You’ve earned the points, you’ve booked the trip … but how do you make your travels more enjoyable? On this (perhaps not final?) episode of Starter Kit, the guys walk through the little things you can do to improve your entire trip, from the planning process to booking lodging, rental cars, and trains to making your airport experience easier - and even how to beat jet lag and find activities to do abroad. And in the name of keeping things thrifty, they spill the beans on the best way to cover these extra expenses with points and miles.

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Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium. 

00:00 - Has Kyle achieved travel nirvana?

02:50 - Tools & apps to organize your travel plans

07:50 - Make the airport easier: TSA, lounges & Flighty

20:00 - Lodging tips: Finding the best hotels & vacation rentals

26:05 - Saving on rental cars with Autoslash or Turo

31:00 - How to find other forms of transportation

32:45 - Tips for traveling better on the ground

45:30 - Your final flight plan!

47:00 - Kyle’s final advice to travelers: Get out there!

Volume 5 Flight Plan: 

  • Organize your travel plans with TripIt, Google My Maps, and more, and understand your phone plan or eSim
  • Streamline your airport experience with TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, Flighty, and other apps and services
  • Cast a wide net when looking for lodging: Don’t just search Airbnb and Google Hotels - go deeper
  • Stop overpaying for rental cars: Use tools like Autoslash or Turo for better rates
  • Use our tips to improve your travels on the ground (and earn Capital One miles to cover them!)

Related Episodes & Links Mentioned: 

Ep. 31: Beating Rental Car Companies & Hotel Chains with Autoslash CEO Jonathan Weinberg
Bonus: Why Flighty is Our Favorite Travel App
TripIt — TripIt
Google — Google My Maps · Google Hotels · Google Maps / Street View
Saily — Saily eSIM
Airalo — Airalo eSIM
Thrifty Traveler Premium — Thrifty Traveler Premium Flight Deals(Use promo code START for $20 off your first year!)
TSA — TSA PreCheck · TSA Digital ID / Touchless ID information
CLEAR — CLEAR+
Global Entry / Mobile Passport Control — Global Entry / Trusted Traveler Programs · Mobile Passport Control information
Flighty — Flighty
LoungeReview — LoungeReview
American Express — Amex Global Lounge Collection
Airbnb — Airbnb · Airbnb Experiences·Airbnb Reverse Image Search
Vrbo — Vrbo
AutoSlash — AutoSlash
Turo — Turo
Rome2Rio — Rome2Rio
Viator — Viator
Cashback Monitor — Cashback Monitor
Capital One — Capital One Offers · Capital One Travel · Capital One Miles redemption guide
Rakuten — Rakuten
Copenhagen Card — Official Copenhagen Card
Charles Schwab — Schwab Bank Investor Checking
AllTrails — AllTrails

 

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot


 

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Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

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