Unfortunately, for those looking to sample a little joga bonito as well as a Carnaval atmosphere, you’ve also got one of the most difficult to get and most expensive plane tickets in the world.
So how did I score 2 direct flight plane tickets from New York to Rio for $2.50 each?
By following a system that is simple but unknown to most of the general public.
It’s the “secret” that is the key to allowing you to travel anywhere in the world for under $100, whether it be Brazil or Budapest--a secret I’ve used to travel to over 25 countries for less than two tanks of gas!
Earn Frequent Flyer Miles…WITHOUT FLYING
When people hear “frequent flyer miles,” most tune out the rest.
“Frequent flyer miles are only for people who fly all the time. I don’t fly enough, and so I’ll never earn a free ticket.”
Sadly, most people believe that they can only earn frequent flyer miles through flying.
Because of this, they wrongfully assume they’ll never earn enough for a free flight, and never pursue the idea.
Conversation over.
Dreams of free travel dashed.
Whoops!
There are actually tons of ways to earn frequent flyer miles without flying.
In fact, I’ve earned over 2 million frequent flyer miles in the last 3 years, and less than 1% (yes, 1%) of them have been from flying.
The quickest way to earn a large number of frequent flyer miles is to get a good travel credit card.
If you’re responsible with your credit, you can take advantage of the perks by getting the large sign-up bonuses that credit cards offer!
By getting just one card, you could have enough miles for a round-trip ticket to Europe or South America.
Skeptical? Here’s the proof:
Understanding Which Miles to Earn
Not all miles are created equal, and so it’s important to figure out which miles are best for getting you where you want to go.
If you want a general overview of which miles are the best, check out my rankings here.
For flying to South America, I knew that British Airways miles were great to use. So while I could have used American Airlines miles or United miles to go to Brazil, I chose BA because they charged the lowest fees.
Understanding the Rules of Using Miles
After you’ve collected the miles, it’s important to know a few basics about using them. This is the spot where most people give up, but in reality, a few simple rules go a long way.
Airline Alliances
A common misconception is that you can only use an airline’s miles to fly with that specific airline.
For example, most people believe that if they have British Airways miles, they can only fly with British Airways.
Nope!
Because of an awesome thing called airline alliances, it is actually much better than that.
British Airways is part of the OneworldAlliance, meaning that you can use BA miles to fly on any of the other 15 airlines in the Oneworld alliance.
To get to Brazil, I flew on AA, which is a Oneworld partner that has direct flights between New York and Rio.
With airline alliances (the other major one is Star Alliance), you can use your miles to fly practically anywhere in the world.
The 330 Day Rule
When you use frequent flyer miles to book a ticket, there is less availability than if you were to purchase that ticket.
If a plane has roughly 300 seats, they may open up 1/3 of them for people who wish to book award tickets (tickets “bought” with miles).
This means that knowing when to book is imperative.
Airlines will open their seats up for availability 330 days in advance.
If you’re trying to get a seat during a busy time, such as Christmas or the World Cup, you NEED to look as early as possible.
Knowing this, I got online exactly 330 days before the date I wanted to travel (June 12, 2014) and booked my tickets from New York to Rio.
When I checked later that evening all the tickets were already sold out!
The 6 Week Rule
If you miss out on an early ticket, more will get released sporadically, so keep checking.
However, the biggest number of seats get released about 6 weeks before the flight date.
This is when airlines look at their flight, realize most people have already bought a ticket if they want one, and release the remaining seats for people using miles.
Keep a close eye on tickets around the 6 week window. You’ll most likely see more seats open up, even for major events like the World Cup.
Where to Look and How to Book
Because the airline industry operates in the Stone Age, you may not always be able to see availability online.
For flights to Brazil, I was able to book the ticket online, but if you search online and don’t see anything, don’t give up.
Instead, call up the airline whose miles you are using and have the agents check availability for you. They often see things you aren’t able to search for online.
A great tool that is a bit more complicated but incredibly handy is Award Nexus. This is the weapon of choice of most frequent flyer experts for finding hidden availability.
Final Word(s)
If you have yet to start using frequent flyer miles, now is the time to start. You can literally fly anywhere in the world for less than $100.
