This week, a bona fide travel hacker and self-proclaimed “bad boy of the travel industry” joins the show to discuss his two services that help millions travel more for less.
Jonathan Weinberg is the founder and CEO of our beloved AutoSlash and, more recently, HotelSlash. So who better to hop on the podcast and educate both Gunnar and Kyle about the worlds of hotel and car rental booking?
Jonathan talks about his career before getting into travel – including his firsthand experience being in the Twin Towers on 9/11 – and then walks us through how and why he founded the two money-saving booking platforms that Gunnar and Kyle use all the time. Plus, we chat about Georgia (the country, not the state) and get a little giddy about a handful of new Park Hyatt properties in the pipeline.
Join us for all the travel news that’s fit to podcast! Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! And be sure to subscribe now to get each new episode every Thursday morning.
Thanks to HotelSlash for sponsoring this episode of the show! Try it out today: Use promo code THRIFTYTRAVELER for a free 90-day trial – plus, get $20 off your first prepaid booking!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at [email protected].
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Show Notes
- 00:00 – A quick note about today’s episode
- 00:18 – Introducing AutoSlash and HotelSlash CEO, Jonathan Weinberg!
- 01:48 – Ruffling feathers in the travel industry
- 06:55 – Something Hot: Why we can’t stop talking about Georgia (the country, not the state) and a flight deal to get you there
- 12:45 – Something Hotter: Park Hyatts are renovating, opening, and expanding all over the world – our favorites are…
- 16:40 – A word from our sponsor: HotelSlash, the easiest way to book a cheaper hotel stay – and rebook when prices drop
- 17:47 – Jonathan’s path into the travel industry: A travel-filled childhood, working on Wall Street, finding flight deals, & more
- 24:00 – A harrowing experience inside World Trade Center Tower 2 on Sept. 11, 2001 – read Jonathan’s firsthand account
- 29:20 – The how & why behind AutoSlash
- 33:43 – Pivoting to HotelSlash and how it’s different from other hotel booking sites
- 41:10 – Becoming “bad boys of the travel industry”
- 47:15 – International driver’s permits: Do you need them?
- 50:35 – Listener Feedback: Amy’s wins in Montana, including a sweet rental car deal
- 53:00 – On the spot: Gunnar and Kyle’s thoughts on hidden city ticketing (or “Skiplagging”)
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Hi guys! Very interesting discussion on the new Amex Platinum Card and the fact that you have a really cool spreadsheet to track all the benefits. My wife and have been doing some personal calculus on if that card is right for us, and it actually makes more sense to potentially get the Amex Gold Card. Do you guys have a tracking spreadsheet like this that’s specific to the Amex Gold Card?
We appreciate everything your team does and we love the podcast!
Thanks for the kind words, Marcus! Stay tuned for something for the Gold Card.
Great episode! Thanks!
My husband and I have 15-20 credit cards each and are entering retirement (i.e., much lower spending). We’d both like to get down to about 4 cards each. How do we do this without cancelling most of them and totally taking a hit to our (stellar) credit ratings?
Episode #19 – Kyle, I feel ya big time RE: standing in line for security and people are not prepared or act surprised that they need to remove metal, liquids, etc. Hello… what have you been looking at for the last 20 minutes while waiting? Paying attention to your surroundings and taking social cues helps everyone. Phew, exits soapbox! (I think this can apply to the check-out line in the grocery store too! :-))
We loved Oban. We went to Oban by train from Glasgow. We took a boat tour to Mull, Iona, Staffa, and Lunga. We went during puffin nesting season and saw so many puffins. I highly recommend this tour company.
https://westcoasttours.co.uk/tours/tour-mull-iona-and-staffa/
Fellow travel enthusiast from the Midwest here!
Just wanted to share my travel social media username/handle – @TravelSizeBudget on Facebook and Instagram. I attended Thrifty Traveler University a few years ago regularly follow TT’s amazing content. I started @TravelSizeBudget last year to offer my own unique spin on travel – from the usual (points and miles, affordable fares) to the less common (savings and convenience on food, souvenirs and more). Thanks for continuing to inspire me, Thrifty Traveler!
Great podcast! Thanks for all the great information.
Hello Gunnar,
I am enjoying and appreciating all you travel savings information. Would you please help us finding an appropriate venue to get results form lost bag by United? In June last yWe re senior citizens 1K United. Last year in June we checked 6 bags from LAX to HNL. One of the bags never arrived and we filled a claim at HNL. There was lack or no communication from United including corporate. We provided photos and invoices for 4 pro racing high end OZONE kites $12,500.00. The bag never made it “downstairs” after being check at 1K counter at LAX. I wrote countless letters , got a lots of lying and contradicting run around or no responses. Now we found out someone is selling our stolen kites on E-Bay because they all have serial numbers and person who bought one of the kites very ‘cheap” called Ozone co. to ask why is someone selling a $4,000.OO kite for $1,500.00 and the company contacted us since they have record of us paying a full price. E-Bay is not taking any responsibility. Now United finally e-mailed us claiming they do not cover “sports equipment”. Our bags were handed to United employees and they should be responsible. Would you have any suggestions how can we recover our losses? I would appreciate any suggestion you could provide. I know its not what you are about but since you have lots of travel experience maybe you know something that can help us. Keep up the good work.