So, where did this all come from?
I’ve always wanted to do something travel-related. The entrepreneurial spirit spark for me happened when I was growing up in Michigan. Where even at just 6 years old, I rallied friends for all sorts of business ideas, from lemonade stands to selling drawings. This spirit followed me to Missouri at 13, where I embraced the classic young jobs like lawn care in summer and snow shoveling in winter.
Catching the Travel Bug
At 18, in Kansas City, my first “legitimate” business was born—a shaved ice business that, at its peak, became the largest in the metro area with multiple locations. But it was about a year earlier that I caught the travel bug. For whatever weird reason, I was hesitant to leave my high school football schedule in the summer for a mission trip to Guatemala. Reluctantly, I went, not realizing this journey would be one of my life’s best decisions.
A Deep Dive into The World of Points & Miles
That trip ignited my passion for travel. Experiencing diverse cultures increased my worldview, a privilege I don’t take lightly. In college, my interest in travel credit cards became huge. Despite the typical student’s budget, I dived into every resource on points & miles, eager to make travel as affordable as possible, picking up odd jobs here and there to pay for the cash expenses. I even launched a travel company, “The Student Voyager,” aimed at helping peers navigate travel rewards—a concept I built upon as the foundation that helped make PointsPat what it represents today.
Ew…You Travel by Yourself?
My junior year of college took me to Europe for the first time, introducing me to the joys of public transportation and walkable cities (who knew these existed?! 😉) Yet, it was my first solo trip to Japan and South Korea where I faced the loneliness of isolated solo travel. It wasn’t until later on that I found a true love in solo travel when I finally started staying in hostels.
From Solo Traveling with Points to a Global Community
Denver became my home after college, where I began to go on many solo travel adventures. This is where I learned the differences between “traveling” from “vacationing.” Trust me, staying at an all-inclusive resort on the beach, is extremely different than a homestay in rural Vietnam. Solo travel taught me life lessons that no book can teach and introduced me to lifelong friends from around the world.
But what really shaped this journey onto a larger stage was TikTok’s rise in 2020. Noticing a small gap in travel content, especially regarding points & miles, I seized the opportunity to share my knowledge. “Travel Hack Pat” evolved into “Travel With Pat,” that then evolved into what you’re here for – PointsPat. Social media has allowed me to share my passions with over 350,000 followers across all platforms, helping others realize their own travel dreams.
The Journey Continues
My adventures have taken me on bucket list flights, to luxurious resorts, as I’ve redeemed millions of points & miles. Yet sometimes, the most memorable experiences often come from the simplest travel forms—budget flights, hostels, and even the dreaded night buses. These experiences have taught me that travel is as much about the people you meet as the places you visit.
Whether you’re dreaming of flying in $11,000 airplane seats with Emirates First Class or exploring rural Vietnam with people you just met at the hostel, you’ve found your guide with PointsPat. Welcome to the journey, where we explore the world together, one flight at a time. ✈️
