Travel Hacking: How You Can See The World For Less!

Want to travel for less? You need to hear about travel hacking – a series of strategic choices that can help you travel for a fraction of traditional rates. 

Now, travel hacking isn’t exactly a new concept, but it’s gained major traction in the past few years. More and more people are learning how to save and spend smarter. 

Travel is expensive, but you can cut some major costs with a few simple hacks. 

Today, I’m covering 10 top travel hacking tips to help you plan your dream vacation without breaking the bank. From credit card points to loyalty rewards programs, these are my top tips for traveling big on a small budget. 

Related:

• 7 Travel Hacks to Trim $1,000+ Off Your Travel Budget
• Living a Luxury Lifestyle on a Budget: Here’s How!
• How to Budget for Holiday Travel
• Freelance Travel Essentials
• How to Budget For a Weekend Getaway

1. Set Travel Hacking Goals 

The most important step in your travel hacking journey is to have a clear goal, with steps to help you along the way. 

Are you saving for a specific trip? Are you looking to travel more frequently this year? What are your overall savings goals?

Answering these questions will help guide which travel hacks you take advantage of. 

Track your progress in an app like AwardWallet to keep yourself organized. 

2. Seek Credit Cards with Travel Perks 

One of the most common travel hacks is signing up for credit cards, all of which offer a different kind of travel perk. 

This is popular because it can have major payoffs, but be careful – it’s important to maintain good credit across the board. 

Seek credit cards that offer travel or dining bonuses, remaining mindful of their annual fees and whether they outweigh the card benefits. 

Some cards even offer big sign-up bonuses in hotel points or air miles that can be used directly for your goal vacation. 

Finally, consider credit cards with flexible point programs that can be used for various travel needs, including partnerships with airlines, hotels, and more. 

Some popular choices include:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred: Sign up bonus + points on all travel and dining purchases
• Capital One Venture Rewards: Bonus miles with sign-up + miles earned on every purchase
• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: Sign up bonus + unlimited points 

3. Use Redemption Strategies 

While it’s fairly straightforward to start racking up points, how you choose to use them takes a bit more strategy. 

Investigate ways to get more value for your points. For example, you could get better value by paying for a flight with points rather than transferring your points to cash. 

Prioritize businesses your credit card has partnered with to receive the best value. 

Finally, use your points during promotional periods when travel essentials are discounted, or points have increased in value. These promos are common and often offer huge point boosts!

4. Sign Up for Loyalty Programs

Companies value loyalty, which you can leverage for travel hacking!

Sign up for loyalty programs for your preferred airline and hotel. This loyalty can be rewarded through free upgrades, extra points, late checkout, and more. 

5. Try Dining Programs and Shopping Portals 

Airlines, hotels, and credit card companies often partner with businesses to boost traffic. Choose to dine and shop with these partnerships to earn yourself extra points!

This is an excellent travel hack because you can earn major travel points with little to no effort.

6. Set Flight Alerts 

Flight sales are no joke. 

A round-trip flight can shrink to a quarter of the price overnight. You just need to know when to buy. 

Luckily, there are so many flight alert tools that help you purchase cheap flights. Google Flights offers a user-friendly tool where you can see flight prices across all airlines. 

This tool also tells you when you’re getting a good deal, indicating whether prices are average, high, or low. 

I recommend setting flight alerts for your preferred dates so that you are notified immediately of a price drop. This way, you won’t need to keep checking back. 

7. Use Creative Booking 

Folks pay a premium for convenience, with expensive direct flights and short layovers. But if you don’t mind losing a bit of time to travel, you can save quite a bit of travel money. 

When looking at flights, consider more remote airport options, layovers, or even multi-day stopovers to get a better deal. 

Stopovers can actually make for a better trip, letting you experience two great locations for the price of just one round-trip flight!

8. Book Early when Travel Hacking

You can get fantastic deals when you book flights or hotels through your travel rewards program. Unfortunately, these deals go fast!

Book early when award availability is limited, especially during peak travel times. 

9. Shop and Save 

Beyond credit cards and loyalty programs, you can earn gift cards and cashback from a variety of online retailers. 

Sites like Rakuten and Honey allow you to earn gift cards or cash back which you can use towards travel, all while shopping for your basic necessities. 

Looking for more cash-back options? Check out this post on how to take free surveys and earn cash back. 

10. Download Top Apps for Travel Hacking 

The key to successful travel hacking is to stay on top of all the different moving pieces. Luckily, there are apps to help you do just that!

Here are a few of my favorites:

• AwardWallet: Track your flyer miles, loyalty points, and travel plans. 
• TripIt: Organize your travel plans to ensure everything goes as planned. 
• Google Flights: Track flights, set price drop alerts, and see when you’re getting a good deal. 
• Credit Karma: Get free credit scores and track your travel credit cards. 
• Expert Flyer: Receive seat alerts when better seats become available. 
• The Points Guy: Track points and rewards, learn how to optimize cards, and get up-to-date travel tips. 

Travel Hacking: The Bottom Line

As the cost of living gets higher, travel is quickly becoming an inaccessible luxury. But I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to travel and see the world if they choose.

So take advantage of these travel hacking tips and get planning for your next getaway!