It’s not always easy to travel - not even for “pros”.  There are some days / cities / countries that are simply hard – and that’s okay! To make you feel a bit better about any mishaps you have had on the road, I’d like to take a moment to humiliate myself for your amusement.

Madrid has been freezing for the last 7 months, so Bangkok was the ideal place to score some heat and catch up with quite a few travel bloggers who happen to be in the area. Don’t tell anyone – but I always get a bit nervous before meeting other bloggers. However, I met up with my darling friend from Madrid : the crazy, fabulous Fernando of Wondrlust and we headed to the meetup together.

Ian of Where Sidewalks End,  Matthew of Expert Vagabond, Turner of Around the World in 80 Jobs,  and James Clark of Nomadic Notes (who is celebrating TEN years of digital nomadism) took us to a close by location which is touted as a hidden restaurant gem. The name of said restaurant is being withheld to protect the innocent / guilty.

Once inside, the boys pored over the menu, revving their carnivorous appetites and engines, while feeble jawed Fernando and I asked the owner what options existed for vegetarians. She suggested I have the stir fried morning glory and Fernando chose the mixed veggies- a veritable smorgasbord of vitamins and minerals.

One of these things is not like the other.

The he-men ate all sorts of crazy dishes : boar, funky chicken, and a curry that brought most of them to tears. We were in the thick of a discussion about the Paleo diet when I started to feel a piercing pain shoot into my eyebrows.

I blinked it away and downed a few more glasses of cold water – the heat must be getting to me.
Things moved along smoothly for a few more minutes, until I felt like I was upside down on a roller coaster. My mouth was suddenly full of spit, and I knew it was coming.

I pardoned myself to Fernando whispering “I need to go outside – I think I am sick” and made for the exit asap. On the street, I looked for a place to discreetly lose my lunch, but my body was sending me the message that I had about 10 seconds before it hit the flip switch.

Luckily, littering is pretty prolific in Bangkok and a plastic bag was just ahead of me on the road, waiting to be my vomit vessel. I grabbed it, and leaned against a light post ever so casually.

Thanks to a hardcore night of partying the week before, I was well on my way to becoming a professional-cookie-tosser. Let’s not talk about what happened in the next two minutes – suffice to say, painful relocation of my dinner.

A bit embarrassed (okay, mortified) about my situation, I tied the bag and hid it behind a plant so that I could grab it as we left the restaurant and bin it.

When I sat back down at the table, conversation continued as normal and I think I held it together fairly well. Fernando was fretting, but that’s just because he’s a mama’s boy.

We paid the bill and as the group exited the restaurant, my body sent me another message that it was about to turn on me yet again. Shit. I ran back to the bag, untied the knot, and filled that beast up in the middle of the street. This can’t be happening.

Dying to keep a shred of dignity, I re-tied the bag, carried it in my left hand away from my body and walked down the street towards the SkyTrain with the crew, dumping it in the nearest bin. When the group started up the stairs for the train, I had to take my leave – terrified that I would pull a repeat on transportation.

like this — coming out of me.

Fernando, my Spanish Knight in Hairy Armor ran into oncoming traffic to flag down a taxi, telling the driver to take the freeway, and make it snappy, please.

We paid the toll and continued along the onramp, about to hit the freeway when I yelled to the driver to stop please!

I climbed over Fernando and doubled over in the emergency lane, hoping the driver didn’t think I was some drunk-idiot-farang when I felt Fernando’s comforting hand on my back. I looked to the right and saw the taxi driving away.

“Fernando!!! MY WALLET!” I screamed while running after the taxi that had my money, key to the hostel safe, and  my favorite lip gloss.

Luckily, the adrenaline moved my feet faster than normal and we were able to catch the car right before he merged onto the freeway. We got back in and I held my wallet close, thankful for not having the obstacle of replacing money to worry about.

Again, the retching begins. Fernando asked the driver for a bag. He doesn’t understand and I have only seconds before I have to use my own shoe. “Kleenex?!”

