**This was written Nov 25, 2015. Most of the information is still acurate although some could be outdated. It will be updated soon.

If you’re anything like me, then you appreciate and take full advantage of anytime you get to travel whether it’s once a year or multiple times a month. Traveling exposes us to new ideas, let’s us experience new ways of life, and allows us to disconnect from our normal routine to relax and recharge. Traveling can expand our perspective and help us gain knowledge showing us different ways to view life, and/or help us create new habits (or kick old ones). Plus, there is nothing better than seeing all of the beauty and wonders the world has to offer once you get outside of your comfort zone. After all the best things do happen outside of our comfort zones.

I have a strong passion for traveling, seeing as much of the world as I can, and making friends all of the United States (soon to be global). I travel as often as possible, which I could not do if I didn’t learn how to travel resourcefully and inexpensively. So, I want to share with you some ways I travel that not only enhance my experience, but help me save money. I’ll even show you how I’ve managed to get free flights, places to stay, and transportation.

Relaxing on the beach in beautiful Key West, FL

Flights

Flying is the fastest and most convenient way to travel, but it can get expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ll show you the techniques and tools I use to book dirt cheap (sometimes free) flights.

  • Clear your cookies: It is proven that airline companies use your cookies to see your browsing history which can cause a spike in flight costs. I’ve personally looked at a flight, cleared my cookies, then check the same flight and was surprised to see the flight was $50 cheaper than before.

  • Join an airline reward program: Whichever airline(s) you choose to fly with you should ALWAYS sign up for their rewards program. I prefer Southwest because there are no blackout dates, unlimited reward seats, and the points don’t expire.* These programs give you points/flyer miles on money you spend on your flights. Not only on flights, but you can even be rewarded tons of points by booking hotels, renting a car, dining at certain restaurants, and shopping online at basically any online store you can think of. I have accumulated a massive amount of points doing this and have flown thousands of miles without paying for my flight.

  • Credit Card Rewards/Travel Credit Cards: These can be extremely useful in gaining free flights, but can be difficult to attain if you don’t have pretty good credit. But, if you are fortunate enough to have one or get one you can get multiple points per dollar you spend on everyday purchases. Some airlines even offer their own credit cards with huge signup bonuses you can use towards free flights. You can even combine your online shopping through your new rewards program (mentioned above) with your rewards credit card for double the earnings!

Now that I’ve shown you some ways to get free flights, we’ll move on to actually booking a cheap flight.

  • Kayak: If you’re not looking to fly a specific airline and just want the cheapest flight you can find, then Kayak is the way to go. Enter your departing city, destination, then the dates and Kayak will show you possible flights from multiple airlines. You can even compare to other travel sites like Priceline, Hotwire, etc.

  • Kayak Explore: This is helpful if you are trying to decide where you want to travel to. This tool looks for flights based on budget, weather, geography, flight time and activities.

  • Skiplagged: This is a search engine that looks for what is called “throwaway tickets”. Which basically is where you purchase a one-way plane ticket with a layover at the city you’re trying to travel to, which will usually save consumers even more money. Example: You want to fly from Austin to Las Vegas. You search for flights and find they are $189 which is pretty high. But, there is a flight from Austin to Los Angeles and has a layover in Las Vegas for only $129. You can book that flight and get off in Las Vegas and BOOM you just saved $60 you can gamble with or whatever. It’s completely legal (just frowned upon), but you still have to book the flight on another website. Skiplagged can only search for them due to a past lawsuit. If you do decide to do this DO NOT check in a bag, carry on only. Book one-way only because they will cancel your itinerary after you miss your flight.

  • Flying with budget airlines: There are a lot of airlines out there that offer what is called “unbundled flights” at a deep discount compared to traditional airlines. Airlines like Spirit and Allegiant Air offer flights that get you from point A to B, that’s it. Additional fees are charged for checked bags, carry-ons, drinks on the flight, etc. These can be worthwhile if you’re not traveling with a lot of luggage. Be sure to do your research before booking and flying. I’ve seen flights through these airlines as low as $35 one way, but if you don’t buy your bags online for $30 it can jump up to $100 at the airport, so be diligent with your research.

  • Location & Timing: I can not express enough how important it is that you check flights at other airports remotely near to you and to time when you book your flight/actually fly because prices vary by airport and days. Example: a flight where I live in Tulsa, OK to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. was almost $200 one-way. I drove 4 hours down to Dallas, TX and flew for $49 one-way, then used my free rewards points for the $99 flight back. I saved about $300 just by making a little drive. I’ve done this multiple times. When booking these flights, timing is important. A study shows that prices are at their cheapest around 6 weeks prior to the flight, so plan ahead. That being said, you can still get a great deal within the 6 weeks if you look hard enough (I don’t think I’ve ever bought a flight as early as 6 weeks). Also, what day you fly on can determine cost. Studies say the best day to book a flight is Tuesday around midnight, and the worst is Friday morning. Flying on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are said to be the cheapest while flying on Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive.

  • Bonus: Now that you’re a pro at flying there may be times where you are sitting at your flight gate and your airline announces they need a volunteer to give up their seat. Pause….CONGRATULATIONS you just won the traveler grand prize!!! Airlines sometimes overbook flights and do not have enough seats for everyone. They will literally pay you with vouchers to take another flight. So if you aren’t in any hurry then you should definitely do this if you have the opportunity. I’ve seen some airlines offer $350 in flight vouchers to move flights and even put people in a hotel for the night if there are no more flights for the day. So you get free flight money and an extra night vacation for FREE! Score!!!

