Welcome to From the Tray Table! I’m thrilled you’re here.
My goal is simple: elevate your travel and make every email worth reading.
Speaking of worthwhile, did you receive my welcome email with my five most underrated travel hacks?
Some subscribers told me it hit their promotions inbox. If you’d like to see my emails, please mark them as primary and save the sender to your address book. The Google gods and I really appreciate it.
Why I left TPG
The most common question I’ve received since launching is “Did you leave The Points Guy (TPG)?”
Yes, I did. But let’s rewind for a second.
I’ve been in the travel space for more than a decade, working most recently at TPG for seven years.
It was quite the tenure. I authored more than 1,800 posts, traveled around the world, and reported on every facet of travel, loyalty, and tech.
And while I have so much to be thankful for during my time there, I’m fully investing in my brand going forward.
So yes, I left TPG. Read more about why here.
What’s From the Tray Table all about
From the Tray Table is my new home for all my reporting, analysis, and insights across:
💳 Travel trends
✈️ Aviation, hotels & loyalty
💼 Credit cards, deals & tech
🚶 Lifestyle adventures
As I kick things off, I’m still figuring out the best cadence for sending newsletters, but I’ll start by sharing a few high-quality pieces each week. (As always, I welcome all kinds of feedback by replying to this email.)
I’m also going to try a few different content styles to see which resonate and make you want to refer your friends. (Please point them to fromthetraytable.com/newsletter)
For now, all my content is free.
Display ads and affiliate links for credit cards, products, and services will hopefully become two significant revenue drivers, so please click through my links if you’re interested in checking out something I recommend.
I’m also toying with the idea of an insider subscription, and I'll share more as I develop what that looks like.
For more about what I’m building, be sure to check out my detailed post.
News you can use
I’m still ramping up my news coverage, but I figure it’s worth recapping some of the biggest stories I’ve seen this week.
Bilt’s big rent day bonus: up to 100% British Airways transfer bonus on Dec. 1
JSX adding Santa Monica flights: a controversial LA airport is getting turboprop service that skips the madness at LAX
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday are around the corner. I’ll be back in your inbox with the deals that I’m eyeing.
Double dip on holiday shopping
Even if you don’t plan to read about the deals I’m eyeing, there’s one thing you should do this holiday season.
Sign up for an online shopping portal.
Personally, I use Rakuten since it covers so many merchants. (No, this isn’t sponsored. I just genuinely find value in the portal.)
You earn cash back (or even better, Amex or Bilt points) on your purchases. And that’s before factoring in the credit card points you also earn from the transaction itself.
Here’s how it works:
Sign up for Rakuten
Find your merchant
Make a purchase
Get money (or points) back to your account
You’ll still earn credit card points on the purchase and are eligible for any promos your merchant is offering directly.
If you’re new to Rakuten, this link will get you a $50 bonus on your first purchase.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Launching From the Tray Table during the week of Thanksgiving was (mostly) intentional.
Hopefully, you won’t need this travel expert to report on any major storms or meltdowns. But if one happens, I’m officially open for business (and here’s the hack to beating annoying hold times with 1-800 numbers.)
The travel outlook is generally okay, except for winter weather that could affect operations at major hubs in Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis.
Personally, we’re staying local for Thanksgiving.
We drove up to Westchester last night after our daughter’s bedtime (our new favorite time to drive with her) and will be here through Sunday.
Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating!
Zach