The driver finally understands, and digs out a plastic bag from the console. It’s the size of a grapefruit and I fill it in thirty seconds, dump it out the window (oh yeah, class act) and repeat.

Finally able to catch my breath, but not wanting to fill the car with the stench of Morning Glory and bile, I hung the bag out the window – but the humidity made everything worse …. so I rolled the window up, and let the bag o barf fly in the wind. Yup. I did that. No, I’m not proud of it.

Eventually, I made it back to the hostel and the staff at Mile Map were kind enough to give me an upgrade as well as re-hydration salts and fuss over me.

The next day, I woke weak but due to the extreme and fast nature of the food poisoning, I was able to still go ahead with my chores for the day : write blog posts, not vomit, and get my hair dyed. What could possibly go wrong?

I’ll tell you. Stay tuned for Bent Over in Bangkok : Part 2!

The post Bent Over in Bangkok – Part 1 appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

It’s not often I resort to tears while traveling, but last year in Thailand was an exception. I’d just arrived to the island of Koh Samui and was dying to break into the newest Haruki Murakami book, 1Q84.

However, when I opened the cover of my Kindle – I received a terrible surprise. My screen was cracked, and the words of the last page read mingled with the face of Mark Twain in a strange impressionist e-painting of sorts.

My eyes felt wide as I stared at the horror. As if by magic, little droplets of water began bouncing off the screen, making the image even more surreal. Eventually, I realized these beads were my tears. Sobbing, I realized just how important the Kindle was to me, my trip, and my happiness.

Within one week, I’d replaced it and devoured 1Q84. Since then, my Kindle (that I’ve named Kindy) and I have been inseparable.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a paperback book as much as the next nerdy girl. There’s no arguing the romance of flipping the pages of a well loved book, feeling the texture brush past your fingers while inhaling the (hopefully pleasant) scent of owners past.

Cigarette smoke, coffee stains and old ink mingle to create an obscure picture of where the tale has traveled. What is as wonderfully mysterious as imagining the possibilities of the people who read and loved the words before you?

Not breaking your back – that’s what!

 Save Your Spine

If you’re a voracious reader on a long journey, you will no doubt be flying through several thousand pages. It’s simply impractical to carry enough material to satiate your literary hunger. Sure, you can rely on hostel book swaps – but often times the dime store romance novels are all that’s left on the shelf.

It’s your vacation – do you want to spend it reading mediocre literature or making your way through your book list?

No Bringers Remorse

Just in case you have no time for reading, you wont regret / loathe your decision to bring an assortment of options. How many times have you drug along a lovely book, only to be weighed down by it for the entire trip and wind up giving it away or leaving it on a dusty hostel bookshelf? Exactly.

Bite The Bullet

It took me quite some time to be convinced that I 1) should spend $100 on a book 2) would enjoy reading on a digital screen, and if you’re facing these same obstacles before buying a Kindle – I have to tell you, you won’t regret it!

Long-haul transportation is a breeze with a veritable library at your fingertips, and these bad boys can last up to a month without needing a charge. That means you’re able to read what you want, when you want. Is there anything better than that?

Yes, there is- reading yours truly on Kindle! Last week, Passports and Panties – my first ebook on solo female travel – became available for purchase on Amazon. When I downloaded my copy, and saw my own name on a for-real book cover, I was once again bathing Kindy in girl tears.

Thank you all – so much – for the continued support, readership, friendship, and for making this possible. I’m honored, humbled, and going to stop there before we get to a third crying over Kindle.

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Budget travel is usually synonymous with hostels. Whether backpacking for months on end or escaping for a quick weekend, unless you’ve got cash to burn, hostels are on the itinerary. While they’re one of the cheapest and best ways to meet people and join pre-planned activities like dinners, tours and daytrips, hostel life comes with a major downside: obnoxious dorm-mates.

