Shelli first got hooked on miles and points during a flight from San Diego to New York. A flight attendant in economy class told her to go see if there was any cream for her coffee in first class. There was, and Shelli got a peek into first class when fellow passenger John F. Kennedy Jr. handed her the cream! She wondered what it took to fly up front.

After spending two years earning miles and points to attend a friend’s destination wedding in Italy, she still ended up paying cash for her flight. This experience made her realize that miles and points were much more complicated than she thought, so she committed to studying the best ways to both earn and spend miles and points.

To pay it forward, she began teaching friends and family about miles and points and how to make the most of airline and hotel programs. She co-created the course, “Travel Hacking: How to Earn Free Flights and Free Hotel Stays.”

Shelli By The Numbers:

• 43 countries visited and visited all 50 states in the US
• 100+ hotel nights each year
• 52 airlines flown
• 101+ new friends made while traveling
• 333 published articles at PointMeToThePlane
• 452 published articles at TravelWithGrant
• Highest Hotel Status: World of Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite/Lifetime Silver
• Highest Airline Status: American AAdvantage Platinum Pro
• Favorite First Class: Emirates First Class
• Favorite Business Class: Japan Airlines Business Class

Travel Philosophy

Since 2009 Shelli has traveled extensively and some years was even a full-time traveler. Prior to 2009, she attended art school in Japan, traveled to Germany for business, and Korea for the summer Olympics. She mixes up her routines traveling by train, plane, bus and has also lived in various locations as a temporary local. She appreciates slow travel and prefers to walk everywhere and everyday. Through her unique voice and independent travel spirit, she continues to enrich the travel lives of others through educating, inspiring, and entertaining them wherever and whenever she can!

Shelli is a passionate content creator. She is known for her comprehensive hotel, restaurant, airline, ‘things to do’ reviews, and how to maximize miles and points. Her writing connects readers to destinations around the world, helping them navigate their travel lifestyles. Her love of travel and exploring different cultures lies at the core of her work.

Learning to travel the world by leveraging frequent flyer miles, hotel points, and credit card rewards can be life-changing. Shelli’s content helps others discover the real-life strategies that anyone can use for traveling. She writes about earning points and miles, which credit cards are best, and about which airlines and points programs to use.

Shelli has written in depth about the loyalty programs of World of Hyatt, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines. As a senior travel writer on PointMeToThePlane and highlighting her knowledge, in 2019 she was interviewed and quoted for a New York Times article regarding the best uses of miles and points.

Shelli’s Favorite Travel Topics

As a seasoned hotel reviewer who regularly spends over 100 nights a year in hotels, Shelli provides detailed and unbiased reviews of accommodations ranging from luxury resorts to boutique getaways. Her goal is to ensure travelers find the best lodging that matches both their expectations and budget.

Food is a language universally understood and passionately spoken. During Shelli’s travels she explores local cuisines, giving you her best tips. She’s also a big fan of coffee, writing about both the local coffee scenes and where to indulge in the best java so you’ll be in the know. And if there’s great gelato or pastry to be found, she’ll find it and pass along her tips on where to go and what to sample.

Air travel is often an overlooked aspect of the travel experience. As a very frequent flyer using airlines from all three alliances plus independent airlines as well, her airline reviews are comprehensive. From comfort, amenities, customer service, and food offerings, she’s got your flight concerns covered.

Shelli’s “Things to Do” articles focus on exploring the possible and best activities, both on and off the beaten path. Whether it’s walking and hiking, visiting historical and cultural sites, or browsing the best bookstores, she brings you a wealth of options that can create a fantastic holiday and adventure of a lifetime.

Shelli is young at heart, possesses a curious nature, and creates a seriously delicious Caesar salad. She tries to fill her life with wonderful people, fond memories, and regular awe. The thread running through most of what she does is a desire to expose herself to new ideas and people and perspectives, and to live a productive and fulfilled life. This philosophy helps her grow as a person.

When not travel writing, Shelli is a long-time holistic health coach. Shelli founded Joyinmovement, which was rebranded to ShelliStein. She has written many ebooks and continues to teach courses on the topics of health, habit change, fitness, nutrition, and personal development. She publishes a newsletter, which you can sign up for here. Her most well-known book is “Navigating Hormone Health”.

One way Shelli thinks about her writing: “My approach is to empower, not to prescribe. I’m not interested in telling you where you should travel or which choices (think airlines or hotels) you should make. You know what works for your life and circumstances better than I ever could. Instead, I want to equip and empower you with ideas and strategies so you can make your own choices and do the things you want to do. I’ll give you the hammer, you decide where to drive the nail.”

Shelli feels incredibly fortunate to do what she loves for a living and to be able to share her ideas, questions, stories, awkward moments, tiny victories, and her around-the-world explorations with so many people.