A public school teacher who figured out the system
I'm a public school teacher — which means I get summers off but not much budget to fill them. That tension is what got me deeply into points and miles over a decade ago, when my wife and I used them to fly to Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece for almost nothing. After landing in Santorini having paid almost zero for the flights, I was completely hooked.
We've been chasing that feeling ever since. St. Kitts, Kauai, Beaver Creek ski-out lodging, surf trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, the Bahamas, England, Ireland, Scotland, Cabo, Cancun — and national parks with the kids: Zion, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Everglades. In 2025 alone I earned 500,000 points and miles from everyday spending and signup bonuses, and redeemed 375,000 of them for travel worth over $10,000 in cash.
Friends started asking me to help them build their own strategies. Then friends of friends. I was doing hours of free sessions every week because I genuinely loved it. Eventually someone told me I should charge for this — and The Travel Points Coach was born.
