Plans to Travel More | Travel Hacking

A very common question Andy and I get asked is “where are you traveling to next?”.

Travel is a constant, nagging itch for me — something hard to explain. It’s not that I'm not grateful for all that I have, or that I’m trying to escape my life, traveling just makes me feel alive in a way a 9-5 can’t. I get to submerse myself in the world instead of be reactive to it. I get to learn new things, experience new cultures and gain new perspectives that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I am itching to travel more. Like really travel. Not just a quick vacation to an all-inclusive. I want to see new lands and cultures and totally immerse myself. But the thing is, almost since the beginning of Andy and I’s relationship (maybe about 3 years in), we started paying attention to our money- how we were spending it, what was necessary, what things actually brought us happiness. The answers to those questions are always evolving but travel is always on the list, and truthfully it has kind of fallen off a bit lately. Probably due to life just being busy, wanting to save money, not having a lot of time off (America, please step up your game) and us having a few trips on the horizon already.

After listening to some podcasts, I’ve been introduced to the practice of travel hacking. A way to use credit cards to travel, mostly for free, by redeeming sign on bonuses with your usual spending routine. I’m excited (and optimistic) about it and think maybe it would be fun to update as we go, that way if anyone wants to join along and plan some sweet trips, they can! For much less money.

All I really know as of now is that I want to travel more, so this is my plan to maximize money, get time off somehow and travel more.

TRAVEL HACKING.

Travel hacking was a term I only heard about a few months ago. It’s the motion of opening credit cards and spending the minimum amount necessary to receive the bonus. Repeatedly. Sure there are some questions and concerns I had, but so long as you pay your balance in full each month, there is very little risk associated.

Some pointers I picked up:

• It shouldn’t hurt your credit score by more than 2-5 points per hard inquiry, which goes away in a few months.

• Only do this if you plan to pay off your credit card in full each month.

• Transfer your monthly bills to the credit card, where possible.

• Do not spend more than normal. If you need to spend more to reach the spend limit, pay ahead on bills or buy gift cards places you regularly shop out of necessity, like the grocery store.

I have some experience with this, although little. For our honeymoon, both Andy and I opened Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserved credit cards. We put all of our expenses from the wedding on these cards and received sign-on bonuses upwards of 320,000 points- the equivalent of $4,000 dollars in travel rewards. But after the wedding, we stopped using credit cards and paid off all of our debt. As followers of Dave Ramsey, we starting doing cash budgets, the idea being it is more painful to spend cash than it is to swipe a card.

About a year and a half later, I think we have developed enough self-control to use cards and not spend more than normal. Given our monthly expenses, we know how much we are guaranteed to spend each month, which gives us an easy calculation to determine whether or not we will reach the spending limit for the sign-on bonuses. If you do not think you will reach the spending limit, it is not worth opening the card.

THE PLAN.

1 . Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

I have started with one of Chase’s business cards. ‘Business’ has a pretty loose requirement. It can range from side jobs, blogging, coaching, Airbnb, etc. You can even be ‘thinking’ about a business that doesn’t exist yet. When I applied, Chase wanted validation of the business name and physical address, which we had to provide in order to be approved.

Word of advice: It is possible to put your name as the business name. This allows you to use your license as validation for the business name and physical address— if your business will reside from your home. I made the mistake of listing my tentative business name and ended up having to register my business with the town clerks office, which would have been avoided if I did not include a business name at all.

Chase has a few rules to be aware of, which play into why we are choosing to start with Chase and not other companies like American Express. Chase has a 5/24 rule, which means you will not be approved for a Chase card if you have applied or opened 5 cards in the last 24 months. I have opened 2 in the last two years, which makes me available for 3 Chase cards. So this is where we will start.

Chase also has a rule that the Sapphire cards can only be redeemed once every 4 years- this combines both the Preferred and the Reserve as one. Andy and I have both redeemed sign-up bonuses for the Reserve in the last two years, so we are unable to apply for these two cards, as we would not receive any bonuses. All of these factors play into the order in which I plan on opening cards.

