I love traveling but also love to travel as comfortably as possible plus earn points & other rewards as I'm traveling to be able to travel more... below are some of my tips on how to achieve these two things!
I'm breaking this down into several categories: booking tips, credit cards, mileage programs, rental cars, stays, activities, and amazon finds. This is pretty jam packed so definitely bookmark this page to visit again later! *this post contains affiliate links and I'd love if you used them to show support*
Booking Tips
Always book refundable travel! Hotels, Airbnbs, airline tickets, rental cars- only choose the refundable options in case you need to cancel or reschedule your trip. This means when booking your flights, choose the 'Main' option over 'Saver'
Be sure to check the baggage policies for the specific airline you choose, some are more strict than others.
If you're planning your trip months in advance, consider setting alerts ('Track Prices') on Google Flights, to notify you when the price is lowest.
Credit Cards (the real hacks!)
Between my husband and I, we have 14 credit cards. For a casual traveler, I don't recommend that route, but it works great for us! We use every single credit card we have like a debit card, meaning: we never pay interest because each one is paid off in full every month- no exceptions. We do not use our actual debit cards, checks, or cash unless we absolutely have to. Keep in mind the sign up bonuses and annual fees for each card are ever changing, so that specific information may not be accurate at the time of reading. *I am not a travel agent or financial advisor or anything other than a traveling photographer! Please use this blog post for educational purposes only and consult your banker or financial advisor before applying for a credit card.*
Annual fee: $95
Benefits: 50,000 mile sign up bonus, yearly companion fare, first checked bag is free for any Alaska flight
Recommended for: someone who only wants one credit card. I'd tell you to use it for every single purchase you make, then rack up your points to earn free flights, rental cars, and hotels.
Notes: We personally prefer Alaska over any other airline because of where we live- we frequently fly with Horizon Air (partnered with Alaska) as it's the only airline that operates out of our city's airport. We also have the Delta Skymiles Platinum, United Explorer MileagePlus, and Hawaiian Airlines cards..
*pro tip: if you have a significant other, you can both sign up for the card to get double the benefits!
Annual fee: $0
Benefits: $200 sign up bonus. This isn't a travel credit card but the points you earn can be used for travel within the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal (which I'll call CTP from now on) or by transferring to travel partners- something I cover later.
Recommended for: someone who wants a credit card to earn points, but doesn't want the annual fee.
Annual fee: $95
Benefits: 60,000 points sign up bonus, 2x points on travel, dining & grocery purchases, trip cancelation insurance, points can be used within the CTP for 25% more redemption value.
Recommended for: someone who wants to travel on any airline, not be stuck with Alaska, etc.
Annual fee: $550
Benefits: 50,000 sign up bonus ($750 in travel), $300 annual travel credit, 3x points on travel, dining & grocery purchases, $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, Priority Pass Lounge Access, trip cancelation insurance, trip interruption insurance, rental car insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection on any shopping purchase, emergency evacuation & transportation, and more! And of course points can be used within the CTP for 50% more redemption value. Clearly, I love this card.
Recommended for: someone who travels frequently that can use the card to its fullest.
These next cards are for business bank accounts at Chase only-
Annual fee: $0
Benefits: $500 sign up bonus (but use this money for travel as it's more valuable within the CTP, rather than redeeming it as cash) and 5% cash back in select business categories.
Recommended for: anyone who owns a business and wants to earn points!
Annual fee: $0
Benefits: $500 sign up bonus, 1.5% cash back on every purchase
Recommended for: again, anyone who owns a business and wants to earn points.
My overall recommendation for this category: start with the Alaska card or a different airline specific credit card (plus one of the Chase Ink Business cards if you have a business) and work up from there if you feel you could use more benefits that other cards offer. If you want to get more advanced, there's an entire system you can use with several cards to maximize your benefits & points earnings. YouTube and Tiktok will help immensely with this, or email me!
SIGN UP BONUS SPENDING TIPS
I have a few 'secret' ways I like to make sure I reach the spending requirement to obtain the sign up bonus if you can't do so easily within the first 3 months (the typical amount of time allotted for the spending requirement):
Sign up for a new credit card right before you have a big purchase to make
Sign up for a new credit card right before you have a trip to book (& if you have friends going with you on that trip, offer to pay for their travel expenses as well. Have them pay you back right away to pay off the card)
Purchase gift cards to reach the sign up bonus spending requirement. Gift cards such as Visa, Airbnb, Instacart, or anywhere you know you'll already be purchasing from in the future
If possible, pay your rent or mortgage with your card. Sometimes the processing fees are astronomical, so don't go this route if the fees don't make sense.
