As the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is often overlooked and eclipsed by its more popular cousin Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It’s dustier, hotter, and less accessible in some respects, but Hanoi is the gateway to awesome destinations such as, the Perfume Pagoda, Sapa, and of course the famous HaLong Bay.

With its effortless chaos and distinct subculture from the rest of Vietnam, Hanoi has a style uniquely its own. Locals still go about their daily lives as they have for decades while a cosmopolitan city develops around them. Modern cars mingle with waves of scooters, as an urban skyline rises around the old quarter and its mysterious Hoan Kiem Lake. Hanoi is so unique, that aficionados will even notice differences in its preparation of Pho (Vietnamese soup noodles).

Perhaps these cultural differences are due in part to its long history of occupation from the Chinese, Japanese and French, or perhaps it’s merely a result of its geographical distance from the south. Whatever the reason, what remains is a fluid juxtaposition of French and Asian, old and modern.

Hanoi is a Hidden Jewel!

Enjoy these photos, as I choose them in hopes to capture and embody the everyday of Hanoi Vietnam and compel you to give it a more intimate look:

• In Hanoi’s old quarter, where you’ll likely end up, the locals have embraced tourism effortlessly

• Old meets new. Amongst autos and cyclos, a Vietnamese woman wearing a conical hat still carries her wares by way of a shoulder pole

• The Vietnamese people are incredibly enterprising. In Hanoi, you’ll find small businesses in the most innocuous places providing an eclectic range of products from cigarettes, simcards, to pastries

• A vestige of French colonialism, St. Joseph’s Cathedral serves as the cathedral for the huge presence of practicing Catholics in the country

• A local in peach slippers gets off her bicycle in order to reposition her shipment of pomelos

• Bicycles and scooters are often the lifeblood of many Vietnamese families, often used for both transportation and business

• In most western cultures, roads are generally dominated by cars, in Hanoi and most parts of Vietnam, you’ll find that cyclos are far more prevalent

• You can’t see it, but in this image the woman is using a charcoal smoker in a narrow corridor to prepare dishes for the adjacent restaurant. To put this in perspective, it was easily 100˚F that day

• Turtle Tower located in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake), within Hanoi’s old quarter

• A delicious bowl of Hanoi Pho!

Have you been to Hanoi Vietnam? What are some of your favorite things?

The post Hanoi Vietnam, The Photoscape! #Hanoi #Vietnam #Southeastasia appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above Image of Courtesy of Hakan Dahlstrom

Does the choice of whether or not to get rental car insurance cause profuse sweating and confusion while you stand at the counter, facing off with the rental agent?   If it does, you’re not alone. It plays out the same all the time: you get up to the counter with confirmation in hand, everything’s going great and then suddenly –BAM- you’re hit with that inevitable question, “do you have insurance?”

More often than not, when renting a car, you’ll find yourself succumbing to the deadpan stare of the agent asking if you need rental car insurance, along with the fear of, “what if something happens?”

But let’s be clear: the choice of rental car insurance is completely optional.

Regardless of the pressures, or the horror stories the agent may furnish upon you, there is no obligation to purchase rental car insurance.

I’m not saying that insurance itself is unnecessary; you just don’t have to take their insurance. In most cases you probably already have coverage, so the agency’s supplemental coverage would only be redundant and a complete waste of money.

First You Need to Know How to Say NO!

Just say NO! Well, say “no thank you”, but you get my drift.

They may not let you off the hook so easily and might follow up by asking with whom you have coverage with. In this case, give them the name of your personal auto insurance company, like Progressive or State Farm. The more aggressive agents, or companies, may even sometimes require proof (seriously, who carries around their policies?) or acceptance of their coverage while reserving the right to increase their rates if you happen to refuse. Typically, these will be the smaller, less scrupulous rental car agencies. My advice, politely decline and rent elsewhere.

Unfair draconian polices, such as the above, is a window to more problems upon returning the rental car. Avoid these companies like the plaque. Better yet, stay with the big names like Budget, Avis, and Hertz. They have locations worldwide along with consistent policies and rules you can depend on. Not to mention, you also have recourse in the event something happens.

Image Courtesy of Jonathan Brodsky

You Probably Already Have Rental Car Insurance!

If you already have reliable personal auto insurance, there’s a good chance it already extends to your rental as long as it’s for personal use. For business and overseas travel, personal policies may not work. In which case, you’ll have to entertain other options like your credit cards.

Nowadays, most credit cards offer rental car insurance as long as you make the full purchase on your card. In order to be eligible you need to decline the supplemental coverage offered by the rental agency. Be careful though, not all coverages are the same, with the rare breed not offering any coverage at all. Make sure to check the card policies before renting and certainly before declining.