Minimum spend: $5000 in 3 months
New cardmember offer: 80,000 points
Annual fee: $95
Timeline: About 3 months

2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Next, we plan to go after the Southwest Companion Pass. This is a killer deal! If you are able to accumulate 110,000 rapid reward points, you receive the Southwest Companion Pass, which enables you to bring a ‘companion’ on any Southwest flight you go on. Essentially, it’s a two for one deal for any Southwest flight. And depending on how you time this, you could have the companion pass for almost two entire years. We plan on opening this card in January, because it will enable us to take advantage of the pass for as long as possible.

The easiest way to accumulate points towards the companion pass is to open both a personal and a business account and get the sign-on bonuses. This is available to us because we are not current Southwest Rapid Rewards cardmember holders and we have not redeemed bonuses in the last 24 months. This is the personal card we plan on opening to redeem 40,000 points towards the 110,000 necessary to obtain the companion pass.

Minimum spend: $1000 in 3 months
New cardmember offer: 40,000 points
Annual fee: $149, but $75 in travel credit
Timeline: <1 month
Application month: January

3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Combining the points from the Southwest Priority card and this business card, we will total 110,000 points, enough to redeem the Southwest Companion Pass. You have an entire year to accumulate the 110,000 qualifying points, and then you will receive the companion pass for the next year. Since we will open the first rewards card in January and finish the second card by April, we will have the companion pass from April/May 2020 through December 2021. But be sure to time this correctly, as it is a calendar year and not a year after you open the card. It would be optimal to begin accumulating points using one of the two Southwest credit cards in January, giving you the maximum amount of time to utilize the companion pass.

With the companion pass we could plan to do a lot of travel within the US, or wherever Southwest flies… which now includes Hawaii. Two round-trip tickets to Hawaii for the price of one! Say no more.

Minimum spend: $5000 in 3 months
New cardmember offer: 70,000 points
Annual fee: $199, but $100 for global access
Timeline: About 3 months
Application month: February

We do plan on opening the Southwest cards in Andy’s name, to prevent any mishaps with the 5/24 rule. It would make sense to open cards depending on where we want to travel to (different cards have different travel partners, etc.). It is likely that we will be able to get good use out of the companion pass and travel locally within the states relatively frequently.

I have very little experience with this, but all I know is I want to travel more, so here goes nothing! I hope to update as we go and maybe share some of our travel plans and how we intend to use our points.

Questions/comments are welcomed below!

Acadia National Park | Fall Camping

We spent last weekend at Acadia National Park in Maine and boy was it cold. Andy and I have never been tent camping together, but wanting to keep the costs low, we decided to give it a try. We packed as best we could and took off for a long weekend.

The drive was about 6 hours one way to Seawall Campground. Like most places you travel, we inevitably needed more time, but we did what we could. We fit in a sunrise, a hike, lunch with friends, sunsets and some down time by the fire. We even coincidently ended up eating lunch at a Sri Lankan restaurant. Sri Lanka is one of our absolute favorite places (we honeymooned there), so it was only fitting that we incorporated a bit of Sri Lankan reminiscing, and Lion lager, into our anniversary weekend.

Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain

We thought Cadillac mountain might not be that crowded, given the temperature was a staggering 34 degrees and that was not including the wind factor, but is was. From October to March, Cadillac Mountain is the first place for the sun to peek through in the United States.

We drove to the summit for about 5:45am, just as the sky was beginning to brighten. There is an option to hike, it’s a 7.5 mile loop. Although I am unsure of hiking at night personally, I’m sure it’s an experience that is well worth it, or so I’ve been told.

If you go in the Fall, bring a blanket (or five) and watch the sky illuminate with the first rays of sun. Or go super early and get a spot in the front to watch from your car ;)

Hiking the Precipice Trail

The Precipice Trail was definitely one of the more challenging hikes I have done. It got my palms a little sweaty (completely vertical climbing, meh) but the views during the entirety of the hike were well worth it.

We met up with some friends and hiked roundtrip, about 3.5 hours. The weather was perfect and the sky was clear. The foliage hadn’t changed as much as I had hoped, but it was still beautiful.

