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No one embodies that title of “travel expert” quite like Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy. He’s been to every continent (multiple times, including with his toddlers) and more countries than most people visit in a lifetime. But that’s not even the most impressive part: Kelly is so well-versed in credit cards, points, miles and loyalty programs that he can book flights, hotels, excursions and more for free with his eyes closed. And for the past 16 years, he’s made it his mission to teach you how to do the same.
“I want people to have confidence traveling,” says Kelly, who took The Points Guy from a personal blog in 2010 to a multi-million dollar media company today. “I want them to be better informed and have a sense of how to navigate the system because it’s overwhelming, especially if you’re a novice traveler.”
Kelly’s role at The Points Guy has changed over the years, but at its core, it’s always revolved around helping people navigate what he calls “the complicated travel landscape.” Online, on social media and in his bestselling book, “How to Win at Travel,” Kelly shares tips about how to affordably upgrade all parts of a travel experience, and educates people about issues impacting the travel industry and what that means for upcoming trips.
Kelly’s biggest travel tip these days? Embrace flexibility, especially if you’re on a budget. “There are travel deals out there, but it’s not about booking on a Tuesday or using an IP blocker,” he says. “You need to think creatively and be flexible with dates and your destination.”
Between Kelly’s most recent adventures, I talked to him about the essentials he never forgets to add to his suitcase, how he keeps his kids entertained on flights (including to Antarctica) and the safety device he wishes more people traveled with when staying in rental homes. Read more below.
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Kelly usually isn’t a solo traveler. His sons, ages 3.5 years old and 17 months, often go on trips with him — in fact, his youngest traveled to all seven continents by the time he was 12 months old.
To keep his family organized while going through the airport, Kelly puts everyone’s passports in this case, which has dedicated spots for different things. It also has a pen holder (Kelly keeps a pen on him at all times to make filling out forms easier) and slots for essentials like cash. “The world is more credit card-friendly, but especially while traveling internationally, having local currency and being able to tip is important,” says Kelly. “I believe in travel karma: treating people well who treat you well. That’s why I tip housekeeping at the beginning of my hotel stay, not at the end. That could dramatically improve the quality of your stay.”
“I like to control my environment, so I always bring [my own] in-flight entertainment,” says Kelly. “Usually that’s on my iPad, which I put preloaded, downloaded content on.” Kelly also uses his iPad to plan trips. His favorite free online tool is Google Flights’ Explore. “If you’re flexible with your dates and destination, you can just say, ‘Hey, I want to get away for a weekend in September; show me where all the deals are,’” he says. “Technology is how you stay on top of it.”
Kelly has used these over-ear headphones to drown out noise on planes for years. They connect to his iPad and iPhone via Bluetooth, and they get up to 24 hours of battery life, which is ideal for long flights. He can also comfortably wear them for hours because they have plush ear cushions and a padded band.
“I love On Clouds,” says Kelly when I asked him about his favorite travel shoes. “For the airport, I wear a pair of white On Clouds that will look nice with slacks so I can wear them to casual dinners on my trip, and I can go to the gym in them and slip them on during the day.”
“I’m a big iPhone guy,” says Kelly. “I’ve gotten GoPros in the past, but especially while traveling with kids, I do most of my content on my iPhone. I like to use microphones, like Rode’s. They’re a really great way to elevate your content on the go and they’re easy to clip on.”
To entertain his kids while traveling, Kelly brings new toys and books to make the trip exciting, but the most important thing of all is snacks… lots of them. He and his sons are fans of Grüns’ superfood gummies, which come in kids’ and adult versions. “It’s a nice little sweet spike to just get that burst of energy when you’re tired from traveling, and they’re healthy,” says Kelly. He throws Quest’s protein peanut butter cups and SmartSweets in his bag, too.
Kelly’s other must-have while traveling with kids is a change of clothes for the whole family. “There will be delays, and there will be accidents,” he says. “It’s a matter of planning for the worst and hoping for the best.”
“Since I travel with my kids, safety is a huge focus for me — it’s also one of the top questions I get asked,” says Kelly. “I take Kidde’s carbon monoxide alarm with me whenever I’m traveling, especially internationally, because it’s small, it slips into your bag and it’s battery operated, so it’s good for TSA.” (You have to take the batteries out in transit and insert them when you get to your destination.)
Kelly, who partnered with the brand to promote its Destination Safety campaign, also appreciates that this CO alarm detects low levels of carbon monoxide, which children are more vulnerable to, according to the brand.
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Why trust NBC Selected?
I’m a reporter at NBC Selected who writes our Talking Shop series, interviewing people like Paris Hilton, Maureen Kelly, Lindsay Hubbard and Chase Crawford. To write this article, I interviewed Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy. We talked about his must-have favorite travel essentials and tips for travelers.
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