The Points Guy hires cruise expert Gene Sloan to expand coverage 

TPG is kicking off the new year with an exciting new addition to our team.

One of the nation's best-known cruise experts, Gene Sloan, is joining TPG full-time as a senior reporter for cruise and travel.

Sloan comes to The Points Guy after more than two decades at USA Today where he is best known for leading a multi-year expansion into cruise coverage, building it into a major franchise. Sloan founded, and for many years ran, USA Today's award-winning online cruise section. His cruise stories have appeared in dozens of news outlets across the country.

For the last year, Sloan has also been contributing cruise content to TPG. This has included everything from a comparison of 16 different cruise lines to a first look at Royal Caribbean's new private island to a sneak peek at an all-new Norwegian ship.

In his new role, Sloan will spearhead a significant expansion of cruise coverage at The Points Guy as the site continues to broaden its focus on all areas of travel news.

Sloan has years of experience in building and expanding cruise-focused travel sites. In addition to founding USA Today Cruises, he helped launch a USA Today-owned cruise review site, Reviewed.com/Cruises, and a planning site, Experience Cruise.

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Sloan also has served as an on-air cruise expert for The Travel Channel, appearing in the channel's "Cruises We Love!" series, and is the co-author of several Frommer's cruise guides. In his early years at USA Today, he wrote about adventure travel and family travel in addition to cruising. His travel writing has taken him to 87 countries and all seven continents -- not to mention sailing on more than 150 ships.

As an avid flyer, Sloan also enjoys the view from 35,000 feet. He has earned lifetime Million Miler status with United and is now flying toward the same lifetime goal with American Airlines. For the record, he's on team aisle seat.

"I am thrilled to be joining what is quickly becoming one of the most important travel content sites on the internet," said Sloan. "As big media has pulled back on serious travel content in recent years, it has created an opening for new, smart and nimble innovators in travel content such as The Points Guy."

Sloan's hire comes at a time of rapid editorial growth for The Points Guy. Founded just a decade ago by CEO Brian Kelly and initially focused on maximizing travel using points and miles earned through loyalty programs and credit cards, TPG has been adding staff at breakneck speed this year as it expands into broader coverage of airlines, hotels, resorts and destinations. TPG now has more than 100 employees with more key open positions to fill.

Driven by a mission of helping travelers "maximize their travel experience while minimizing spending," The Points Guy sees more than 10 million monthly unique visitors to the site, with a social media following of more than 3 million.