 Courtesy Getty Images So you blew your budget over the holidays, Valentine’s Day is coming up before you know it, spring break is right after that, and we haven’t even gotten to your list of “places to visit this year.”
I mean, how do you travel (somewhere, anywhere) without blowing your budget out of whack even more so than it already is?! Fortunately, there are several ways you can do this. One way is to use credit card points. However, that’s not something everyone can (or should) do. Another way, then, is to “hack” your way to a cheaper flight. How do you travel hack?
0 Comments
 Updated December 2018
If you fly domestic a lot, you know the pain of the cramped seats, the lack of carry-on space, and the struggle to find some kind of entertainment for yourself. Oh! You bet. The struggle is real. There is, however, a way you can avoid all of those while not paying a single penny more. What is the most comfortable way to fly domestic?  With the announcement that JetBlue is changing it’s policy when it comes to checked bags, the days of having your bag fly free is almost history. Not to mention the fact that the holidays are ripe for some airlines to jack-up the price you pay for a checked bag (I’m looking at you Spirit and Frontier).
Needless to say it’s not looking good for those of us trying to be frugal travelers. Southwest is now the only U.S. airline that lets your luggage fly free. That’s why, if you want to avoid that baggage checking fee, it’s time to learn how to pack in an efficient, and space saving way. With that said, there are several ways you can travel hack your carry-on.  Courtesy Beaver Creek Mt. FB page I was lucky enough to recently spend a long weekend in the Beaver Creek Resort area of Colorado. And it was well worth the visit. For those that don’t know, Beaver Creek is a community just south of Avon, CO. It is well known as a winter vacation destination. But, as I recently found out, it is certainly worth visiting during the fall (or summer). My girlfriend, Crystal, and I stayed at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek for free thanks to my Hyatt Credit Card, which gave me two free nights at any Hyatt hotel in the world. I’ll have a review of the hotel shortly, but to whet your appetite a little bit, upon check-in our room was upgraded to a Park Deluxe Village Slope. Basically, we stayed in a room that costs $895/night, during the winter, for free (roughly $300/night during the offseason).
I'm pretty excited for my trip to the Beaver Creek area of Colorado later this year. I’ll be staying at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, a resort that is said to be one of the best in the U.S. I’ve never been to the area, but the reviews look promising.
“The Park Hyatt is a sweet splurge indeed — its prime location (smack in the middle of the village and at the foot of the Centennial Express), Allegria spa, and ski valet make it Beaver Creek's most favorable option. You can even roast s'mores at the mountainside fire pit,” says Shermans Travel. The best part? 
Traveling is never cheap. From plane tickets and hotels, to food and booze, there are nearly endless ways to part with your money. And summer is probably the most expensive time to go on vacation.
Let’s face it, that’s why so many people try to take advantage of travel credit cards. Whether it’s an airline branded one, or a hotel branded one, they can save you quite a bit. But there are other ways you can save even more. In fact, there are several ways you can save thousands per vacation. That’s right. Thousands in cold hard cash. 
I found out something pretty cool the other day: I can stay at any one of nearly a thousand hotels with VIP status. The only thing I need: a credit card that says Visa Signature on it. I have two (the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Hyatt Visa)! I wish I knew about this sooner. Silly ole' me was too focused on earning miles and points. Turns out I can earn miles and points while living the life of luxury. And you can too!
It looks like Southwest Airlines will be making a few changes to their Rapid Rewards program. They posted this announcement on their website:
We created Rapid Rewards® because we think you deserve to actually feel rewarded. And, from time to time we must make some updates to our program. Beginning April 17, 2015, the number of Rapid Rewards Points needed to redeem for certain flights will vary based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, and other factors. However, there are still many flights which will stay at the current redemption rate. And don’t forget that when fares go on sale, so do the points needed for redeeming for a reward flight on those fares.
What does this mean?
The best travel credit cards aren't free. Most of them have an annual fee. But they can still be worth it. For example, each travel rewards card that I have came with a pretty lucrative sign up bonus. Not only that, but after the sign up bonus is used - they are still worth keeping. That's because most of mine pay for themselves. Which cards do I have, and why do they pay for themselves? Chase Freedom: This one is a no brainer. It has no annual fee and I get 5 percent cash back all year long on certain rotating categories. Sure, it can be annoying when you have to "sign up" for each category, but it's worth it. In addition, I can (and do) transfer the points from the Chase Freedom account to my Sapphire Preferred account which can make the points even more lucrative.  No, this doesn't mean I'm addicted to shopping or spending. It means I enjoy figuring out which card I should use for each purchase I make. It's fun. What do I consider when figuring out which card I should use? There are several factors that I use: 
I'm new to travel hacking with credit cards. Some may consider it "churning," where you open a bunch of new credit cards all at once every three months or so, and then cancel them about 11 months after opening them to avoid an annual fee (as an example). One of the most common questions I'm asked is "does it hurt your credit score?"
Has my credit score taken a hit? No. It's actually the opposite. Since I've started building more credit, my score has gone up about 15 points (and now above 800) in 6 months. Why? Well, your credit score is based on several factors. FICO, one of the companies that determines your credit score, for example, bases credit scores on: 
It's a story that's been trending for several days: a "computer wiz," 22-year-old Aktarer Zaman, has a website called skiplagged.com. The site helps you find cheap flights by using a method called "hidden city ticketing."
That's where you buy a plane ticket that has a layover - and that layover is actually your final destination. For example, if you want to fly from Dallas to Atlanta - but it's cheaper to buy a plane ticket from Dallas to New York with - that's right - a layover in Atlanta, you win! You buy that ticket to New York, get off in Atlanta and never get back on the plane. Instant cash in your pocket. Keep in mind - you don't want to check your bag. Otherwise it'll end up in New York while you're stuck in Atlanta. One other thing: it only works on one-way tickets.  An El Dorado resort. Not sure if it's Seaside Suites. Courtesy of their facebook page. Early next year I'll be headed to Mexico with Crystal for one of her friend's weddings. It'll be at the all-inclusive El Dorado Seaside Suites. Yeah, we'll really be slumming it. The humanity!
In all actuality (and if you didn't click on that link) it looks really nice. And by really nice I mean jaw-on-the-floor nice. Still can't believe I'll be staying there. I've never stayed at an all-inclusive. We're booking the stay through a travel agent, which is kinda nice. We don't have to worry about anything except being where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there (I'm looking at you Crystal). Cost 
There are dozens of ways to earn miles and/or points for travel. Some of which - you've probably never heard of. Many are extremely lucrative when it comes to points.
Dining Rewards Network The Dining Rewards Network is a completely free way to earn additional points for rewards accounts you may already have. All you have to do is sign up and register your cards. You can register each and every card (debit or credit) you have. The "catch"? You can't register the same card for more than one rewards account. Anyway, after you register your cards - all you have to do is dine at one of the thousands of restaurants on the list - you get points or miles! Simple as that. No need to tell the restaurant. No coupons to print out. Nothing. The miles/points automatically post to your account within a couple of days. The current list of Dining Rewards programs that I can find is this: Yes, it is possible! Not only can you go on a cheap vacation - but you have several ways to go about accomplishing this goal. I will highlight a couple here.
Renting With Friends One way is to rent a vacation home with a group of friends. This works even if you have a family and it could cut your costs by quite a bit. I'll explain with an example: |
Stay inspired with The KKR in Your EmailCategories
All
|
RSS Feed