For many, travel seems like an Instagram dream that’s out of reach and unattainable. However, with the right mindset and approach, it’s possible to make travel a priority and experience more of the world. Often we’re asked how we’re able to travel like we do and to have such amazing experiences along the way. It is a bit long, but we hope this post about our approach to more travel and better experiences will inspire you to start planning your own travel adventures and to discover the joys of exploring the world.
More Travel
Prioritize
We prioritize travel. It’s one of our main focuses, and honestly, this has been our number one trick for everything we’ve been able to do. We’re always learning, looking, and booking. We don’t just think it would be cool to go somewhere, we figure out how to get there, and we go. Whether it’s Iceland, Japan, or Africa, we figure it out and we make it happen. This simple change in mindset has truly been the sole driver of our traveling.
We prioritize it to the point that if I, Parker, have free time, I’m often reading blogs about miles and points, or I’m learning about what programs can get me to the different corners of the Earth. I’m always on the hunt for better deals and better information. I like to make random award bookings to see what works and what doesn’t. Pointsyeah.com has become one of my favorite resources. I’ve even started to compile a quick-glance list of my own on how to get to different places. I enjoy learning about this stuff, and I put a lot of time into strengthening my understanding of the travel hacking world. Understandably, not everyone cares like we do, but it’s helped us significantly in all that we’ve been able to do and will do in the future.
To aid in this love and prioritization, we subscribe to a lot of email lists and newsletters. This is a much more passive approach and is incredibly helpful. Some of these emails are about cheap flights or airline promos and some are to keep us updated on travel hacking and credit card reward programs. Check out our post on Finding Cheap Flights. On top of this, we follow travel vloggers like Kara and Nate and we are part of Facebook groups dedicated to travel and rewards. All this we do to keep ourselves continually absorbed in travel.
We love travel, so we make it a priority. Some people love toys and hobbies and all their time, effort, and money go into those things. Our thing is travel and that’s where we put our attention. Just like other hobbies, the more you learn about and focus on something the easier and more realistic the dreams become.
Credit Cards
The second aspect of “More Travel” is credit cards. We have travel-specific credit cards. They not only keep us focused on travel, but they also earn miles and points, which allow us to book flights for free.
Between the two of us, we currently have a handful of cards open. We do everything we can to accumulate miles on these cards, and with these miles, we book plane tickets and hotels. Which cards do you ask? Check out our page!
There are a lot of strategies on how to get miles and points and how to use them, but we’re pretty simple in what we do. We open specific cards to aid in our goals, and we put every possible charge on credit cards (responsibly) to let the miles add up. We’re always surprised, and partially ashamed, at how fast they accumulate.
These miles can be used in a lot of different ways. Some programs let you erase travel purchases directly, while others let you transfer points to airlines or hotels for potentially amazing value. When we first started traveling, we mostly used miles to wipe out travel costs. But as we’ve learned more and done our research, we’ve found far better ways to use them. This ranges from the equivalent of $150 to Hawaii, to $13,000 business class tickets to French Polynesia.
The Small Things
We don’t just focus on racking up miles and points—we also pay attention to the little things, like using cash-back portals when we shop online. There are dozens of these portals out there, and we’re really only scratching the surface. The two we use most are Capital One Shopping and Pepper Rewards.
Capital One Shopping gives you cash back on most online purchases, and you don’t need to be a Capital One cardholder to use it. It often features special deals with high cash-back percentages, which makes it an easy way to earn on things you’re already buying. The cash back can then be redeemed for gift cards—including Hotels.com, which is our go-to for obvious reasons.
Pepper Rewards (use my promo code 589236) is a quirky little app, but honestly, it’s become one of our favorite tools. It lets you buy instant-use gift cards with your credit card for places like Amazon, Walmart, and more. Every purchase gives you 5% back in Pepper points.
Just like with Capital One Shopping, those points can be redeemed for gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, Airbnb, Hotels.com, and tons of other places. And the value adds up fast, especially since we shop at Amazon and Walmart regularly.
Here’s where it gets really good: when we use our Amex Business Gold card, we earn 4x points on Pepper purchases. Combine that with Pepper’s 5% back, and we’re getting 9x return on most of our monthly spending. Trust us—it’s an absolute game-changer.
Edit: Pepper Rewards is having some issues, but if they get their lives figured out, it will continue to be an incredible resource.
Outside of these two, there are dozens of ways to earn from your regular spending. Some portals, like airline portals, will earn you miles and points, and others will just earn you various rates of cash-back. Either way, there are many ways to stack your earnings.
Better Experiences
As we’ve traveled more, we’ve been able to discover tips and tricks to make our experience better and more enjoyable.
Flexibility, Patience, and a Sense of Adventure.
Some of our best experiences have come from us following those principles.
We’re open to going pretty much anywhere, and we don’t lock in specific destinations unless we find a deal. If nothing good pops up, we either wait or shift our plans. A lot of times, we’ll plan to travel in the fall or spring and just keep our eyes open until something worthwhile shows up.
For example, we wanted to visit Europe for the Christmas markets, but only if a deal came along. When it finally did, we jumped on it. If it hadn’t gone on sale, we probably would’ve waited until the next year. Too many people get fixated on one destination and one timeframe, and they end up overpaying just to force it to work.
We definitely have places on our wish list, but if the timing or price isn’t right, we don’t go. One of our favorite trips, Finland, happened because we stumbled on $284 round-trip flights. Scandinavia in February wasn’t on our radar at all, but it turned out to be amazing.
That kind of flexibility and patience has led to some of our best travel memories—experiences we never would’ve planned but now wouldn’t trade for anything.
