How to Win at Travel

I’ll admit: I approached *How to Win at Travel* skeptically, assuming it’d be yet another rehash of “open a credit card, get a free flight.” But within 20 minutes, Brian Kelly had me frantically pausing to screenshot his advice on *marriage* (yes, *marriage*) as a points-earning strategy—turns out, adding a spouse as an authorized user can double your sign-up bonuses. That’s the kind of granular, slightly unhinged brilliance that makes this audiobook addictive. Kelly’s narration is a double-edged sword: his excitement is infectious (you *will* believe you can fly to Bali for pennies), but his pacing occasionally veers into auctioneer territory, especially during dense sections on dynamic award pricing. A slower, more measured read might’ve helped absorb the finer points—pun intended. Where the book truly shines is in its *myth-busting*. Kelly dismantles sacred cows like “always book directly with airlines” (wrong—third-party sites sometimes offer better elite qualifying miles) and “points expire” (not if you play the game right). His chapter on *manufactured spend*—legally generating spend to hit bonus thresholds—is worth the price alone, though I docked half a star for the lack of a PDF companion (some of his spreadsheet-style comparisons are tough to follow aurally). The production is clean, but the absence of chapter markers for specific airline programs (e.g., “Delta SkyMiles Deep Dive”) feels like a missed opportunity for easy reference. Still, if you’ve ever fantasized about sipping champagne in a lie-flat seat while the guy in 23B pays full fare, this is your audiobook. Just keep a notepad handy—you’ll need it.