No, I didn’t use points from my amazing travel card, but I did try. I didn’t plan this trip weeks in advanced to take advantage of the best deals by using a carry-on and a few packing cubes to get the job done!
Whenever I’m allowed only a personal sized carry on bag, I use packing cubes. The compression packing cubes allows me to pack a weeks worth of clothing into a backpack. The packing cubes I use are bySuited Nomad. If you order through Amazon they’ll send you a coupon to get a second pair of packing cubes for free after leaving them a review.
Before we dive in, a little education on travel hacking is necessary to provide a game plan that fits your lifestyle and current financial state.
What is Travel Hacking?
Travel hacking involves working within the existing rules set up by airlines, credit cards, and hotels, and using them to your advantage to earn free travel including flights, lodging, and other upgrades.
Although travel hacking sounds sexy and dangerous, in actuality it’s pretty simple to earn free flights on a most basic level.
Building Your Arsenal
Some of the easiest things you can do are, sign up for travel credit cards, sign up for the free airlines loyalty programs, and download travel apps such as Hopper and SkyScanner
Sign up for travel credit cards
Sign up for travel credit cards and take advantage of their introductory promotions. You typically want to time the sign up around an upcoming big purchase. Always remember to never carry a balance or you won’t be taking full advantage of the free points they are giving you.
Sign up for the free airlines loyalty programs
I tend to fly with the same airlines when I can to be able to build airlines miles. Then I use the points I earn to purchase flights for free or at a discount.
Download travel apps
I download travel apps such as Hopper and SkyScanner to watch for the best flight prices before I take off. One of my new favorite ways to get discounts on flights is through this app called Service.
Service automatically detect flight disruptions and hotel savings opportunities based on travel reservations in your inbox. Service keeps track of your upcoming hotel reservations. If they detect a price drop they automatically rebook you at the lower rate and save you money! In addition, if your flight is delayed they will automatically reach out to the airlines for some compensation.
How I Travel Hacked This Flight
I took this service a step further and reached out my airline because I had an unpleasant boarding experience. My flight gate was changed to another terminal less than an hour before the actual flight. The airline didn’t have anyone at the gate to inform us of a way to get the other terminal without having to go through security again. I just so happened to run into someone at security who told me they had shuttle buses. If it wasn’t for this I would’ve missed my flight!
I sent the airline the following email:
They replied and credited me with a $50 credit!
Months later I was looking up flights to visit my friend in Gastonia, North Carolina. I used SkScanner to look up cheap flights and found a round trip fight for $95.10. The flight was with the company I had my flight credit with so I used my $50 credit I was able to book my flight for $45 RT! Talk about a steal.
I would’ve used my airline points at this point to cover the balance but they don’t allow you to use credits and airline point on the same purchase. Traveling can be fun and doesn’t have to be expensive you just have to be flexible and sometimes patient.
Hope you enjoyed. Comment below with some apps you use to travel hack!
The Jersey winter blues started to settle in so my friends and I wanted to do a quick getaway. I started to look up flights, found a round-trip flight to Orlando for $99 and found a hotel for $144.33. The hotel would only be about $36 after the 4 way split, so it was no brainer.
I love savings and adventures. If there’s a deal to be found, I make it my mission to find it. I’ll fly Spirit and I won’t check a bag if it will save me a few hundred bucks. Being flexible helps me find the best travel deals.
Quick note, even though I saved a ton on the hotel cost, I wouldn’t recommend this one. I showed the name of it just so that you are able to see the true price.
I spent a total of 4 days in Orlando enjoying the outdoors and night life. I’ll add my receipts below so you’re able to see how it was made possible.
Day 1
I took a night flight out and landed in Orlando at 9:30 PM. We had plans to go out that night, so I shuttled back to the hotel, got ready and went to the fire and ice bar. If you have never done an ice bar before you are given gloves and a jacket before you enter in the room since everything in there was made of ice (bar, cups, etc). We had a few drinks and ended the night there.
Day 2
Let me start off by saying, we packed a ton into this day so try and keep up! The plan was to take a free early morning boat ride from Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, but they wouldn’t let us in since we weren’t guests at the resort. We looped around for a bit and were able to find a launch outside of the resorts, next to the DisneyQuest Interactive Park.
The area has a lot of shops and restaurants so we spent some time looking at the shops and then we headed over to Celebration park.
We chose this place for the reviews. It was visit well worth it! The bike rental company provides you with a map and bottle of water. The route is about 7 miles of paved roads, and features lake views and many beautiful million and multi-million dollar homes. We only did about 3–4 miles in the interest of time, but we were able to see a few million dollar houses and even a 10 million dollar house! It was quite the view!
After the bike tour we grabbed lunch at Cafe Tu Tu, then went over to Paradise Cove at Buena Vista Watersports for about an hour of kayaking.