On the flip side, if there is somewhere we specifically want to go, we research how we can get there as cheaply as possible or by using miles and points. Again, Hawaii and Japan are great examples of this. Check out those two posts to get a better idea of how this principle can be applied to your travel desires.
Some may be opposed to our common style of travel, but once we’ve booked a destination we look at all the other options while we’re there. This has led us to the Arctic Circle in Finland, on train rides through Europe, and deep into the Bazaars of Turkey. In Europe for example, trains and planes are significantly cheaper than in the U.S. For some, it’s better to go nice and slow. We agree with this and have done it on numerous occasions. On the other hand, we like to go and see and will often tie other countries into our single trips. Don’t limit yourself. Istanbul was a quick flight from Athens and it’s been one of our favorite destinations.
Credit Cards 2.0
Not only have credit cards enabled us to fly for free, but they’ve also greatly enhanced the overall experience. Starting with TSA Pre-Check and GlobalEntry. We keep our shoes on, backpacks full, and security lines skipped. It’s been a game-changer and honestly worth any annual fee. Especially when flying back into the United States. There are never customs lines, and it’s a breeze to come home from international flights.
Credit cards have also given us airport lounge access. These lounges are great because they offer a comfortable and quiet environment to relax before our flights. They usually provide amenities such as complimentary food and beverages, Wi-Fi, and charging stations. Some of the larger lounges have showers as well as relaxation pods and full-on buffets. It makes traveling an even better experience and makes every annual fee worth it. Lounges make the pre-flight experience more enjoyable and convenient and they give us a break from the busy terminals and crowds. Check out our post on lounge access.
Through the use of miles and points, we have also been able to book business class seats. This is an experience that can’t be beat. “Trippin’ to Tahiti.“
The Venture X specifically has given us all these benefits and we love it. Check it out.
On the hotel side of things, credit cards have allowed us to stay in much nicer hotels than we normally would. Some of these cards guarantee complimentary upgrades, additional amenities on check-in, and even free night certificates. All these perks greatly enhance the overall experience.
More Travel and Better Experiences
Our approach to more travel and better experiences can appear to have some depth but is overall fairly straightforward.
- We love to travel. Enough to focus on it and actually do something about it.
- We read, we learn, and we apply. We’re always on the hunt for more information and better deals.
- We never settle with one place. If we have the time, we book ferries, trains, or other flights to see more of the world.
- Travel credit cards. They keep us focused and they earn us miles. They allow us to fly for and stay for free. We recommend the Venture and Venture X cards.
- These credit cards give us tons of benefits including TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry, lounge access, and hotel benefits.
- We never get tired of traveling so we never stop looking and learning.
With the right tools and information, anyone can have more travel in their lives and have better experiences while doing it. All you have to do is start learning. As you do, you’ll be hooked on absorbing all that you can to get more travel into your lives.
Additional
What We’ve Done and How We’ve Done It.
Nov of 2019 we drove to Canada. It’s surprisingly not that far away and it was a great trip.
We opened the Capital One Venture card in Dec of 2019. Around the same time, we found really cheap flights to Barcelona. They were right around $275 out of L.A. We made a trip out of it and visited Italy with a long layover in Zurich.
Using the miles from the opening bonus, we paid for the majority of our trip to Puerto Rico in Feb of 2020. We accumulated enough miles that year to help pay for a trip to the Dominican Republic in December.
At the end of 2020, we opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred. For an unknown reason they canceled our account, but in August of 2021, we were still able to use those miles to fly us to Iceland and Paris, with a train ride to Belgium.
In April of 2021, we found flights from Ogden To Burbank for $19 so we hopped on that deal. We can’t reiterate enough how important it is to stay up-to-date with travel news.
A deal from Salt Lake to Finland came through for $283 round trip in early 2022. Only a fool wouldn’t take it. We’re not fools so we did. We used Capital One Miles to erase the flight expense. In hindsight, it was such a good deal that we should’ve paid cash and saved the miles for somewhere bigger and more expensive.
In 2021 we also opened the Venture X card through Capital One. This opening bonus helped us book a trip to Greece and Turkey at the end of 2022. We were supposed to fly to Japan but covid messed a lot of stuff up. Both countries ended up being incredible and we’re glad we went.
In December of 2022 we opened the Venture card again but this time in Laynie’s name and downgraded Parker’s Venture to the VentureOne. No need to pay annual fees on a card we’re not using.
January of 2023 we had a wild redemption with Capital One and Turkish Airlines and we flew to Hawaii for 15,000 miles.
In January of 2023, we booked a trip to Austria for December. Flights were really good out of Salt Lake so we actually used cash. We’re becoming smarter with our miles and will get better use by saving them.
In May of 2023, we booked round-trip flights to Mexico City for mid-September. They cost $250 a person. We paid cash. No need to waste miles on such inexpensive flights.
April of 2023 we opened the Chase IHG Premier card. Using this card, we booked 4 free nights for our trip to Mexico City.
A few weeks later in June, we stumbled across a crazy deal to New Zealand. Flights were 37,400 Delta SkyMiles round-trip out of LA. The cash value was $1,588!
We ended up canceling this flight as we decided our baby might not like it as much as us. Instead, we booked flights using our SkyMiles to Costa Rica. 16,000 round trip.
We opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred in Laynie’s name in 2023 and are going to use those points, plus some from Capital One, to get us home from Japan in 2024.
We also both opened the Barclay Aviator Red card to get us enough points to fly to Japan.
What Next?
We keep on learning and we keep on earning.
Have any questions about more travel and better experiences? Comment below or feel free to reach out!