Travel Hacking Tips for Doing Disney & Beyond on a Budget!
Contrary to common belief, traveling frequently does not require a six-figure salary, trust fund, or that you become a skilled jewel thief. We don’t have any of those things and aren’t skilled cat burglars (yet), but we still travel extensively thanks to travel hacks.
As such, we thought we should share additional travel hacking tips and resources that are generally applicable to all destinations, and that we use to help save money when traveling. Whether you’re visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland, or Paris and Tokyo (or Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland), hacking can be used to significantly cut costs or travel for free. In fact, smart use of credit cards is often what we use to make our trips happen!
We originally wrote this post a few years ago with the travel hacks we follow after receiving a lot of emails inquiring as to how we can afford to travel so much. Due to a spike in questions along those lines again, we’ve made some updates to this post and are now re-posting it. If you’d like to see anything here elaborated upon, drop us a line in the comments, as we will likely be doing more travel hacks posts in the future!
For now, this post will cover some of the highlights of each area where you can really save on travel, how to stretch your vacation dollar further, plus links to sites we read that delve deeper into the wonderful world of travel hacks.
Consider this post track hacks 101, your gateway to cheaper (and more frequent) vacations!
Airfare
Depending upon the number of people for whom you’re paying, airfare can be the most expensive part of any trip. It’s typically not for us, not just because we’re a childless couple, but also because we know where and when to purchase airfare. The easiest, quickest way to free airfare is credit card sign-up bonuses. Over the last few years, we’ve leveraged sign-up bonuses with Southwest, United, and Delta to secure multiple free flights. In the case of Southwest, we were able to earn a companion pass for a year thanks to their credit card from Chase!
We know many people are credit card averse (seriously, though, if used properly, they are excellent tools!), so if you’re simply looking for the best prices out of pocket, there are a number ways to save. If you know your travel dates and have no flexibility as to when you travel, we recommend checking out ITA Software. Basically, it’s like a more robust and cleaner version of Kayak and other airfare search engines. There are a myriad of parameters you can set, and in our experience, ITA is the best way to find the lowest prices on airfare for set dates of travel.
One great thing about ITA Software is that it makes stopovers and open-jaw flights easier to find. We covered taking advantage of these airfare rules pretty extensively (as applied to Asia and Hawaii) in our 3 Disney Destinations on 1 Airfare post, but the rules there can be applied to any destination.
If you have some flexibility as to travel dates or your trip is far in the future, you should also use fare alerts on Airfarewatchdog.com. You can set some parameters for the alerts here (although not as many as I’d like) and receive email updates when flight prices drop. We are always looking for an excuse to head back to Japan, so we have alerts set for Los Angeles and San Francisco to Tokyo flights. I receive pretty much daily updates on this (those
Our travel dates are normally more flexible, and we largely travel based upon when there are deals. If this describes your travels, there are a variety of resources you should use. Again, my favorite is Airwarewatchdog. I receive a daily email from Airfarewatchdog with the lowest prices available for dozens of destinations. I quickly scan the email for bargains on destinations to which we might be interested in traveling, and occasionally, I find a steal.
We were able to book a flight to Denver earlier this fall for $140 RT, and we found flights that we booked to Washington, D.C. and Atlanta for $105 RT and $80 RT, respectively. We use these low prices to justify weekend trips (literally–Friday afternoon to Sunday night) to experience the highlights of particular cities and National Parks.
For airfare, we also read the FareCompare.com Deals Blog, Flyer Talk forums, Vayama.com, Bing’s Farecast, and BoardingArea.com.
Hotels
Everyone knows about Priceline.com and Hotwire and the unique bidding processes employed by each of these sites. However, not everyone knows about betterbidding.com, which is a user-driven forum that helps you make more informed bids. Since Priceline and Hotwire work differently, the site functions differently for each.
For Priceline, users of that site post their recently accepted bids along with the hotel and dates booked so others use that information to formulate their own bids. For Hotwire, users post which hotels they were awarded, along with the price, region, dates, and amenities listed by Hotwire. Depending upon the hotel density in the given area, readers can use this information to game the Hotwire system and figure out which hotel they’re bidding on through Hotwire.
When we don’t have rewards for hotel stays, we primarily use Airbnb. We cover the basics of this in our Tips for Using Airbnb post. Not only is Airbnb significantly cheaper, but it provides more spacious accommodations and also allows you to live like a local, whether that means doing some laundry halfway through your trip or getting food to prepare you own meals. (You can use my sign-up link for a free credit your first time using Airbnb!)