TRANSFERRING CHASE POINTS
A lot of times, your points will go further if you transfer them outside of the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal. Here's a step-by-step on how to accomplish this; keep in mind, there are so many Tiktok videos with a video step by step to visually see how you can do this:
combine all of your possible points between all Chase credit cards
research the best flight options (look on Google flights first, then find the best options directly from the airline's sight. Be sure they are a Chase transfer parter. You can find all transfer partners in the CTP)
head to the specific airline's website and login or create an account
enter in your flight info, make sure there's award availability (seats open on your preferred flight for points use)
head back to the CTP, find the airline in the travel partner's tab
click "Transfer Points" button
enter all your info to transfer the points
within 48hr the points should be transferred and you can book the flight on the specific airline's website
Mileage Programs
Sign up for every single airline mileage program you can, it's free. That way at the least, all your information is saved and ready to book your next trip. I keep my passwords and program numbers organized in LastPass.
*pro tip: try to stick to traveling via one airline so you can build your status with them for perks. For example, my husband and I are MVP Gold status with Alaska; this gets us free seat upgrades to first class nearly every flight!
Rental Cars
I'd recommend doing the same as I suggested for the airline mileage programs: sign up for every car rental loyalty program that you can (it's also free). This way you can still choose the best car option when renting but not be limited to just one place. Each loyalty program is a little different, but most offer quicker check ins, free upgrades, and free second drivers.
*pro tip 1: before you leave the rental car location, take pictures of all sides of the vehicle.
*pro tip 2: before purchasing car rental insurance, look into your own car's insurance! It may cover rental cars. & the Chase Sapphire Reserve includes a CDW with up to $75,000 in reimbursement for theft and collision damage.
stay loyal to gas stations (there's a trend here) to earn points for discounted gas. Chevron is my top pick because of the ability to combine Chevron points and Safeway points for a bigger discount on gas
Don't forget about Turo! I love supporting actual people more directly. But be sure to note the Chase Sapphire CWD does not apply to Turo, so car insurance purchased through Turo while booking will be in your favor.
Stays
I will almost always choose an Airbnb over a hotel; it's just my preference. Some things I like more about Airbnb's compared to hotels: free & easy parking, meeting new people, unique experiences, supporting actual humans and not big corporations, feels more like home, you have access to a kitchen with most stays, they're usually cheaper than hotels for the quality, and generally more private than hotels.
If you enjoy staying in hotels or just like free accommodations, use your points you earn with your credit cards to purchase hotels (you can transfer points outside of the CTP for hotel use) OR stay loyal to a certain hotel to accrue points with them to redeem for future bookings- like Hilton or Best Western.
*pro tip 1: choose a 'Superhost' to ensure a great stay!
*pro tip 2: stay in an Airbnb with a washer and dryer available. This way if it's a longer trip you can do a laundry day mid-trip and pack half as many clothes. Or if it's a short trip, you can do your laundry right before you leave and come home with clean clothes.
Activities
If I'm going to be traveling anywhere, you better bet I'm going to plan something fun and non-work related while I'm there. Whether it's going to a nearby national park, doing some sort of location specific activity, or just spending one evening exploring the nearby city & getting good food. If you like national parks, don't skip on the annual park pass. It'll pay for itself after using it only on two occasions!
Airbnb is a fun way to find activities- with Airbnb Experiences you can find some pretty cool stuff to do with locals.
Misc Tips
Schedule your groceries to be delivered right when you get home, I use Instacart (save $10 on your first order using this code: ZD44ECD14A). The Chase Sapphire cards give you the first year free for an Instacart subscription and a monthly $15 credit (AKA totally worth it).
I'll always clean my house before I leave for a trip so I can come home to a clean house. If you hire a cleaner, schedule cleanings for when you're away to get the same effect!
I'm a carry on queen, so I pack all my clothes/personal items in a backpack and all my camera gear goes in my Think Tank Roller Derby bag. Check out this blog post to see the rest of my camera gear!
It's not a bad idea to have travel insurance. We fly internationally 2-3 times a year so an annual plan with Allianz is our go-to.
Amazon Finds
Refillable Travel Containers (for cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, lotion, etc)
Passport Wallet
Airtags (put one in each bag so if anything gets lost you can easily retrieve it!)
Other things I always travel with
I try to pack the least amount of liquids as possible, and am always mindful of the environmental impact of my travel items.
Portable Charger (scroll down to "portable charger" & choose the photo you'd like printed on it)
A lower back pillow
Sanitizer wipes
Snacks (always make a snack stop before you go to the airport!)
My prescription drugs to make flying easier- if you get anxiety from flying or experience motion sickness, talk to your doctor to see what they can prescribe to you to help! (If you'd like to know what I take, send me a message!)
Happy traveling!! Send me an email or a DM on Instagram if you had any questions. And check out my travel schedule for the rest of the year here! Lastly, don't forget, I am not a travel agent or financial advisor. Please don't sign up for a credit card if you'll abuse it and ruin your credit score or your life.
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