Category Archives: Budget travel

Hacking Update – September 1, 2016

01 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Budget travel, Credit Cards, Travel

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GOAL: 7 Free one-way tickets from Ontario to Japan by September 2017. It’s an ambitious goal and an experiment in travel hacking for large families.

METHOD: Mainly reward miles earned through credit card sign-up bonuses. Also credit card purchases and miles earned on flights.

COST PER TICKET: roughly $520 Cdn to purchase OR 37 500 Aeroplan points OR 5 580 blue Airmiles (low season)

BASELINE AT JAN 1, 2016:

SUMMARY – 1 free flight (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO – 67 326 Aeroplan points
SWMBO – 0 Aeroplan points, 4719 blue Airmiles points

Keeping organized with my credit card hacking is important. I have to make sure to meet the minimum first 3 month spend and to remember to cancel cards before the first year is up if I decide the annual fee is not worth it.

Beginning May 1, 2016, I will post a monthly update on where we’re at. When you see a big jump from last month, you can bet a credit card sign-up bonus is involved. To get the details, please see my frequently updated credit card tracker.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

SUMMARY

6 free flights (Ontario – Japan) but so close to having 7 free flights

FAHBIO

106 173 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 979 Aeroplan points
8 244 blue Airmiles points
167 587 AMEX reward points* (75 000 of these points cost $700, the price of a Platinum Amex card.  Since I am opposed to paying for points, I’m not counting these towards my free flights.  Technically, they just mean that the Platinum card was free since they are worth $750 and the card cost $699.)  167 587 – 75 000 = 92 587

AUGUST 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan) but so close to having 6 free flights

FAHBIO

103 874 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
8 145 blue Airmiles points
122 119 AMEX reward points* (75 000 of these points cost $700, the price of a Platinum Amex card.  Since I am opposed to paying for points, I’m not counting these towards my free flights.  Technically, they just mean that the Platinum card was free since they are worth $750 and the card cost $699.)  122 119 – 75 000 = 47 119

JULY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO

100 557 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
8 034 blue Airmiles points
40 443 AMEX reward points*

JUNE 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

96 433 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 889 blue Airmiles points
37 743 AMEX reward points*

MAY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

90 133 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 679 blue Airmiles points
32 614 AMEX reward points*

*AMEX points can be used as a travel credit (100 points = $1) or transferred to Avios (British Airways) or Aeroplan (Air Canada) 1:1.

Hacking Update -August 1 , 2016

01 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by in Budget travel, Credit Cards, Travel

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GOAL: 7 Free one-way tickets from Ontario to Japan by September 2017. It’s an ambitious goal and an experiment in travel hacking for large families.

METHOD: Mainly reward miles earned through credit card sign-up bonuses. Also credit card purchases and miles earned on flights.

COST PER TICKET: roughly $520 Cdn to purchase OR 37 500 Aeroplan points OR 5 580 blue Airmiles (low season)

BASELINE AT JAN 1, 2016:

SUMMARY – 1 free flight (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO – 67 326 Aeroplan points
SWMBO – 0 Aeroplan points, 4719 blue Airmiles points

Keeping organized with my credit card hacking is important. I have to make sure to meet the minimum first 3 month spend and to remember to cancel cards before the first year is up if I decide the annual fee is not worth it.

Beginning May 1, 2016, I will post a monthly update on where we’re at. When you see a big jump from last month, you can bet a credit card sign-up bonus is involved. To get the details, please see my frequently updated credit card tracker.

AUGUST 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan) but so close to having 6 free flights

FAHBIO

103 874 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
8 145 blue Airmiles points
122 119 AMEX reward points* (75 000 of these points cost $700, the price of a Platinum Amex card.  Since I am opposed to paying for points, I’m not counting these towards my free flights.  Technically, they just mean that the Platinum card was free since they are worth $750 and the card cost $699.)  122 119 – 75 000 = 47 119

JULY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO

100 557 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
8 034 blue Airmiles points
40 443 AMEX reward points*

JUNE 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

96 433 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 889 blue Airmiles points
37 743 AMEX reward points*

MAY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

90 133 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 679 blue Airmiles points
32 614 AMEX reward points*

*AMEX points can be used as a travel credit (100 points = $1) or transferred to Avios (British Airways) or Aeroplan (Air Canada) 1:1.

Hacking Update – July 1, 2016

01 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Budget travel, Credit Cards, Travel

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HAPPY CANADA DAY!

GOAL: 7 Free one-way tickets from Ontario to Japan by September 2017. It’s an ambitious goal and an experiment in travel hacking for large families.

METHOD: Mainly reward miles earned through credit card sign-up bonuses. Also credit card purchases and miles earned on flights.

