Master the Art of Affordable Travel
John here – I am going to share a few of my strategies for finding deals and opportunities to get more travel for less money. This is another way to Travel Like Brandie – luxury for the price of economy!
You have probably seen in our pictures that we sometimes fly first or business class, or stay in 5-star luxury hotels. We never pay full price for these luxuries and sometimes pay little or nothing.
We can do this because of two very helpful strategies – Miles and Points and Let the Deal Determine the Destination.
Below you will find an outline for both strategies and links to two companies with whom we partner to share these strategies with you. While we do earn a small commission if you do business with them through our links, it’s important for you to understand that we are customers, too.
Miles and Points
Our favorite strategy is to use miles and points to elevate our travel experience. Miles and points can easily save you thousands of dollars in travel expenses and enable you to enjoy experiences that you otherwise might not be able to afford.
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Our Travel Experiences Made Possible with Miles and Points
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7 Nights at Waldorf Astoria Maldives 900,000 Hilton Honors Points Value: $16,000
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Qatar Airways Qsuites Business Class Houston to Maldives 170,000 Avios Value $6,000
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Emirates Airlines Business Class Dubai to Toronto 108,000 Aeroplan Points Value $6,200
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Access to over 1,400 Airport Lounges Worldwide Usual Benefits Free Wi-Fi Complimentary food Alcoholic beverages TVs Air conditioning Flight information Some lounges even have free spa treatments, private rooms to sleep, and showers Lounge Networks Amex Centurion Lounges Priority Pass lounges Plaza Premium Lounges Select Delta/Lufthansa/Virgin Atlantic Lounges (subject to restrictions) Aspire & Escape Lounges
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Singapore Airlines Business Class Houston to Bali with Singapore Stopover 111,000 Aeroplan Points Value $5,700
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Singapore Airlines Business Class Bali to Los Angeles 105,000 Aeroplan Points Value $3,500
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Singapore Airlines Business Class Houston to Singapore 185,000 Aeroplan Points Value $5,700
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KLM Airlines Business Class Taipei to Houston 190,000 Flying Blue Points Value $4,700
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4 Nights Alila Ubud (Bali) 26,000 Hyatt Points Value $1,200
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United Airlines Houston to Tahiti Roundtrip Economy 84,000 Mileage Plus Miles Value $3,200
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As you can see, we have gained significant value ($50,000+) from using Miles and Points to “plus-up” our travel experience. In addition, we save at least $100 each travel day with our Lounge Access, so the value we are realizing is even higher!
Two Important Rules to Follow
- You must pay the full balance on your cards each month. Any interest incurred will quickly offset the benefits.
- Earn your Miles and Points on your usual expenses, such as groceries, gas, dining out, utilities travel, etc. Spending beyond your means to earn Miles and Points faster is not a winning strategy.
A good travel credit card (or a few) is a tool that all financially responsible travelers should be using. However, knowing which travel credit card(s) to apply for can be confusing.
This is where Daily Drop comes in – they keep up with the most current offers and curate a list of links to the current month’s best cards. Click here to find the best cards to sign up for right now and start elevating your travel! Feel free to bookmark this link so you can go back for new credit cards in the future. If you are still unsure how it all works, click here for Miles and Points 101.
Another great way to learn more about how to earn and use miles and points is to subscribe to the Daily Drop daily newsletter. I look forward to reading it every day – it’s full of great ideas about how to get the most out of these opportunities. You can subscribe here: Daily Drop Newsletter
Come back here when you’re ready to start planning your next trip, and we’ll help you utilize your miles and points.
Let the Deal Determine the Destination
One of the best ways to travel for less is to go where the best-value flights are going instead of trying to find a flight deal for a specific destination. This is similar to saving money by knowing what’s on sale before you walk into the grocery store (everyone else does that, too, right?).
It would take you a lot of searching to find the best flight deals from your home airport to all the airports worldwide at any time over the next 11 months or so. It sounds exhausting, if not impossible. I am pretty sure that your disdain for travel planning is what brought you to this website in the first place!
What if there was a service out there that would do legwork for you and deliver hot deals (up to 80% off) to your inbox or phone, for the list of destinations and date ranges you choose, from as many as ten departure airports? That sounds like a service that would quickly pay for itself, right?
Once you are alerted to a deal you cannot pass up, book it and then come back here so we can plan your trip and ensure you get the most out of that fantastic opportunity!
