BaldThoughts.com is a travel blog showing readers how they can take fantastic vacations using very little of their own money.
How does that work?
We use miles, points, mistake fares, and an assortment of tips and tricks to travel the world for pennies compared to what others would normally pay.
Meet our travel writers and learn about their specialties.
In This Post
About Lee
As you can see, I don’t have any hair. Being bald and having thoughts on a lot of topics, especially Travel and Personal Finance led me to create this site.
I’ve been married for a few years, and we have a couple of kids and a dog. I used to work in corporate finance for a regional bank in Los Angeles. When it was made clear that it was time to leave, I quit my $200,000 job and moved to Nashville. Now, I write travel and personal finance articles full time and host the weekly We Travel There with Lee Huffman podcast.
I also freelance write for many popular websites, including Forbes, Investopedia, FinanceBuzz, NerdWallet, SlickDeals, and more. Click here to see my portfolio of clients.
When not researching the latest credit card and loyalty program strategies, I enjoy spending time with my wife, son, daughter, and dog. All we’re missing is the white picket fence!
We travel quite a bit. Sometimes, it is as a family, but often is just me and the kids since Anna still works full-time.
One of my travel goals is to see a home game for each of the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA teams. I’m a lucky guy in that my wife loves sports almost as much as I do!!! If nothing else, going to a game gives us a reason to visit cities that we might not otherwise want to… or that we would put off for lack of a “reason” to visit.
Before we were married, Anna and I traveled extensively across the United States. But she kept telling me that she wanted to return to Paris. Being the frugal guy that I am, there’s no way I wanted to buy expensive plane tickets and pay a lot of money for a hotel. I imagined that a trip like this would cost $5,000 to $10,000. That’s a huge amount of money for a vacation!
So, I started researching points and miles in 2011 and realized that there was a better way. By taking the right steps, not only could my wife and I go to Paris, we could bring her Mom and our son. Plus, we’d be able to visit New York City and Madrid on the way to and from Paris. Better yet, flights and hotels for this two-week vacation only cost us $750 each!
The most important thing to realize is that you can travel this way too!
Website Contributors
About Charlie
Growing up I never had an opportunity to travel the country, let alone abroad. My family’s version of a vacation was driving to see my relatives in San Diego, CA for the weekend. <<yawn>>
It was not until I enlisted in the U.S. Army, I took my first flight and experienced what world had to offer. Ever since then, I’ve been on the road and never looked back. From the front lines of the Iraq war to the enchanting Phi Phi islands in Thailand, I have seen the worst and best the world has to offer.
Over the years, I have slowly learned the in’s and out’s of the travel industry from my day job as a marketing manager which requires me to travel frequently. With all of my day job travel, I’ve reached Delta Diamond Medallion status and Hilton HHonors Diamond status.
After several inquiries from my friends and family asking me for travel help. I decided I wanted to share my knowledge and techniques to more people.
I met Lee (that ugly bald dude), oops did I say that too loud? during a GoRuck event in 2013. I reached out to Lee and asked if I could join his blog. His philosophy of travel more, spend less, live better resonated well with me. Lee was nice enough (ok, I’ll take back the “ugly” part) to welcome me to his blog and allow me to write with him to his audience.
My intent is to share my knowledge and experiences to empower readers to explore the world as cheaply as possible. You don’t have to be wealthy to enjoy a lavish travel experience. With a strong passion of East and South East Asia culture and history, my voice will be in deals and unique experiences in that region.
Fun Facts about Charlie
Favorite International Destination: Tokyo, Japan
Favorite U.S. Destination: Portland, OR
Worst Destination I’ve been to: St. Louis, MO
Favorite dish: Katsu Curry
Next destination I really want to travel to: Madrid, Spain
Something I want to accomplish in 2017: Be scuba certified to explore under the sea.
Most memorable trip: Waking up to two British girls who swam (300m) to my floatie when I passed out during my trip in Ibiza, Spain.
Weirdest food I’ve tried during my travels: Pig blood curd, chicken heart, balut egg and stinky tofu.
Countries visited in 2016: Germany, Taiwan, Mexico, Japan, China, Singapore, and Thailand
About Tyler
I am a points and miles enthusiast who finds almost more enjoyment in racking up points and miles than redeeming them for actual travel. While I have earned and burned hundreds of thousands of miles and points for myself, I also help friends and family earn and redeem miles for themselves.
Some of my favorite trips that I have taken on points and miles include The Amtrak Coast Starlight to Seattle, St. Lucia, and a four-week trip throughout Europe and Mexico.
I have been utilizing miles and points since 2011 and one of the biggest things I have learned is that the hobby is constantly changing. I have been pretty fortunate to be able to travel as much as I have and would like to pass along some helpful tips, hacks, and experiences.
I write with the intention of teaching others everything travel related, especially how you can leverage frequent flyer miles and credit card points in order to complete your travel wish list.
About Brett
I love traveling for work! I’m on the road about half the year hosting social, networking, and educational events for my company. While traveling, I prefer to stay in unique properties that are outside the standard chains (ie: Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton) to uncover hidden gems that are worthy of your travel dollar. And it is great to be able to support the “little guy” in the face of so much consolidation among the big players.
In my free time, I enjoy exploring the world with the love of my life! My family never traveled overseas or seen much of the USA, but I’m determined to see everything I can!
Some of my favorite trips so far are to Cancun in 2013 and a week-long cruise with my girlfriend that explored Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.
One trend I am noticing with my generation (Millenials) is the lack of knowledge in finances, specifically in credit cards. Which is why I love the BaldThoughts mantra of “Travel More. Spend Less. Live Better.” My parents always taught me the value of having great credit and credit cards. I have now earned and burned through nearly 50 credit cards with all sorts of offers!
I’m writing with the intention of sharing my experiences around the USA and global travels as well.
