Brian Kelly, the Points Guy, Shares Tips on Reward Travel

Extra nights in cushy hotel suites, free premium air travel and even stays on private islands.Loyalty points and frequent flier miles, when strategically collected, can fund trips well beyond a traveler’s usual expectations and budget.But it isn’t easy to get these deals.

Luckily for us, there’s an entire universe of experts who share their savvy in booking award travel, and at the forefront is Brian Kelly, who founded the travel website The Points Guy in 2010.For Mr.Kelly, 41, it started with the childhood challenge of booking travel for his family.

At 12, he planned an entire vacation to Grand Cayman for his family of six, booking all of the flights with miles earned by his father.This successful trip laid the groundwork for his career as travel expert, he said.

Deals still dictate his travel.In his new book, “How to Win at Travel,” Mr.Kelly shares advice on everything from understanding points and miles to handling flight disruptions and flight anxiety.He shared some of that advice with The Times, discussing how to strategize purchases with credit cards (he has 29!), flying with children in business class and the evolving world of award travel.This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.You’ve researched points and miles for decades.

What’s still fun about it?I love solving the puzzle.Yes, it’s a little bit difficult, but that’s also the point.

If it was so easy for everyone in the world to use, it wouldn’t exist.For those who want to put in a little bit of work, I think there’s still a really high reward.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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