How To Travel (for almost free!)

Travel (like a C-List celebrity)

 

Many people across the world dream of travel.  It is probably the most romanticized and sought after lifestyle on Earth.  I'm living a lot of people's dreams.

Over the last five years, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about travel. Mostly a variation of: “what do you do for work?” Or “Are these really your photos?”  What I think people are really asking is: how am I able to see so much of the world without being a celebrity or millionaire? 

I feel it’s time I give some explanations as to how I travel but you should know my methods only apply to certain people. Keep reading to see if you're one! These methods are available for all US citizens.  These strategies may be available to other nationalities as well but I cannot speak from personal experience as I am a (reluctant) US citizen. 

 

I’ve broken my methods down into three sections:

 

How To Travel For (almost) Free

How To Maximize Business Travel

How To Pay Your Way

 

How To Travel For (almost) Free

 

I began traveling as an adult in about 2010.  At that time I had lousy credit due to a terrible and destructive lifestyle I lead.  As I cleaned up my life and my credit score, I was told that having a credit card could help that process. This was a concept I was leery of because I had heard the horror stories of people drowning in credit card debt and paying thousands in interest.  I didn’t understand how the system worked at all but I did some research and decided to jump in once I felt confident I could use the card responsibly.  If you feel you can use a card responsibly, this method may be perfect for you.

 

My first credit card was a Southwest branded credit card. My credit score was somewhere in the low 600s but I qualified. I began regularly monitoring my spending versus my bank account to ensure I was spending responsibly. If you're credit is somewhere above 600, your options start to open up.

 

The fact that my normal spending in those first months earned me a significant amount of Southwest miles and a free flight certificate really appealed to me. I used those rewards for two round trip tickets to Tampa to visit some friends and family. I did the simple math and realized that I received WAY more value from this credit card (dollars spent vs. dollar value of reward) than ANY cash back card would give me. And just like that I was hooked on rewards programs!  If you normally spend a few thousands dollars within a few months on items that can be bought with a credit card, you have a lot of choices.

 

Meanwhile, my credit score started growing rapidly!  The card had no membership fee for the first year so I was fixing my credit AND getting FREE stuff! Woo hoo!

 

Before the end of that year, I found a different card that appealed to me more, so I cancelled my first card and switched to a new one, easy peasy.  

 

I am in no way a full master of using rewards programs and I do not pretend to be, however, I know that I’ve flown quite literally around the world in long haul business and first class solely because of credit card rewards programs. I cannot advocate this method enough. 

 

Stay tuned as I will be writing more specific advice on this topic in the near future.

 

How To Maximize Business Travel

 

Around 2010, I got a lot better at my day job (sadly it took damn near three years to become competent at it.)  As a result, I began receiving more assignments that involved traveling around the US.  At first I didn’t realize the potential personal benefit to these trips. I just stayed wherever seemed the most reasonably priced yet comfortable.  

 

Then one day my coworker was talking about a fabulous trip he took to Aruba and the fantastic hotel he stayed at.  He isn’t the type to spend lavishly on lodgings so I asked him why he stayed at this particular property.  He explained that he had accumulated a significant number of points with the particular hotel brand from all of his business trips. Although he travelled more than me, I realized I was potentially wasting another opportunity for free things.  

 

I did some research and I found a hotel loyalty brand that was perfect for me. The mid range hotels were well within my business budget and they had a wealth of 4 and 5 star properties around the globe.  I went all in on this particular brand and stayed at there properties every time I possibly could even if it was an extra five or ten minutes out of my way.

 

I took advantage of every hotel points program I could and I enrolled for every points promotion that came into my inbox.  I only travelled for work about once a month for an average of four or five nights but in the years that followed I stayed regularly at luxury hotels and resorts in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Osaka, London, Da Nang and Madrid to name just a few. I signed up for the branded credit card and I was suddenly the top status (ie better everything) at this hotel brand.  In 2017 I stayed at a resort that Donald Trump was a guest at only months before.  I just hope he didn't pee in my bed!

 

In my small company I was lucky enough to be able to pay for the hotels using my own credit card and get reimbursed weekly by my company.  This lead to an even larger glut of points. Not to mention the free anniversary night and sign up bonus for the credit card!  

 

Again, all this cost me was developing some marginal organization skills and a bit of extra time to review my hotel options (and actually reading those promotional emails).  Any business traveller can do it! 

 

I will be revisiting and further elaborating in this topic as time goes on.

 

How To Pay Your Way

 

At times, but especially at this time (2018 going into 2019) there are incredible flight deals.  I’ve paid for airline tickets to places that I would not have paid for when I started traveling because fuel is cheaper now and ticket prices have collapsed.  I’m talking about prices that would have seemed almost unthinkable in the mid 2000s.  Less than $500 round trips to places like Cairo or Bangkok from the US or $150 one ways to Europe.  And this is just my limited experience on fantastic deals.  

 

I do not consider myself a 'budget traveller' although I am ALWAYS on the lookout for a good deal.

 

The trick is to research and buy at the right time (typically anywhere from 6 months at the absolute earliest to 1.5 months at the absolute latest) before you want to take a trip.  Being open to destinations always helps too.  I booked all my flights for a trip to Egypt (booked in December for a trip in March) on a whim one day because I couldn’t believe how affordable it was.

 

If your budget is tight beyond just airfare, there are countless options for saving money on lodging, eating and local transit provided you are willing to make sacrifices in comfort and time. Obviously hostels, vacation rental companies and hotel discount sites are everywhere these days but I suggest you review ALL your options first because you never know when a good hotel may actually be MORE affordable than a crappy hostel.  Taking your time will land you the perfect place to stay.

 

If these common strategies still don’t give you the right price, you may wish to consider saving more money.  Many people I know ask me how I’m able to afford all the traveling I do. I sometimes tell them, aside from just being lucky, that I also live very cheaply.  I don’t drink so I don’t pay bar-tabs.  I only occasionally eat out when I'm at home.  I bought a condo for dirt cheap when I could have rented a much more expensive and glamorous home.  I drive a very boring car when I could easily buy one that is way more flashy and expensive.  I make all of these (non) sacrifices because I don’t want to ever live paycheck to paycheck again.  I want to spend my extra income seeing and doing things that most people (even big earners) only dream of.  Also, not having kids helps ;)

Because of saving money in other areas of my life, I’ve been able to eat at three star Michelin restaurants all over Asia and Europe. I've rented classic French and American cars all over the world. I've flown in hot air balloons over Bagan and Cappadocia. I haven't spent a New Years at home since 2012. I’d like to take this time to state that I’m well within the definition of American middle class but my priorities are clearly just a bit more experiential leaning.