HELLOOOO summer!

June has pretty much come and gone. I don't know about you, but this year for some reason, it feels like we're going at hyperspeed.

What's summer look like for you this year? Got any exciting plans? Just reply to this e-mail.

Travel Hacks

We recently did a few interviews where they asked us about our favourite travel hacks and that reminded us that it's always worth re-sharing things we've learned over the years, even if you've seen a few of these before.

Who doesn't love a good list! We've narrowed things down to 10 tips that we think you'll find helpful.

Collect points early and often - Points don't happen overnight and so if you're hoping to make a big splash for a trip (think our trip to Bora Bora, Seychelles, and Maldives), you need to build up for a few years.
Credit cards matter - Accumulating points seems painfully slow right? The fastest way is through the sign-up bonuses. Strategically sign up for many between you and your family and you'll build up your balance FAST!
Stick with one loyalty program - For each category (i.e. flights and hotels), try your best to stick with one program. Stick your eggs in one basket as they say.
Not all loyalty programs are the same - The running joke is that Delta's SkyMiles are called SkyPesos but honestly every program has its strengths and weaknesses. This gets quite nuanced but Alaska Airlines is one that's worth focusing on because they have some really great redemptions as we uncover in our Easter Island Travel Guide.
Alliances matter - Continuing from the previous point, airline alliances matter because of where they can get you. Each alliance has different strengths. Breaking the "stick with one loyalty program" rule, there are advantages to having points with Star Alliance and say OneWorld but this isn't easy to do in say, Canada. Point programs such as American Express Membership Rewards allow you to transfer to various programs which is why they're also a key cog in most travel hacking strategies.
Study the program - Airline loyalty programs are insanely complicated. It took some serious studying to maximize our Aeroplan points for our honeymoon. The program has now changed and there's more learning to do and tools like Cows to try. It comes down to learning what's allowed, how to take advantage of layovers, minimizes taxes, and using partner airlines. For hotels, go during low season, know how to get free nights, and book early to secure those aspirational properties.
Generating spend - This is where you get into the next level/grey area of travel hacking. The famous travel hackers out there are building their millions of points through a technique where you spend on your credit card without really spending money.
Take advantage of every little thing to generate points - For instance, you can link Lyft with Hilton Honors. If you sign up for Asking Canadians, completing surveys can get you Aeroplan points. Guest Opinion Awards is another that is tied to Hilton Honors.
The Uber trick - Drivers hate this one but if you want to save money on rides from the airport, walk over to a hotel (not directly connected to the airport) and call a ride from there.
Book flights in native locale - This doesn't work for all airlines but a great example is LATAM from our trip to Chile. As you'll read from our Patagonia Travel Guide, there are significant savings when using the Chilean version of the site vs US/Canada. The key though is that they still allow payment with foreign credit cards. This is always worth trying.

This Month's Travel Deals

We are constantly updating our deals page but here are a few notable ones that we think you should know about. Sorry that a bunch of these are so last minute!

TUMI: Semi annual sale is live where you'll get up to 30% off select styles. Sale starts May 25 through June 30, 2023.
Manfrotto: Use code MANFROTTO20 to get 20% off sitewide (ends June 30).
Lowepro: Use LOWEPRO20 for 20% of sitewide (ends June 30).
Airalo: Use the code BF20 to offer an additional 20% discount to New Customers on all Airalo eSIMs. Use B15 to save 15% if you're an existing customer.
Radisson: Simply book by June 30 for stays between July 1 and September 10, 2023, take your pick out of hundreds of beautiful destinations and save up to 25%.
Klook: For those in Asia, the brand will be familiar. They also offer car rentals but the bonus is that they have discount codes from time to time. For those in the US, Klook is offering 5% off all car rentals and airport transfers with code 5OFFTRS. You'll need to create an account after you go to this landing page. Ends June 30, 2023.
Mountain Hardwear: 65% off select apparel and equipment with coupon code MHWSAVE65. Ends July 4, 2023

This Month in Travel

Lots of "best of" articles are coming out for this year. This sure inspires wanderlust and could be your ticket to awesome ;)

AFAR - You might be wondering...why are flights so darn expensive right now?
50 Best - These are this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants. Have you been to any? Any on your list to visit?
Hardest Part About Travel - This is a bit of a throwback but let me know if this rings true for you too!