Travel Hacking 101: How to Save Big on Flights, Hotels, and Car Rentals

If you love traveling a lot, you might face one tiny problem. That is the cost of traveling from one destination to another. However, a solution could solve this problem and enable you to visit several destinations without worrying about breaking the bank. You need to learn more about Travel Hacking 101. Travel hacking can be a lifesaver, especially for travelers looking to keep traveling as much as they like.

In our Travel Hacking 101 guide, you will learn how to save big on flights, hotels, and car rentals. The tips and tricks we are going to share with you will serve to make your trips go as smoothly as possible. You might end up finding several tips that are beneficial for you in our Travel Hacking 101 guide. You will learn how to save some bucks, or more, while traveling. It’s time to discover some of the best hacks we included in our Travel Hacking 101 guide.

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What is Travel Hacking?

The first part of our Travel Hacking 101 introduces what travel hacking is. Travel hacking is your way to feeling blessed as a traveler. With travel hacking, you can save money on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. There are several ways to participate in travel hacking; we will share many with you. Some of these ways include using rewards programs and loyalty points. You must learn how these programs and points work before you benefit from them.

Travel Hacking 101 will teach all about how to use travel hacking. With travel hacks, all your dream trips can become a reality without worrying about the cost. You must only research and plan well to take advantage of all the travel hacks. Once you try travel hacking, you won’t be able to stop using it. That’s not a bad thing. After all, travel hacking will help improve your life by providing more trips for less money.

How to Save Big on Flights Using Travel Hacking 101?

The first thing Travel Hacking 101 will help you save on is flights. With Travel Hacking 101, you can find many ways to save on flights without worrying about paying too much. There are many ways to save on flights; we will share the most important ones.

Don’t Cancel Your Nonrefundable Tickets

If you buy a nonrefundable ticket, there is something you must keep in mind. If, for any reason, you end up unable to fly on the flight you booked, you shouldn’t cancel the ticket. Instead, don’t show up to the flight. Why should you do this? You could get lucky, and the entire flight gets canceled or rescheduled. If that happens, the airline will let you know you are entitled to a credit or a refund. If you canceled your ticket and the flight ended up being canceled or rescheduled, you wouldn’t have gotten any refund.

Purchase Your Add-ons While Booking Your Flights

When you are booking your flights, you have the chance to purchase your add-ons with your ticket. Instead of ignoring this option, you should use it. When you add add-ons to your ticket after you buy the ticket, you will be paying more money than is necessary. Instead, here is what you should do. When you purchase a ticket, think beforehand of all the required add-ons. This includes extra luggage, priority boarding, travel insurance, airport lounges, and more. When you buy add-ons with your ticket, you will save some money compared to buying add-ons later.

Don’t Exchange Money At The Airport

Remember one hack in Travel Hacking 101: you shouldn’t exchange money at the airport. You might think exchanging cash for the local currency of the country you are traveling to at the airport is wise, but it isn’t wise. Instead, you should try using ATMs. This is because exchanging money at the airport or anywhere means paying a fee, plus some places might scam you when it comes to exchange rates. This is why you should opt for ATMs.

Book Flights During the Shoulder Season

Another hack to add to our Travel Hacking 101 guide is that you should book flights during the shoulder season. What is the shoulder season? Simply put, shoulder season is the season between peak seasons. It is when destinations aren’t crowded or known to be visited during these periods. Booking flights during the shoulder season can help you save a lot of money. You might find flight tickets less expensive than booking during peak seasons. This also applies to booking hotels.

Sign Up For Airlines Mailing Lists

You almost always avoid signing up for mailing lists and newsletters, but they can be handy. You should sign up for airline mailing lists whenever you encounter one. These mailing lists sometimes include amazing deals you wouldn’t discover otherwise. These newsletters might even include frequent flyer bonuses. So sign up for these newsletters and check them whenever you can. In the meantime, why don’t you sign up for TourTeller’s newsletter? We share amazing deals on tours and great content weekly!

