Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast Podcast Por Justin Vacula arte de portada

Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast

Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast

De: Justin Vacula
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Episodios
  • Calala Island Trip Report

    Calala Island Trip Report
    Apr 7 2026
    Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast shares a full Calala Island trip report from one of the most exclusive Hilton redemptions in the world. This private ultra all-inclusive island resort in Nicaragua was booked with four Hilton Free Night Certificates from American Express Hilton cards, and Justin also received a $2,510 wire bonus in under a week. In this episode, Justin and guest James break down the full experience, including how to book Calala Island, complicated transfer logistics through Managua, Bluefields, and multiple boat rides, and what it’s really like staying at this luxury private island resort. Justin also shares the downsides of the trip, including heat, sunburn, getting sick near the end of the stay, and an early rainy departure, plus thoughts on the value of Hilton Free Night Certificates, how hard Calala Island is to book, and why award availability is so limited. Timestamps: 00:00 Points and miles intro 00:44 Calala Island big win 02:13 Getting paid 03:43 How to get there 06:00 Boat ride and wildlife 06:59 Pre-arrival info call 08:22 WhatsApp concierge service 09:42 Rooms and master suite 11:49 Sleep tips 13:23 Bugs and no-see-ums 15:02 Food, lobster, and value 18:50 Picnic basket setup 20:50 Excursions and sunburn 22:41 Sunscreen recommendation 23:37 Why there are show ads 24:07 Where to follow 24:32 Meetups and conferences 25:27 Affiliate tools 26:13 Guest podcast plug 26:56 Island activities 29:50 Spa and gift cards 30:11 How many nights 32:19 Extend your stay 34:54 Getting sick and leaving 37:04 Airport and Wi-Fi 38:18 Listener Q&A 39:48 Hilton certificate strategy 43:30 Wrap-up and wire talk 46:40 Final thanks and outro — 🎙️ 📢 Listen to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast: 👉 SoundCloud → https://soundcloud.com/hurdygurdytravelpodcast 👉 Apple Podcasts / iTunes → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast/id1489093490 👉 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/0PRUx83Z4XKHengsgOoLWg 👉 TuneIn → https://tunein.com/podcasts/Podcasts/Hurdy-Gurdy-Travel-Podcast-p1275539/ 👉 iHeartRadio → https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast-51807405/ 👉 …and many other podcast platforms worldwide! 🌍🎧 📡 Prefer using your favorite app? Simply copy & paste my podcast RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:706382626/sounds.rss — 💜 Support My Work & Unlock Special Perks: 👉 Support me through helpful referral links on my site: https://hurdygurdytravel.com/donate-referral-links/ 👉 Use my CardPointers affiliate link to save on annual and lifetime memberships → https://www.cardpointers.com/hurdygurdytravel CardPointers helps you activate card-linked offers and take advantage of other powerful credit card features. 👉 Use my Savewise affiliate link to activate grocery coupons, maximize shopping portals, and more: https://getsavewise.com/pro?ref=hurdygurdy 👉 Become a Frequent Traveler University member and sign up for events. https://ftuniversity.com/?aff=24 👉 Earn 500 miles when signing up for Rove Miles using my referral link: www.rovemiles.com/?signup&referralCode=8AS1JSG9 — 👉 Visit the Support Tab on my website to contribute via SubscribeStar → https://www.subscribestar.com/hurdygurdytravel 🎁 Subscriber & Supporter Perks Include: ✨ One-on-one calls with me ✨ Advance notice of upcoming podcast guests (submit your questions!) ✨ A custom podcast episode recorded just for you 🎙️💬 ✨ Bonus content 🎁 — 🌐 Stay Connected With Me: 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 👍 Like on Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X → https://x.com/HurdyGurdyTravl 📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/justinvacula/ — ✨ Thank You for Listening & Supporting the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast! Stay tuned for more tips, strategies, and stories to help you optimize your travel, rewards, and lifestyle. 🚀🌍💳
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    48 m
  • Bilt Bulletin: March 2026

