It’s the halfway point in 2026, so Gunnar ranked up the 10 best flight deals (and three best hotel deals) of the year so far … and Kyle got to air all of his gripes and grievances about Gunnar’s list. In a six-month span that will surely be remembered for high airfare, we’re celebrating the deals that just kept coming – from flights to Asia in the $300s roundtrip to a business class mistake fare, and more. Plus, we help a listener with their “phantom” space problem, and Gunnar revisits the Taco Bell Cantina at DEN … again … Thanks to our sponsors: Download SAILY's app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/thrifty ⛵ Book your next flight at FargoAirport.com! Watch us on YouTube! Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today. 00:00 - What’s the big story from the first half of 2026? 04:00 - And why is that the Taco Bell Cantina DEN … 05:05 - Dana, Clayton, & Stan from White Sands, New Mexico 06:15 - A new best way to book Hawaiian Airlines Biz Class 09:30 - Qantas Biz Class on one of the world’s longest flights 11:25 - A rare sale on Delta’s flights to South Africa 13:05 - Delta One SkyMiles sale to Hong Kong 15:55 - Flights to Tahiti for $463 roundtrip 17:34 - A word from our sponsor: Fargo Airport (FAR)! 18:25 - A word from our sponsor: Saily! 19:18 - Some love for hotels, starting with Hermitage Bay Antigua 20:35 - Availability at the renovated Park Hyatt Tokyo 21:30 - The new Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica 22:45 - The first widespread Qsuites availability in years 26:50 - Delta One to Europe from 97k SkyMiles each way 31:10 - Flights to Asia from $359 … roundtrip! 33:15 - Turkish Airlines Biz Class mistake fare 35:50 - The best deal of the year … so far … 39:00 - How did Gunnar do on his top 10 list? 39:50 - Kyle’s honorable mentions 41:15 - What is “phantom” award space? 45:10 - What’s the best thing we’ve booked in 2026? Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas Video editing by Kyle Thomas Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at [email protected] 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!Follow us on…InstagramYouTubeFacebookBluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related