flights Archives - Empathic Finance

The high cost of cheap flights

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on October 23, 2023 | Featured

Spirit Airlines and other ultra-low-cost carriers may claim to offer a great value, but their low cost model carries higher risk to you. … Read More

Tags: flights, frugality, scarcity, Spirit Airlines

Calculate the opportunity cost

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on January 26, 2017 | Featured

Opportunity cost can be defined as “the value of the choice of a best alternative lost while making a decision.” Or, more colloquially, it’s “what you could have done if you had chosen differently.” I’ve talked before that one should consider … Read More … Read More

Tags: flights, purchases, travel

How to plan a trip to anywhere via travel hacking

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on June 9, 2016 | Featured

I was at a party recently where the conversation turned to travel. One person in particular was trying to get to a destination (somewhere in South America, I forget the specific city) the following month, and wanted to know how they … Read More … Read More

Tags: flights, planning, travel hacking

How you can use same day flight change rules to save on airfare

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on May 30, 2016 | Featured

I think Alaska Airlines is pretty much the best domestic airline out there right now. Bold claim, I know, and there are many different criteria that go into such a rating, but I say this based on a combination of … Read More … Read More

Tags: Alaska Airlines, discounts, flights

Getting my mom and I to London and back: a study in trip planning

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 20, 2015 | Featured

In my last post I talked about how my mom and I were going to Europe together. Specifically London, although we threw in Paris at the last moment. It’s a really exciting time. For me, one of the best … Read More … Read More

Tags: flights, frequent flyer miles, planning, travel

A better way to combine money and miles when flying

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on May 14, 2015 | Featured

With the discussion about using connecting cities to find better award availability when flying, I thought I would highlight another option for maximizing travel options and minimizing cost. I call it the DIY Money and Miles option. … Read More

Tags: award travel, flights

How to find better award availability on Alaska Airlines using connecting cities

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on May 11, 2015 | Featured

I’m heading to Montreal next month, which is exciting, as I’ve only been there once before, and in December, not exactly an optimal time for visiting a Canadian city. I looked at using (Alaska) miles for the trip, but … Read More … Read More

Tags: Alaska Airlines, award travel, flights, Montreal, New York City

Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 23, 2015 | Featured

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read More … Read More

Tags: aer lingus, avios, award travel, Boston, british airways, credit cards, Dublin, flights, London, planning

Can I help you plan a flight?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on December 4, 2014 | Featured

“You could totally make a business out of that.” I was explaining the various details of my upcoming mileage run to my dinner companion. She must have noticed the wildness in my eyes as I talked excitedly about connections, … Read More … Read More

Tags: award travel, booking, business, flights, flying, service, travel hacking

Travel hacking to get free hotels

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on May 2, 2013 | Featured

I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Gwangju, South Korea. The question that invariably popped up whenever I told anyone that I was staying in Gwangju (even Koreans all said this) was, “why!?” Yikes, do they know something I … Read More … Read More

Tags: flights, hotels, travel, travel hacking

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