Hostel for budget travel photo: axonmanage

Don’t get me wrong, I have stayed in more than 40 hostels worldwide and have made life-long friends as a result, but I have also met the roommates from hell. Here are five tips to make the most of your experience and not be that guy/girl:

1. Don’t Be A Waking Nightmare

If you’re going out at night and you know you’ll be back late, set out everything you’ll need when you get back beforehand (ie: pajamas, toothbrush etc.). You may think you’re being quiet while drunkenly rummaging through your things at 4 am but you’re not. And for the love of God DO NOT turn on the light. Your roommates shouldn’t have to be woken up because you were too lazy to have things ready. It makes life easier for everyone if you’re prepared.

Hostel photo: Sam@flickr

2. Don’t Be a Human Alarm Clock

Ditto for checking out early. If you know you’ve got to leave at 5 am to catch a bus to Prague, pack your things before going to bed. Not only do you get to sleep in a bit, you can head out much quicker. Pack a flashlight or use your phone if you need a little bit of light.

3.  Keep It In Your Pants – Or Private Room

So you meet the (temporary) love of your life at X bar/disco/coffeeshop/museum and you decide to bring him/her back to your hostel. You only live once, right? WRONG.

The idea of being gently rocked to sleep is amazing if you’re a baby,not so much if you’re the person asleep on the bottom bunk while the bed above you is swaying. Aside from the infinite hygiene concerns, lack of privacy and the fact that you’re probably breaking numerous hostel rules, are you really going to be that selfish? Have respect for the other people in the room who did NOT sign up for that.

4. Take What You’re Given

See that locker that is kind of annoying to reach? Well guess what, it’s yours. Oh, you wanted the one that’s over there? Well, too bad.  Stick to the one you are assigned, not the one that’s most convenient for you. Oh, and be glad you even have a locker as many hostels don’t offer them. Same deal for beds; if you have an assigned bed DO NOT switch it without getting permission from reception. If beds aren’t assigned then have at it, assuming you choose one that isn’t already taken of course.

5.  Not Your Momma!

Maybe you’re naturally messy, or someone cleans up after you but do not leave your stuff (especially dirty laundry!) all over the room. It’s disgusting and a tripping hazard for the roomie rolling in at 4 am in the dark.

Hostel dorm rooms are meant to be a community space where you can meet other like minded (and like budgeted) travelers and make long lasting connections. Being a good roomie will ensure that you have the best possible experience. What hostel mistakes ruffle your feathers??

About: Amy Sharaf

She likes to go with the flow and see where she ends up. She’s a hard-core planner but once she has seen everything she wanted to, it’s fair game.

Unplanned day trips, excursions, or just extra time aimlessly wandering the streets or people watching are what keep her occupied. Usually a balance of busy days and relaxing ones helps break up the flow, especially during lengthy trips. Get to know more about Amy here.

The post Do You Make One Of These Obnoxious Hostel Mistakes? appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

The same thing that makes me an expert on getting robbed while traveling makes me the perfect person to tell you what not to do while spending your vacation soaking up sun.

When I was a young girl on one of our family vacations,  I returned back to the hotel a deep shade of “fresh lobster”.  I thought the Mississippi Coast sun was no match for the quick coat of generic “mysterious white goo block” that I’d slapped on earlier that morning.  The price was paid when I had to sleep sitting up for two days. Ouch.

Now, I’m older, wiser and definitely keeping track of how many sun spots, wrinkles and blemishes my skin is taking on. Learn from my mistakes, girls and boys.  If you’re a conscientious and regular sun screen wearer – you’ve passed this class and can skip to the end where a sweet video reward awaits you.

Don’t Let This Happen To You!
photo : Kelly Sue

If you’re a sweaty grease monkey who is still burning even though you apply sun protection – buckle up – I’m about to scare you all the way to the dermatologist.

 So Fresh, So Clean

No one wants to look like those nasty life guards with a thick slathering of zinc oxide on the nose, but we all want to protect our skin for health (and vain) reasons.

A huge drawback of wearing sunscreen is the oily, sweaty “my face is falling off” face. Make sure you get an oil free sunblock that is for faces and non-comedogenic before you start rubbing it all over your money maker. (ahem, I mean your face)

Washing your face between each sunscreen application is ideal, but let’s be honest- you’re not gonna do that. A nice alternative is applying a mineral makeup powder that has SPF properties to set your face for the next application, or bringing face wipes to start over.

