This post has been one of the most difficult for me to write, which is why there haven’t been a lot of recent posts lately.
Back in January, I had an opportunity to apply for a career in the loyalty space with a major airline. The role would encompass everything that I have been passionate about and provide me with some added insight and expertise on what happens on the other side of the coin. After a pretty tough interview process, I was made an offer but the offer had one major condition and suffice it to say, it was a very difficult decision.
I have been asked to divest myself from PointsNerd due to a potential conflict of interest.
The Decision
I’ll be honest. Making this decision was incredibly difficult for me as I have spent the better part of a year and a half writing content on Travel Hacking. I have sunk my heart and soul into this blog and have tried to help as many people as possible. With the exception of a couple of trolls, the feedback from the PointsNerd audience has been incredibly positive and while I certainly have not made a lot of money from the blog, the feedback has been very rewarding.
The interaction with readers is something I’m going to miss a lot. I love to help people and hearing success stories via email and at events like PointsU has been a true joy.
While the blog has brought forward many incredible opportunities, the chance to go down the career path of my dreams was too great to pass up.
I haven’t spoken about it on the blog but I have always wanted to work in the airline industry … well in actual fact, I’ve always wanted to be Maverick from Top Gun but Canada doesn’t have an F14 Tomcats. I mean, I play beach volleyball … and I have no problem telling Slider that he stinks … I thought that fate had my back but … nope.
If you add to the equation that I will be lending my expertise around loyalty to help shape the future of a major program, you can start to understand why I had to say yes.
Before you ask … yes … I am purposefully not disclosing the airline but I’m sure someone will figure it out soon enough.
What Does This Mean?
Let me first assure you that all the information currently available on PointsNerd will remain at the ready for all to read and consume. The only real difference is that I will no longer be writing articles as of my first day in my new position.
Luckily, PointsNerd will continue to operate and will hopefully get even better. While I will be stepping away from PointsNerd, I’ll be bringing on a new writer to help take PointsNerd to the next level. While this writer would prefer to remain anonymous for the time being, I can assure you that his knowledge is as strong (if not stronger) than mine. He has been helping friends, family, and co-workers with Travel Hacking for many, many years and I have often looked to him for advice.
The intention here is to bring about more and more expertise as the days go by so that we can reach a larger audience through the PointsNerd blog. The intent is to build a community that is more than the sum of its parts.
In fact, if you have an interest in contributing to the content of PointsNerd, please send us an email at writers@pointsnerd.ca.
An Introduction
As I mentioned, the person taking over PointsNerd would like to remain anonymous for the time being but he has taken on the screen name of Chao.
Chao is an incredibly nice person and has the knowledge and experience to bring forth a new perspective on topics that I haven’t covered in the past. His knowledge of routing, airlines, and programs is second to none and his ability to teach will definitely set you at ease.
I have had the good fortune to see him in action and I can tell you that he has an uncanny ability to communicate complicated ideas in a simplified way and he can really command a room. Some of the topics that he plans on posting on are areas that I have never touched on, so I’m incredibly excited to have him on board and I think you will enjoy his style immensely as well.
During this week of transition, Chao and I will work on ensuring that there is some consistency in the way that the information is presented so that the shock to the system isn’t too great. I expect that over time, you will get used to Chao’s writing style and fully embrace it.
Going Forward
PointsNerd is taking a specific strategic direction and it would never have happened without this fork in the road. Chao and other business partners in this venture will continue to bring you great content but look for exciting new ways that you can get involved with PointsNerd because ultimately my goal was always to empower my readership and make everyone PointsNerds.
Through 275 posts, I have tried to make it as clear as possible how you can leverage your loyalty program for amazing travel and vacation experiences and I truly hope that I have been able to positively affect your life.
I want to encourage you to stick with the blog because it’s going to be even better than before!
Thank You
I wanted to thank all of the PointsNerd readers out there for your kind words and continual support. It’s been an absolute honor helping you with your own personal journey.
While this is a sad end in the chapter, I trust that it is not the end of the book.
Stick around. It’s gonna be great!