Camping Eats.

I must admit food did not exactly go our way, or at least as I had planned. We had planned to cook over the fire because we did not have a portable gas cooktop and didn’t want to buy one. The factor I did not consider was cooking on the fire meant being at the campsite. So we ate out for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and cooked over the fire Friday and Saturday night. Cooking over the fire was still just as relaxing as I had imagined though. Our menu consisted of…

• BBQ Jackfruit (Recipe from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking)

• Beyond Burgers

• Beets, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, onions wrapped in foil and seasoned with spices

Vegan ‘meat’ is getting pretty popular and although we don’t often eat a ton of ‘meat-replacement’, the ease of preparation made cooking a lot easier. And Beyond Burgers are really good, in my opinion. And of course some s’mores with Justine’s PB cups as the base.

We also brought our Berkey water filter, which ended up saving us from having to buy any water at all. Less plastic and less money.

Overall, it was a weekend that went by too fast. We spent a lot of time in the car singing Jon Bellion and hours staring up at the stars. I love seeing new places and rejoicing in the ‘simple’ things. Weekends like this can feel busy and rushed at times, trying to squeeze so much in the few days before Monday hits, but memories and experience are all we will ever really own. So why not make as many as we can, while we can.

Maine, you were wonderful, but next time I see you will probably be in the summer.

Weekend Getaway in New York

This past weekend we celebrated our 1 year anniversary New York style.

Yes, it’s been an entire year since we’ve been married. And no, I still cannot believe it. This year flew by- between getting married, traveling, work and all of life in between- we wanted to make sure we took the time and space to reflect on how much has changed and how much we have changed since we became legally wed.

Truthfully, it’s easy for us to fall into a routine at home, and while we didn’t have the budget or the time for an elaborate trip, we felt a change of scenery and some good company would do us good. Less screen time, more (real) face time.

Sometimes a change of pace is all you need to refuel.

Outside of the hustle and bustle of New York City, I was pretty unfamiliar with what else New York had to offer. Luckily, our brother-in-law spent the day with us and showed us around town.

The energy was different from what I had experienced in the city. Central Park was filled with families, activities and chatter that spoke to its diversity. Creativity ran wild, dreams did not know limits and endless inspiration lurked around every corner.

On Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at Manny’s on this cute little, plant-filled patio and soaked up some sunshine. You really can’t beat fall weather in the North East. It doesn’t hang around for long, but if you can catch it- there’s nothing like a cool, crisp fall day.

We made sure to fill up our Hydroflask every chance we could get to save money and waste and stay hydrated, of course. I was pleasantly surprised by how many places had water jugs or fountains for us to use.

VEGANDALE FESTIVAL. 

It just so happened that this vegan festival was taking place the same weekend we planned to visit NY. And since I have been experimenting with a whole-foods, plant-based lifestyle for quite some time now, I wanted to see what it was all about.

There were over 125 vendors, ranging from fresh fruit juice, to vegan burgers, to ice cream and everything in between. Throughout the day we had some fresh pineapple and watermelon juice, kombucha, buffalo cauliflower, a vegan burger, 2 drool-worth scoops of cookie dough and peanut butter cup cashew and coconut-based ice cream, BBQ jackfruit and some fries (because, yum.)

We spent most of the day walking around, waiting in lines, and eating our little hearts away.

I was over-the-moon excited about my watermelon juice (as you can probably tell) & my ice cream. I actually was really excited about everything, period.

Food, ILYSM <3

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Van Leeuwen ice cream.

This was undoubtedly the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Made with cashews, coconuts and cocoa butter, I would challenge anyone to tell me it wasn’t the tastiest thing on the planet. Should’ve gotten three scoops… or four?

And the cherry on top… Van Lee ice cream delivers NATIONWIDE. It’s seriously only a matter of time until I make my first order.

We ended our weekend with dinner in Williamsburg. It’s just a short Uber from Brooklyn with tons of shops, restaurants and 24-hour bars. Williamsburg definitely seemed like the place to be.

New York, thanks for showing us your magic.

