Are you ready to get started with points, miles, and all things cheap travel? It all starts with airfare, so in this first installment of our new Starter Kit podcast series, Gunnar and Kyle walk through how to find the cheapest flight possible, every single time.
The guys cover the tips, tricks, tools, and (most importantly) the mindset you need to find cheap flights and start traveling more for less.
Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! And be sure to subscribe now to get each new Starter Kit episode every Tuesday morning over the coming weeks!
Our Starter Kit series 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” to save even more!
Please consider supporting the show by spreading the word and leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! That helps other travel lovers, like yourself, find our podcast.
In This Episode
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- 00:00 – Kicking off our Starter Kit: How we got started
- 2:52 – The two most important rules for finding cheap flights
- 7:09 – Why you NEED to start your search with Google Flights
- 11:24 – One-way flights versus round-trip bookings
- 15:34 – Learning how to follow the deal, not the destination
- 16:51 – Positioning flights: the key to cheaper international fares
- 18:56 – And the risks of using those positioning flights…
- 20:35 – The intricacies of airfare & what to avoid
- 24:38 – The art of rebooking flights to save even more
- 30:26 – Busting bogus airfare myths
- 33:35 – Your Flight Plan – Recap & to-dos from Ep. 1
- 36:48 – Up next in Starter Kit…
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Vol. 1 Flight Plan:
- Think “Flights First”: Plan your trips around the best flight deals and book them before anything else
- Book quickly: Utilize the 24-hour flight cancellation rule to get the best deals. Book fast, figure out the details later
- Get to know Google Flights: By far the most powerful flight booking tool and the key to saving on airfare. Use its price calendar, the filters, and price alerts to book when prices drop
- Start re-booking your flights: Set up price alerts on your existing flights and rebook when prices drop. It’s the most underrated way to save big on travel
Related Episodes
Ep. 72: How the Pros Use Google Flights
Ep. 47: Our 5-Step Checklist: What We Do After Booking Flights
Ep. 25: All Our Best Tricks & Tools to Find the Cheapest Flight
Ep. 50: Inside Thrifty Traveler with Founder Jared Kamrowski
Ep. 70: Top 10 Flight Deals of 2026 (So Far)
We were in Japan for over a month this spring and when we tallied up our 10 favorite experiences none were in Tokyo and only one was in Kyoto. We loved Takayama, Nagano, wild areas in Shikoku and the Japanese Alps, and the rural areas in Western Honshu. For onsens that aren’t crazy crowded try the area around the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway in the mountains near Kamikochi.
BTW, before you go to Japan go online and listen to Japanese pronunciation of place names. Narita, Haneda, and even Kyoto and Tokyo aren’t pronounced the way you probably think and Japanese speakers might not understand you if you use English pronunciation. (For example, Tokyo and Kyoto are both two-syllables.)
Can I have more info about the vpn to use for getting more points?
Hi Mary, search Rakuten for “Express VPN” or “Nord VPN.” Both regularly offer close to 100% back – 100x points when you have your Rakuten account set up that way – for these purchases. At 100% cash back (100x points), you’re essentially buying points for 1 cent apiece if you don’t plan to use the service. Just don’t forget to cancel before the promo rate expires!