It’s Not Working! SPFaux Paus

There are different levels and options for protection on sunscreen: the UVA is critical for skin cancer prevention against the most typical rays.

Do you want a face like a Shar Pei at forty? Then you better get some UVB protection, too. If you’re lucky enough to be near water, buy waterproof – not water resistant or you’ll be baring your skin in half the time.

The wonderful Julie of Huliee Hoops, who specializes in travel fitness says

Apply or Fry

It’s time to dump your sunblock if it:

•  doesn’t cover UVA and UVB protection
•  isn’t oil free (if you’re a human french fry like me)
•   it’s expired (always check for this!)
•   is not waterproof and you’re beach bound.

If I haven’t convinced you yet take 5 minutes to listen to this video.  Always wear sunscreen.

The post It’s Time to Dump Your Sunblock. What??? appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

“What’s a blog with information on how to travel for free doing writing up all inclusive resorts?” my friend questioned, her lip snarled and eyebrow reaching the “you’re-such-a-hypocrite” level of arch.

Can  a “real traveler” indulge without being thought of as a pampered sell out?

Make Mine A Double

“I love me some all-inclusive packages” I defended.

She crossed her arms, clearly not impressed.

Not afraid of a little battle, I dove in:
“Imagine backpacking- hardcore backpacking. Not this pre-planned, hostels booked, mom on speed dial traveling style- no.

Sleeping in sketchy places, trading work for a roof over your head, skipping showers more often than not, racing to catch transportation, your back aching from carrying your life months on end. You smell. You’re tired.

Now, imagine laying on a white sandy beach with no more struggles for the day but to decide whether a mojito or pina colada sounds better and if you’re turning over in time to even out that melanoma.”

As expected, her face followed the story; wincing with the reality of long-term backpacking. Like the tart juice from the lime makes the sugar of a mojito taste better, the stinky, sweaty months of backpacking make the few days of an all inclusive resort that much more of a treat.

To be perfectly clear, this is not to say that I am in support of all-inclusive resorts as an exclusive means of travel. If all you want to do is lay on a beach and be spoken to in English, it’s probably best to not leave your native country. However, there are times that call for a bit of pampering, relaxation and automation. Let’s break it down.

PROS:

Everything handed to you on a platter. Yeah, that covers it. Where do I sign?

CONS: 

Kids.
Whoa, put down your pitchforks. It’s cool that have you kid(s), but I take a lot of precautionary measures in my life to ensure that I don’t. That means when it comes time for me to lay back and soak up some sun, the last thing I want is to hear the shrill shriek of a tantrum-ing toddler. No, thank you.

For this reason I always ensure the hotel has a family-unfriendly policy and recommend you do the same.

Ahhh, The Backpackers Resort
Photo: Inside The Travel Lab

Not supporting the local economy.

(Un)fortunately most resorts are self contained, eliminating the need for you to step off their property – which is awesome – unless you’re a locally-owned restaurant or bar.

In the interest of fairness, I make it a point to frequent the outside bars twice as much before and after my visit. Hard work, but someone’s got to do it!

The Verdict

By being a diverse, dirty, exhausted and smelly backpacking beast, you will truly appreciate every minute (your mom paid for) spent relaxing in a clean paradise of alcoholic beverages, beaches, and beds that come with sheets.

There is a time and place for everything, and like mojitos it’s apparently not socially acceptable to subsist off resorts alone.

What’s your take – a little resort R&R, or hardcore to the bone?

The post All Inclusive Resorts – Would You Like a Fight With That? appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

The term “Bucket List” never appealed to me.

Instead of planning out a lot of things I’d like to do before I kick it – I’d rather live every day like it’s the one and only.

Some of this stuff is downright crazy, but you only live once (maybe? not gonna pretend I have that answer).

Forget Regret. Live Life.