You can only imagine how tired we were after all of those activities, so we went back to the hotel for a much deserved nap. We didn’t leave the hotel until later on that night for the show, DRIP. We weren’t allowed to record/take pictures while inside, but it’s located inside of an industrial bar and the love story is full of color and movement. Expect to get a bit messy
After this show we had to go back to the hotel clean off before we went out that night. We ended the night at Mango’s for some latin dancing
Day 3
This was our last day in Orlando before our early morning flight out the next day. We slept in and didn’t start the day until late afternoon. We headed over to Gatorland to go zip-lining for the day. Yes, you guessed correctly, we zip-lined over gators. This was great way to end our adventure!
It was great being able to experience Orlando outside of the Disney parks. There’s plenty to see and do at an affordable price. If you want tips on any additional things to do while in Orlando or want your own itinerary created based on your interest, send me a message!
Round Trip Flight (EWR->MCO): $98.38 Hotel: $144.33 / 4 = $36.08 Round-Trip Shuttle from Hotel to Airport: $36.00 Kayaking: $14.00 DRIP: $29.00 Zip-lining: $68.00/2 = $34 Icebar: $20 Bike Rental: $15
Good old Louisville! Why Kentucky? Because budget travel doesn’t discriminate. It’s about experiencing the nightlife, making connections, and embracing the culture. I spent 367.55 for car, room, and flights. I’ll add receipts below to see how this was made possible.
Day 1
We touched down in Louisville and went straight for the nightlife. We went to RecBar, the ultimate hangout spot for adults. They have some great brew, TVs, retro arcade games and good vibes. Being the adult child I am I started with DDR (Dance Dance Revolution. This game was still as difficult as it was when I was 8 years old with “fast reflexes”. I really thought I’d be a hot shot this time around because I dance salsa and practice Muay Thai but nope, DDR humbled me very quickly. After that 30 second round, I played some more classics (Pac-Man, House of the Dead, Taxi Driver, Trophy Hunting) before eating and then calling it a night.
Day 2
This is where the real fun begins. As I mentioned we came here for bourbon! I mean culture (same thing). Louisville has an urban bourbon trail which is essentially a collection of bars and restaurants that have significant bourbon culture. There are at least 30 (and counting) stops on this trail in different neighborhoods, all with their own experiences.
Our first stop was brunch at Proof on Main. If you come here, here’s what to do:
Order the Shrimp & Grits even if you aren’t a grits fan
Try their Smoke Rings cocktail. It’s won awards
Tour their art gallery — it’s located in the back of the restaurant.
After brunch, we headed 45 minutes to the second stop on the bourbon trail, Barton 1792. Now let me say this, I’m not a hard liquor fan but any means, but when in Kentucky do as the Kentuckians.
19 C 09 — March 09, 2019
Barton 1792 is the oldest fully operating distillery in Bardstown, KY. I tried everything they offered even if I did make a few faces as I forced it down because it’s part of the Kentucky bourbon experience. They gave us a bourbon dipped chocolate and bourbon that tasted like chocolate milk, so that made up for everything else.
After Barton, we continued our tour with Jim Beam. Whether you’re a bourbon connoisseur or not, everyone knows Jimmy. Aside from the familiar name, what actually convinced me to come here was, I was told you’re able to dip your own bottle in wax. The tour for this was an hour and a half long and we were pressed for time, so I settled for some pictures and more bourbon instead.
Since we started on the bourbon tasting trend we couldn’t just stop cold turkey, so we drove to Angel’s Envy. If you want to go here make sure you make reservations beforehand, don’t be like us. We got there and found out they were booked for the rest of the day, so we shifted our plans and went to Against the Grain for some good beer. Kentucky’s bourbon culture is so ingrained into the culture that even the breweries have a long list of bourbons to try.
All of that bourbon opened up our appetite, so we headed to Impellizzeri’s Pizza because pizza goes well with beer. Metallica was in town so they had a two and a half hour wait so went back to Proof on the Main for dinner, then continued our tour at Taj for our final whiskey tasting.
Taj has a cool ass entrance! I felt like I was teleported to Europe heading to Hogwarts and then ended up at Taj. We had a few more drinks, ate some ice cream and then napped!
We ended the night at Stevie Ray’s for some live blues. The level of happiness in this place was one of the best feelings ever. Majority of the crowd was old and retired, living life as free as birds.
Day 3
We woke up, did a quick workout at 9Rounds, then headed downtown for a nice tour of the city. Our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum. I’ve been to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown so, this was a nice complement. I was able to see how the bats go from the lumber to a professional’s hands. The tour was short but very interesting. They walk you through the history, show the machines used to shape, cut, stain and brand the bats and everyone gets a free wooden mini-bat at the end of the tour. We spent about an hour here before hunger took over and we went over to Impellizzeri’s.
I’m from the tri-state area so we know pizza. Before this day I was aware of about two styles of Pizza: New Style & Chicago Deep Dish. Turns out Louisville has tried its hand at pizza and Impellizzeri’s has done it well.
