MEET
BEC
Hi there! I’m Bec – another one of those pesky millennials who likes to travel too much, eats a house-worth of avocado and runs their life on an endless to-do list.
Oh, and I also know the best tips and tricks to make luxury travel the rule, not the exception.
So, what got me into using loyalty and frequent flyer programs for travel?
Up until the mid-2010s, I redeemed my frequent flyer points primarily for domestic, economy-class travel. Free flights? Fantastic! Life was great... I didn’t know any better.
Then I had that travel day. We’ve all had one – whether we’re the one causing misery to ourselves or scoffing at someone else driving the disruption.
I’ll spare you the details, but it involved a rainy day in New York City, a broken suitcase, a missed flight, an overweight luggage fee and a migraine that was heading for the gold medal in the "worst I've ever had" awards.
By the time I made it to Los Angeles that evening, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Then came a 14-hour flight home in Economy, sitting next to a couple who made no attempt to hide the fact they thought their hand luggage was more worthy of my seat than me.
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, I decided that would be the last long-haul Economy flight I would ever take.
And so far, so good.
How did I say goodbye to long-haul economy?
Despite saying "yes, I’ll join!" to every loyalty program I'd ever been pitched and a wallet full of cards I never used, I really had no idea what a loyalty program offered.
I was giving all of these companies my valuable personal information and shopping habits, but I wasn't getting anything back in return. I didn't know how to.
It usually takes a lot of time upfront to learn about frequent flyer and loyalty programs. Plus, with the industry constantly changing, it's something that requires a great deal of dedication to keep up with.
I understand that a lot of people don’t have the time to gather their own information about the points and miles world in Australia - they just want to make sure they are getting the best deal.
That’s why I created Award Lounge. Think of it as your one-stop shop for tips and information to plan your life of luxury travel.
Interested to know more about me? Let's connect on LinkedIn!
Professional Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations & Marketing)
- Graduate Certificate of Aviation Management*
- Certificate IV in Training & Assessment*
- 7+ years in the Financial Services industry
* in progress
ABOUT
AWARD LOUNGE
Award Lounge teaches people how to maximise frequent flyer miles and loyalty program points to live a life of luxury travel.
If you are a certified frugal traveller, this is your warning that Award Lounge probably isn’t for you. Sure, you can stay in luxury hotels and fly first class for "free" a few times, but if you want to live a life of luxury travel, it will cost real, hard money. One way or another.
But don’t worry. Award Lounge is here to teach you how to get the best bang for your buck.
A few things you should know about Award Lounge
#1. Award Lounge is not a brag book.
Each trip report, review, guide or destination piece explain how I booked it – and how you can do it too.
#2. I'm not a professional photographer, videographer or photo editor.
Chances are that you already follow talented content creators who post incredible photos and videos to their blogs and social media platforms.
Sure, I've got a nice camera and know how to throw a filter on a photo, but that's not a primary focus of Award Lounge. I also know how disappointing it feels to see a photo online where everything looks perfect, only to get there in person and realise just how calculated and edited that photo was.
That's why I like to take the Expectations vs. Reality approach to luxury travel, and you'll notice this on Instagram.
Award Lounge helps you achieve your luxury travel goals and shows you what it's like when an everyday person accomplishes those goals.
However, it is not our primary role to sell you on a certain brand or product. That's what their marketing team is for (and gets paid handsomely to do).
This leads to the next point…
#3. It’s all about transparency.
If Award Lounge teams up with a brand, you will know it's a sponsored partnership at the top of the post. And not in a miniscule-sized font at the bottom of the page.
That said, I run advertisements and affiliate program links on Award Lounge which may generate revenue if you view, click and/or purchase a product through that link.
Rest assured that you aren't paying more than if you went to the company direct. Sometimes, you are actually getting a better deal.
Get started now by enrolling in Points & Miles 101.