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How to Find and Rent Furnished Apartments While Traveling
The benefits of staying in a furnished apartment when traveling are innumerable – including lots of space, local insider knowledge, and the ability to stay in less touristy, more authentic neighborhoods.
However, finding a good apartment can feel overwhelming.
There are a lot of variables to consider, including price, location, cleanliness, and convenience.
This is where we come in.
The Ultimate Guide to Packing a Carry-On Bag
After years of traveling the world, we’ve come to an important conclusion: traveling lighter is better.
When you travel light, you’re so much more mobile. Whether you’re backpacking across Europe or rushing through the streets of Tokyo, bringing less stuff with you opens up more room for experiences.
And by far the best way to travel light is to pack only a carry-on. To many travelers, this will seem impossible; how can you possibly fit everything you need in a small rolling bag or backpack?
As you’ll see in this guide, however, it’s a lot easier than you might think.
And once you switch to carry-on only packing, you’ll wonder why you ever needed a big, bulky suitcase.
7 Exciting and Affordable Hotel Alternatives
It’s no secret that I prefer airline miles over hotel points by a wide margin. Why? When I’m traveling, I enjoy staying at places that provide a more authentic experience.
Not that I don’t have hotel points; I do. And don’t get me wrong, I’d appreciate a stay at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme or the Hilton Bora Bora Resort as much as the next person.
But while those places are amazing in their own right, as a general rule of thumb I look for alternative accommodation options when traveling.
Here are 7 ways you can stay in a place that offers a more interesting experience than the typical chain hotel, while also saving a lot of money.
Maximize Your Miles: Understanding Stopovers and Open Jaws
Learning about travel hacking changes your whole perspective on travel. Instead of being content paying whatever prices the airlines want to charge, you start to look for any way you can to get a better deal. In the beginning, this usually means using travel credit cards to quickly earn miles and then redeeming those miles for maximum value After that, you may look into ways to get cheaper accommodation, such as housesitting or signing up for a hotel credit card. If you’ve done all of that, then you’re already miles ahead of the typical traveler. But what if you want to take things to the next level? What if you want to visit multiple cities without paying for extra flights, or get a free mini-vacation on your way to another city?
The 59 Best Gifts for Travelers in 2020
Every year, for the past eight years, we’ve scoured the globe to find the most unique, most useful, and best gifts for travelers on the planet (tough life, I know).
And in those past eight years, our annual “best gifts for travelers” guide has become one of the most popular travel gift guides in the world!
So if you’re struggling with what to get the traveler in your life, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered again this year.
Pre-Travel Checklist: 24 Things to Do Before You Travel
Everyone knows the last few days before a trip can be hectic.
Whether you are going to the beach for a weekend or traveling abroad for a month (or two, or three), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all the tasks that need to be done.
To help alleviate a lot of stress and last-minute running around, we created this handy pre-travel checklist.
16 Tips to Survive a Long-Haul Flight
Walking along the beach in Bali and gazing out over the expansive water was enough to make us dread our upcoming flight the next day.
A flight that would begin our 27-hour journey back to Philadelphia.
Flying home for the holidays sounded like a great idea – until it really sunk in that we would be in transit for longer then it takes most people to plan their entire trip.
Because this was not the first time, nor the last, that Trav and I would be embarking on such a long journey, we decided to make a list of all the things we do to make long-haul flights more enjoyable bearable.
Should You Close a Credit Card? Here’s How to Decide
It’s a question I get asked more than almost any other:
Should I cancel a credit card?
There are a lot of questions, rumors, and misinformation surrounding when, and if, you should cancel a credit card. And unfortunately, many people do the wrong thing! The answer, of course, isn’t cut and dry, and so I’ve broken down the main question into a few smaller ones to make it easier to figure out whether you should cancel a credit card or not
How to Earn and Use British Airways Avios Points
British Airways has a bad reputation in the travel hacking community. Sure, they fly to a large number of destinations, and they have an extensive frequent flyer program. However, they’re notorious for charging fuel surcharges that can be hundreds of dollars. For this reason, you might think it’s better to just avoid British Airways altogether. This would be a mistake. While British Airways miles (known as “Avios”) can be obnoxious to use, they do offer great value on certain trips. So in this guide, we’re going to take a look at how the British Airways Avios program works. We’ll discuss what Avios points are, as well as how to earn and use Avios points for maximum value.
15 Tips for Getting Cheap Car Rentals Every Time
Renting a car can be a pain. It’s a pain on your sanity with all the strange rules and policies of the rental companies. And it’s also a pain on your wallet, with rentals costing way more than you want to pay. I’ve rented my share of cars over the years, and in the process I’ve figured out how to pay as little as possible. Below, I share my best tips for getting cheap car rentals every time.
How to Get Cheap Flights with Frequent Flyer Miles
To date, I’ve traveled to over 50 countries for under $100. My wife and I have flown to the World Cup in Rio for $5 (total, not each). And I’ve flown business class from Tokyo to New York for less than the cost of a tank of gas.
