Close-in Booking with Allison Tackette

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include:Round-trip business class to Japan for $1,925 (or 125,000 points)Business class to Hawaii for 55,000 milesBusiness class to Germany for 55,000 pointsYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium.Award Travel 101 Podcast Episode 53 Show NotesWe're changing up this week's format, with our very first member interview. Award Travel 101 community member Allison Tackette joins us with tips she's learned over 10 years in the space.BackgroundAllison is a former teacher who wanted to get out and see the world, but her time off in the summer often resulted in finding peak season pricing. Travel CAN be expensive if you're always paying cash, but pushing people to the brink helps them get creative!Introduction to travel rewards and loyalty programsIs it as simple as asking how to travel for free? In 2013, information was far more scarce than it is today. Now we have tons of resources and the Award Travel 101 Facebook community where you can ask questions and get instant answers.  Places You Could Return Over and OverWhile she enjoys traveling the world, check out why she thinks Japan is the place she could never lose interest in.Travel styleAllison travels primarily as a solo traveler, but she does travel with family on occasion too.DealsIs there anything better than First Class for your first significant redemption? Can you believe that the redemption she made years and years ago, is still the same cost today?Highlight Feature - Can I book travel inside 60 days (or less)?Which programs offer you the greatest flexibility? Use these to set yourself up and keep looking as you get close-in. Some of the most aspirational flights and airlines might be found inside 14 days or less including:LufthansaANAJALEmiratesNot airline specific, but unsold business/first flights to Australia and New Zealand often open up around a week out.Tip of the weekUse tools like seats.aero or point.me to simplify your searches. Check out Episode 19 "The Tools We Use" Where  You Can Find AllisonInstagram: @luckytictacawardtravelvacations.comWhere To Find the Award Travel 101 Community For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community. For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com. Our next meetup is located in San Antonio, TX on April 26–28, 2024. If you want a waitlisted ticket, see this post in AT101. Support the AT101 Podcast/Community