From Corporate America to Thrifty Traveler Entrepreneur: How Jared Kamrowski Built A Flight Deal Subscription Service
In the world of travel and cheap flights, Jared Kamrowski is a name that stands out. As the founder and CEO of Thrifty Traveler, he has revolutionized the way travelers explore the world on a budget. But his path to success was not an easy one. Jared shares the behind-the-scenes of his entrepreneurship journey, from leaving his corporate job to pursuing his passion for travel and creating a thriving travel-based business.
After graduating from college with a mountain of student debt, Jared entered the corporate world, working in banking for eight years. Despite his demanding job that required him to travel extensively, he nurtured his love for travel and planning.
Determined to pay off his student loans and pursue his passion, he worked diligently, saving as much as he could. In 2015, he launched ‘Thrifty Traveler’ as a side hustle.
Initially, Thrifty Traveler focused on points and miles, catering to the travel hacking community. However, Jared soon realized flight deals garnered more attention and interest.
Here’s how it all went down…
In 2015, he posted a flight deal to Dubai on Christmas Day, which went viral and crashed the site for three days. This pivotal moment made him realize the potential of flight deals and prompted him to pivot his focus toward finding and sharing cheap flights.
In 2017, Jared launched Thrifty Traveler Premium, a flight deal notification service that we’ve been subscribed to over the last five years. This subscription-based service sends cheap flight deals directly to subscribers’ inboxes. Sign up for Thrifty Traveler Premium.
With a team of dedicated employees scouring the web for flight deals departing from over 200 US and Canadian cities, subscribers gain access to a wealth of flight deals, both domestic and international.
Unlike other services that focus solely on business and first-class fares, Thrifty Traveler Premium covers economy fares as well.
We believe every financially savvy traveler should subscribe to this service because you’ll have access to flight deals you may not have known about otherwise. Joining Thrifty Traveler Premium will broaden your travel horizons and allow you to afford to explore new destinations on a budget.
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Jared Kamrowski Turns Travel Passion Into Online Business
1. What you were doing before Thrifty Traveler?
Jared Kamrowski: I came out of college and, like many of us had a mountain of student debt, so I went into corporate America and did banking for about eight years. I was on the road over 100 nights a year traveling all over the US. But I really just loved travel. I loved planning travel.
So, for as long as I could, I worked in corporate America and I made as much money as I could, paying off my student loans. And then, as a side hustle, I started Thrifty Traveler in 2015.
And then I created a service alongside Thrifty Traveler called ‘Thrifty Traveler Premium,’ which is a flight deal notification service. Things really took off.
I was confident enough to turn my side hustle into a full-time job in 2017 shortly after launching that service.
It sounds easy and it sounds like a straight path, but I think the day I quit my corporate job, I pretty much felt like I was having a panic attack. It’s not easy, but it has been a blast.
2. How did you develop the skills to launch such an intricate tech-based travel business?
Jared Kamrowski: When you start your own business, you need to quickly determine what your strengths are. And then also on the flip side, figure out what your weaknesses are.
When you don’t have certain skill sets, you have to reach out and find people to fill in those gaps.
A lot of that technical stuff like creating a system to send out alerts, we had to bring in developers pretty quickly, because it went beyond, my normal skill set. I mean, I can do some HTML, but that doesn’t get you far.
3. How did you discover this service was needed?
Jared Kamrowski: In 2015, when I first launched Thrifty Traveler, it was more about points and miles, because that was the thing I was passionate about. I’ve opened up over 100 credit cards over the last ten years.
And then I started posting some flight deals in 2015. Those just were so much more well received.
Obviously, there’s a market for people in points and miles, but the market for flight deals is so large.
Christmas Day of 2015, I posted a Dubai flight deal from five cities. It went viral, and crashed the site for three days.
It was right after that, that I was like, I need to start pivoting from points and miles a little bit more into flight deals. And I did that. We then created a subscription service around that later on.
4. For those who aren’t familiar, what is Thrifty Traveler Premium?
Jared Kamrowski: Thrifty Traveler Premium is a cheap flight notification service. We find cheap flights, domestic and international from 200 cities across the US and Canada. We send those cheap flights, right to your inbox and we do that all for $69.99 per year.
Click this link to read our Thrifty Traveler Premium review.
5. Do you have stories of financially savvy travelers who have gotten way more strategic because they follow your service?
Jared Kamrowski: I mean, there’s no question; there are a broad spectrum of people who follow us from, retired Boomers to Gen Z. It’s pretty wild.
We just had some calls with some of our super fans, and one of them is nomadic. They’re based out of the US, but they don’t have a home. And there’s a millennial couple with their two kids traveling off of our deals.
Jared Kamrowski: We are an interesting hybrid. We have this flight deal notification service, that’s really the core of our business. But most of our employees actually work on the website itself.
We’re able to have a diversified revenue stream: money coming in from ads, and then there’s the whole credit card affiliate space. Having multiple sources of revenue helped us survive, because the economy, it goes up and it goes down.
We have so much content like travel news every single day, whether it’s travel deals or news about changes impacting travel, points and miles, and deals in general.
It’s all about how to save and how to be informed, so if you want to be an informed, savvy, thrifty traveler, essentially, you know, traveling the world on the cheap and knowing what’s up, we’re the spot to get it.
7. Any features you want travelers to know more about?
Jared Kamrowski: One of the features we launched for our Premium+ service is text message alerts for mistake fares sent directly to your phone, because the hotter the flight deal, the shorter it lasts. So getting notifications via text message is key and then booking as soon as possible.
We are just trying to get that information to you as soon as possible.
These mistake fares, last minutes, not hours.
Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify.
Jared Kamrowski’s entrepreneurship journey is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and adaptability. Although he enjoyed his corporate job, the thrill of planning his next trip cheaply — the game and nuance of points and miles — essentially pulled him out of corporate.
He went on to build a business including a robust travel website and flight deal notification subscription that provides flight deal updates, news, and resources to millions every year.
Here are three key takeaways from this episode:
1️⃣ Follow your passion: One of the most inspiring things about Jared’s journey is that he followed his passion for travel and turned it into a successful business. He started Thrifty Traveler as a side hustle, and now he has a team helping others find cheap flights and explore the world. This serves as a reminder that when we pursue what truly excites us, amazing things can happen.
2️⃣ Building a business takes courage: His story is a testament to the courage it takes to start and grow a business. Leaving the security of a corporate job can be challenging, but with determination and hard work, it is possible to create something incredible. Sometimes we have to take risks to achieve our dreams.
3️⃣ Leveraging skills and resources: His background as a CPA in the corporate world might seem unrelated to finding cheap flights, but he was able to transfer his skills and knowledge to start a business. This highlights the importance of leveraging our existing skills and resources when pursuing new ventures. Sometimes, unexpected connections can lead to great opportunities. Also, ask for help when needed and connect with experts who can help you accomplish your goals.
Tired of paying full price for airfare? Visit places you never thought you could afford by signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium.
Danielle Desir Corbett is an award-winning and 6x grant-funded travel writer and podcast host who went from financial struggle to visiting 27+ countries all without waiting until retirement. Her story is proof that budget doesn’t limit adventure. Tune into The Thought Card Podcast for practical strategies to travel smarter and live on your terms. Say hello: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.
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