Lastly, if all the above doesn’t work for you, consider travel insurance. Along with optional rental car insurance, you’ll also get all the fixin’s like emergency medical, evacuation, and personal property coverage. For literally the same price of rental car insurance (or possibly even cheaper), companies like World Nomads can cover your car AND your vacation.

Ultimately, however you decide to procure rental car insurance, make sure to have some type of coverage and be sure to check the restrictions and the fine print. For most of us, rental car insurance from the rental agency is unnecessary and a complete waste of money, adding anywhere from $9 to $30 a day to your cost.

If you’re going to get travel insurance anyways (highly advisable!), add it to the policy, or get an awesome credit card Like AMEX or Chase Sapphire/ Freedom cards for travel Insurance AND rental coverage!

Do some research and get the most for your money!

Have fun hacking!

Read here for information on how to buy Travel Insurance: Should I Buy Travel Insurance? Yes and Here’s Why

The post Travel Hack Friday: Avoid Paying for Extra Rental Car Insurance appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

I’m sure you’ve seen them. The cars with the gigantic logos emblazoned on the side, or the pink mustaches hanging off the hood, zippin around the city with passengers crammed into the rear seats. Ridesharing and Taxi service have changed the face of city travel. In fact, throughout most metropolises across the globe, it has become the only way to get around. But, as with all good things, the industry has gotten crowded. Competition is fierce with new companies jumping on board vying for precious road real estate, and customers. They are literally at each other’s throats (look up Courtney love and her recent Uber ride in France if you don’t believe me).

So, what does that mean for us consumers sitting on the sidelines? Well, in short, it means competitive rates, better service and a whole slew of options; a veritable buffet of transportation choices for our choosing!

But lets be serious, with all the Ridesharing companies like Uber or Lyft and the mass of Taxi services, who has time to go from website to website, or app to app comparing and looking for the best rates.

So, How Do We Compare Ridesharing and Taxi Service Rates?

Well, enter RideGuru, a fare comparison site for Taxis and Ridesharing services, with indexes in thousands of locations worldwide. And if I’m to be truthful, it’s really about damn time considering we’ve had comparison sites for cheap airfare and hotel bookings for ages now.

It’s pretty simple. No download or account signup necessary. Just go to the site, type in your starting point and end point, and up pops the comparisons. That’s it!

Additionally, they are pretty transparent with how they arrive at the numbers, and any additional cost that you may incur.

Some Import Things to be Aware of When Using RideGuru

Unlike Airlines and Hotels that provide API’s to comparison sites for accurate pricing, the Ridesharing and Taxi service industries aren’t quite there yet. And although they do try to take into account traffic and surge pricing (ridesharing rates increasing with demand), real time market forces are tough to predict and to calculate. Consequently, RideGuru can only provide estimates, and so discrepancies from the actual cost will, and do, exist.

Additionally, what is most odd, and is in stark contrast to the companies they index, is the lack of a Smartphone travel app. Loading up the website, and scrolling to the calculator does make comparing rates rather inconvenient. They are working on an app, but for now, you’ll have to contend with just using the interface on your Smartphone

Still, accuracies and app aside, RideGuru and its competitors, like Whatsthefare.com, do provide an invaluable service. Even with the results being merely estimates, the sites can give you a range, and point you in the direction of the cheapest option.

Consider it as another cost saving tool to put more money in your pocket – and we all know that you can never have enough of those.

Now, if they can only do it for Tuk Tuks… Happy Travels!

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The post Travel Hack Friday: Compare Ridesharing and Taxi Service Rates Worldwide appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Nick Ares

You might think this travel hack is a no brainer, but you’ll be surprised how many of us don’t take advantage of rebate sites and get cash back on travel related purchases like cheap flight tickets, or even hotel reservations. Most of us are familiar with collecting points and miles simply by using our credit card and are even aware of the travel insurance that’s included, but we overlook the cash back that we can get just by purchasing our travel arrangements as we normally would.

The savings are not massive, nor is it akin to winning the lottery, but if you like to travel, enjoy eating and love entertainment, you’ll find that the cash back rewards add up pretty quick, and you’ll be redeeming a free ticket or depositing a nice fat check in no time.

If you happen to be one of the savvy few who already use, or are aware of how to get cash back on travel purchases, this article may still hold interest for you, as I’m about to introduce an easy way to find and index a whole bunch of them.

Ok, Sounds Good, Now How Do I Get Cash Back on Travel Purchases?

Getting cash back rewards on travel related bookings is easy. You’re able to reserve hotels, flight tickets, car rentals, entertainment, dining and sometimes even tour packages. Cheap airfare isn’t always easy to find, but fortunately, most of the cash back sites are connected to third party booking companies like Orbitz or Priceline. Of course, you could always find cheap airfare by trying some of the tips in this article:   How to Find Cheap Airfare Tickets

The cash back sites basically act as an intermediary between you and the company. You need to first login to the cash back website, click on the deal, which then takes you to the company page, and complete the purchase as you normally would. The cash back rewards will then automatically be credited to your account for either redemption or payout.