Chinese orphans photo: sheilaz413

# 1 Volunteer In A Chinese Orphanage.

I remember the moment this became a dream. I was five (maybe six?) and Dateline was on the tv.
Oma was in the kitchen – I can still smell the soup on the stove.

The screen showed a row of baby girls in high chairs in a Chinese orphanage – then the dry voice crackled through the television “babies, just like this are dying every day in China from a lack of human contact.” The anchor woman continued to talk about how – even with proper shelter and nutrition – the lack of physical connection, will lead to the eventual death of these babies.

“We need to go hug Chinese babies, Oma.” I proclaimed as I walked into the kitchen, hands on my hips.
My arms weren’t very big yet, but the dreams were.

# 2 Attend A Proper Tea Ceremony In Japan*
* preferably with Haruki Murakami

Something about the intricate details and dedication to ritual simply enchant me. With each ceremony there is a procession and order that is adhered to, a piece of each family’s history is served through each action.

The tradition is steeped for thousands of years, but your tea for a few perfect moments. What’s not to love about this?

Tea ceremony in Japan photo: mrhayata

# 3 Free Diving With Great Whites

Imagine one of these graceful giants swimming up to you – nose to nose. Just thinking about it gets my palms sweaty and my heart pounding- ready to jump off the ship and into the water.

Where else can you find such a marvelous and vicious creature matching your curiosity ounce for ounce?

#4Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan

Since my first experience with Meteora, Greece – monasteries have become one of my favorite places to visit.

The lore and fables that have stemmed from this particular Monastery are tied in with the very roots of Buddhism, and I’ve no doubt that when I make the hike up the path, I will wish that I was on the back of a flying tiger, too.

Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan photo: Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn)

# 5 A Boat Ride in the Congo

Not many little girls live their childhood dreaming of the Congo as a lush playground of possibilities- but I’m not exactly average.

Raised on stories of adventure all over the world, I can’t tell you how many days of childhood were spent playing “Congo boat ride” with impromptu crocodile attacks, pirating, and screams.

#6 Cable Car in Switzerland

Maybe it’s the awesome Ricola commercials but the idea of taking a cable car through the Alps (obviously there’s hot chocolate involved in this fantasy) is one of the very few times I choose to withstand a cold climate.

There appears to be something magical in the stillness of these mountains, and taking them in from above simply captivates me.

#7 Spending The Night Alone On An Island

It could be the city life eating away at any semblance of personal space and solitude, but there’s few things more tempting to me than cuddling up in the sand and letting a blanket of sun envelop me.

The fact that I am the only one on the island is pure selfishness and desire to be FREE.

Elephant Nature Park

# 8 Riding An Elephant / Protecting The Elephants

Uh oh. This actually used to be very high on my list — but since my outstanding & powerful visit to the ENP in Chiang Mai, Thailand I’ve reformed my thinking and am now repulsed by this act. (take a second and educate yourself as to why this is so, so wrong)

Instead of subjecting an intelligent creature to a pointless act for my amusement, my wish has transformed into simply spending more time with these magnificent beings. My favorite ele in the world goes by the name of Sri Prae and in less than a month I will be kissing her trunk, and watching her adorable son, Navann, bring joy to the whole park.

# 9 Write The Story

Everyone has a story inside.

Mine’s been stewing since I learned to string words together, but they never leave me faster than when I sit to write “THE story”.

One day, I will find a way to reach inside and wrap my fingers around these words, pulling them from the deep literary organ* and drag this story out of my body.
Then I will smash my heart against the white screen, watching the black letters follow the flow of the cursor and sit back, praying it came out right. One Day.

*this must be the liver – hence the prolific alcoholic author stereotype

#10 Do What I Want

Oops. This might be considered cheating since it’s not an “event” but a motto — it’s still just as important.
Life is shorter than any of us know.

In Memory of Adam Bromley, whose life and work made our world a better place.

The post Strangely Personal: My Top 10 Secret Dreams appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

Sitting on a beautiful beach in Bali, sipping a cold Bintang and watching the waves roll in while getting a foot massage, I thought “Life doesn’t get much better thanthis.”

