Travel Hacking

Ben Hughes@rubiety

http://benhugh.eshttp://github.com/rubiety

Sunday, October 30, 11

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive....

Learn to optimize and take advantage of hacks and freebies!

Sunday, October 30, 11

Las VegasSan FranciscoBostonSeattlePortlandChicagoLos AngelesWashington DCPhoenixNew Orleans

VancouverHong KongSingaporeBangkokDubaiAbu DhabiIstanbulAthensBarcelonaNew York

LondonEdinburghDublinAmsterdamBrusselsRomeParisPalm SpringsLouisvilleAustin

• 3 Years

• 185,000 Miles

• 132 Flights

Sunday, October 30, 11

ROC -> TPATPA -> ROCROC -> PHLPHL -> LHRAMS -> EDIEDI -> DUBDUB -> FCOCIA -> ORYLHR -> PHLPHL -> DFWDFW -> PSPPSP -> DFWDFW -> PHLPHL -> ROCROC -> TPATPA -> ROCROC -> TPATPA -> ROCROC -> JFKJFK -> SEAPDX -> JFKJFK -> ROCROC -> JFKJFK -> SANSAN -> BOSBOS -> MSY

MSY -> JFKJFK -> ROCROC -> JFKJFK -> AUSAUS -> LGBLGB -> SLCSLC -> JFKJFK -> SFOSJC -> LGBLGB -> PDXSEA -> BOSBOS -> JFKJFK -> ROCROC -> JFKJFK -> DENDEN -> JFKJFK -> LASLAS -> JFKJFK -> ROCROC -> LGALGA -> ROCROC -> TPATPA -> ROCROC -> ORDORD -> SAN

SAN -> IADIAD -> ROCROC -> BWIBWI -> TPATPA -> BWIBWI -> ROCROC -> CVGCVG -> SANSAN -> DTWDTW -> ROCROC -> ORDORD -> LEXROC -> BWIBWI -> ROCROC -> TPATPA -> ROCROC -> JFKJFK -> LASLAS -> JFKJFK -> SFOSFO -> BOSBOS -> SEASEA -> PDXPDX -> JFKJFK -> ORD

ORD -> LGBLGB -> IADIAD -> BOSBOS -> SANSAN -> IADIAD -> ROCIPT -> PHLPHL -> SANSAN -> YVRYVR -> HKGHKG -> SINSIN -> BKKBKK -> KWIKWI -> DXBAUH -> ISTIST -> ATHATH -> BCNBCN -> GVAGVA -> JFKSAN -> PHLPHL -> SANSAN -> ORDORD -> ROCROC -> ORDORD -> SAN

SAN -> ATLATL -> SDFSDF -> MSPMSP -> SANSAN -> BOSBOS -> SANSAN -> BOSBOS -> BUFBUF -> BOSBOS -> SANBOS -> JFKJFK -> PDXSEA -> JFKJFK -> BOSBOS -> SANSAN -> BOSBOS -> DENDEN -> BOSSAN -> BOSBOS -> MSYMSY -> BOSBOS -> ORDORD -> BOSBOS -> SANSAN -> BOSBOS -> DCA

Sunday, October 30, 11

Airfare Hacking

• Little Correspondence to Marginal Cost

• Highly Price-Discriminatory

• Extremely Route-Dependent

• Variable to Flight Date (Time of Year)

Optimize entirely on price, at the expense of comfort, dates, and even destination!

Sunday, October 30, 11

Don’t Pick Destinations First

• Plane costs are a substantial portion of your budget

• Ticket prices vary wildly based on many factors

• So why choose destination than simply accept whatever the price is?

Sunday, October 30, 11

My Airfare Routine• HipMunk.com or Kayak.com for Baseline

• Momondo.com or SkyScanner.com for Cross-Check

• Check Airline’s Website

• Check Different Airline Locale Websites(Different Currencies)

• Check Split Itineraries (Chain Different Airlines)

• Use http://www.seatguru.com/ before picking seats

• Always sign up for frequent flyer programs!

Sunday, October 30, 11

A Travelphile’s Holy Grail:

Unlimited Flying Passes

Sunday, October 30, 11

JetBlue All-You-Can-Jet Pass

• Unlimited Travel September 8 - October 7

• $600

Year 2009:

• Unlimited Travel September 8 - October 7

• $700 Regular, $500 if excluding Fri/Sun

Year 2010:

Sunday, October 30, 11

JetBlueBluePass (Boston All)

• Unlimited Travel August 22 - November 22, 2011

• $2,000

• All Itineraries must include Boston Logan (JetBlue Hub) as an Airport!

• Booking, canceling, changing can be done up to 90 minutes before departure.

• Must pay $10.70 in taxes/911 fee per leg

Year 2011:

Sunday, October 30, 11

JetBlue Loopholes & Hacks

• Booking Flights into Hurricanes for $100 Credit

• Printing Boarding Passes for your Friends

• Hopping Red-Eyes for free accommodation

Sunday, October 30, 11

Racking up Airline Points

Sunday, October 30, 11

Credit Cards

• 25,000 - 50,000 Miles just for signing up, corresponding to ~$400 in flight value

• Typically yearly fee waived for first year:Simply downgrade to a lesser card in 11 months, and keep initial points hit

• Airline Cards vs. Generic Bank Cards

• Cash payers subsidize Credit Card payers:Foregoing the opportunity to make back 1-2% is a cost

Sunday, October 30, 11

Airline Special Offers

• Follow Airline Mailing Lists / Twitter

• Points for Taking Surveys

• Double Points in Certain Periods

• http://travelhacking.org ?

Sunday, October 30, 11

TSA Hacking

• Boarding Passes as checked by TSA are entirely unverified documents

• No Boarding Pass check at gate - dummy boarding passes

• Observe people to decide which line to go in

• In connected-terminal airports, enter TSA in the international terminal

Sunday, October 30, 11

Accommodation Hacking• Hotwire.com

• $360/night Hyatt “Resort & Spa” for $79

• $250/night Denver Sheraton for $90

• New Midsize Car Rental for $18/day

• Priceline.com

• Don’t book a hotel without either of these!

Sunday, October 30, 11

Stay in Hostels

• No, it’s not like the movie “Hostel”!

• Quality varies, choose based on your tolerance

• Often in very central areas

• Meet Interesting People

• Get a cheap hotel every 4-5 nights

• Also: Maximize Red-Eyes - It’s a free night’s stay!

• Be homeless! Travel when your lease ends.

Sunday, October 30, 11

Food Hacking• Resist temptation to “splurge” on every meal

• Street food stalls

• Non-touristy Areas

• Food costs vary widely from area to area - optimize!

• Stock up on Lunch (Specials), Ease up on Dinner

• Buffets! Eat your entire day in one meal

• Las Vegas “Buffet of Buffets”

Sunday, October 30, 11

Go Travel - Cheaply!

Ben Hughes@rubiety

http://benhugh.eshttp://github.com/rubiety

Sunday, October 30, 11