Quick pizza lesson — OPTIONAL READ
New York Style: hand-tossed, light layer of tomato sauce, sprinkled with dry, grated, full-fat mozzarella cheese, followed by toppings. Crust is thick and crisp only along its edge Chicago Deep Dish: baked in a round steel pan, crust is covered with cheese, toppings follow, then crushed canned tomatoes are added as the finishing layer. Crust has a fried effect on the outside Louisville Style (Impellizzeri’s):double layers of cheese and toppings, toppings, cheese, toppings, cheese.
Louisville Style pizza is basically New York style with double layers. Not bad Louisville! After we stuffed our faces we went over to Evan Williams Experience to continue our bourbon tour.
This is where things got interesting. We went upstairs to grab a drink as we waited for our tour to begin. I ordered the ‘Bamboozled in Bangkok’ because I’ve been dying to go to Thailand and it had a fun name. I began to order and the bartender was like, this is going to be an experience you’ve never had before. In my mind I’m like it’s a drink, but I said was, “Why, What’s special about this drink?” She asked if I ever had flower buds before. Of course I said no, because I mean, well no. She starts to make the drink and then hands it off. I see an eat me attached to the bulb, and I’m like YOU want ME to eat this? She tells me to give it the Kentucky roll, chew it at the front of my mouth and then chew on each side.
I’m chewing and I’m watching her and she’s watching me. What happens next was very sudden. My mouth started to tingle and I yelled out “oh” and she’s like yup, there it is. The experience lasted for about 5 minutes. I started to salivate, my mouth started to tingle, my tongue felt fuzzy then went numb. She was right, this was an unusual but fun surprise.
Once I got the feeling back in my mouth we down to the speakeasy in a hidden location. We used the phrase “We’re friends of Jake” to gain access to the speakeasy. This was one of the best bourbon tasting experience I’ve had. “Jake”, the bartender, taught us about prohibition, the speakeasy, and bourbon production while letting us try 4 of their in house bourbons.
After we filled our bellies with bourbon, we went to Muhammad Ali Center to pay homage to the late and great Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay). You can easily spend a few hours learning about Ali as a boxer, some of the controversy he faced, his rise to fame, and how that journey ultimately led him to become a humanitarian to the world.
Don’t count the days. Make the days count. — Muhammad Ali
We took this advice and continued to make our time to Louisville count. We started down a rabbit hole since we enjoyed the speakeasy at Evan Williams so much. So, we had dinner at Doc’s Crow so we could try Kentucky’s famous derby pie, a creamy mix of chocolate chips, pecans and heaven. Then we headed to Monikk for some beer.
The bartender here was super dope! We started talking about how great Evan Williams’ speakeasy was & our plans for our last day in town (speakeasies and Copper & Kings) He ended up giving us free tickets to Copper & Kings and an awesome list of speakeasies to visit:
Mr. Lee’s * — ended our night here Hell and High Water Jimmy Can’t Dance Meta * Omni Hotel *
*was able to make it here
Day 4
We started our day at North End Cafe. A local recommended we visit this place because of the great food and how close they were to Copper & Kings, turned out they’re also on the urban bourbon trail.
Cooper & Kings is the only brand distillery in a town of bourbon enthusiasts, but these guys stand tall and compete. Because they are still small they are able to experiment with a lot which adds to the overall experience. I absolutely loved the feel of this place. They are music enthusiasts and that theme shows throughout the facility from the name to the fact that they pulse (a bass note in particular) music through the cellar to enhance the maturation process. Outside of their traditional brandy they also offer some more exclusive experimental brandy they make by the barrel. They allow you to try and bottle it on site. It’s a rotating selection that usually doesn’t repeat itself.
After the tour we bottled a bottle of pear brandy before heading off to the Big Four Bridge. The weather was perfect for this walk. The Big Four links Louisville Waterfront Park to Jeffersonville, Indiana over the Ohio River. We walked but you can also bike it, the bridge is only about 2 mi round-trip.
We zig-zagged a bit since we were on foot, so we waked to Indiana then walked back to get our car to drive to Dragon Kings Daughter back in Indiana. Their food and beer list was the bomb dot com. I know I’ve said that about all of the places, but truthfully, I didn’t have one bad meal in Louisville.
We spent rest of our night hopping from speakeasy to speakeasy before alcohol took over and we burnt out! We started at Omni went to Limbo, actually a tiki bar but worth mentioning, and ended things at Meta.
More than the bourbon, beer and food, I was blown away with how genuinely kind and polite people were here. The connections I made on this trip really made every simple moment that much better. Louisville thank you for your hospitality and I can’t wait to go back! If you want tips on any additional things to do while in Louisville or want your own itinerary created based on your interest, send me a message!
Round Trip Flight (EWR->SDF): $362.20 / 2 = 181.10 Hotel: $247.62 / 2= $123.81 Car Rental: $125.28/2 = $62.64 Gas/Parking: $35.00/2 = $17.50 Evan Williams: $18.00 = FREE (We made a friend) Copper & Kings: $15.00 = FREE (We made a friend) Muhammad Ali = $14 Barton 1792 = FREE Louisville Slugger Museum = $14 Proof of Main Gallery = FREE Big Four Bridge = FREE