And really, it doesn’t. I had just come from Singapore, where I had spent a few days sampling some of the world’s best food and taking in the amazing sights of one of the world’s most modern cities.

In 7 days, I was on my way to India to see the Taj Mahal, camel trek through the desert, and of course, eat some more delicious food.

In between, I was enjoying the splendid beaches and stunning rice terraces of this amazing island paradise.

The reason I could do all this?

You guessed it: I’m rich.

But not in the way you’re thinking.

You see, I’m miles rich.

As in, frequent flyer miles.

And just how rich am I? Well, in the last year I’ve been able to earn over 1 million frequent flyer miles.

To put that in perspective, the trip I just told you about, roundtrip from Japan to India with stops in Singapore and Indonesia, costs me 40,000 miles.

Math experts will tell you that I could do that same trip 25 times before exhausting my stash of miles.

And if I really want to spoil myself, I could upgrade to first class and take the trip 15 times a year!

Decisions, decisions. What a rough life!

But here’s the kicker: You can do EXACTLY the same thing!

Ways to Earn Frequent Flyer Miles

The biggest misconception about frequent flyer miles is that you can only earn them from flying a lot.

WRONG!

Out of the 1 million miles I earned in the past year, only 8,000 of them came from flying. Yep, less than 1%!

So where did all those other miles come from?

Credit Card photo: theMaykazine

1. Credit Card Signups

Before you roll your eyes and think that I’m telling you to go out and get yourself in boatloads of debt, hear me out.

In fact, I’m telling you the opposite.

Start slowly. Open up one card and get used to it. Learn how to set up online payments. Always pay off your balance.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

The only way you’ll continue to be able to earn miles through credit cards is if you are responsible with your spending. Get yourself in debt and you’ll not only be screwing yourself in life, but you can wave all those frequent flyer miles goodbye.

The first thing to do before even considering this option is to check your credit,which can be done for free at Credit Sesame and Credit Karma. If you’ve got a scoreof over 700, you should be able to get approved the best credit cards out there.

Most of the best credit cards offer a pretty substantial sign up bonus, which is where you can really rack up some frequent flyer miles. For example, by opening just one card that offers a 50,000 mile sign up bonus, you’ll already have a free roundtrip ticket to Europe.

Now we’re talking!

When opening a credit card, one thing to pay special attention to is the minimum spend requirement. If the card requires you to spend $1,000 in 3 months in order

to get the sign up bonus, make sure you do it. If not, you won’t get the miles and you can kiss that free plane ticket goodbye!

Earn credit card points photo: StockMonkeys.com

2. Smart Spending

The second way to pull in a decent amount of frequent flyer miles is through smart spending, with a heavy emphasis on SMART!

Having a credit card is not a green light to spend freely and recklessly. It shouldn’t mean that you go out and buy that new designer purse or 65” tv you’ve always

wanted.

Instead, simply use your credit card to pay for all the purchases that you would make anyway.

A standard credit card will offer you 1 mile for every $1 you spend, so that $50 grocery bill just became 50 miles!

Some cards will even offer bonus categories that will earn you even more miles. For example, a card may offer you 2x miles for every $1 spent on gas. Spend $40 and

earn 80 miles. That helps take the sting out of filling up!

So put those bills away and start swiping your plastic at every opportunity and you’ll be staring at a nice chunk of frequent flyer miles in no time.

Online Shopping photo: WordShore

3. Online Shopping

I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I absolutely hate shopping. Ok, let me rephrase that. I absolutely hate shopping AT THE STORE.

But in the comfort of my own home, at any time of day, with thousands of options at my finger tips? It’s not so bad.

And the best part about it? You can earn TONS of frequent flyer miles for buying the same things you were going to buy in the store.

Every airline and credit card company (Chase, American Express, Citi) has their own shopping portal. Within each portal, there are thousands of shops that will offer you varying amounts of miles for buying their product through the shopping portal.

For example, I recently made a $100 purchase at Nike. If I had gone directly to nike.com, I would have earned 100 frequent flyer miles for using my credit card.

