Travel Hacking 101: Best Travel Hacks, Money Saving Tips, and the Ultimate Hacker Backpack Guide

There’s the good, the bad, and the morally in-between for travel hacks. Many online recently debated the ethics of skiplagging–a trend in which travelers book a cheaper multi-flight destination for the goal of staying in the layover as the final destination. Some airline companies have been picking up on it and threatening consequences for those caught trying to cheat the system. But it’s hard to beat saavy travelers trying to game the travel industry as much as possible. 

Travel hacking is another form of getting free or heavily discounted travel plans through taking advantage of lucrative rewards programs. According to a Money Under 30 article, travel hacking 101 “involves earning frequent flyer miles or points through non-traditional methods and redeeming them for nearly-free travel.” 

This includes getting a travel-affiliated credit card and loading it up with every single everyday purchase to maximize points for travel rewards. In this hypothetical, you’d complement your travel credit with a rewards program from a well-known hotel branch like Marriott and airline credits from being enrolled in their loyalty programs. 

Some airlines run partnership programs and you’ll find that an airline like Turkish Airlines will run domestic United flights. 

Some of the most popular transferable rewards programs include:

• American Express Membership Rewards®
• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Citi ThankYou® Rewards

Tracking hacking 101 includes extensive research on where you’d like to go (and seeing which airlines go through that location) as well as the hotel franchises that exist to your dream destinations. Loyalty programs and point rewards rely on people not using all their points. To flip the switch, you’ll need to be strategic about your rewards, points, and loyalty programs in order to maximize them for your trips. 

Some other travel hacks to save money include being smarter about packing your luggage, using a VPN, planning your travel based on available deals, and more. I’ve organized a brief hack pack below on areas to maximize the most of your travel. 

Packing Smarter

For starters, packing smarter can be the easiest way to streamline your traveling and save on unexpected fees. If you’re trying to be a pack hacker, sometimes the type of personal bag you opt for can save you loads on carry-on fees. Travel influencer Aakanksha Monga (@aakanksha.monga) shared her Forclaz Travel 500 50L bag, fitting in entire outfits, toiletries, necessities and more in a tiny compact backpack. She claimed it helped her save money on avoiding carry-on fees from economy airlines. A proper high-quality hacker backpack can save you hundreds and thousands over years and rough it out wherever you go around the globe. 

Packing cubes are also a neat way to organize your outfits and prevent spillage. They allow you to compress your clothes as well so that they can fit neater in your backpack. If you have the ability to vacuum seal your bags as well, compression bags can shrink bulkier items. For a packhacker, these different tips make carry-on or personal bag travel much easier. 

Use Hidden Storage to Bypass Baggage Fees

A travel blog Travel Tips by Laurie gave a few good pointers on avoiding extra baggage when flying economy. Sometimes if you are flying with only a personal bag, a backpack and a crossbody purse might get you flagged by the flight crew at the gate–where they’ll request you to put the purse into your backpack so you are technically entering with only one personal bag. 

Wearing a jacket to hide your crossbody and wearing a vest with multiple pockets can help you sneak in a couple extra essentials on the flight. If you are carrying a backpack but struggling to fit in those extra items, this could be a neat trick. 

Many opt for economy airlines like Frontier for money saving hacks, but you run into a landmine of penalties and add-ons if you’re unprepared. Frontier has especially grown notorious for awarding their flight crew a bounty fee for catching personal bags slightly over the limit. 

I used this trick myself this past April when I flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico on Frontier Airlines. My duffel bag was just small enough to fit within their personal bag measurement bins–the extra bulky items I had were stuffed in a crossbody underneath my hoodie. 

Wear your bulkiest items

Speaking of traveling with a vest or jacket to hide your extra items, it should be a no-brainer that wearing your heaviest items can save you luggage space and avoid overweight baggage fees. Especially if you’re trying to travel with boots, this method can significantly lighten your load. 

A blog points out that temperature also varies along your legs of the trip–freezing cold cabins to nippy airport terminals when gates are constantly opening up to elements outside. If you’re traveling during the summer, you probably won’t have to worry about this as much but winter traveling can be a behemoth for trying to pack light. After all, who hasn’t experienced your winter coat and a few sweaters taking up nearly your whole luggage? 

Capsule wardrobe 

When you are planning a trip, it can be overwhelming to try packing enough outfits for each day. But if you try to create a capsule wardrobe, it can help you get the most out of each article of clothing you bring. A capsule wardrobe essentially means you can switch out single articles of clothing for more outfit options as opposed to picking an outfit per day on the trip. 

Stick to versatile layers in complementary colors. You’ll reduce baggage and avoid impulse purchases. If you’re looking to buy a specific floral dress for that one tropical vacation, are you making sure you’ll be using it for more than one occasion or day? 