Always Make Your Account A Frequent-flyer

When you book flights with any airline, you must create an account. Even if you think at the time that you will only fly once with this airline, you should always make your account a frequent-flyer one. This will let you be part of the airline’s frequent-flyer program. This program helps travelers who travel with the same airline to win miles. You can use these miles later to redeem other flights or rewards. So, it is one sort of loyalty program.

Sign Up For Airlines Credit Cards

One advantage of Travel Hacking 101 is using frequent flyer miles. You can do that by signing up for airline credit cards. Airlines rewards credit cards can be very beneficial. Major airlines offer a branded credit card that comes with a lot of perks. These fantastic perks might include bonus miles for new card members, free checked bags, priority boarding, and more. Most airline credit cards offer you enough bonus miles to win a free rewards ticket. So don’t miss the chance to have free flights! Airline credit cards offer promotions when you use them at certain shops. So look for these, too.

Choose A Different Home Country When Booking Flights

Not many people know this travel hack, but now you will join the few who know it. The next time you use an airline to book a flight, choose a different home country. Look for a country that has a reasonable foreign exchange rate. Then, you can pay for your tickets using this foreign currency. This smart travel hack will help you save a lot of money on your flight tickets. While this trick might take some time, it is still beneficial. So if you are willing to spend extra time booking tickets, why don’t you try this one?

Use Airfare Aggregators

Another travel hack in our Travel Hacking 101 guide is to use airfare aggregators. Several websites help you compare flights between airlines and travel sites simultaneously. One of these websites is Skyscanner. These airfare aggregators will help you find the best deals without using a few websites to compare yourself. Always make sure to check the official airline website before booking because you might end up finding better deals.

Airlines Loyalty Programs

A part of Travel Hacking 101 is saving big on flights, and one way to do this is through airline loyalty programs.

What Are Airlines Loyalty Programs?

Airlines loyalty programs give you rewards for your loyalty to a specific airline. You are usually rewarded with points or miles. The good thing is that you can use your rewards to gain free flights, free upgrades, and more. With airline miles, the more you fly, the more miles you will accumulate. You can then use these miles based on the rewards offered by the airline.

What you should keep in mind is that there is something called airline alliances. They are a group of airlines that work together. You should focus on one alliance and use the airlines because your miles would carry to all these airlines, not just the ones you usually use. So, choose your airlines wisely and focus on those in the same alliance.

How to Save Big on Hotels Using Travel Hacking 101

Travel Hacking 101 helps you save money on flights and hotels. We all know how expensive hotels can get. So here are some ways to use Travel Hacking 101 and save money on hotels while traveling.

Call The Hotel To Book

Instead of using online websites to book your hotel, always try to call the hotel directly. This is because online booking websites involve additional fees like online taxes. On the other hand, calling the hotel directly will give you better rates for booking rooms. This is because there won’t be any online taxes to remember. Plus, calling the hotel directly will help you save time browsing dozens of websites to find a good one to use.

Don’t Book Hotels in the City Center

We know booking hotels in the city center where all the fun happens might be tempting, but this is not wise. Hotels in the city center are much more expensive than other hotels. This is why you should opt for hotels far from or near the city center. These are a lot cheaper than those in the city center. Who knows? You might find good places to visit that aren’t necessarily in the city center.

Choose Hotels That Offer Free Meals

We all know how expensive hotel meals can get. Sometimes, the prices are so costly that they are out of your budget. Even if you can afford hotel meals, they are still expensive. This is why you should consider spending extra time searching for hotels to find at least one meal for free. This will help you save a lot of money during your stay. Saving money for at least one meal is quite beneficial. You might even find hotels that offer more than one meal for free.

Sign Up For Hotels Loyalty Programs

Hotel loyalty programs can be pretty helpful when saving big on hotels. Loyalty programs offer you free rewards, points, discounts, and more. Sometimes, the points will provide you with free upgrades or free nights. Who wouldn’t like that? Loyalty programs are one of the many travel hacks you should know of. The best part is that loyalty programs apply to Travel Hacking 101. So not only can they benefit you with hotels, but they are helpful with airlines too. You can earn miles that later can be redeemed for flights.