COST PER TICKET: roughly $520 Cdn to purchase OR 37 500 Aeroplan points OR 5 580 blue Airmiles (low season)

BASELINE AT JAN 1, 2016:

SUMMARY – 1 free flight (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO – 67 326 Aeroplan points
SWMBO – 0 Aeroplan points, 4719 blue Airmiles points

Keeping organized with my credit card hacking is important. I have to make sure to meet the minimum first 3 month spend and to remember to cancel cards before the first year is up if I decide the annual fee is not worth it.

Beginning May 1, 2016, I will post a monthly update on where we’re at. When you see a big jump from last month, you can bet a credit card sign-up bonus is involved. To get the details, please see my frequently updated credit card tracker.

JULY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan)

FAHBIO

100 557 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
8 034 blue Airmiles points
40 443 AMEX reward points*

JUNE 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

96 433 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 889 blue Airmiles points
37 743 AMEX reward points*

MAY 1, 2016

SUMMARY

4 free flights (Ontario – Japan), almost 1 free flight earned per month

FAHBIO

90 133 Aeroplan points

SWMBO

19 609 Aeroplan points
7 679 blue Airmiles points
32 614 AMEX reward points*

*AMEX points can be used as a travel credit (100 points = $1) or transferred to Avios (British Airways) or Aeroplan (Air Canada) 1:1.

Using the 5 Ws for Optimal Travel

11 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by in Advice, Budget travel, Experiential Travel, Travel

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Let’s suppose you’ve taken the plunge and committed to A Big Trip (3+ months).  Chances are you have some idea of where you want to go: Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia are popular destinations for long-term Western travellers. You probably also have the when pretty much covered.

To ensure that your trip turns out to be all you had hoped it would be, it’s time to also start fleshing out the who, why, what and how of the trip.

WHO
I’ve come to the conclusion that solo travel scares the wits out of people for two equally compelling reasons: all the what-ifs you’ll have to figure out on your own if there isn’t someone to muddle along with; a sense of discomfort in being alone. Maybe also a fear of being perceived as a loser with no friends.

Many people will jump on the opportunity to travel with someone, anyone, just so they can make the dream trip happen. Travel will put a lot of stress on you and your relationship with your travel companion(s). Think long and hard before agreeing to travel with someone.

Have a contingency plan in case your travel companion(s) bail on you. This last bit of advice holds for families planning to travel with teens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

penshaw monument

Penshaw Monument, England  – We visit a lot of heritage sites on our trips

WHY
Not to be age-ist but I see many young people embarking on a big trip out of a sense of obligation. That said, there is an older minority of reluctant world travellers: parents who feel a duty to take their kids to another country. While travel is a mind-expanding experience, there are lots of other ways to achieve personal growth. Be honest with yourself about why you want to travel.  You don’t have to justify your reasons to anyone else.

WHAT
The “what” aspect is closely tied to the why.  What do you want to see?  Think about the things you enjoy doing and are passionate about.  In your daily life, what are the things that mean the most to you. What do you dislike or have no interest in doing?  What causes you anxiety?

For me that would be:

  • Passionate about: heritage conservation, art, architecture, learning
  • Daily life: walking, biking, cooking, homeschooling, writing, puzzles
  • Dislike/No interest in: Roller coasters, crowds, standing in line
  • Anxiety: Cliffs

Thinking about the what will help you determine the activities that will shape your trip: volunteering to rebuild stone walls in Wales versus taking a painting course in Provence versus renting an apartment in Tokyo for a month.

zombies come to wales

Ancient stone walls are everywhere in Wales

HOW
Now that you know why you’re going and what you want to do (the who is iffy up until the day you return!), you can think about the how.  Most travellers start with the how.  Big mistake.

Typical scenario: Everybody’s taking a gap year so I better do that too.  I don’t have a lot of money so I’ll backpack and stay in youth hostels.  Sarah and Jessy are kind of flaky and sometimes get on my nerves but they’re going to Thailand just like me and they’ve offered to have me join them.  Plus they’ve already done all the research and planning.

Stop right there!  Even if you already know who you’re travelling with, each person should write out for themselves, the whys and whats.  Only then can the how be determined.

In our case, we will be backpacking around Asia, moving from place to place.  This is the same thing we did in 2014.  Then, we will lease a van and drive around Europe for a year or so.  Also, same as what we did in 2014.

pink poppy

Staying put this year means we get to enjoy a lot of local beauty.

Pondering the whys and whats, we will be doing some things differently this time.  Most notably, in Europe, we plan to stay put for a month at a time in most places.  This will allow us to save money on accommodation/gas, alleviate stress associated with constant moving, reduce pressure on our single driver, and encourage us to immerse ourselves in a place.

We’ll also establish ourselves, after we’ve returned the van, in a city where we don’t need a vehicle.  Then we’ll use our home base to occasionally venture further afield using discount airlines such as RyanAir.  I can see us based in Munich and jumping on seat sales to visit Morocco, Greece, Estonia, Poland…