So lets say you wanted to reserve a hotel trough Priceline.com. You would first login to a site like Fatwallet (one of the larger cash back sites), locate the Priceline offering, click and wait for Priceline’s web page to open up, and then continue making your purchase through Priceline. Just like that, 6% of whatever you spent has been returned back to you.

Which Cash Back Site is the Best?

The most familiar of the sites are probably fatwallet.com, but there are others. Use them all. Each one has their own offerings and possibly different cash back deals at any given time. Start an account with each one and bookmark the suckers…

Here’s a list of some of the top sites to get cash back on travel purchases:

• Fatwallet
• TopCashBack
• Ebates
• Mr. Rebates
• FatCheese
• BeFrugal
• MainstreetShares

What if I Don’t Have The Time to Track All The Sites and Discounts?

I don’t blame you, neither do I. With the number of cash back sites, and more cropping up daily, it can become overwhelming knowing which is the best or if the company you’re looking for is even listed.

Fortunately, to alleviate the burden of having to check each site independently, search engines for the specific purpose of indexing cash back sites do exist. Not all cash back sites are listed on each one, so use a few of them.

• Cashback Monitor
• evreward
• Cashreporter
• Cashbackholic

Some Final Things to be Aware of

Sometimes, using a coupon on the cash back sites will disqualify you from discounts or rewards program offered directly by the company. For instance, if you book through Hotels.com using a Fatwallet coupon, you would not receive credit towards their “10 nights get 1 free” rewards program. However, cash back on travel purchases are not affected and can still be accumulated.

You can also stack your discounts and the benefits you get by purchasing a Groupon travel coupon through a cash back offer on Fatwallet using your credit card.   You’ll get the deep discounts of Groupon, the cash back from Fatwallet, and the miles or points from your credit card.

Image courtesy of GotCredit

The only hesitation I have with Groupon is the limited selection and specificity of the items you may purchase. But if you do find something of interest, then you’re golden.

Lastly, unless the discounts are enormous by purchasing directly on the Airlines or hotel sites, use third party booking sites, like Orbitz or Priceline to maximize the cash back on travel purchases.  The travel booking sites have a greater range of options, especially when it comes to international travel deals.

It’s only a few extra clicks to get some additional savings and ultimately more cash back in your pocket. Travel can be expensive, so any savings is worth the extra few steps.

Special thanks to The Unsettled Meliorist for putting together some of the above resources!

Want more awesome travel hacks?

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The post Travel Hack Friday: Get Cash Back on Travel Purchases appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

On a recent backcountry trip, I emerged from the wilds scarred, bruised, limping and probably losing more blood than a normal human should. Yet, although I had the appearance of someone dragged through hell, while lashed to a pack of wild horses, I was all smiles; Grinning ear to ear like it was my birthday.

It might seem hard to imagine, but I love camping. Yes, it gets dirty; yes, my sleeping bag isn’t a Tempurpedic, but for me, comfort is a distant consideration to the experience.   It’s not glamorous, and it can be rugged, but the adventure is second to none. Anything can happen while camping, and no two trips are ever the same.

Before you ask what I could possibly love about camping, I’m going to beat you to the punch and give you my top 10 reasons to love camping too:

10 Reasons to Love Camping

1. Cozying up to a blazing fire on a chilly night roasting hotdogs or marshmallows: – In the backcountry, the opportunity for a fire doesn’t come around too often. But when it does, I guarantee you I’m taking full advantage of it. On a chilly night, very few things are more comforting and tranquil than sitting around the warmth of a campfire roasting up a dog, or watching your marshmallows caramelize over an open flame.

2. Encountering wildlife – Beautifully rare and incredibly thrilling, encountering the elusive inhabitants of the wild is both awesome and mesmerizing. There is a hidden kingdom beyond our own, and if ever given the chance to peek behind the veil to see a family of grizzlies or even a herd of Deer, capture it because you’ll be talking about it for years to come
   

3. Drinking hot coco and watching the sunrise – usually getting up before dawn is met with derision and a caffeine crazed stupor; that’s because it’s usually followed by 9 hours behind a desk.   Watching the world shake off it’s slumber in the wilderness, while sipping on hot chocolate, is an unrushed calming experience, and of course a world apart from the cubies.
   
