Contents

1. Starting Notes
2. Points Vs. Miles (And Their Value)
3. Envisioning a Goal
4. Checking Your Credit
5. Choosing an Airline
6. How to Pick a Card (Or Two)
7. Real Life Examples
8. Score!
9. How to Keep It Going
10. Keeping Track of It All
11. Wonderful Side Effects
12. Final Words
13. Resources

Now on to the fun stuff!

Ah, travel. Nothing quite like arriving at the airport with your bags packed and setting off a short time later to have a new experience. A lot of people like to travel. Some do it for fun, others for business. Then there are those who are addicted to travel, who seek it out and use it to expand their minds and to see more of the world.

There are many places I’ve always wanted to visit. Hawaii, Australia, Japan, Chile, South Africa. Just a year ago I would have never dreamed that I’d be crossing three of those off my list – for free.

I told a couple of friends about the fantastic trips I’d planned. How I meticulously chose the dates and routes, booked nice hotels, and was even able to get my partner in on it all, also for free. “How?!” they asked. I told them about the blogs I’d been reading that loaded me up with a gazillion tips and how they should start collecting points and miles: the basis of free travel. “I don’t have time to read all that. Just explain it to me.”

So that is my goal now. To write this guide, I had to sit down and think about what I wanted to say. And after I thought about it, I opened up a blank document and started typing it all out. But it began with a goal in mind. I intended to write this just as surely as I intend to travel to the shortlist of places I mentioned earlier.

Envision where you’d like to go, and what kind of experiences you want to have. Think about the entire world and all the possibilities it holds – and really let your mind wander. What sticks out? Seeing the Northern Lights on the north coast of Iceland? Hiking in the Rocky Mountains? A spa tour in the Caribbean? Visiting the Great Wall of China? Snorkeling in the Pacific? Sipping an espresso in Italy?

You get the picture. Do you? What is it? Because that’s the thing you’ll need to think of when you’re setting up all the things I’m going to tell you about. For me, it was envisioning myself lying on the beach in Maui, sipping a tropical drink, and soaking up the sun on a white sand beach. Finally, I did it. And I didn’t have to pay for any of it.

(By the way, read all about my trip to three Hawaiian islands here!)

Next up: Checking Your Credit