{"id":1072,"date":"2016-04-04T09:43:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T16:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=1072"},"modified":"2025-03-26T03:58:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T10:58:22","slug":"how-to-travel-like-a-vip-on-a-shoestring-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wayfaring\/how-to-travel-like-a-vip-on-a-shoestring-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"How to travel like a VIP on a shoestring budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there are people out there who make how much you make while still managing to travel to their heart’s content (<\/span>without<\/span><\/i> adding to their debt loads).<\/span><\/p>\n

You might be wondering how anyone on a shoestring budget can afford weekly happy hours with friends, let alone to fly cross country in style.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll show you how these people do what they do, so that you can make your own VIP travel plans a reality despite any limitations your paycheck may impose.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dip your toes into travel hacking<\/h3>\n

Haven’t heard of travel hacking<\/a> before? It\u2019s a whole new world where the name of the game is getting your travel costs taken care of for free (plus some mandatory government fees).<\/span><\/p>\n

You read that right: <\/span>free<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there are people much more qualified than I to shepherd you (<\/span>Nomadic Matt<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> The Points Guy<\/span><\/a> come to mind), I’ll scratch the surface of the possibilities of travel hacking.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best way to get started is by opening a credit card with a killer travel offering, such as<\/span> Southwest and Visa’s deal of earning 50,000 frequent flyer miles<\/span> after $2,000 worth of purchases in the first three months of card ownership (plus a $99 annual fee). This is how my husband and I scored $800 worth of free airfare, and used it to travel to Michigan two years ago for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.<\/span><\/p>\n

But many travel hackers don’t stop there. You could\u00a0earn 110,000 frequent flyer miles through Southwest in one year, so you can<\/span> earn the coveted free annual companion ticket<\/span><\/a> (as in, you can invite anyone you want on each of your trips for a whole year\u2026 completely for free).<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonus: Pair a great credit card offer with a card that offers some VIP travel perks. For example, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard gives you access to the travel organizing app TripIt Pro, as well as a no-fee personal travel planner.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"VIP<\/p>\n

Widen your search for amenities<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re only booking your travel needs \u2014 hotel, car, airfare \u2014 directly through the service provider, or even on aggregate sites, then you’re probably missing out on some great deals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how to widen your search to find impressive savings on VIP travel choices:<\/span><\/p>\n