4. Dozing off in a hammock – who doesn’t love hammocks? Now add in the rhythmic cadence of a running stream, melodic harmony of the neighborhood birds, a gentle breeze, and you have yourself paradise.
5. Discovering beautiful vistas and natural beauty – there are places unreachable by anything other than old-fashioned walking.   Places so far off the beaten path, that the journey itself is as rewarding as the destination.   There is a pride in discovery, and a sense of accomplishment knowing you climbed, crawled and fought your way to a view few have seen firsthand.
   
6. The peace and solitude – Every now and then, we all need a break from real world. Whether it’s our smartphones or checking email, we spend a huge portion of our lives tethered to one thing or another. The solitude camping affords, allows us to reconnect, recharge and find our Zen.

7. The camaraderie with fellow backpackers – Even though I travel to the backcountry and endeavor to find my Zen, it’s always a pleasure to see friendly faces on the road. It’s one of the few places where strangers become friends, and where an unspoken bond of support for each other exists.
   

8. The sea of stars – You’ve never seen the sky, until you’ve seen it in the wild. The night literally comes alive with millions of stars dusted lavishly across the entire horizon. You never realize how immense and wondrous our world really is, or how small you really are, until you’ve stared into the starry sky. If you’re lucky, some nights you can even see the clouds of the Milky Way. It will be the closest many of us will ever get to the far reaches of our universe.
   

9. The smell of the wilderness – This one is hard to describe. But for anyone who has spent any time out in the wild knows that distinct smell of the outdoors. There is a crisp unpolluted freshness to the wild, making each gulp of air a newfound pleasure.
   
10. Eating - Food has never tasted soooo good. Where in the city, we take each meal for granted, with camping you savor each feast until the last bite. The days are generally planned around meal times, not for lack of things to do, but for the simple realization that we live to eat!
    

Those are my top 10 reasons to love camping!  The best thing about camping is that the adventure is unique for everyone.

What are your reasons?

The post 10 Reasons That Will Make You Love Camping appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Kevin Dooley

Know what’s better than finding cheap airfare? It’s getting a refund on airline tickets when the price drops! If you didn’t know this, don’t feel bad; fine prints not really my strong suit either.  Most flyers have the wrong assumption that only premium refundable airline tickets have special privileges, and by clicking the purchase button you’re locked in to that price.   Believe it or not, that’s not entirely true; all U.S Airlines, and even some foreign Airlines, have a Guaranteed Airfare Policy that protects consumers when airfare drops or if you happen to find the same flight cheaper elsewhere.

But before you get refund happy, and start blasting the customer service line each time the price drops a few cents, there are restrictions depending on the airlines.

Airlines are able to stipulate their own qualifying limits, with some being more draconian than others. The limit you must hit also serves as their “re-booking” fee to reissue a new ticket (I know, I’m rolling my eyes too) that applies once you hit that limit. So for instance, lets say your original Hawaiian Airlines airfare of $300 is now $150. Hawaiian Airlines has a limit of $100, so you would “pay” the re-booking fee of $100 and they would refund you the difference in the form of a voucher or credit in the amount of $50. I know…$150 sounds a lot better, but hey, I’m surprised we get anything back at all.

Here are the limits that need to be reached before refunds on airline tickets kick in:

What if I find the flight cheaper elsewhere?

If you’re lucky enough to come across the same flight cheaper on a 3^rd party booking site, most airlines do have a low price guarantee. It’s rare but it does happen. Depending on the airline the process can range from super easy (Alaska Airlines) to what-the-hell (Delta). If you’re willing to jump through the hoops and plead your case, it is possible to get some money back. Go here to see Airfarewatchdog’s nifty chart and how they explain the low price guarantee policies.

So how do we get our refund on Airline tickets?

You need to act fast. The window for refunds closes quickly. Realistically, most of us want to just pay and forget. Constantly tracking daily fluctuations of airfare is no ones idea of a good time and between work and life who has time to hit refresh every 10 minutes until take-off? Best thing to do is to setup refund alerts using Yapta (free) or Tripit Pro ($49 US/Year).

Yapta goes a step further and provides some pretty spot on instructions on how to also negotiate refunds, from who to contact and what to say. Unfortunately, they don’t cover all airlines, and some companies, like Southwest, keep their data pretty close to the chest. For them, you’ll have to go to their website.

Once you discover a price drop, or a lower price elsewhere, get on the phone, submit the online request, take screenshots, and get some money back.

What if I purchased the Flight from Priceline or Orbitz?

If you book through 3^rd party sites like Orbitz or Cheaptickets, Yapta can track the price drop, but won’t automatically alert you to a refund. You’ll have to call the site you purchased from directly to work it out.

Hopefully this travel hack helps keep more money in your pocket. It’s not incredibly intuitive and does require a bit of work, but the policies do exist. For the budget conscious, every little bit helps.