Looking for something even cheaper? Couchsurfer.com covers the free route and although we’ve never used it, we’ve heard great things.
Credit Cards
Credit cards aren’t a dedicated element of travel, but choosing the right credit cards for your travel and spending habits is absolutely essential. So essential that it can help you travel more frequently. Credit card bonuses and rewards have enabled us to take flights we otherwise wouldn’t have and to stay in some of the nicest hotels in the world (for free).
There has long been backlash against credit cards for their unsavory side, but savvy consumers should absolutely have multiple credit cards. To suggest otherwise is hogwash. Much like light sabers, credit cards can be a harmful pain-inflicting weapon or an awesome tool. Use them responsibly and they are an awesome tool.
First, and this is directed at a lot of people reading this site, the Disney Visa is not a good credit card for everyday use. Yes, it has some perks that can come in handy for Disney trips, but its rewards are paltry, which should be of far greater concern. So instead of this being your primary-use card, look at sites like NerdWallet.com to determine which credit card is right for you based upon your spending habits and perks-preferences.
When doing this, don’t shy away from credit cards with annual fees. Some credit cards have annual fees for a reason: they’re better. Do the math to determine whether you spend enough relative to the annual fee and the rewards of the next-best alternative to justify having an annual fee card. Sarah and I both use annual fee credit cards as our primary cards, and we’d hazard a guess that many other adults will find that annual fee cards suit them well, too.
Admittedly, with this last item, we’re getting into an area where I’m still learning my way. I’ve “always” sought new credit cards on the basis of what sign-up incentives they have coupled with annual fees and cashback rates, but always is in air quotes back there because I’ve only held a handful of credit cards in my life. I’ve followed the somewhat inaccurate advice that opening more credit cards is harmful to your credit score.
Before I get into this, there’s one thing that cannot be stressed enough: your credit score is one of your most important assets. You should not be opening credit cards and making purchases that leave you crippled with debt. In fact, carrying any balance on your credit card is a bad idea, and something we never do. Not matter what the perks, you don’t save money if you are paying interest on your purchases.
That said, those with good credit, time to spare, the desire to travel, and some great organizational skills, might want to try something called “credit card churning.” Credit card churning involves simultaneously opening new credit cards based upon what perks are being offered, spending the appropriate amounts to receive those perks, redeeming said perks, and closing the credit card account, usually all within around 90 days.
This requires research and being very responsible with your spending, among other things. Here are a couple of examples of what others have done. Some people go wild with it, but that requires a high level of dedication. Still, this is something to give serious thought before undertaking, as there are some risks.
Finally, if you are interested in traveling to destinations outside of the Disney Parks, be sure to read my companion travel blog, TravelCaffeine.com. All of the photos featured in this post are photos I’ve taken at non-Disney destinations and shared on that blog!
Your Thoughts…
Are you a frugal traveler? Are you interested in future posts here about travel hacks? Any tips of your own to share? What sites do you read? Share your thoughts on these questions and anything else in the comments!
We are in Australia and about to head on our 4th annual Disneyland trip. I could write you a whole blog post on how to get there with minimum spends! Australians can even get discounted Disney passes if you know how.
Our family is going to orlando very soon from Australia, and with the aussie dollar falling it is getting very expensive. any tips please?
I’ve often wondered about the Southwest card and the mileage points expiration, “flying or partner earning activity every 24 months”. Does simply using the card and earning miles keep the your mileage points alive or do you need to book some form of travel.
Yes. Any activity posted to your rapid rewards account resets the expiration clock. So spend a dollar with your card, pay it, off, the point gets posted, and you have “activity.”
Great tips with exception of one (unless I am misunderstanding) credit card churning.. The lies with hard inquiries every time you apply for a line of credit. These are VERY detrimental to one’s overall credit score and can easily disqualify someone from the better card deals for lengthy periods of time.
I used to think that, too. In my case, this has not borne to be true at all. In the past few years, I have signed up and received ~30 new cards for the sign up bonuses. My credit score has gone up 20-40 points. One of the credit score providers continues to show my record with ZERO hard inquiries (I’m not sure how this happens), while the other does show the last 10-14 on my record. According to creditkarma, this has an overall LOW factor on my credit score.
Much more important is the amount of credit you have and NEVER BEING LATE WITH A PAYMENT. I always pay off my cards at least weekly just to be sure I don’t get dinged there.
