several friends in recent years have straight up asked me how i travel so much. it has come to my attention that many people seem perplexed by the fact that i, a normal person without a trust fund, regularly pack a bag and leave the country. i went abroad five times last year and am on schedule to visit 8 countries this year between work and personal travel.

the reality is, people love to assume travel is expensive and out of reach, but there are so many hacks i utilize to make a lot of the travel i do not only reasonably affordable, but even free. in fact, most of the flights i’m taking this year i won’t pay a single dollar for. many people who want to join for one of my upcoming retreats express the cost of the flight as a major factor holding them back. what if i told you i could get you a free flight to come join me somewhere in the world?

if you want to learn how to travel like me, read on for my 5 hottest tips for affordable + free travel and getting ready to have an epic summer!

1. be flexible and fly coach — you can save hundreds of dollars per trip simply by being flexible with your travel dates. while i know this isn’t always possible, the more flexible you can be, the better and cheaper your travel costs will become. always check the “my dates are flexible” box when looking up flights on delta.com, be open to off-season travel, and take advantage of typically cheaper fares on saturdays and tuesdays. for example, i just looked up a round trip flight from LAX to Rome that’s nearly $2000 in July and August, but in October it drops to $800 (which, ahem, is when my retreat is taking place i’m just saying). sometimes just adjusting your travel dates by a few days can take a flight from 98,000 miles to 64,000!
   i’m also partial to one airline, i heavily prefer to fly delta when possible, but you could always use google flights to search the costs of multiple airlines at once if you don’t care who you fly with. don’t forget to check sites like southwest and spirit separately, as their fares typically aren’t included in google flights searches. i prefer to be largely loyal to my airline of choice because then i can streamline all my points/miles earnings into that one bucket and the cash in is way greater in my opinion. as well, i’m always down for a comfort+ or first class upgrade, but i never pay for anything but main cabin. this is obviously personal preference. since i travel light and am 5’2, i’m fine and comfortable in the tighter main cabin class seating. because of the card i recommend below, i do often get complimentary upgrades though, and always happily accept them when they come!

2. get this AMEX Credit Card — seriously, get it immediately. this credit card is genuinely, solely responsible for a very large handful of the free flights and hotels i’ve enjoyed over the years. don’t be alarmed by the annual fee, because you can offset that by requesting a retention offer each year - i just asked for mine for 2023 and was given 30,000, which is essentially a free domestic flight - not to mention the benefits this card offers offset the cost on their own if you take advantage of things like the $200 annual hotel credit, $200 in uber cash you can use on cars or uber eats orders, the $240 entertainment reimbursement for things you’re already paying for like hulu, audible, etc., free CLEAR+ membership, and so on. if you sign up for this card using my link, you’ll get 80,000 miles as a sign on bonus (!!!). just for reference, i got an 80,000 mileage sign on bonus when i recently got a business amex and used those miles to book three FREE flights; guatemala to scout a retreat (43000), kansas city to visit my family (19000), and new orleans for a bachelorette weekend (27000). the 30,000 retention mileage bonus i just asked for? i’ll use to fly for free to chicago for a girls trip i have planned this fall. plus, this card gets you 15% off all delta fares regardless of whether you’re paying in dollars or miles for the flight. PLUS, this card gets you access to all the best lounges regardless of what class you’re flying in, so even when i’m booked in main cabin seating i can take advantage of the delta and centurion lounges, among others, and if i’m traveling with someone i can bring them in too as my guest! this means free food and alcohol, cleaner bathrooms, comfier seating, free wifi, showers, etc. once at a lounge in paris i accessed a delta lounge that had a detox bar with infused cinnamon and apple water, organic green smoothies, and big, gorgeous salads and wraps alongside all the other rows of their regular food offerings. one of the JFK lounges has an equinox gym partnership, so ahead of my flight i walked in and got a leg compression treatment and a massage, two glasses of wine, and a delicious, healthy dinner ahead of a long flight to london, all for free. at the centurion lounge at LAX i printed my 116 page thesis to edit on the flight to NYC ahead of graduating from my MA program, which would have cost a pretty penny to print at my local kinkos but was totally free in the lounge alongside very dirty martinis for both me and my best friend. i can’t stress enough how valuable and useful this card is. it’s the one i’dd recommend over all the others.