Start by getting a good travel credit card (click here for my recommendations). Once you earn the miles, make sure to look for seats 330 days out, if possible.
Continuously check back for availability, and be aware that a large bunch of tickets may appear 6 weeks prior to the departure date.
And lastly, make sure to use all the tools at your disposal to find availability. Check online, call if you need to, and dig in to Award Nexus.
Start now and we’ll both be flying to Brazil on $5 tickets for the 2016 Olympics!
Want to travel to your dream destination for under $100? Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and you’ll be in the air in no time!
Has anyone else been able to use miles to get amazing deals to major world events? Let us know your biggest score in the comments below!
Children are often seen as a detriment to a life of travel.
With three girls under the age of five and many miles of travel under his belt, author and motivational speaker Grant Baldwin certainly disagrees with that!
Grant is constantly packing up his family of five and taking them on trips, leaving others to shake their heads and wonder how he can afford to do it.
And for work, Grant travels across the country giving talks to high school and college-aged students about the transition to real-life after schooling, making him quite the road warrior.
Today he joins us to share his tips on keeping business travel fun, balancing cost vs. comfort, and also how to travel with a family of five.
An apartment in Denver or a chance to travel the world?
Stability…or spontaneity?
The status quo…or the unknown?
Two years ago, Gigi Griffis packed up her stuff, including her dog Luna, and jumped into the world of travel headfirst.
And after living in some incredible places in Europe and having some amazing travel experiences, she’s sure she made the right choice.
Today, she shares with you some of her best tips on a host of different travel topics, including the practicalities of traveling with a pet (easier than you might think), how to start your freelance writing career, the truths about solo travel and the secret to finding cheaper accommodations anywhere you go.
And on top of all that, she even reveals her newest project, which is sure to help flip the traditional guidebook model on its head and is essential for anyone wishing to travel to Italy!
If you’re looking for inspiration or motivation to take the leap in to travel or want insanely practical advice on how to score cheap long term travel accommodations, then this is the show for you!
Gigi has given us some great tips for everything from traveling with pets to finding great restaurants and put us on the path to saving TONS on accommodation. Show her some love by clicking “Tweet This” below:
@GigiGriffis Thanks for the awesome #travel tips on apt. rentals and finding pet-friendly accoms on the EPoP Podcast w/ @packofpeanuts
In this episode of The Extra Pack of Podcast, Jason Lewis of Expedition360 joins me to talk about one of the most amazing feats in travel history, going around the entire world using just human power.
Jason began his trip “on a lark” in 1994, believing it would take him and a friend 3 or 4 years to complete the journey. 13 years later, Jason finally returned to his hometown of Greenwich, England with a Guinness World Record to his name and uncountable tales and memories.
He’ll recount some of his best moments, such as spending time with the natives in the remote Solomon Islands, and some of his worst, like getting hit by a car in Colorado and almost losing his legs.
And he’ll tell us just why he kept on going during this crazy journey, year after year, and how he believes travel has the power to change people.
Without knowing it, Jason became one of the main inspirations in my life after I first heard of Expedition 360, and I’m honored to have him on the show. His story is one that will inspire you to do things you didn’t think were possible and one you won’t soon forget.
So have a listen, and if you like the story, don’t forget to check out his book, Dark Waters, that is full of all the details we didn’t have time to get to!
If you haven’t already done so, I would love it if you took one minute (seriously, only one) to leave a quick rating and review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It is extremely important to help the show grow!
In this episode of the Extra Pack of Peanuts Travel Podcast, Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle joins me to discuss a variety of travel topics, including why he allows strangers to pick which country he will move to every 4 months, how being an idiot abroad is a positive thing, and why he currently has only 70 items to his name.
He also regales us with stories like a 72-hour bus trip through South America with a drunken bus driver, making $100 Skype calls from New Zealand, and much, much more.
Colin is one of the most interesting and fascinating people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and someone I’ve been personally following for a while now, so I’m super excited to have him on the show.
His passion for travel and life coupled with his unique perspective is something you don’t want to miss, so have yourself a listen!
If you’ve got a question for Colin, please feel free to post it in the comments below or ask him directly on Twitter @ColinIsMyName.
If you haven’t already done so, I would love it if you took one minute (seriously, only one) to leave a quick rating and review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It is extremely important to help the show grow!