How to Save Big on Car Rentals Using Travel Hacking 101

Another way Travel Hacking 101 can help you is by helping you save big on car rentals. So it’s not just flights or hotels; car rentals are also included. Travel Hacking 101 can help you save money on car rentals in many ways. So here are some of them.

Choose Your Credit Card Wisely

This travel hack isn’t just beneficial for car rentals; it also helps with flights and booking tickets. You should try to compare credit cards before choosing one to take with you during your travels. What you should do is look for a credit card that has a lot of perks and deals. Some credit cards can give you a lot of valuable benefits. These benefits might include extra miles for travel, lounge access, a sign-up bonus, less expensive ticket prices, and many more. Some credit cards can also offer rental car protection, which is quite perfect. Our last advice is to look for travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

Rent Cars Far From The Airport

As we previously mentioned, prices sometimes rise depending on where you are. This happens when staying at hotels in the city center or booking trips to popular destinations. The same thing can happen with rental cars. This is why you should consider this next hack that is part of our Travel Hacking 101. Always make sure to rent the vehicle away from the airport. This will help you avoid the rental car airport fee. With this hack, you might save up to 30 dollars every day.

Check If You Get A Discount

Many people make a mistake by booking or buying stuff before checking if they have a discount. You shouldn’t do that with rental cars. You should check if you get any discounts on rental cars. You might find that your credit card offers a discount for rental cars. Or you might be working for a large company that has rental car discounts as part of its perks. So always make sure to check before you rent.

Check Several Shops Before Renting

This might sound obvious, but we still have to say it. Don’t rent the first car you come across at the first shop you visit. While it might consume some time, you should always check several rental shops. This will help you to see all the available options and compare the prices. This way, you can find the right car for the right price. You might pay more than necessary if you just went to one shop. You can see the same car available for rent at a competitor shop for a lesser price.

Choose An Electric Vehicle

Instead of renting a regular car, why don’t you rent an electric vehicle? This is the next hack in our Travel Hacking 101 guide. When you rent an electric vehicle, you will save fuel money. So there are fewer things to worry about. Plus, renting an electric vehicle will exempt you from low-emission zone charges in cities worldwide. The last advantage, and the best one in our opinion, is that some cities offer free parking for electric vehicles. Therefore, you will also be saving on parking charges.

More Ways To Save Money With Travel Hacking 101

Our guide to Travel Hacking 101 won’t just help you save big on flights, hotels, and car rentals, but it can help you save money in general. Here are more ways you can save money with travel hacking:

Check TourTeller’s Deals And Discounts

One travel hack you must know about is that here at TourTeller, we can help you save a lot of money. While traveling, you will want to save as much money as possible. We can help you do just that! Instead of spending much money booking tours and activities, why don’t you do the opposite? Use TourTeller’s deals and discounts filter to find amazing deals on tours in the destination you are heading to. Who would say no to saving more money? You can also use our filters to see tours that fit your budget. So you don’t have to spend hours browsing tours and trying to find ones that suit you between thousands that don’t.

Take Travel Surveys Online

Another travel hack in Travel Hacking 101 is taking travel surveys online. This hack will help you earn some money that you can use for your travels. It might not be a lot of money, but it is still worth the try. All you have to do is find legit survey websites. Then, you can answer some surveys or try free products and give feedback; sometimes, you will keep the free products. This hack will provide you with some pocket money to use. It might even be entertaining.

Go To Lesser Known Countries

Choosing countries off the radar could be beneficial when traveling to a new destination. These countries usually don’t commit to tourism or a large tourism board. This makes them much less expensive than well-known countries that are mostly crowded. So choosing this kind of country will end up benefiting you financially. Plus, you will have the chance to enjoy the country without crowds.

Book With Websites Offering Cashbacks

When booking tickets or anything for your travels, you should look for websites that offer cashback. These exclusive cashback offers can help you save money in the long run. We advise you to search for all options and available websites and then choose the perfect one. This requires you to spend some time searching for good websites, but it is worth it if it means you will save money.

