September 7, 2024

Credit Card Points, Rewards Miles, & Travel Hacking with Nick Ewen of The Points Guy

Group of travelers posing indoors beneath leafy trees, wearing Day of the Dead face paint and floral crowns, with casual clothing and smiling expressions during a cultural experience in Oaxaca.

Today I catch up with Nick Ewen, Senior Editor at The Points Guy. He got hit with the travel bug at an early age and spent 10+ years as a road warrior, earning and redeeming credit card points & airline miles allowing him to visit over 40 countries spread across six continents.

I learned how Nick was able to travel while his wife was still in school and how they did it for free.

Nick says to start small, and not worry about signing up for every single points and mileage program in the world, and he really helps us focus on what we want out of the travel hacking game. He gives his recommendations for best travel credit cards, best frequent flier programs, and how to optimize rewards points.

Nick has 21 open credit cards and claims that there has been no effect on his credit score! We talk about what the top cards without annual fee are and how someone with a small budget can travel frugally without paying fees. We also talk about what the best frequent flier allegiances are and how to navigate this complex game!

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We also do a rapid fire round where Nick gives me his favorite travel related recommendations...

Favorite Airline

Domestic: JetBlue
International: Cathay Pacific

Favorite Hotel in the world

Hilton Labris, Seychelles Islands

Favorite Airline Lounge

Turkish Airline Lounge, Istanbul
Cathay Pacific Lounge, Hong Kong

Travel Gear

Amazon Kindle

Favorite Book or Movie for the Flight

Narcos Colombia
The Good Place

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sticher, & Soundcloud.

You can find the links to everything here on millennialtravelpodcast.com and if you are looking to escape more, spend less, and make travel a priority in your life, I hope you check out my #1 best selling new release, The Millennial Travel Guidebook.

AUTHORS

Matt Wilson

Matt Wilson is the co-founder and CEO of Under30Experiences, a group travel company for young adults, and the author of The Millennial Travel Guidebook: Escape More, Spend Less, & Make Travel a Priority in Your Life.

He has spent over a decade designing, operating, and reviewing group trips around the world, with a focus on travel safety, logistics, and real-world risk assessment for young, solo, and first-time travelers. His experience includes extensive travel throughout Latin America and Europe, as well as hands-on work vetting destinations, local partners, accommodations, and transportation providers.

Matt regularly evaluates destinations using practical criteria that go beyond crime statistics including infrastructure, medical access, transportation reliability, and group dynamics which informs the travel safety guides he writes and updates based on recent travel.

He is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and approaches travel the same way he approaches training: prepared, disciplined, and aware of risk without being ruled by fear.

Matt remains actively involved in reviewing itineraries, assessing safety considerations, and creating destination guides for Under30Experiences, with the goal of helping travelers explore the world confidently, responsibly, and with intention.