3. play the points game — i’m not a points expert, but i’m at least savvy enough to know that through my AMEX, i get a mile per dollar spent on all lyft rides, so i’ve made sure that card is preloaded and saved in my lyft account. i also get a mile per dollar spent on instacart, and i’ll occasionally search the sky miles shopping webpage on delta if i’m shopping to take advantage of special deals like 5 miles/dollar on apple, at lululemon, etc. they rotate deals so it’s good to sign up for their email communications to stay up to date. as i already mentioned, use delta.airbnb.com to book all your airbnbs to get miles per dollar spent. i usually book my delta flights directly on delta.com, but if you book delta flights on amextravel.com you get your regular miles plus x5 miles just for booking direct with them. so many ways to earn, and they do add up! as you accrue points on amextravel.com you can transfer them to your airline of choice to use for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. earn! your! miles!

4. carry on only & stay with friends — not only can you accrue extra fees if you travel with excess luggage, but the lighter you are on your feet the easier it’ll be for you to get around when you travel, to comfortably stay in budget friendly accommodations, hop in any lyft or taxi, etc. i’m also encouraged to restrain from unnecessary shopping while traveling because i know there isn’t room in my bag, and i don’t want to buy and lug around a second piece of luggage. it keeps me and my wallet in check to just travel with and enjoy my essentials when it comes to outfits, toiletries, and personal items.
   as for accommodations, this is the second biggest travel cost for people next to the cost of the flight for most people, but it doesn’t have to be. when i travel i stay with friends as often as possible, which is a win-win as it saves you money AND you can get quality time with people you don’t get to see in your day to day life. the last two times i’ve gone to new york i used miles for the flights and stayed with a friend in her upper east side apartment. you read that right, i spent $0 to get to and stay in NYC…TWICE. i was just in nashville for ten days, where i spent two nights in an airbnb (booked on delta.airbnb.com - get those MILES), four nights with my friend in midtown, and the rest of the trip with other friends in the suburbs. when friends aren’t in the places you’re visiting, try to be open minded to budget accommodations like hostels, which in my opinion are great for solo travelers, couples, and groups alike. its such a waste of money to spend hundreds of dollars per night on a hotel i’m not even going to spend time in. when i travel, i just want a clean, safe place to sleep and store my belongings, because i’m going to be out and about eating, exploring, and goose daying with my time. when i went to london for a solo week a couple years ago, i stayed in an amazing hostel near notting hill for $98…for the WEEK. when i go to guatemala i’ll stay with a friend for the first couple nights, and then i have hostels booked in the other two areas i’m visiting. one is right on lake atitlán and includes breakfast for $20/night. you can check booking.com and hostelworld.com to read reviews, see photos, and pre-book great spots all around the world. i also religiously check nomadicmatt.com when i’m scouting a new place, he always has great budget accommodation recommendations and general safety tips per area. should i write about traveling as a solo female and how i stay safe doing so?

5. pay your full credit card balance every month — this is crucial. honestly, if you don’t think you can manage yourself to do this every month, i would not suggest getting a credit card, as this is how people slip into debt. you’ll shoot yourself in the foot trying to earn miles and save money if you start having to make interest payments on rollover credit card balances. the goal is to save money, not spend it! i use my card for literally every single purchase i make because i get points per dollar spent, but i only spend as much as i can cover every single month in full. never carry a credit card balance, never pay interest. if you can do this, you’ll reap all the benefits of the card without any of the risk or unnecessary spending. between that, the retention offer, the sign on bonus, and the membership rewards, this card almost pays you to enjoy it! but only if you use it responsibly.

cheap or free travel truly does boil down to that credit card, and you being flexible. my recommendation is to plan ahead, be smart with your spending, and make this card pay for your next vacation (or next retreat with me!)