Travel Hacking: How to Vacation Like a Millionaire
Ever wondered how I afford to frequently travel to the most beautiful places on earth basically for free? I’m a travel hacker! For the last 15 years, I’ve been using the strategy of travel hacking to fund my many adventures.
In 2022 alone, I’ve already visited Mammoth Mountain, Aspen, Arizona, and Costa Rica. I’m not talking about finding cheap flights on a budget airline next to the bathroom or staying in some sketchy hotel next to the freeway. I’m talking about getting the FULL VIP experience of flying first-class, 5-star hotel accommodations, and vacationing internationally for little to no money.
Keep reading to find out how I use travel hacking to vacation like a millionaire!
What is Travel Hacking?
Travel hacking has become quite a buzzword in recent years, but what is it? According to Zero to Travel, travel hacking “involves working within the existing rules set up by airlines, credit cards, and hotels, and using them to your advantage to earn free travel including flights, lodging, and other upgrades.”
In other words, the money you would already be spending on necessities can help you get first-class flights, trips to Europe, and luxury hotel rooms. Sounds pretty sweet, huh? From personal experience, I can tell you it is SUHWEEET!
I initially began learning about travel hacking from the expert himself, Chris Guillebeau. He says, “travel hacking is all about experiencing the world on a limited budget. I’ve been able to visit so many countries over the past decade not by being independently wealthy, but by learning to be creative.”
That’s what travel hacking is all about: getting innovative with your budget to forge epic experiences. Let me show you the basics.
Travel Hacking Basics
If you want to start travel hacking, here are the six necessary steps you need to take:
Sign up for a credit card with a rewards program
You can find the credit cards I recommend under ‘Best Travel Credit Cards’
Hit the minimum spend requirement to earn points
Make sure you are hitting the minimum requirement every month or you will not be rewarded points. This is an easy way to screw up your travel hacking plan.
Keep track of your points
I recommend using a spreadsheet to keep things organized. You can create a different tab for each month in the same spreadsheet and see how far you’ve come all year.
Pay off the balance each month
It’s imperative to have a good handle on your finances before jumping into travel hacking. More on this under ‘Who Can Travel Hack?’
Use your points
Points are meant to be used or else they will expire after a year. If you don’t use your points in time, don’t lose them without a fight! Usually, if you speak to someone in customer service and ask nicely, they will give you your points back - but it’s not a guarantee. Book your trips and make it happen for yourself!
Cancel before the annual fee is charged to your card
Last year, I applied for 6 credit cards to use towards travel hacking. I cancel the ones that no longer serve me to avoid the annual fee. Sometimes, I will keep one or two credit cards that I liked and want to continue using the perks.
Who Can Travel Hack?
Anyone can use the benefits of travel hacking to their advantage, but, I highly recommend you meet the following requirements:
Have good-standing credit
You will need good credit to sign up for the necessary credit cards to earn points
Have no debt OR are comfortable with your debt and have cash accounts that can pay off the balance every month
Travel hacking is much easier when you have more control over your finances. If you can’t pay off the credit card debt every month, you’ll just be racking up the debt.
If you need help managing your debt or repairing your credit, I got you covered! You can set up a complimentary call with me here, or check out my Money Mastery Challenge for just $27. The Money Mastery Challenge will teach you super simple budgeting, effortless income, and magical manifestation.
Best Travel Credit Cards
The cards below are a part of my affiliate relationship with American Express. If you’re new here, I never recommend anything that I don’t personally use myself. If it is appropriate for your financial situation or you’re just looking to sign up for a credit card, you will get bonus points for signing up and I will get a small commission bump.
Currently, I use three different American Express credit cards to travel hack. They include:
American Express Hilton Honors Business Card
This card helped me book one of my cheapest vacations at one of the most expensive hotels I’ve ever been to! I stayed at this incredible resort in Maui where the average room rate is $1,500 per night. I ended up getting the entire week for just $800! By travel hacking, I saved $4,800 in hotel accommodations alone.
Highlights:
12X Hilton Honors Bonus points
per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
6X Hilton Honors Bonus points
Per dollar on select business purchases
at U.S. gas stations
on wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers
on U.S. purchases for shipping
6X Hilton Honors Bonus points
Per dollar on select travel purchases
at U.S. restaurants
on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel
on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
3X Hilton Honors Bonus points
per dollar on other purchases
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status‡
Enjoy even more perks as a Hilton Honors Gold member, like an 80% bonus on all Base Points, space-available room upgrades, and more.
Check out all of the perks here.
American Express Marriot Bonvoy Business Card Benefits
I used this card last month to book my ski trip to Mammoth Mountain. I got a 5-star room at motel prices!
Highlights:
6 Marriot Bonvoy Points
for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
4 Marriot Bonvoy Points
at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping.‡
2 Marriot Bonvoy Points
on all other eligible purchases.‡
Free Night Awards
Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary.‡ Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel. Certain hotels have resort fees.‡
See all of the card highlights here.
American Express Business Gold Card Benefits
Several years ago I dated a guy from England and was traveling to Europe once a month during our relationship. Y’all first-class to Europe is so much better than coach! A bed that completely lays down, hot towels, good food, and cocktails - it’s heaven! That sure as hell beats somebody’s bare feet in your space (gross) and a sore body after a long day of travel.
Highlights:
Maximize Rewards With 4X Points
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top 2 categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle from the list below, plus earn 1X on other purchases.
Airfare purchased directly from airlines
U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
U.S. purchases at gas stations
U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
U.S. purchases for shipping
25% Airline Bonus
You can receive 25% Membership Rewards® points back after you use Pay With Points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with American Express Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.‡
Eligible flights include First and Business class tickets as well as any fare class with your selected qualifying airline booked through American Express Travel.
Pay Over Time Option
The Pay Over Time option lets you carry a balance with interest on eligible purchases.*‡
How it works: Eligible purchases can be paid over time, up to the amount of your Pay Over Time Limit on your account. You can choose to pay for these purchases over time with interest, or you can pay your full balance each month, whichever is best for your business.
*Card Members must pay in full all charges not included in a Pay Over Time balance.
See all of the card benefits here.
Well my travel hacking bebes, I hope this has inspired you to get out there and see the world on your own terms! Remember:
Travel hacking involves working within the existing rules set up by airlines, credit cards, and hotels, and using them to your advantage to earn free travel including flights, lodging, and other upgrades.
The basic steps of travel hacking: Sign up for a credit card with a rewards program→ Hit the minimum spend requirement to earn points → Keep track of your points → Pay off the balance each month → Use your points → Cancel before the annual fee is charged to your card
Travel hackers should either have good-standing credit, have no debt, or are comfortable with your debt and have cash accounts that can pay off the balance every month.
The best travel credit cards I recommend are the American Express Hilton Honors Business Card, American Express Marriot Bonvoy Business Card, and the American Express Business Gold Card.
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