    Bilt Bulletin: March 2026
    Mar 30 2026
    Bilt Palladium Card: Month 1 Results | Bilt Cash, Points Accelerator, Dining & Hotel Credits Justin Vacula and returning co-host Darren evaluate their first month with the Bilt Palladium Card, including how they used Bilt Cash redemptions, the Points Accelerator, and stacked valuable hotel, dining, Lyft, Grubhub, and Walgreens credits. In this episode, they explain why the Bilt Palladium Card is a strong option for everyday non-bonus spend, especially for people looking to combine solid earnings with flexible redemption options. Justin also shares real-world examples of using Bilt benefits, including stacking the monthly $100 Bilt Travel portal two-night hotel credit with the card’s $200 hotel credit for a Miami stay, successfully redeeming the $25 monthly Bilt Dining credit through QR-code checkout in Washington, DC, and using the easy $10 monthly Grubhub, $10 Walgreens gift card, and $10 Lyft credit. If you’re interested in Bilt Rewards, credit card points, travel rewards, monthly statement credits, and whether the Bilt Palladium Card annual fee is worth it, this episode covers the card’s first-month value in detail. Timestamps 00:00 Points and Miles Intro 00:32 Bilt Palladium Month One 01:44 Bilt Cash Basics 02:27 Points Accelerator Explained 04:01 Hotel Portal Credit Win 05:57 Blacklane Credit Delays 07:37 Bilt Dining Credit Tips 09:03 QR Code Checkout Story 11:49 Expiration and Earn & Burn 13:32 Vegas Plans 16:10 Announcements 16:23 Socials and Meetups 18:29 FTU Dallas 19:33 CardPointers and SaveWise 20:44 Grubhub Credit 23:09 Walgreens and Lyft Credits 24:45 Month One Value Recap 26:26 Annual Fee and Downgrade Talk 29:15 Foreign Fee Refund 31:14 China Taiwan Cruise Preview 32:59 Paying Before Statement Close 35:45 Wrap Up and Where to Follow — 🎙️ 📢 Listen to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast: 👉 SoundCloud → https://soundcloud.com/hurdygurdytravelpodcast 👉 Apple Podcasts / iTunes → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast/id1489093490 👉 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/0PRUx83Z4XKHengsgOoLWg 👉 TuneIn → https://tunein.com/podcasts/Podcasts/Hurdy-Gurdy-Travel-Podcast-p1275539/ 👉 iHeartRadio → https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast-51807405/ 👉 …and many other podcast platforms worldwide! 🌍🎧 📡 Prefer using your favorite app? Simply copy & paste my podcast RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:706382626/sounds.rss — 💜 Support My Work & Unlock Special Perks: 👉 Support me through helpful referral links on my site: https://hurdygurdytravel.com/donate-referral-links/ 👉 Use my CardPointers affiliate link to save on annual and lifetime memberships → https://www.cardpointers.com/hurdygurdytravel CardPointers helps you activate card-linked offers and take advantage of other powerful credit card features. 👉 Use my Savewise affiliate link to activate grocery coupons, maximize shopping portals, and more: https://getsavewise.com/pro?ref=hurdygurdy 👉 Become a Frequent Traveler University member and sign up for events. https://ftuniversity.com/?aff=24 👉 Earn 500 miles when signing up for Rove Miles using my referral link: www.rovemiles.com/?signup&referralCode=8AS1JSG9 — 👉 Visit the Support Tab on my website to contribute via SubscribeStar → https://www.subscribestar.com/hurdygurdytravel 🎁 Subscriber & Supporter Perks Include: ✨ One-on-one calls with me ✨ Advance notice of upcoming podcast guests (submit your questions!) ✨ A custom podcast episode recorded just for you 🎙️💬 ✨ Bonus content 🎁 — 🌐 Stay Connected With Me: 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 👍 Like on Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X → https://x.com/HurdyGurdyTravl 📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/justinvacula/
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    38 m
  • Booking MGM Rewards Platinum and Gold Comp Cruises

