Travel hacking tips to help you be a jetsetting ninja on the cheap

See the world on a budget

Travel junkies agree that being single and childless helps loosen the belt on their travel budget. One of the keys to traveling on the cheap is a tactic called “travel hacking”. Basically, all that is required is to open credit cards with sign-up mileage bonuses with rewards and downpayments that help jet-setters travel for less than average using miles rather than mileage. Most frequent flyer miles that travel hackers earn are on the ground as travel hackers open a series of cards with mileage points.

Most travel hacking is about using miles and rewards to get free flights or accommodation. True hackers accumulate flyers and hotel points through signing up for cards, filling out forms or entering contests.

Some tips

* Sign up for airline credit cards because frequent flyer miles are the lifeblood of travel hacking. Airlines reward branded credit cards with bnus miles and other treatments.

* Be aware of special promotions that are offered for mileage points.

* Sign up for generic travel cards that enable users to redeem points or miles that can be redeemed for travel.

* Use airfare aggregators to compare airfares across multiple airlines and travel sites at the same time – make sure you go beyond conventional airfare sites.

* Watch for cheaper flights and calculate when lower fares are available to your destination of choice and make sure you are aware of airfares to popular destinations over times.

* Follow travel blogs for deals

* With hotel accommodation make sure you bargain and name your own price.