The post Travel Hack Friday: How to get a Refund on Airline Tickets appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Marcin Wichary

Remember the good ole days when airlines offered free drinks, and all you can eat peanuts? When customers were actually treated like customers? Now in the oligopoly of airlines we are at the behest of what they decide to do. Prices between the legacy carries vary, at most, in the single digits and rarely resemble anything close to competition. To add insult to injury, the airlines are on a quest to nickel and dime us to death, while no frills airlines offer bare bone flights that border hostile (remember when Ryanair proposed to get rid of seats, and install pay toilets? Yep, like that).

The perfect formula to find cheap airfare tickets is the holy grail of traveling. From the day and hour of purchase to the date of travel to where you depart all plays a part in scoring those cheap fares. Theories also abound with everyone perpetuating their own strategies from the abstract to the more actionable. But in the battle to find cheap airfare tickets any trick is a good trick.

Find Cheap Airfare Tickets

Avoid The Frills:

Be cheap and beat the airlines at their own game of nickel and diming. Don’t fall for the money traps: avoid checking in bags by traveling light, bring only personal items in cabin if the carrier charges for carryon and don’t buy the headphones! Also, take whatever seat they give you, and avoid early bird check-ins,

Be Flexible:

Being flexible is your secret weapon to find cheap airfare tickets. Airlines depend on business and leisure travelers that absolutely must leave on specific days, hence increased fares on days like Fridays and Sundays. If you’re not bound by a particular schedule, money savings are literally a day away.

1. Fly into alternative or regional airports – For instance, if San Francisco is your destination, try flying into Oakland airport. However, this is only sometimes true, as larger airports can have cheaper fares as well. Hence the need to be flexible.
2. Fly into an adjacent country and travel overland, or even take a cheaper flight – For international flights, try flying to adjacent countries and then traveling by bus or train or a short haul flight. Sometimes you can save hundreds even after factoring in the additional transport. For Domestic U.S flights, this can work as well considering how inexpensive it is to rent an economy car or take the greyhound.

3. Be open with your dates and time: If flying on Friday at 3pm is non-negotiable, then so is the price.  Keep your day and hour of travel open, and you’ll have more fare options to choose from. It’s no secret that some days are just cheaper than others and that red-eye and early morning flights are typically cheaper.

4. Don’t be scared of connecting flights: Layovers not only can save you significant amounts of money, but can also be a nice little side adventure in the event it’s an extended layover. Otherwise, if you need to stay in the airport lounge, painful, agonizing layovers are a thing of the past. With free Wi-Fi and creative activities to suck up the hours, layovers can put some dollars in your pocket. In some cases you can even use Multi City ticketing which can save you money: watch this video:

Best Day And Time to Fly:

The general rule is to fly when no one wants to fly (well, most people anyays). . Most business travelers fly the beginning and the end of the week, and leisure travelers don’t like giving up their Saturdays. This works for both domestic and international flights. Do your best to schedule your dates for mid-week whenever possible. As well, travel on the actual holidays, such as Christmas day.

1. Fly midweek – cheapest days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays
2. Fly on or after the holidays – flying on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day is usually loads cheaper than anytime before that.
3. Fly odd hours – Early morning, dinner hours, and red-eye flights are usually cheaper than flights at any other time.
   

   Image Courtesy of Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

When You Book Determines What You Pay:

This is different from the actual date of departure, and refers specifically to when you click the “purchase” button. Of the many strategies you can employ to find cheap airfare tickets, this is probably the most abstract and most complex. So take the following with a grain of salt, and exercise your own tests:

1. Tuesday is the best day, but maybe weekends too: The general consensus amongst most bargain hunters is that Tuesday afternoon is the best time to purchase your airfare. The idea is that airlines begin promoting sales Monday evening and by Tuesday afternoon all other airlines reduce their prices to stay competitive. Farecompare’s extensive data supports this for domestic US flights. They even go so far as to suggest Tuesday at 3pm eastern.  However, according to some number crunchers over at Texas A&M University, it was discovered that purchasing on Saturday and Sunday’s could save about 5% on airfare. In my own tests, this has never actually wrung true, but it’s worth a shot. Best approach here, is to wait for the weekend to see if the price changes from Wednesday, if not, buy on Tuesday (but keep in mind how far you are from the travel date, as the closer you get to your departure date, the more expensive it will become)

2. Purchase Early, but not too early: The suggestions here are pretty consistent across the board. For domestic U.S flights it’s suggested to purchase airline tickets no earlier than 3 months and no later than 30 days. International fares have a larger window with the earliest you should start looking being about 5 months. Airlines apparently do not actively “manage” sales and flights until the times above. Ignore advice that offer up precise days like 45 or 54 days. It’s not possible to pinpoint the exact date for future purchases
3. Don’t buy too late: Avoid purchasing last minute at all costs. The closer you buy to the departure date, the more expensive the airfare will be. Specifically, within 14 days price airfare rises dramatically; within 7, the hike in price is even crazier.

