This year, we’re traveling to California for the holidays. If you’ve ever looked into flying during the holidays, especially if your dates are limited, you know it can be really expensive. We recently got the Southwest business credit card and thanks to the bonus miles, we are flying for almost free, save for about $20 in taxes. Travel hacking is truly amazing and I wanted to give another plug for the travel hacking course I took. Below is a repost all about the course. It’s well worth the cost of the course since you can get SO much for free.
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Originally posted 10/23/18
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A few months ago, I completed an AWESOME course about travel hacking. I learned the tips and tricks of getting free flights, tracking what you need to do, all told in an easy to digest format. One thing I loved was that the videos started right where I left off.
You all know I’ve gotten a number of free/cheap flights through Southwest and have shared about that a few times. But I only knew Southwest, there was SO much I didn’t know. I don’t think I realized how much I had to learn until I took Aaron and Zephan’s Travel Hacking 101 course* (this is an affiliate link, see below for a little more about my experience!)
Since I mostly focus on road trips, I asked Aaron if he could share his experiences with travel hacking and road trips.
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“How to Apply Travel Hacking tricks to your Road Trips with Free AirBnB
I remember the justifications that used to come to mind –
“Aaron, you don’t have the money.”
“You can’t afford that right now.”
“When you get your income to $100,000, you can do that.”
These kinds of excuses used to cripple me. I’d scroll through page after page of travel photos or read through articles on world travel.
All I had to do was decide, but instead, I was full of envy.
I quit my job in 2015, and finally found my freedom. I partied for a week.
Reality set in, and I panicked for the ensuing week.
After calm lapped over me, I sat in the same chair I always did. But this time I had a new thought.
I was FREE. It was time to go.
But how?
Enter, my brother’s travel hacking push. Not long after, he and I were using a travel hacking method to trek the world for free. Even better, flights, hotels and airbnb’s were free too!
If you’re more of the road trip type, there’s a natural tendency to look for disconnection. The hills, the open highway, fresh country air. So much better than an airport lobby.
Most would assume travel hacking is about flying places but that’s only one piece. In simplest form, travel hacking is about removing barriers. It’s about eliminating those “No,” reasons that we shared above. It’s about taking our freedom now, while we are young, free and mobile.
Over the last year, I’ve perfected a simple system and used it to provide thousands in travel dollars at no expense.
Imagine staying in a custom built glass cottage overlooking the hills of California. Here’s an example of one.
For those that want to travel hack their way to free AirBnBs, pay close attention:
Credit cards like the Barclay Arrival Plus offer a 60,000 mile bonus when you spend $5,000 in 90 days.
The travel hacking system revolves around smart use of credit and points. But I want to share the overview so you can use this to your advantage in your road trippin’ adventures.
Once you amass the points, you can book an AirBnB with a card like the Barclays card. From the credit card dashboard, you can redeem points for those charges. For every 10,000 points, you get $100 to redeem. So on a 60,000 mile card, you get $600 worth of AirBnB booking to waive.
There’s no better feeling than paying for your weekend getaway in the open mountains and then waiving all fees.
WHISK- here comes a weekend of total liberation – physically, financially, and spiritually.
But before you go making mistakes (like I have), let’s make sure you know the rules before you take on free AirBNBs.
There are three rules to this travel hack:
Never pay late fees
Never pay interest
Pay on time
You can use your credit card, the one listed above (or others) to pay for things you normally would. Things like gas, food, rent (yes, there’s a way), and your other basic expenses. But you have to follow the rules.
If you play well with your cash (i.e. spending below your means), you’ll be on your way to that dream road trip.
I made a lot of mistakes in this process, so part of what I’ve developed is a system, so that I avoid breaking the rules. I’ve also created over $18,532 in free travel in 2018, after about $5,783 in 2017. To start travel hacking, you can take a course that I launched with fellow travel hacker Zephan B.
When you get started, be mindful of the rules, and let the open air, natural habitats and allure of a comforting home at no cost to you guide you forward. Travel hacking awaits!”
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If you want to learn more, check out theTravel Hacking 101 Course.*
* For full disclosure, I will get a small % if you decide to purchase the course. You won’t pay any more and my sharing policy is to ONLY share things I have personally used or done myself. I learned a lot about travel hacking in this course, and the course will pay for itself with your first bonus. I recently signed up for the Southwest Business card and I will be getting 60,000 bonus points, which translates to about $900 worth of flights. This course will answer all your questions about travel hacking! If you have any questions about the course itself, let me know!
View from one of my free (save for the $5 tax fee) flights!!
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