Choose the Right Credit Card

An essential part of Travel Hacking 101 is choosing the right credit card. The right credit card can give you many rewards, such as free flights or hotel stays. You need to notice your spending habits to choose the right credit card. If you spend a lot of money on groceries, travel, or anything else, looking for credit cards that give you rewards would be wise.

What Makes A Credit Card Good

To choose the right credit card, you must know what to consider. Some elements make a credit card suitable. You should know the things you must look for in any credit card. Here are some of them:

• Sign-up Bonuses: You should look for credit cards with bonuses that are easy to earn because they align with your spending habits.
• High Rewards Rate: Credit cards with high rewards rates are better than those without. With these cards, you can win free flights more easily and quickly.
• Good Perks: Using a credit card that doesn’t give you good perks you need or want to use would be useless.
• Few Annual Fees: Make sure to check the card’s annual fees. Sometimes, the annual fee is quite high, so it’s better not to get this credit card. You should, however, get a credit card with a high annual fee if the rewards and perks are excellent.

Some Things To Consider

Like any good planner, you should consider some things when getting a new credit card. Here are some of them:

• Spend Requirements: You should ensure you can meet the spending requirements with the card. Some welcome bonuses might require you to spend a certain amount of money before you can gain them.
• Choose the Right Time: If you find out that you will spend a lot of money, this might be the right time to get a credit card. This is because you would then gain the bonuses more easily.
• Diverse Partners: Before getting a credit card, you should check the airlines and hotels that are partners. This way, you will find out if there are several partners for you to choose from.

Benefits of Following Travel Hacking 101

Many benefits come with following the tips we provided on Travel Hacking 101. You can enjoy many benefits once you enter the world of travel hacking. Starting from saving to gaining credit card points and access to exclusive travel deals. All of these and more can make your life a lot better. So here are some of the benefits of following Travel Hacking 101:

Saving Money on Your Flights

The first benefit of Travel Hacking 101 is that you will save a lot of money on your flights. With travel hacking, you would find ways to save a lot of money on flights. By thinking wisely about how and when to book your flights, you will have many discounts and deals on your flights and travel. When you save money on flights, you will have even more money to go to destinations you have always wanted to visit. You only have to choose the correct times to book flights and follow our tips.

Saving Money on Hotels

Travel Hacking 101 won’t just help you save money on flights, but it will also help you save money on hotels. Using travel hacks will enable you to find great deals on hotel stays. That can make all the difference in your trips. After all, when you save money, you will probably enjoy your travels more than when you pay the full amount. Whether you find deals on luxurious hotels or budget-friendly accommodations, travel hacking will change the way you think about money spent on lodging. You just have to be flexible with the time you are traveling. Then, you might end up catching a sudden discount or two.

Explore More Destinations

Another benefit of Travel Hacking 101 is that it allows you to explore more destinations than you ever thought possible. You will save a lot of money when you accumulate miles, deals, and points and use them wisely. Having a reasonable budget will allow you to visit many more destinations. With the deals and miles you save and then use, you will have enough money left to visit destinations that seemed out of reach before or simply not possible.

Earn Valuable Awards

With Travel Hacking 101, you will build relationships with airlines and brands via loyalty programs and more. These miles and points you will gain will give you many valuable awards. As you accumulate points and miles, you might reach elite status. This elite status is like a dream come true. It will give you many benefits, such as priority customer service, waived fees, bonus points, and more. With these awards, travel will suddenly become more affordable.

Trying Luxury Travel

The benefits of travel hacking don’t end yet. Another benefit is that travel hacking will enable you to try luxury travel without paying much money. When you wisely use loyalty programs and points, you will be awarded luxurious and exclusive perks. Some of them include airport lounge access, priority boarding, complimentary upgrades, and a lot more. Who wouldn’t want to try any of these?

Our Travel Hacking 101 guide has valuable tips to make your life and trips easier. We tell you how to save on flights, hotels, and car rentals. We also discuss the benefits of travel hacking and why you should seriously consider it. Plus, we tell you about more ways you can save money. With our Travel Hacking 101 guide, you are ready to have a great trip!