Landing in Houston, TX from Orlando, FL

Transportation

Now that you’ve made it to your destination, you are going to need something to get you around town. Below you’ll find anything from car rentals, to peer-to-peer car sharing, to bike sharing.

  • “Taxi” Rides: Uber and Lyft are far from your traditional taxi companies, but are hands down my favorite and most used ways to get around on vacation. Click on either one to sign up through the link I provided and you will get your first rides for free (up to $15 on Uber & $20 on Lyft). Download the apps and you can request safe, affordable rides with the push of a button. They are the absolute easiest, most reliable ways to travel, and they couldn’t be easier to use. You can even get more free rides by referring your friends or travel partners to double up on the rewards.

  • Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing: This is where existing car owners make their vehicles available for others to rent for short periods of time. Companies like Getaround, Turo, and FlightCar make renting a car hassle free and are often times cheaper than your normal car rental. Click on any of the names to signup and get a free $25 credit on your first rentals. No credit card or huge deposit required.

  • Car Rental: I don’t usually rent cars from your typical companies due to daily under age 25 fees (usually an extra $25/day) and on top of that you must provide a major credit card in the drivers name that will have to pay all the fees plus a safety deposit of at least $200 or $350+ if you pay with debit cards. Not everyone can spare a couple extra hundred dollars to put on hold while they’re on vacation, which is why I prefer car sharing. But, there aren’t always car sharing companies in every location so in the off chance you have to rent from a company, here’s how I usually go about it. AutoSlash is the way to go for rentals. They find the best coupons and discount codes to lower your rental rates! They’ll even track your rental rates and re-book you when prices drop and search multiple vendors to find you the best price possible!

  • Transit App: In my opinion this is the best app you can have for transportation. You can see upcoming departure times for all nearby transit lines in big text and bright colors — no taps required. Plan your trip, set reminders, get notifications about disruptions. Public transit not cooperating? Don’t fret: easily request an Uber, reserve a car2go or grab the closest bike share.

One of my favorite cities, Austin, TX.

The Las Vegas strip

Accommodations

Where you stay on your trip can be the most important part of your trip. So before you book, you need to explore all possibilities, and I can help.

  • AirBnB: My days of staying in hotels are long gone thanks to this revolutionizing company here. Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone or tablet. You can literally book an apartment, a castle, or a villa for days or months. Airbnb gives you the opportunity to experience unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. I stayed 2 nights in Manhattan near Times Square for $110 total instead of the $200/night hotels. Plus, you get to converse with your local host and get insider tips on local hot spots. Kind of like you’re own personal travel concierge. Click here for $20 off your first reservation of $75 or more (before taxes and fees). You can even refer your fellow travelers to both get $20 credit. Homeaway is a similar alternative.

  • Couchsurfing: Couchsurfing is like a global community of travelers. You can use it to find a place to stay or share your home and hometown with travelers FOR FREE. There is no money involved whatsoever, it’s just based on friendships and the love for travel. If you don’t mind sleeping on a couch then this is for you, especially if you are on a tight budget. All the members have reviews and must be verified by social security numbers, phone numbers, facebook, etc. so it is completely safe.

  • Priceline, Orbitz, Booking, etc.: Travel websites make booking hotels smooth and painless with a variety of options. I prefer Orbitz because they usually give out 15%-20% discount codes when you book a hotel for 2 or more nights. I’m also a member of their rewards program and have used that to book a few free nights which allows me to travel more.

Surf and turf in Hollywood, FL

Cuban food in Miami, FL.

Eat, Adventure, and Sightsee Like A Local

When in Rome… The highlight of every trip I take is seeing all the city has to offer. What better way to accomplish that then by experiencing the area as a local would. I’ve compiled some apps and tips I use to help me get the most out of my trips.

  • Like A Local, Spotted By Locals, and Vayable: These apps eliminate the risk of falling into tourist trap. Why spend tons of money and time on tours that go to every nook and cranny there is when you can just choose what you actually want to see and do. With these apps you will have a personal guide to the city and insider tips right in your pocket. You can even discover and book unique experiences through Vayable by locals.

  • Yelp: Get reviews and recommendations for the top restaurants, shopping, nightlife, entertainment, and services.

  • TripAdvisor: The world's largest site for everything travel. You can research just about anything on here before you book it. I’ve found it very useful in my travels.

  • Tourist Cards: These are fantastic ways you can see tons of local attractions without going over your budget. Usually, you pay a one time fee for the pass that gets you admission into dozens of places all over. You can find these by just googling ‘insert state Tourist Cards”. I bought one on my trip in New York for $90 which gave me one time entry to 80+ attractions and I didn’t even have to wait in line. I used it for entry to the Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, Water Taxi which took me to the World Trade Center/Gound Zero, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, and more. I saved over $300 by buying a pass.

NYC

Well, there you have it. Those were my travel tips and resources. I hope you find them as useful as I do, so you can travel and see this beautiful world of ours.

If you have any questions or travel tips of your own please leave them in a comment below. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks

  • Cameron