Use a VPN to Unlock Lower Flight Prices

Sometimes flight prices vary by location. When you switch to a VPN, you can actually find better deals for the same travel routes. Of all the travel hacks, this one might actually make you feel like you’re in the mainframe. Some popular VPNs include NordVPN, Proton VPN, TunnelBear VPN, and Mullvad VPN. 

Track Flights with Skyscanner + Google Flights

Use Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” tool and Google Flights’ price tracking to spot the best airfare deals. There’s some blogs that can help you compare the two and explain how you can use them both to your advantage and which ones can be more economical. Overall though, they help you look at multiple airlines at a glance with an option for flexible dates. 

Sometimes your browsing history and repeatedly looking at the same flights can cause algorithmic increases in price, so always do this in cognito mode (and with your VPN handy, if you have!) to avoid unexpected budget changes. 

Travel in Reverse: Let Deals Decide Your Destination

What if you don’t care about where you go – just that you want to go somewhere within your price range? Some money hacks include looking at off-season deals and starting with cheap flights to work backwards. 

One trip portal that my friend swears by is TravelPirates–a travel portal that gives you trips based on current deals and discounts. She used it for her family last summer and managed to find an affordable cruise that went down the Italian coast.  

You can sign up for alerts and get notified when different deals for travel packages to specific cities or countries are available. Another option is using Google Flight to explore global locations and their current flight prices at a glance. 

Use Stopovers & Open Jaws to Maximize Trips

A few cash hacks actually involve taking advantage of stopovers and open jaws in your trips. A stopover is when you visit an additional destination on your way to your final destination or home. An open jaw is when you return from a different destination than you flew into. 

Some airlines allow you to add free stopovers to your flight itineraries such as the Alaska Mileage Plan, Emirates Skywards, United MileagePlus, and more. 

An article by AwardWallet explains more in-depth on how complex (and advantageous) combining open jaws and stopovers can be–as well as more tips on making sure you go about it the right way. 

House Sit or Pet Sit for Free Accommodation

Trusted Housesitters, Workaway, and similar platforms offer stays in exchange for pet care—a travel hack to save money that’s gaining popularity. 

If you’re feeling a bit apprehensive of being responsible for someone else’s property or beloved furbabies, you can also look into working for hostels–a common money saving hack that backpackers look into when they’re traveling across countries. If you’re a savvy hackpacker and looking to make your travel go further, you can learn more from websites like Worldpackers. 

Pay Rent and Earn Miles with BILT Rewards

This credit card is different from others in that its main purpose is to earn points redeemable for travel through rent payments. This is a cash hack that turns monthly bills into flights. If you don’t have a ton of disposable income to reap the most points from travel credit cards, this is a great way to get rewards from a hefty payment that takes up the majority of peoples’ paychecks. 

An article by NerdWallet explains that Bilt Rewards is a loyalty program that lets you earn points for paying your rent, with no transaction fees. You’ll get 1 Bilt point per dollar spent when you pay rent with a linked debit or credit card.

Some influencers like Melissa Miller (@miss.rover) got to visit Thailand after putting two months of rent on a credit card like this. 

Leverage Travel Credit Cards for Points & Perks

Other traditional cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred offer big sign-up bonuses, travel insurance, and 2x points on travel. Perfect for both beginners and advanced travel hackers. This is an accessible travel credit card for the majority of frequent fliers. 

Depending on how much you spend per year, you can also look at more luxury travel cards like the American Express Platinum, which allows you lounge access to their all-you-can-eat buffet and free drinks. But that also comes with a $695 price tag, so this would make most sense if you’re a high earner and know you’ll be making the most of the credit card. 

Book During the Work Week & Off-Season

This travel hack is actually from a blog that gives you different tips on securing seat upgrades for free. 

If you’re looking to have a better seat without the premiere price tag, you may have better luck simply moving into an empty seat once the flight has taken off or politely asking the flight crew if there is a seat available further upfront. 

Flying out Tuesday–Thursday on top of flying out during off-seasons can save you hundreds. Fewer crowds and lower prices? Double win. 

Enroll in Airline Loyalty Programs

If you’re looking to get a better seat without paying an arm and a leg for it, even occasional flyers get better seat selections and priority boarding. It's free, easy, and stacks with other perks. Most airlines have their own loyalty programs, so you can easily sign up and start putting away your points for later redemption. Even if you’re not actively strategizing travel hacking and combining several different rewards programs, you don’t need to put in a ton of research to sign up for free with most airline programs. 

Ask at the Gate for Better Seats

There’s also the option of politely asking about open rows or upgrades that can land you a more comfortable seat—no elite status required. You could easily move from economy to business class without lifting much of a finger. 

Call the airline directly

Sometimes better pricing and seating options are available by contacting the airline agents directly via call. Agents can access different inventory and offer better rebooking or seating options than what’s online. A SmarterTravel blog lists a few options of getting improved seating and also recommends getting to the airport early and checking in early as other options for views near the front of the plane and more leg-room.