However, the Chase shopping portal was offering an additional 10x miles per $1 spent at the Nike store.

I took 2 minutes to route from the Chase shopping portal to Nike.com and that $100 purchase earned me 1,100 miles!

Special deals pop up all the time, especially around holidays (how’d you like to earn 25x miles per $1 spent on flowers for Mother’s Day?) so be on the lookout.

Forego the crowds, save yourself gas money, and earn tons of frequent flyer miles by shifting your shopping online.

Have Miles, Now What?

 
Now it’s time to travel to your dream destination!

By using frequent flyer miles to “buy” your ticket, you’ll be able to fly anywhere in the world for virtually free.

While you’ll still have to pay some miscellaneous fees, these pale in comparison to the price of a plane ticket. I’ve been able to fly to Australia, Japan, India, Thailand,Spain and many other places all for less than 2 tanks of gas!

In addition, there are also some other cool benefits that using frequent flyer miles gives you.

Remember that trip I took above? I was able to stop in 3 different places (Singapore,Indonesia, and India) and in essence, have three different vacations.

By taking advantages of a thing called stopovers and open jaws, you can use your miles to travel to multiple cities for the same amount of miles as just traveling to one.

Why go to just Paris when you can go to Barcelona and Rome as well?

Another cool feature of award tickets is that most airlines will allow you to change your dates after you book for no extra fee. If anyone has ever tried to change a date on a purchased ticket before, you know just how hard (and costly) this can be. By using frequent flyer miles, you have a lot more flexibility in making changes.

So, what are you waiting for?

Frequent flyer miles have given me the amazing ability to hop on a plane at anytime and visit any place in the world for pennies, which means more money for foot

massages!

And now, you can do the same thing! So start collecting those miles and begin packing because that dream vacation will be a reality sooner than you know it!

“If you’re ready to learn more about how to travel around the world for free, check out the Ultimate Guide to Frequent Flyer Miles“.

The post How to get free airfare appeared first on It's One World...Travel.

If you’ve already staked out your next big vacation, it’s time to start planning. The most challenging preparation lies between today and your travel date, and your primary task to tackle for your trip is figuring out how you plan to pay for it. If you don’t want to put it all on your credit card, a little ingenuity when it comes to making money is in order. Here’s how you can increase your earnings before you take off.

Sell your belongings.

one efficient way to sell your belongings. Photo by: louisa_catlover

Even if you’re not planning on becoming a nomadic backpacker, you can still benefit from getting rid of some of the clutter in your life before you embark on your big trip. You can pull in a lot of cash by sifting through old belongings and putting them up for sale.

One efficient way to do this is to have a garage sale. However, if you’re not one to stand in the sweltering heat or the frigid cold all day, you can also use a site like Ebay or Amazon to sell your belongings online. The beauty of this kind of plan is that you can sell it all–clothing, workout equipment, musical instruments and books–from the same account. And if you want to get money for old DVDs and CDs, you can use a similar site that focuses on entertainment items, such as Music Magpie, to get a better sellback price.

Monetize your hobby.

making money out of the things you love doing. photo by: roberthuffstutter

No matter what you like to do in your free time, you can figure out a way to make money from it. Turning one of your favorite activities into a part-time or weekend gig is a much more enjoyable way to save for your trip than getting a part-time job because it allows you to make your own schedule and do something that you’re truly interested in.

If you are a gardener, you could consider offering your landscaping services to your neighbors or selling bouquets made from flowers you grew. And if you like to bake, you could make kitschy and creative baskets filled with baked goods to sell to family and friends. Likewise, almost anyone can become a private tutor by using the knowledge that he or she has gained in a particular industry.

Become a deals hawk.

saving = earning.Photo by: Kenn Wilson

Lastly, as your trip draws near, you’ll have to think about making all the travel arrangements for it. You could save a lot of your hard-earned money by searching for deals on flights, accommodations and food. Sign up for daily email alerts to make it easier for you to find the deals that you can use. And remember, every dollar you save is a dollar that you’ve worked twice as hard for, so this kind of saving could be worth more than getting a second job.

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