Allie is a freelance writer and editor. She got a crash course in credit cards and points and miles during her time as an editor at Thrifty Traveler, but her passion for cheap travel began long before that.

Allie has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During college, she spent a semester studying in South America and traveled extensively throughout Chile, backpacked in Patagonia, and visited Machu Picchu — all on a budget. Since then, she’s used points and miles to pursue her favorite hobbies all over the world, from running marathons to scuba diving to attending Formula 1 races.