Everyone should have emails they rotate for free trials and a gift card with a dollar on it to use to sign up for those free trials. Scour the internet and ask your friends, and you will be provided with life hacks that may or may not make your life easier. When it comes to travel tips, there are a ton of articles designed to exploit affiliate marketing or advertise the cheapest search engine. I have come up with the top five hacks to make all of those other articles worthwhile and start you on your travel hacking journey.
1) Create an e-mail specifically for travel. You never know which company is going to have the best rates or deals for your vacation that fits your schedule, so you'll be signing up for many of them. I do not recommend creating a folder on your primary email account because I have discovered exploitable deals that would have been filtered as spam. When you're in the mood to entertain travel emails and you' Bure researching your dream vacation, you'll be more likely to filter through those emails.
2) Sign up for a Travel Credit Card with a large sign-up bonus. Do you research and see what previous offers have been. Do not low-ball yourself and sign up immediately after reading this blog. Travel credit cards offer numerous perks like travel insurance, rental reimbursement, and multipliers for spending categories related to travel. Ensure you pick a card within your annual budget because they come with annual fees. If you cannot exploit the perks of the card to cover the fee, chose a lower tier card.
3) Maximize EVERY loyalty program associated with your Travel Credit Card. Tired of waiting in the security line with the peasants at the airport? Most cards cover TSA Precheck or even CLEAR. These programs can pay dividends for routine travel but come in clutch over the holidays to skip those asinine lines. When getting a rental vehicle or checking into your hotel, ask to see if an upgrade is available. Even if you aren't using the card for the purchase, the credit card allowed you to automatically tier up with these companies, which can enable you to get the larger vehicle or the hotel suite for free, based on availability.
4) Create a SHORT bucket list of destinations you want to travel. There are a million applications to add to your phone and secret entrances to discover, but you must find inspiration. Maybe you've already figured out where you want to go, but by having a short list, the prices can dictate your travel plans and make you feel like you are still checking off a major destination. If you continue with this blog, you'll discover that the world is getting smaller and budget plane and train travel makes most locations accessible financially.
5) Budget for EXPERIENCES. Save money for the cheapest hotel you feel comfortable staying in that is located near the city center. Eat breakfast and drink your espresso standing up or on the go. Spend your money seeing a Parisian cabaret instead of ensuring you have the highest thread count sheets. Do the extra tour instead of the fancy dinner. Experience the culture through a local's eyes and you'll build memories that will stick with you more than luxury accommodations will.
6) BONUS HACK. Follow this blog for hacks, tips, and inspiration. I want to help you check off that bucket list and broaden your horizons with unique experiences abroad.
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