Travel Tricks Archives - ADrayInTheLife

— By JorisJune 8, 20180 Comments

Tools of the Trade: How to Book Award Travel

Booking 6 months of travel using primarily points took quite a bit of time. I’ve had to book 3 roundtrip flights, 5 one-way flights, 9 different hotel stays, and 3 Airbnb rentals. Plus, I decided to change my itinerary in February because of the severe…

— By JorisMay 16, 20180 Comments

Travel Tricks: Two Weeks in Amsterdam for $500

I just spent four days in Paris with my parents. It was amazing to spend a few days with them and it was made even better because I didn’t have to pay for 4 nights in a Paris hotel or Airbnb. Indeed, the problem with…

— By JorisApril 26, 20180 Comments

Cash Back or Travel Points: What’s Worth More?

I recently came across this article on AirfareWatchDog.com which made the fairly logical argument that if travel points are often valued at around 1.5 cents or less, why wouldn’t people just get one of those cash-back cards that gives you 2% on all purchases? In reality,…

— By JorisApril 18, 20180 Comments

Credit Card Churning: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Earning credit card sign-up bonuses can be an incredibly efficient way to earn loads of credit card, hotel, and airline points. In the last few years, I’ve signed up for over 20 credit cards which has helped me earn around 2,000,000 points with various loyalty…

— By JorisApril 8, 20180 Comments

Earn 500,000 Points in 1 Year Spending Less Than $1,350/Month!!

Earlier this year I wrote about how I used 867,100 points and $5,000 to travel around for 6 months on my sabbatical. The overwhelming response that I got was “That’s great for you but I don’t spend that much money. I could never get that…

— By JorisMarch 27, 20180 Comments

Are Non-Refundable Hotels Rates Worth It?

I recently had to cancel a non-refundable hotel room and agonized over wasting 60,000 Citi ThankYou points. I usually don’t book non-refundable rates because I value the flexibility though in this case, I apparently thought it was worth it. In my view, the decision to…