Use Technology:

Technology is your friend to find cheap airfare tickets. And as technology improves and becomes more robust, finding deals is only going to become easier. Fortunately for us, creating apps and programs to find low cost airfare is big business, and deal aggregate and bargain hunting sites have become our biggest champions. Use them to their fullest potential for the pure and simple reason that they work.

1. Sign up for Airfare alerts: Sites like Airfarewatchdog and FareCompare will do the heavy lifting and send you deals straight to your email. Sometimes you’ll get them before they even begin to populate on other sites.
2. Consider Hidden city Ticketing – The idea is to buy a ticket going from point A to point C, but get off at point B. Because distanced traveled doesn’t determine costs, sometimes it ends up cheaper to have your desired destination as a layover rather than your final destination. Read my article on how I used Skiplagged to find cheap flights.
3. Use a few flight search engines: Don’t use just one. Use a few of them to compare prices and options. For instance, Skyscanner provides results for all airlines, all airports, cities AND countries providing you greater flexibility. Other resources to use: Kayak, Momondo, Vayama and Google Flights
4. Buy one passenger at a time: On a single flight there can be different pricing structures for each seat. By purchasing multiple tickets at the same time, the airline’s reservation system automatically charges the highest price for each ticket even if there are cheaper seats available.
5. Be Anonymous: This is probably the most common strategy. Clear your cookies and cache in the event the airline’s website is tracking your behavior. You can also enable private browsing in your browser. In my experience this doesn’t always work, but it sure as hell doesn’t hurt.

At the end of the day, figure out if doing all the above is worth it to find cheap airfare tickets.   Finding the cheapest and lowest fares requires a confluence of factors and you can never rely on just one. If you put them all together you’ll be an unstoppable force of nature! Personally, I love the feeling of getting a good deal, in fact, it’s probably safe to say that I’m allergic to paying full price for anything. But for some travelers, paying a bit more for the convenience of a direct flight is worth it, whereas for others, layovers are just another opportunity to get some shuteye. Whatever you decide to do, or what strategies you decide to use, if you find that perfect flight…pull the damn trigger!

The above is nowhere near definitive so if I’m missing anything, please share! Lets make this the ultimate list of cheap airfare strategy!

The post How to Find Cheap Airfare Tickets appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Canadian Pacific

Baggage fees have all but gone overboard.   Believe it or not, there once was a time that carrying one bag, or even two bags was a given and was included as part of your already exorbitant ticket price. Traveling has certainly changed over the years becoming less and less customer oriented. It really is a matter of time until the cost of airfare is measured by total weight and not just seat fare. Personally I would rather they just raise their prices by $25 and not tell me.

But I digress. Hopefully this week’s travel hack can help budget travelers, like us, save some money!

So, short of getting on the plane wearing 4 layers of clothing or trying to shove everything into a fanny pack, there’s a way to beat the baggage fee creep: Gate check your bag and save yourself the baggage fees.

We’ve all seen it; the bags sitting alongside the gangway waiting to be ushered on the plane. Not only do they get loaded last (which means they get unloaded first), but they’re generally getting free passage to your final destination.   You could always take Southwest, but unfortunately Southwest doesn’t fly to every destination and won’t always be an option.

Image courtesy of Per Gosche

How can I avoid baggage fees?

I’m glad you asked! The idea is to bring your bag through security as a carryon, and once at the departure gate, ask to have it gate checked. That’s it!

I came across this hack a few years ago, and fearing that the policy might have changed, I decided to try it again on a recent flight to San Francisco. And, I’m happy to report that it still works (yes, I was the ass dragging the giant pack through the lounge. I promise it was for a good cause). More often than not, the agents will be more than happy to accommodate -especially on crowded flights- in order to save space within the cabin. Sometimes you’ll even see the agents scouring the waiting area for oversized carryon just to gate check them anyways. Obviously you won’t be able to tote your 50lb plastic enforced suitcase with you, but you can certainly test the limits of what defines a carryon!

Word of warning though; the agents do have the authority to charge a fee, but I have yet to come across this myself.   Just remember, being pleasant with a smile goes a long way. As they have the authority to charge you the fee, they also have the discretion not to. Usually the crew will be more than happy to gate check your bag if asked nicely and to also keep the flow going. The last thing they want is to hold up the boarding process, ultimately delaying the plane.

Just be prepared for the worse case scenario of having to pay the baggage fee. If it works, you’re golden, and if it doesn’t, you were going to pay for the baggage fee anyways.

Did this work for you? Please share your experience if you’ve tried this hack.

