How to travel anywhere for free
Chamonix, France. Photo by Greg Heil
Is it really possible to travel for free? Well the answer is… Almost.
There’s a technique that allows you to travel without spending any more money than you already do, so it’s basically free! This is called travel hacking. Even if you’ve never heard the term, you might know of people who go on international trips all the time, and you’ve scratched your head over how the heck they can pay for it. Well, those people might be travel hackers!
What is travel hacking?
Spoiler alert: Travel hacking not as shifty as it sounds. It’s also not as hard as it sounds. This type of “hacking” is not at all the criminal pursuit you might think of—travel hacking is just the catchy name for a tactic that’s perfectly legitimate for earning deals on travel. The strategy is simply finding the best promos and point programs, then combining them for maximum advantage to you. Unlike computer hacking, there’s nothing subversive or illegal about it. However, much like a computer hacker, travel hackers must be very calculated in their approach. It does require time and effort to make it work, but the payoff can be huge!
The key to travel hacking is: Use the money you spend every day to earn free travel in the future.
As you might have guessed, this involves credit cards and other types of accounts to earn points on travel. In order to be a travel hacker you must have at least one credit card, but it’s all about which cards you get and how you use them. There are other options too, like certain loyalty programs and sign-up bonuses. There’s a reason not everyone can travel hack, because it does take work to juggle various accounts and to plan ahead, but it’s very possible to do. You can be even successful without going into debt and without ever paying interest on a credit card!
To explain more about how to travel hack, I’m going to turn it over to my friend Greg Heil, professional writer and frequent global traveler. Greg is also an ardent mountain biker on a quest to ride the world’s greatest trails. In Greg’s own words, “nothing about my profession means that I’m threatening to break into the ranks of the upper crust elite, but even still, I manage to travel the world on my own time for cheap or even free.” On his blog Outside 365, Greg reveals the tricks that he’s used to get to Europe, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and beyond for free!
To read all of Greg’s pro tips, check out his article How to Travel to Europe for Free Next Year on Outside 365. He shares all kinds of details like:
Which credit cards give the best point programs and sign-up bonuses
How to book a flight with points
Earning free lodging with points
How to avoid paying interest on credit cards
How travel hacking can impact your credit score
More tips for traveling on a budget
When you’ve read up on that, be sure to check out Greg’s other articles, or come back to Unweary Traveler to help plan your next trip!
Colletta, Italy. Photo by Greg Heil
