My Eastern Europe on a Shoestring
Ah, the art of travel hacking! If you have a good credit score and always pay off your credit card in full each month, you’ll love this. If not, don’t worry! You’ll get there one day.
I’ve enjoyed some great trips and made substantial savings thanks to credit card rewards. I first used travel hacking for a fun weekend away at FinCon in New Orleans in 2014, saving chunky money on my flight and hotel by playing it smart with my spending. More recently, I used an older rewards card plus some purchased points to transform a $620 flight to New Orleans into a $63 journey!
Last summer, I took a spontaneous trip to Iceland, and even with short notice, I managed to minimize the cost of my flight with reward points. But the big win was my trip to Hawaii which only cost me $2,000 due to some savvy travel reward hacking. For this, I experimented with some unique techniques, like opening and closing bank accounts to cycle through funds (known as churning).
Fast forward, Eastern Europe was my next stop. But this trip was a bit different. With only a month’s notice, I couldn’t leverage the usual hacks to a large extent, but I did manage to trim the costs.
We opted to stay at AirBnBs, so I headed to Raise.com to purchase discounted gift cards—scored a $20 save in 10 minutes. I even opened a Wells Fargo Propel card and snagged that $300 credit after dropping $3,000.
The trip cost us just over $2,100 for a 12-day adventure in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, covering everything from lodging, flights, and trains to food, city passes, opera tickets, and a day tour. Not to mention, a quick change of accommodation in Budapest due to bed bugs and a speedy shopping spree for clothing essentials at H&M.
The golden rule of travel hacking? Save what you can, when you can.
Don’t fret if credit card hacking isn’t your thing. You can always buy discounted gift cards on Raise for travel needs. Even using a card for most trip expenses, and then redeeming rewards as a statement credit is a quick workaround. The key is to time your applications and cancellations within a year to avoid fees—a mere 15-20 minutes total tasking.
Remember, with a short timeframe, you might not make massive savings, but given 6-9 months to plan, the potential for significant economies is vast.
Ever been to Prague, Budapest or Hungary? Share your favorite money-saving travels hacks!