The post Travel Hack Friday: Avoid Baggage Fees appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Welcome to Another Travel Hacks Friday. As part of a new series, every Friday, we will be introducing new travel hacks for outdoor and urban adventures. We will scour the web for the best and most practical hacks, as well as dig into our reserves and share our own awesome moments of ingenuity!

We all know the cost of airfare is ridiculous, often eating up a huge chunk of our travel budget. For the uninitiated, there’s little rhyme or reason to how the pricing is established; oil price goes down, yet airfare goes up. Could it be market forces? Sure. But what about the never ending nickel-and-diming: “luggage? That will be 35 bucks. Oh…you want peanuts too? You’ll need to purchase more legroom first”.  The competitive spirit is also gone. Aggregation booking sites like Priceline and Orbitz tend to spit out the same ole results. We could call it an oligopoly, but that’s a subject for another post…

So, who can blame us for trying every known trick to find cheap flights, from clearing your cookies, buying on specific days, private browsing, to clicking your heels three times (careful with this one, it’s known to have unpredictable results). The truth is though, some work and some don’t. And as the Airline industries become more sophisticated the battle for low fares will continue to get more intense.

Enter hidden city ticketing! Because airfare is determined by market forces (so the rumor goes), distance traveled doesn’t determine cost and you’ll find yourself routed all over the map in order to get to where you want to go. This neat little trick leverages that loophole in order to get you the lowest fare.

The idea is simple: Buy a ticket going from point A to point C, and get off at point B. For instance, lets say you want to go to Rome. Instead of buying a direct flight to Rome for $1900, you would purchase a flight to Milan with Rome as a stopover for $1000, and then disembark at the Eternal City.

It’s not particularly new, as the trick has been around for a while. But sites like Skiplagged has figured a way to make hidden city fares more accessible to people like you and me.

Here’s a test I did for April 15 2015 using Skiplagged:

Using Google Flights – San Diego to Rome

Using Skiplagged – San Diego to Rome to Milan:

Using Google Flights – San Diego to Rome to Milan:

So this is how you find cheap flights:

Notably, there are some bugs in the system, such as flight routes and price changes not being available at all. So make sure to do your due diligence as you would booking standard flights. Additionally, here are some other things to be aware of:

The travel hack isn’t fool proof; it doesn’t always find the cheapest flights; and results are not always up to date.  And although it’s not illegal, airlines and big booking sites may eventually mobilize their combined weight to put the kibosh on the practice. But until then free market reigns and, for the brave and stalwart, this is just one more tool to help win the war!

Got a hack to find cheap flights or have experience with hidden city ticketing?  Please do share!

The post Travel Hacks Friday: Find Cheap Flights Like a Ninja appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Sustainable travel is a tough business. But Kach and Jon of Two Monkeys Travel have devised a formula that makes its seem so darn easy to work and sustain a life of global travel.  On the road since 2013, the Two Monkeys really put their money where their mouth is. With incredibly detailed, and actionable advice, Kach and Jon inspire others, such as myself, to just get out there and do it. Lucky for us, they’ve allowed us to share some of their best kept secrets…This is Part 2 of their Funding and Sustaining a Life of Travel Series.  You can find Part 1 here -How to Fund and Sustain a Life of Travel Part 1

Fund and Sustain a Life of Travel Part 2

Planning to buy this Combi– Arequipa, Peru

Option 1 – Work THEN Travel – The road most traveled

This is what Jon and I were doing before we met each other and it seems to be the way most travelers start.  He spent 6 months preparing and saving for his big move to South East Asia.  It’s a lot to ask yourself to stay in a job and a life that you already know you want to leave behind, but booking your flight makes it all the more bearable!  Because of this, he was able to fulfill his dream of traveling around SE Asia (Cambodia-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam) by motorbike with one of his best friends from home, Seb.

Jon with Seb on their South East Asia motorbike adventure

I lived and worked in the Middle East for 4 years and although I had been traveling short-term from time to time, I knew the time was approaching when I would finally quit for good.  So after four years of full time corporate work in Kuwait and Kurdistan, Iraq I had enough savings to travel for three months in South East Asia and live in Vietnam for another 3 months before finally getting a job!

Kach with Lory in Kuwait – after a Musical show

Option 2 – Overseas working – Become an Expat!

