Brian Kelly shares his top travel tips for family trips

In a recent social post, Brian Kelly told parents to time flights around sleep schedules because children are creatures of routine. The Points Guy founder keeps returning to the same family-travel formula: use shoulder season when you can, use credit-card benefits only when you already have them, and cut stress instead of chasing status.

Why Kelly’s advice carries weight

Kelly founded The Points Guy in 2010. The travel media platform says it reaches more than 11 million unique monthly visitors around the world. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh between 2001 and 2005, and his work has stayed centered on loyalty programs, points and miles, credit cards and travel rather than luxury for its own sake. His book, How to Win at Travel, was first published on February 4, 2025 and runs 336 pages, which fits the same advice-heavy lane he has used for years.

The family focus is not an afterthought. The Points Guy published a guide to flying with kids of every age on April 2, 2024, then followed with 8 things I wish I knew about travel before I became a parent on May 9, 2024.

The cheapest wins still come from timing

The easiest tip to borrow is the one that costs nothing: build the trip around the child’s routine whenever possible. Kelly has also urged travelers to do shoulder season travel whenever possible. Those two habits can reduce meltdowns, cut the odds of arriving exhausted and often avoid the peak prices that hit popular school-break periods.

You do not need elite status, a premium card, lounge access or a special booking code to fly at nap time or to shift a trip to spring or fall.

Credit-card perks help, but only if you already have them

Kelly has also been blunt about the value of the right credit cards. On ABC News Live, he said that some credit cards can help with luggage fees and lounge access, and that premium card benefits can soften the airport experience. For families carrying more bags, snacks, strollers and backup clothes than a solo traveler, those perks can add up quickly.

The catch is that this is not universal advice. Those benefits depend on holding the right card, paying any annual fee and, in some cases, navigating changing issuer rules as loyalty programs evolve. For average families, the useful takeaway is narrower: before booking anything, check whether a card you already carry includes checked-bag credits, lounge entry or trip protections, and do not assume every travel card delivers the same value it did a year ago.

Stay on top of reservations before the airline does

Kelly has also warned travelers to be a hawk on reservations and not wait for the airline to email before checking changes. He has singled out flight cancellation as a big blunder to avoid, a reminder that the most expensive part of family travel is often not the ticket itself but the disruption that follows when plans fall apart. Families feel that harder than most, because one delay can ripple into missed nap windows, missed connections and a much longer day for everyone.

Airlines have trimmed flexibility over time while demand remains strong, so self-monitoring is now part of the planning process rather than an advanced trick. Set your own reminders, check the itinerary directly and confirm seats, times and baggage details before the trip, especially when traveling with children whose routines do not tolerate last-minute changes well.

What his book era says about the market

Kelly has kept talking about travel as the industry changed around him. Around the launch of How to Win at Travel in 2024, he discussed how reward programs have evolved over the years and how the travel industry has changed since 2010. CNBC aired a segment on December 10, 2024 in which he unveiled the winners of the 2024 TPG Awards and discussed the state of the holiday travel season and what was ahead in 2025.

Loyalty programs have become more selective, award space can be harder to find and the value of some perks has eroded even as ticket prices stay high.

What average families can actually use

The part of Kelly’s playbook that holds up is simple:

• Time flights around sleep schedules when you can, especially for younger children.

• Choose shoulder season instead of peak break periods when school calendars allow it.

• Check whether a card you already own covers bags or lounge access before paying extra out of pocket.

• Reconfirm reservations yourself instead of waiting for airline notifications to arrive late.