Why does travel hacking make sense? I love to travel, and I love saving money. So I can’t explain why I’m so late to enter the travel hacking game. I can’t even remember why I started looking into collecting points and miles for free travel. But two years ago, I took the plunge and applied for my first travel credit card. Despite the fact that a worldwide pandemic shut down most travel, I have found so much benefit in my new new hobby. I am now ready to preach the dogma of travel hacking to everyone who will listen. Here are five reasons why you should enter the travel hacking game.
Reason #1: Free Travel (duh)
Obviously, the main reason travel hacking makes sense is because it opens the door to free travel. It’s far easier to do that than you think. See my related posts My Free Travel Journey and Travel for Free in 6 Easy Steps.
There are a few ground rules you must follow:
Rule 1: Pay the entire balance of your credit card bills every month. No exceptions! If you have to pay outrageous credit card interest even once, you are losing the travel hacking game.
Rule 2: Be willing to spend 15-30 minutes every few weeks figuring out the best cards to use for various expenses to maximize your points.
Rule 3: Be somewhat flexible in your travel plans in order to maximize your points values.
Reason #2: Increase Your Credit Score
One of my biggest fears was that opening and closing credit cards would lower my credit score. To my surprise, my credit score has never been higher! This is after opening up five new credit cards. I’ve also closed one of those cards after meeting the minimum spend requirements and getting the bonus points. My husband was even more hesitant to play this game than I was. But after seeing my skyrocketing score, he is in the game, too!
Reason #3: Become More Spontaneous
Spontaneity is not a strength of mine. I like to carefully craft plans for everything. I also hate to spend money without meticulous research into the product or service I’m buying to ensure that my money is well spent. But with a pool of points/miles, I don’t have to carefully consider a weekend trip to San Francisco or Orlando. I can always fly free on Southwest. Sometimes I can book a free hotel as well. So my only expense is entertainment and food – same as when I’m at home!
Reason #4: Introduce Exotic Travel to Kids
My family has a limited vacation budget and limited vacation time. We usually spend approximately $5,000 per year on a one week vacation in the summer, and we almost always fly to our destination. This budget has provided nice vacations for us domestically, such as Disney World, Southern California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Caribbean cruises, and Yellowstone National Park. Now that my kids are teenagers, I want to expose them to more cultures. But airfare to farther flung destinations would take up almost all of our vacation budget. Points and miles to the rescue! We enjoyed a summer 2022 trip to Hawaii and a summer 2023 trip to Europe using miles to fly free and for some hotels. Travel hacking is extending our vacation budget as well as our horizons!
Reason #5: It’s Fun!
Travel hackers call this practice a hobby, and I can understand why. It can be complicated, which makes me feel accomplished when I figure something out. There’s a lot to learn, but there’s also a lot of free content available to teach me. It doesn’t feel like a waste of time. The hours I put into it result in free travel, something I can measure. It’s a great thing to share with others – who doesn’t like free travel? Overall, it’s incredibly fulfilling to get to pursue my life’s passion – travel – for free!
Which of these reasons for travel hacking resonate with you?
How does travel hacking make sense for you? Tell us below in the comments section. We want to connect with you!
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