    Booking MGM Rewards Platinum and Gold Comp Cruises
    Mar 21 2026
    MGM Rewards Cruises: How to Book BOTH Gold & Platinum Cruises Can MGM Rewards members book both Gold and Platinum complimentary cruises in the same earned-status year? In this episode, host Justin Vacula is joined by returning guest Marc Konchinsky to break down how it can be done, even when cruise reps and agents give conflicting answers. Marc shares his firsthand experience booking and sailing both a Gold cruise and a Platinum cruise, including a Radiance of the Seas sailing and a Wonder of the Seas sailing, while dealing with missing offer codes, incorrect account coding, long hold times, and an escalation process with MGM. Topics covered: How to book both MGM Gold and Platinum cruises Missing offer codes and account coding issues HUCA strategies and escalation tips Differences between Gold and Platinum cruise benefits Royal Caribbean cruise experiences and ship highlights Pre-cruise hotel stays and points strategy Status matching, travel planning, and card rewards discussion Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:45 MGM Cruises Controversy 01:47 Marc’s Two-Cruise Timeline 02:32 Codes and Finger Pointing 03:55 Email Escalation 06:51 Hold Times and Booking Tactics 07:31 Cruise Offer Details and Confusion 10:25 Perks and Why It’s Worth It 13:01 2026 Strategy and MGM Cards 16:35 Announcements and Affiliates 19:12 Live Update: New Code 20:14 Missing Cruise Benefits 21:02 Cruise Planning and Hilton Stays 22:24 Ship Highlights 23:15 Dining and Internet 25:41 Shows, Waterslides, and Amenities 26:40 Cabins, Bathrooms, and Balconies 28:00 Status Match Cruise Stacking 28:51 CocoCay, Casino 30:34 Upcoming Travel and Cruise Teasers 31:17 GM Credit Card Rewards 35:03 Why Three Hilton Surpass Cards 36:44 Final Tips and Listener Wrap — 🎙️ 📢 Listen to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast: 👉 SoundCloud → https://soundcloud.com/hurdygurdytravelpodcast 👉 Apple Podcasts / iTunes → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast/id1489093490 👉 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/0PRUx83Z4XKHengsgOoLWg 👉 iHeartRadio → https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-hurdy-gurdy-travel-podcast-51807405/ 👉 …and many other podcast platforms worldwide! 🌍🎧 📡 Copy & paste my podcast RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:706382626/sounds.rss — 💜 Support My Work & Unlock Special Perks: 👉 Support me through helpful referral links on my site: https://hurdygurdytravel.com/donate-referral-links/ 👉 Use my CardPointers affiliate link to save on annual and lifetime memberships → https://www.cardpointers.com/hurdygurdytravel CardPointers helps you activate card-linked offers and take advantage of other powerful credit card features. 👉 Use my Savewise affiliate link to activate grocery coupons, maximize shopping portals, and more: https://getsavewise.com/pro?ref=hurdygurdy 👉 Become a Frequent Traveler University member and sign up for events. https://ftuniversity.com/?aff=24 👉 Earn 500 miles when signing up for Rove Miles using my referral link: www.rovemiles.com/?signup&referralCode=8AS1JSG9 — 👉 Visit the Support Tab on my website to contribute via SubscribeStar → https://www.subscribestar.com/hurdygurdytravel 🎁 Subscriber & Supporter Perks Include: ✨ One-on-one calls ✨ Advance notice of upcoming podcast guests (submit your questions!) ✨ A custom podcast episode ✨ Bonus content 🎁 — 🌐 Stay Connected With Me: 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 👍 Like on Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X → https://x.com/HurdyGurdyTravl 📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/justinvacula/
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    39 m
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