James Larounis
,Ryan Smith
James Larounis
Senior Content Contributor
611 Published Articles
Countries Visited: 30U.S. States Visited: 35
James (Jamie) started The Forward Cabin blog to educate readers about points, miles, and loyalty programs. He’s spoken at Princeton University and The New York Times Travel Show and has been quoted in...
Ryan Smith
News Managing Editor
785 Published Articles 1227 Edited Articles
Countries Visited: 197U.S. States Visited: 50
Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is now revisiting some favorites. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including Awar...
Edited by: Stella Shon
Stella Shon
Senior Features Editor
255 Published Articles 1057 Edited Articles
Countries Visited: 30U.S. States Visited: 32
With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
& Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz
Senior Editor & Content Contributor
618 Published Articles 1072 Edited Articles
Countries Visited: 49U.S. States Visited: 32
Juan Ruiz is a leading travel journalist and expert in credit cards and loyalty programs. For over a decade, he has turned complex rewards and travel strategies into clear, actionable insights. His wo...