Moving around a lot is great, but if you really want to get to know a place and its’ people, nothing beats living there and there is always work if you know where to look.  After 3 months of traveling around South East Asia, Jon and Seb’s travel funds were diminishing and the motorbikes were suffering some serious issues; the main one being that they were shit!  So they set off on the three day ride from Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam in hope of finding work.  Luckily they had already prepared for this situation before leaving the UK.  Both had completed a 150 hour TEFL teacher training course so that they could have some kind of income almost anywhere in the world.  As things turned out, Hanoi is actually heaven for native English speakers looking to make good money.  Teaching jobs there pay $20-30 per hour and living costs are some of the cheapest in the world.   Jon landed a job teaching kids for 20 hours a week and rented a huge house with 3 guys; Seb, the half-French Cumbrian; a mysterious yet disturbing Swede named Martin; and Eachan, a 19 year old Geordie who realized Vietnam was loads better than the army…It was interesting…..

No, don’t become a sex-pat!

I, on the other hand, didn’t have any teaching certificates and wasn’t considered a native speaker in Vietnam, so it took me a few months to find teaching work, but once I landed my first job the flood gates just opened for me.  Also, since I have a good deal of marketing and administrative experience, I was also able to find freelance work.

Although we both had full time jobs as well as other part time jobs to help us save for our next big backpacking adventure through India, we still found time to take short trips away.  In seven months we rode a motorbike around North Vietnam for a week; spent a week in Laos; had a luxury cruise in Halong Bay and even treated ourselves to 4 and 5 Star hotel breaks in Hanoi and Ninh Binh!

By the time we left Hanoi, we had enough savings to travel to Singapore, India, The Maldives, UK and South America over 6 months.  And we were hardly sticking to a tight budget – the odd 5 star hotel managed to sneak itself into our India trip!

Our 5 star hotel in New Delhi, India

Option 3 – Work WHILE Traveling – Truly Mobile Travelers!

While living the expat life in Vietnam was an amazing (and quite profitable!) we both knew that in order to achieve that next level of financial freedom and mobility we needed to invest in some new skills that allowed us to work on the move.

Of course this would have to be something we enjoyed as well as providing a solid source of income to top up our pockets now and then.

Jon at Shri Kali Ashram, Goa, India

I had practiced Yoga in the Middle East and later completed a month long intensive Tantra Yoga course in Thailand, whilst Jon had practiced Tai Chi in the UK and Yoga in Hanoi.  Our decision to become qualified Yoga teachers was the main motivation to travel to India, where we studied traditional Tantra Yoga with Shri Kali Ashram in South Goa.

Jon’s yoga class in Ollantaytambo, Peru

Towards the end of our India trip, we also visited Rishikesh in the North West, where we found Dr Vinod Kumar, qualified Doctor (MD), Ayurvedic Doctor and founder of the Ayuskama centre, where we studied to become Ayurveda Massage Therapists.  Between us we specialize in Marma Point therapy, Pre and Post Natal and Childcare massage therapy

Business card in Arequipa, Peru

With these new skills we could now be truly mobile, practicing our interests and passions whilst funding our travels around the world.

Option 4 – Volunteering and Work Exchange – Stretch your budget…and your travels.

You won’t be able to save money or even earn it through this route, but you can definitely extend your budget, and consequently your travels, by working a few hours a day in exchange for your bed and at least one meal a day.  This is most often in hostels but you can also find more interesting jobs with eco-projects or charitable organizations.

Bowl of Compassion, Bodh Gaya, India

We have both volunteered teaching English in Cambodia and Laos and I worked in a Hostel on Koh Pah Ngan, Thailand.  We also worked 4 hours a night in a beach restaurant in India for two meals a day and worked in a Hostal in Ollantaytambo, Peru for a month so we could learn Spanish and visit Machu Picchu.  We also used this as an opportunity to meet massage clients and host Yoga classes!

Waiters at Duck n Chill – for FREE yummy food!

Duck n Chill. Agonda Beach where we worked at the bar at night!

However, BEWARE of anyone asking you to pay any kind of fee in order to volunteer.  We don’t believe in paying to donate our time, effort and skills to a good cause, but volunteer work has become so popular and accessible (thanks internet!) that many have taken advantage by charging extortionate fees for a ‘rewarding experience’.  Unfortunately it’s quite common for very little of this money to go to the people who actually need it.

One of Jon’s yoga class in Ollantaytambo, Peru

 About the Authors

Kach Medina and Jonathan Howe are working-on-the-road couple from the Philippines and UK. Having each decided to quit their jobs and set off around South East Asia to start their new lives, neither imagined they would end up traveling the world with someone they met in a backpackers’ bar in Laos.  But that’s what happened!  They are both certified Tantra Yoga Teachers, Ayurveda Massage Therapists and TEFL Certified Teachers. Working wherever and whenever they want! Travelling since April 2013 and currently exploring South America. their next major travel goal- Antartica via Argentina

 

Visit them at www.twomonkeystravelgroup.com

Drop by their Facebook page and get to know them!

Follow them on Twitter

Join the Twomonkeys Facebook Group

 

The post Fund and Sustain a Life of Global Travel Part 2 appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.