Most people love to travel and go on amazing vacations, you deserve it for working hard all year! Unfortunately, travel can be expensive unless you are a travel hacker. These are the people that work the system and know how to find the best deals. It’s pretty amazing!
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I was reading an article about people that travel the world for free, or close to it! It seems too good to be true but people just like me and you are doing this every day. They did their research and found the opportunities that worked for their budgets.
Travel Hacking
I just learned about the term “travel hacking” and if you travel a lot, this is something you might want to look into. Travel hacking is where people are constantly chasing miles, rewards points, and elite status. They are looking for every possible way to game the system for as much free travel as they can.
Most travel hacking is about using miles and rewards to get free flights or hotels. If you are good at managing your money, and pay off your credit cards each month, this is a very realistic option.
You do use credit card points to fund your travels so you have to be good at managing money for this to be beneficial. If you just pay minimum payments, the interest you are paying isn’t going to make this worth it.
To learn more about travel hacking and how you can get started you can check out the blog The Points Guy. It has some really great articles. There are also tons of books on travel hacking as well.
Sign Up for Reward Programs
Another great way to be a travel hacker is to get free hotel stays and free airline miles with reward programs. Most of the major chains have them and if you frequent the same ones over and over again, you may as well get something out of it.
If you travel a lot for business, this is a great way to save up the points for your personal vacation.
Some of them will even let you redeem your points for spa or dining gift cards. Just make sure you know when your points expire and if they have any blackout dates.
Clear your Cookies
When you are looking for a cheap flight online, make sure you clear your cookies or use Google Chrome’s incognito mode. When you conduct searches, sites store your cookies (details of your web browsing) and can even use them to hike up the prices of flights once they know you’re interested. By clearing your cookies, you can avoid purchasing a higher priced ticket.
Triple your Travel
I love learning exactly how to travel on a budget from people who do it all the time. Triple your Travel is THE budget travel guide. It simplifies travel, to make it affordable for regular people like you and me.
You’ll learn exactly how and where to look for the cheapest flights, accommodation, food, transport, entertainment and more. Remove the uncertainty from your travels so you can spend more time doing what you’re supposed to be doing – enjoying the world.
Whether it be finding a cheap place to sleep in Paris, finding affordable food in Switzerland, or figuring out the cheapest way to overland Africa, this book will show you how. It contains only the most practical and up-to-date information, in a collection of beautifully designed resources, and is updated annually.
Packing Hacks
You can’t be a travel hacker if you don’t know all of the packing hacks! I love seeing all of the inventive ways people pack their bags. You need to see all of these packing hacks before you go on your next trip.
They may save you a huge headache and divert a travel nightmare.
Traveling with Kids
Traveling with kids is a whole other ball game. Every child is different but it can turn into a disaster really quickly.
To help you prepare, I really like these tips for flying with a toddler.
Even if you are prepared, things can still go wrong. Be sure to ask the flight attendant if they offer freebies. Most flights will have coloring books, wing pins, and other fun things to help keep the kiddos entertained.
Save on Sightseeing
The flight and hotels can be expensive but so are the activities once you get to your destination. There are so many ways to save on attractions and sightseeing.
My favorite travel hacker tip is to check out the tourism website for the city you will be visiting. They have some great information about free and discounted activities.
Get Comfortable
We all know sitting for hours on a plane is not the most comfortable thing in the world, but you can make it more bearable.
Before you book your next plane ticket, check out SeatGuru. You can look at seat maps and comparable charts to find the best seat for you.
They give you details like: does it recline, how much leg room, and other in-flight amenities. The seats are even reviewed by other travelers.
I hope these tips make your next trip more affordable and fun. If you have any other tips to be a great travel hacker, let us know. Maybe now you won’t have to do a staycation this year!
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