I’m not recommending my own strategy for anyone else. Just showing that constant churning can work, and the number of inquiries is not that big of a factor.
I just started travel hacking this year, and have to say it is awesome! My credit score was in the mid to upper 700s, but has jumped to over 800. You just have to be diligent about keeping track of minimum spending and monthly payments. I set up online savings accounts at Sallie Mae, and transfer any everyday spending there once a week from my checking account. Then I have auto-pay set up for every account so I don’t have to micro-manage it, plus I’m EARNING interest rather than paying it. My main goal this year is to leverage Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott points to earn the SW Companion Pass in January to use for all of 2016 & 2017. My husband will earn his as well to allow our kids to fly free with us! We’ve already taken two “free” trips this year with American & US Airways credit card sign ups!
Thanks for posting! We too have gone with two Southwest cards and haven;t paid for any of our 5 trips to Orlando this year. Our sister and brother in-law have done the same but have the companion pass x2 for the two children. I’m excited to look into the other hotel options and such for our last weekend trip before our annual passes are up!
Two companion passes? That’s hardcore. Kudos to them!
Great post, and great tips. I find I often run into criticism for how my family and I can afford to vacation so often; it’s tricky and hard work but it is possible to find ways to save money and travel.
More importantly – I have to ask, where is the 2nd to last photo taken? The file name/clicking the photo doesn’t give me details, and considering the lake reminds me of Heart Lake in CA, I have to know! 🙂
Oh, we receive plenty of that criticism, too. Frankly, it’s a bit offensive. I don’t go around scrutinizing the finances of others. Admittedly, it’s a bit different since we put ourselves out there, but people still seem perfectly comfortable asking questions and saying things online that they wouldn’t dare say face to face.
As for that photo, it’s Upper Cathedral Lake in Yosemite National Park: http://www.travelcaffeine.com/john-muir-trail-cathedral-lakes-yosemite-national-park-hike/
That is offensive. People like to make a lot of assumptions and judgments about others. One of the main reasons I kind of hate Disney message boards…
Whoops — in case my earlier comment wasn’t clear, I agree with you!
Thank you for the link – absolutely beautiful photos and another push for me to visit more of the west/California. Also, I had been curious whether you had a separate travel blog, but had been too lazy to dig around and find out so now I have the link!
I agree with you – it’s completely offensive. Whether you write a blog, or just simply go to the parks/travel a lot, it’s nobody’s business how or why you spend your own money!
We have had the southwest card for a little over 3 years. there is an annual fee of around $70 , but still we feel it is worth it. Our airport is 10 minutes from our house, and we can be to orlando in 3 hours nonstop with Southwest. Last year we put in a new kitchen and put all those expenditures on the card which was great for the points. In the past three years our family of four flew round trip to washington DC, and my two girls and I to florida twice, and are about to leave for the third time next week. I also flew to baltimore last summer for a wedding. didnt pay anything except the annual fee.
Best Travel Tips
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve visited this website before but after going through many of the posts I realized it’s new
to me. Anyways, I’m certainly delighted I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!
The website for staying with people is couchsurfing.com, and it’s awesome if you like to meet people and really get a feel for the cities/countries you are visiting!
The website for staying with people is couchsurfing.com, and it’s awesome if you like to meet people and really get a feel for the cities/countries you are visiting!
it’s http://www.couchsurfing.org not .com
The best way to find out how to save money is to actually learn from doing things on the road, you’ll figure it out eventually!
I got the Disney Visa with a $200 Disney gift card after first purchase!
Have you read anything about how churning can affect your credit score?
I recently read somewhere (of course, can’t remember where!) that you should clear your cache before searching for airfares–if the website doesn’t see a cookie (or however it works) and thinks that you’re looking for the first time (as opposed to visiting often but not booking) they may offer a better fare to hook you.
We got great sign-up offers on the Disney visa ($200 giftcards x 4 accounts for the version without an annual fee) but we don’t use it regularly. We keep it for the little perks (the meet&greet + free photo in Epcot/DCA, mostly, but I think you also get 10% off purchases over $50 in some of the gift shops?).
My wife and I have used the southwest airline credit card to score outrageous deals. We both signed up for the 2 free flights that totaled 100,000 points to share for travel. We used these points not only to fly round trip from long island to orlando, we had enough left over points to rent a car for eight days AND get tickets to universal studios and seaworld. For the price of two $69 annual fees, we got hooked up royally!
