Lori was born in Chicago but has lived in Madrid, Spain, for nearly two decades. Bilingual in Spanish and English (and forever attempting to learn Italian and Thai), she loves digging into diverse languages and cultures through travel.
Just as comfortable backpacking as she is at the Ritz, Lori loves creating budget-meets-luxe itineraries to far-flung, exotic destinations. An OG Ryanair flyer, Iberia expert, and Platinum Marriott Bonvoy member, she finds ways to maximize her points and miles to have unconventional and exciting travel experiences from Sri Lanka to Guatemala to Myanmar to Sicily.
She’s camped in the Malaysian jungle with orangutans, salsa danced the night away in Cuba, used her points and miles for Emirates first class, hiked Machu Picchu, and floated in the Dead Sea. These days, she’s introducing her 2-year-old son to the world of travel (he’s already lounged on the beaches of the Caribbean and seen the Eiffel Tower), but she still enjoys traveling solo, with friends, and with her husband. Her favorite destinations include southern Italy, Ibiza, and Thailand.
Lori has written for publications such as CNN, NBC, The Points Guy, Insider, Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, Culture Trip, Viator, The Sun, The Infatuation, and beyond, and has been quoted in Travel & Leisure, TIME, MSN, Mic, and more. Lori has also been a guest on the Miles Away podcast and BYU Radio.
You can follow Lori on Instagram, Twitter, and LoriZaino.com.
Countries Visited: 58
U.S. States Visited: 40
Highest Hotel Status: Marriott Platinum
Highest Airline Status: American Airlines Platinum Pro
Favorite First Class: Emirates
Favorite Business Class: Qatar Qsuites
Favorite Airline Alliance: Oneworld
Best Redemption: Regularly transferring Chase and Amex points to Iberia for business class flights between ORD-MAD
Favorite Type of Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Top 3 Cards in Wallet: Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Platinum Card® from American Express, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
