Episode Summary:
We talk with Julia Menez, who is a travel hacking coach, speaker, and founder of Geobreeze Travel. Travel hacking is the art of getting free travel, using loyalty programs set by hotels and airlines, and credit cards. Julie traveled to more than 30 countries before she was 30, and has saved thousands by travel hacking. We think Julia has her Ph.D. in travel hacking, but we hope this discussion encourages you to start learning more and enjoy the benefits of more discounted and free travel. There is a misconception that to get a lot of these points you either have to fly a lot, sleep in a lot of hotels, or spend a lot on your credit cards. That’s actually not true, and there are different strategies in place so you can optimize rather than maximize all of your efforts. Julie shares how she got started in the travel hacking space, why it’s a great time to travel hack, how you can get started, and examples of the benefits she gets from track hacking.Episode Notes:
Julia started learning about travel hacking only three years ago, and she quickly has become a trusted expert in the space and is pushing for more diversity in the travel hacking community. We discuss a number of topics with Julia:- How Julia got started in the travel hacking space
- Why it’s a great time to start learning about travel hacking.
- The practical results of what you can enjoy from travel hacking, with examples from Julia’s recent Bahamas trip. They enjoyed a free hotel, very inexpensive flights, and upgraded travel experiences!
- Julia teases some more complex topics like the status match merry-go-round, and you can listen to her podcast to learn more about
- The different strategies people take on travel hacking, from enjoying limited first-class travel trips to a higher-volume of more economy-focused travel
- The fastest way to learn travel hacking is by talking to and engaging with others in the community.
- Julie encourages people just to start interacting with the community.
- Ask yourself, “What do you want to accomplish through travel hacking?”
- Travel hacking is the art of getting free travel, using loyalty programs set by hotels and airlines, and credit cards.
- There is a misconception that to get a lot of these points you either have to fly a lot, sleep in a lot of hotels, or spend a lot on your credit cards. That’s actually not true, and there are different strategies in place so you can optimize rather than maximize all of your efforts!
- Julia is adjusting her future personal travel hacking focus from being about the quantity of trips and shifting to the quality of her travel experiences.
- Tips for travel hacking for kids.
- Julia is pushing for more diversity in the travel hacking space and talks about her journey to represent more diverse points of view in this community.
- The importance of using credit cards responsibly.
- Julia’s personal money goals, and prioritizing travel hacking vs. micro-managing and saving tiny amounts of money on other things in your budget.