme Sharks in Kleinbaai, South Africa.