The secret to my exceedingly cheap flights? It’s not because I have connections in the airline industry or am some kind of secret agent. No, the answer is simple: frequent flyer miles.
Earning frequent flyer miles isn’t complex, and it doesn’t require you to spend thousands of dollars on flights. All it requires is an understanding of how the system works, and how to use it to your advantage.
25 Ways (and Counting) to Meet Minimum Spend Requirements
Earning frequent flyer miles and travel rewards through credit card sign-up bonuses is far and away the best way to get large chunks of points quickly.
In fact, it’s the way that I’ve earned over 90% of my 3 million frequent flyer miles in the last four years.
However, when deciding which credit cards are right for you, there is one thing you must be keenly aware of:
The minimum spend requirement.
How to Find the Cheapest Flights Every Time
Flying can be one of the most expensive parts of traveling. Depending on where you’re going, a flight could run you anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars. And that doesn’t even include the cost of getting to and from the airport or checking luggage.
But while flying can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be if you know the right strategies. That’s why in this article we’re going to look at how you can get the cheapest flights every time you travel.
Follow these steps, and you’ll have more money left over to spend on fun things (like the world’s best gelato).
How to Get Access to Any Airport Lounge (Without Being a Millionaire)
After checking your luggage, getting through security, and finding your gate, you settle down for a few minutes of rest before your flight.
But how are you supposed to relax when it’s noisy, your seat is dirty and uncomfortable, and the airport WiFi isn’t working?
You glance across the terminal and see a group of people relaxing in a lounge, separate from the noise and chaos of the terminal. If only you could somehow join this elite group of people, all the madness of the airport would fade away.
How to Get Free Accommodation with House Sitting
One of the most expensive parts of travel is accommodation. There are lots of ways to make accommodation cheaper, including earning credit card points and staying in hostels instead of hotels. But still, accommodation is rarely free.
However, there is a little-known way to stay in awesome places around the world for free. The technique? House sitting.
In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know about house sitting, including how it works, why we love it, and how you can use house sitting to save on your next adventure.
Everything You Need to Know About TSA PreCheck
Airport security is the worst. I mean, of course, it’s great that it keeps us safe while flying, but going through airport security is an experience that feels like purgatory. This is especially true at large, busy airports such as ATL and LAX, where it can routinely take over an hour just to get through security screening. However, there is a way to make airport security faster and less frustrating. It’s a program called TSA PreCheck. In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about the PreCheck program. We’ll cover what TSA PreCheck is, why it’s worth it, and how to apply for it. Let’s get started!
Global Entry: Our Full Review + Application Guide
Getting back into the United States after an international trip is an unpleasant process. You have to stand in long lines, answer endless questions from border control officers, and generally waste a lot of time. However, there is a way to avoid much of this frustration. It’s a program called Global Entry, and it can allow you to re-enter the United States more quickly and with less hassle. In this guide, we’ll look at everything you need to know about the Global Entry program, from how much it costs to how to apply. That way, you can skip the lines when you return from your next international trip.
![Which Southwest Credit Card Is Right for You? [Full Review + Comparison]](https://extrapackofpeanuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/southwest-credit-card-featured-1080x675.jpg)
Which Southwest Credit Card Is Right for You? [Full Review + Comparison]
Here at EPOP, we love getting the best deals we can on airfare. That’s why we’re big fans of Southwest Airlines for many of our domestic travel needs. The airline offers exceptional value, with 2 free checked bags, a carry-on bag, and a personal item. Plus, the fares are some of the lowest you’ll find.
But what if there were a way to make your already affordable Southwest flights even more affordable? We’re talking (basically) free flights, free in-flight WiFi, and even free in-flight (ahem, adult) beverages.
When you get one of the Southwest credit cards, all of the above (and more) are possible. In this guide, we’ll examine all of the credit cards that Southwest currently offers.
Why the Capital One Venture Card Belongs in Your Wallet (Full Card Review)
We’re always on the lookout for the best travel credit card offers here at EPOP. The landscape of credit card rewards programs is constantly shifting, with exciting new offers launching all the time. Therefore, when we heard that Capital One had improved their Venture card, we were naturally interested. And after taking a look at the card, we’re now more confident in recommending it than ever before. Below, we’ll take a look at everything the Capital One Venture card offers to travelers, including the current sign-up bonus and other exciting perks. This way, you can decide if it’s a card worth adding to your wallet.
Chase Ink Business Preferred: Our Full Review
There are more opportunities now than ever to use credit card rewards programs to travel very cheaply. One of our favorite travel rewards programs out there is Chase Ultimate Rewards, as it lets you redeem points you earn for flights, hotels, and even car rentals at a wide variety of partners.
To start earning Chase points, we recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred. Both have large sign-up bonuses that can easily cover the cost of a transcontinental flight or several nights at a hotel.
However, once you’ve exhausted the sign-up bonuses for Chase’s personal travel credit cards, what are you supposed to do next?