Let a data nerd try to beat your plan.
Honestly, this is fun for me. Send me your itinerary or general plan. I’ll look at the rooms, the route, and what you’ve planned to do, and find what you might have missed. If I can’t improve it, you’ve lost nothing.
You keep the plan. I just look it over.
Send what you’ve got
Hotels you’re eyeing, dates, flights, the things you want to do. A spreadsheet, a screenshot, or a quick email all work.
I take a second pass
I come back with your plan plus a short list of options: what I’d change, why, and what it saves or adds.
You decide
Take what you like, skip what you don’t. If you want, I’ll book it for you, and hotel bookings through me can come with extra perks.
What I look at
The whole trip, not just the hotel. The best improvements usually come from how the pieces fit together.
Where you stay
Room types, villas versus multiple rooms, a better-value property nearby, and stay-longer offers that change the math.
How the trip is structured
The order of stops, how nights are split, when you move between places, and whether a travel day is quietly eating a vacation day.
What you do each day
Tours, reservations and excursions: sequencing them so you’re not crossing town twice, catching timing conflicts, and suggesting things worth adding.
Extras when you book
Hotels booked through me often come with things like breakfast or a property credit. Upgrades depend on availability, so I’ll never promise one.
I read itineraries the way I read data.
I’m Michael Karp (please, call me Mike), an industrial engineer, data geek, and points junkie. I’ve spent my career helping organizations make better decisions with data, as a consultant at IBM, in marketing and insights at American Express, and now running my own analytics firm in Los Angeles.
I also hold travel status with several programs (Delta Diamond Medallion, American AAdvantage Platinum, World of Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond Elite, and ALL Accor Diamond), so I know how these programs actually work, and how to get the most from yours.
Travel planning is the same kind of problem: lots of options, real constraints, and a few choices that matter far more than the rest. What I enjoy most is finding the one change that makes a trip noticeably better, whether that’s the room, the route, or the day.
Questions
If there’s no fee, how do you get paid?
Hotels and other travel partners pay me a commission when you book through me. It doesn’t add to your price.
Do I have to book through you?
No. The review is yours either way. Booking through me is just the easiest way to lock in what I found, plus any extras that come with it.
What if my plan is already great?
Then I’ll tell you so, and you can book with confidence. Sometimes the best second opinion is “don’t change a thing.”
Are upgrades guaranteed?
No. Perks vary by hotel and dates, and upgrades depend on availability at check-in. I’ll tell you upfront what’s included with a specific booking.
Booking soon? Send it over first.
Forward your plan by email, or use my quick trip form if you’d rather fill in the details. I’ll reply with what I’d change, usually within a couple of days.