Just discovered that we could get the southwest business credit card without actually owning a business and just using a social security number on the application instead of a tax ID number. Had to spend $1,000 in 3 months to get the 50,000 points this time, but my wife and I once again have scored 100,000 southwest points for the cost of two annual fees. It’s insane!
Our travel is so cheap with this deal. No cost for flights. No cost for rental car. We even have enough left over for 3 nights at the Mariott. Between the credit card and renting DVC points or staying at Bonnet Creek (which is so nice we wonder why we’d ever stay anywhere else for the price) we can spend 7 nights in Disney World for less than $1,000 and visit the parks every day and eat at signature restaurants!
Thanks for the tip about ITA, just found a flight for our Christmas trip to Disneyland for about $100 less than what I almost booked yesterday! Also found a flight about $200 cheaper for a flight home for Thanksgiving! Love your website- thank you!
I’m new to churning as well. I’ve done really well with collecting hotel points, but I haven’t gotten too far into airline miles because we don’t fly all that often (only 4-5 times per year) and I’m trying to decide which programs I should strive for status with. Have you ever been to one of the Frequent Traveler Universities or similar programs? There is one coming up near where I live in April and I’m thinking of going, but I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it. It might be helpful just to be in the same room as some of these bloggers to learn from them.
I am a first-time churner. My wife and signed up for the Southwest Reward cards which offered two round trip tickets each. Family of four going to Orlando from OKC for about $230. It would have been about $1600 otherwise. We plan on cancelling the cards before the new annual fee is assessed. I can see holding on to it to reap the perks of using it as a daily use/debit card if you fly Southwest a lot, but we do not.
Disney card has little to no perks other than 6 months interest free trip charges and some early releases for free dining.
I also use farecompare.com. They can send text messages or e-mails when prices drop for your selected flight. We went to Honolulu in 2009 based on a text I received from them saying AA was running a one-day sale at 67% off standard rates. It was a GREAT trip!
You have to be careful with that website though because Spirit Airlines can skew the lowest price available.
Sign up for frequent car rental clubs (like Emerald Club at National). Check rates periodically, and if they drop cancel and rebook. Sometimes the deals you get last minute are the best.
And for Disney fans, I second ditching the Disney Visa for daily use. If you already have one, keep it for the perks. There are better cards out there for rewards, both with and without annual fees.
Scoring good deals on rental cars is definitely not my area of expertise…yet. We’ve only rented a car a few times, and each of those times, Sarah has found the deal. As we travel more, I need to learn more about this. Thanks for the tip!
The way to go is carrentalsavers.com
It’s actually owned by travelocity and uses that booking engine, but it applies discount codes sourced from throughout the internet. You have to check somewhat frequently, as care rental rates change frequently and seemingly arbitrarily, but I’ve always gotten great deals. A week in Orlando averages less than $100.
Good news is you can book without a credit card, cancel easily, and rebook if rates decline.
When I bought my tickets for WDW using UndercoverTourist, I looked at the car rental rates (you must purchase at least one ticket- any ticket- to get car rental). Their rate was 1/2 the price that I found online- even using a coupon code.
Our best method for creating cheaper trips has been the Southwest Visa card.
We use our one credit card as you would a debit card – using it for all purchases and paying off the balance (aka balancing the checkbook) every few days. This way, we can earn Rapid Rewards points more quickly and without debt. So far, we’ve cashed in six or so round trip flights since getting the card a few years ago.
I cannot stress this enough – this method is only for folks who are extremely disciplined with tracking finances. My husband is a rock star at this and we do not carry a balance on the credit card. I repeat – THIS METHOD IS ONLY FOR FOLKS WHO ARE EXTREMELY DISCIPLINED WITH TRACKING FINANCES. 🙂
We chose the Southwest Visa because the flights from our home airport are always cheaper with Southwest, especially to some of our favorite destinations (Disney and Denver). Hope this helps!
I have friends and people at work who do this and it does work out for them.
This being credit card churning?
The Southwest card will likely be one of my next cards. It has a 2 free flight perk right now, and although we fly Southwest less and less (a variety of other airlines usually beat it IND-MCO), we still fly it enough for the card to have some value.
I don’t think using a credit card even requires that much discipline. Just monitor spending and pay it once a month before it’s due. I mean, you need discipline to not spend more money than you have, but that’s pretty basic.