Gunnar is back from a rain-soaked trip to Hawaii to talk about oil prices, airfare, and what’s next for flight prices – plus, an update on what’s happening at TSA checkpoints across the country as the partial government shutdown drags on.
But Gunnar can’t stop talking about his vacation, so he gives a review of Hawaiian Airlines First Class, reveals his grand theory of travel, and the guys pitch a visit to Minneapolis for the Thrifty Traveler Podcast Live Show in June!
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Show Notes
00:00 – Recapping Gunnar’s trip to Hawaii
04:40 – Marcus welcomes us back to the show from Cabo
05:00 – A review of Hawaiian’s fancy first class suites
10:32 – Gunnar’s Grand Theory of Travel
14:45 – TSA News: Lines, ICE agents & more
20:12 – A word from our sponsor: Travel abroad with an eSim from Saily!
21:25 – Oil prices (and airfare) are going up. What’s next?
34:30 – What you should do now & where to find deals
45:50 – Gunnar gets spotted & pitching Minneapolis
52:20 – On the Spot: What’s the most you’ve paid for a flight?
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Tell Kyle no one cares he is a straight white male and continually bringing it up is offensive. If he was a blind blonde lesbian african american pacific islander no one would care. Grow up people tune in to get the information and couldn’t care less about someone’s gender and ethnic make up.
I was just poking fun at myself/trying to show some self-awareness about the privilege of complaining about flying business class … but yeah, probably dropped that line one or two too many times.
Hey! Don’t knock the Hyatt Place Northwest/Medical Center. It is the closest and most convenient Hyatt for visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas! 😉
*As a Globalist*…
But really, as a Globalist who travels with two kids and basically only ever uses points (other than Platinum credits for THC) I do think there are aspects that can’t really be replicated elsewhere unless you’re independently wealthy. As Gunnar pointed out the footprint is a challenge and may prevent me from requalifying this year, but there’s just so much that being a Globalist allows me to do that wouldn’t be possible without it unless I drained all of my Amex MRs at 1c each to book via FHR/THC. The combination of milestone rewards and straight Globalist benefits is second to none for a family – I can use 25k points per night (or less) and a suite upgrade award to put our whole family into a great room at a nice hotel with free breakfast and parking. And sometimes I can throw a Guest of Honor award at my extended family so that the cousins can come too! We just wouldn’t be able to travel as much or as well as we do – and with the people we love – with the other disloyal hotel options you mentioned*.
*The Edit with a Points Boost might be the next best thing for our needs but I’ve lost count of my rejections from the CSR personal card.