Simplicity in Sri Lanka

Earlier this month, my husband and I journeyed to Sri Lanka, an island off the coast of Southern India, for our honeymoon.

Our plan was to go surfing, but that was about all we had on the agenda. And this was hard for me. I am a planner- usually to a fault when traveling. I want to see everything possible, so I plan so much that we are more exhausted after our vacation than before we left.

But this trip was different.

We were staying in one location where our only scheduled events were 2 surf lessons a day. Other than that, everything would be left up to the present moment.

And… it was wonderful.

After coming off of planning a wedding and a honeymoon and working two jobs, I wasn’t quite sure I remembered what “down time” was. I felt like we were wasting precious time as we lied in the beach cabanas in between sessions. There was just so much to see and explore…

But what I didn’t realize, is that if we had left to explore, we would have missed all of the opportunities that were right in front of us.

Like befriending a couple from Germany, talking to the owner about his plans to open another surf camp in Bali and playing cricket with all the locals. Oh, and watching someone climb up a coconut tree in like 5 seconds, with a machete. Doesn’t get fresher than that…

There is a feeling that comes with travel that is hard to explain. You come home and you are just a little different than you were when you left. You view the world in a way you didn’t know existed before.

This trip I was determined to bring more home than just memories and tanned skin (& about 8 million mosquito bites).

I wanted to bring home this feeling of simplicity that brought me so much peace in Sri Lanka.

It’s not often that you find yourself in a country where life is far from luxurious, yet surrounding you, are some of the happiest people. This was so incredible to me that I actually find it hard to put into words.

All of the things you worry about in this life… Driving the best car, having the most impressive resume, living in a extravagant house. Does any of this really matter if you aren’t happy? The one thing I learned from this trip is that your life can be whatever you choose to make it, and from my experience, simple is most certainly better.

As the holidays approach and we find ourselves caught in the crowds of shoppers, and the rush of the season, I encourage you to focus on what’s important in your life- whatever that may be. Find happiness in the most simple of things.

Ways to cultivate simplicity in your daily life…

1. Be present

Easier said than done, I know, but practice makes perfect. When you are always living in the past or planning the future, you make no room to enjoy the present.

Start small. Talk with the people around you, put down your phone when you are waiting in line and become more in tune to the things that are happening around you. Feel the temperature on your skin, see the changing seasons and listen to the sounds of your life.

One of the things that really made a different in my life was turning off all phone notifications other than calls and texts. I no longer get notified when I get an email or when someone liked my Instagram post. Once I realized how distracting it was, it felt liberating to turn it all off. There are no more interruptions during dinner and no more distractions when surrounded by family or friends. You choose when you want to engage in social media, not the other way around.

2. Practice gratitude daily

“Gratitude helps us to see what’s there, instead of what isn’t”

Something new that I have recently started doing is saying 3 things I am grateful for each night. It can be as specific as something that happened that day or as basic as having clean water to drink. I used to find myself drifting whenever there was a quiet moment in the day, longing for more adventure or more clarity in my life. The more I bring myself to this space of gratitude, the more I am able to realize just how much I have to be grateful for.

A gratitude practice can happen in many different ways. You can start a journal, call a friend or relative and share your appreciation with each other, or you can meditate. This will help to see the good in all situations and will also help you be more present. Try incorporating a gratitude practice for a week and take notice of all the positive changes that start to take place.

3. Say No

Saying no to things that don’t serve you may be one of the hardest things for some people to do.

Throughout life, we are presented with many opportunities. Opportunities which could lead to positive changes in your life, or opportunities that could cause harm. It is when we realize this, that we can stop saying yes to every chance we get and start to say no to things that are not meant for us. Not all opportunities are created equal.

Saying no could be as simple as turning down an invitation to dinner. Or it could be as big as turning down a job because something about it just ‘doesn’t feel right’. The more we listen to our intuition and say no to opportunities that aren’t in our best interest, the more space we create for things that are.

Choosing when to say no means prioritizing the values that are most important to you. The next time you get presented with an opportunity that you are unsure of, ask yourself if it aligns with your values, and if it doesn’t… then simply say no.