Travel Hacking 101
Wonders Within Reach is all about overcoming barriers and exploring the world with disabilities. The longer we do this, the more we realize that physical accessibility isn’t the greatest barrier. In fact, for most families, it’s not even second. (You can read about what I believe the biggest obstacle is, here.)
When we invite others to travel with us, the cited reason for declining is invariably financial constraints.
The fact is, once you’ve paid for therapies and treatments that insurance won’t touch, and you’ve stocked up on all the little extra needs that fall through the gaping insurance cracks, there’s nothing left for fun.
While there are plenty of tips for budget-friendly disability travel, our ultimate game-changer has been mastering the art of “credit travel hacking” using credit card points. (Though HomeExchange comes in for a close second! We spend $175 a year and it covers almost all of our accommodations. How’s $1.72 per night for travel hacking?)
“Free trips for disabled” is one of the biggest searches that leads to my site. I do have a post on deals for families with disabilities, but this is how we travel for free on repeat!
**No one is paying me to say nice things about them. These are all resources I find genuinely helpful. Credit card applications are linked – some of them are my referral codes, some are others’. The TRU course is an affiliate link.**
What is Travel Hacking?
Travel hacking, credit card hacking, or credit carding, is when you use credit card points and miles, earned through sign-on bonuses, to travel for free or nearly free. A single sign on bonus is often enough to cover an entire trip, and the strategy can be used multiple times a year. Our United sign-on bonus got my family of five to Europe. We’ve done California completely on points three times – through American, Spirit, and Southwest.
Full disclosure: I’m not an expert in travel hacking. I’m sharing something that has benefited my family, and linking you to the people who can take you where you want to go.
How to Travel Hack
What does this actually look like?
- Open a credit card with a great sign-on bonus
- Meet the minimum spend
- Earn the bonus and travel for free
- Repeat
It is as easy as it sounds, but there are about a million things to learn to help you do it better.
Where to Start
First, follow the pros. There are incredible people sharing free tips on social media. @Katiestraveltricks shares great content on IG and through her newsletter. She even has a free course and occasionally does a $500 in 50 days email course. I strongly suggest you subscribe for the wealth of free information.
When you feel like you’re ready to up your game, @letstraveltalk and @ourfamilypassport teamed up to create a tiered course that takes you through everything you could ever need, from your first card to scaling up to luxury travel. This is where I learned that Chase Sapphire should not only be your first card, but it should also be one that you hang onto for long-term strategy (too bad I’d canceled mine the week before starting the course!). You can check out their intro here – super helpful.
Some other accounts worth following for the brilliant advice shared:
- @ms.max.your.travel
- @vfamilytravels
- @traveldreamersfamily
- @travelhackingmom
- @travelpointsrob
- @pointsforfamilytravel
- @thepointsguy
- @the_flyingmum
There are loads more, but these are some of my favorites. You can also follow hashtags like #freetravel or #travelhacking
Which Card to Get First
It’s pretty broadly agreed that Chase Sapphire is the best starting place because the bonus is worth at least $750 in travel. The minimum spend is $4,000 in three months and the annual fee is $95.
We stayed away from anything with an annual fee when we started, because I didn’t like the idea of paying for free. That said, if you have any travel budget, it makes sense to pay $95 for $750 in travel!
If you’re still uncertain, check out Travel Freely. Not only do they have expert card recommendations based on current trends, but you can keep track of your own credit card journey here, allowing them to send you personalized recommendations and reminders.
How Are you Actually Travel Hacking?
This is always my question for the people earning free travel! I don’t want trending suggestions to fill a referral bonus – I want to know how the experts are planning to travel this year!
Reminder, I’m not the expert. Check out the accounts I listed above for their plans. My plan is to earn double Southwest sign-on bonuses, which will be enough to earn a companion pass for the year. That means one of us will fly free for the year. It will also be enough points to get our entire family to Hawaii, or on a mission trip to Mexico (still in discussion, but I’m secretly hoping for both).
Some Things to Consider
Travel hacking improves your credit card score, when it’s done responsibly.
Don’t spend more than you can pay off, or you’ll ruin your credit score, defeat the purpose of travel hacking, and go into debt. Yuck.
If your monthly spend is less than $1,000 (though, I know families who spend that much in groceries, alone), meeting a minimum spend on most cards is tricky. If that’s your situation, plan your sign-ons around big spends, like filling the oil tank or getting your car inspected.
Spend Less, Travel More
I hope this is game-changing for your family! Partnered with HomeExchange, we’ve kept a low travel budget and we’ve been able to do a lot. We’ve also made trips out of medical travel needs for intensive physical therapy sessions, some of which include housing. We do a lot of meals in. Our biggest spend is usually the rental car and finding someone to watch the pets!
Feel free to comment with any questions or to share any tips! I can’t wait to see where your journey takes you!