The Travel Hack: A Beginners Guide
You might be an avid traveler, a van-lifer, or maybe you only have the luxury of going on vacation every few years.
No matter what walk of life you come from, you’re going to come across a travel hack or two that claims to be the ultimate solution for your wandering woes.
But many of those tips are obvious, while others seem more of a hassle than a hack. Plus, how many travel tips can you realistically implement on your trips?
For us, we’ve found there’s only one tip that touches on the three core priorities for travel:
Money
Comfort, or
Time
And, believe it or not, there is one travel hack is simple and easy to remember:
It’s called Travel Hacking.
What is Travel Hacking?
Once you become entangled in the travel world, you’ll learn about traveling for comfort, how to pack lightly, and products you can’t travel without.
But before you can get there, you must know how you can financially and realistically get to all the hidden gems you’re longing to explore.
Travel hacking is the art of becoming aware of the resources set up by airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and even restaurants.
You’re likely already aware of travel points and rewards programs. But it’s — a lot, to put it mildly.
Where do you start, and how can you successfully travel hack your way around the world?
Here’s our 3-step guide to travel hacking to get you started.
Step 1: Pick a Travel Credit Card
Understanding the travel point system in full is another post in itself. But before you destroy your credit, here are a couple of things you need to know about choosing your travel credit card:
You have to be able to pay it off monthly: You can earn airline points by paying your bills or business expenses with a credit card. However, if you don’t pay it off every month, you’re going to hurt your credit. Which makes it even more difficult to travel year-round.
Make a comparative list: When looking for a card to use for points, make a note of things like annual fees, foreign transaction fees, and which transactions get you the most points (e.x. some cards give 3 points to groceries while others give 1 point).
The Points Guy is a great resource to begin exploring your options. He explains,“The whole fun in the points and miles game is to never pay more for a flight in points or miles than you would if you just paid for it in cash.”
Step 2: Be a Valued Customer
Airlines, restaurants, and hotels all have a point system.
You probably already know this.
What you might not realize is that the more you repeat business with specific airlines or hotels, the more valuable you’ll be to them as a customer.
The more money you give a company, the more willing they are to provide you with upgraded rooms, airline seats, or discounts.
Step 3: Keep Track of Travels
It might take you a while to figure out which flights and hotels you enjoy the most.
That’s why we recommend documenting your experience through social media, blogs (like ours), or a good old-fashioned travel diary.
Trust us, the sooner you realize which accommodations you hate and which ones you love, the faster you’ll be able to travel hack.
Plus, companies love to partner with frequent travelers to get reviews or social media content. Even if you’re not a travel influencer, you might be able to get a perk or two just from documenting your journey.
Talk about travel hacking!