The Complete Beginner's Guide to Travel Hacking

Stop Paying Full Price for Flights. Start Traveling the World on Points.

Learn the exact system one family used to visit 20+ countries, fly to Europe for $27 in taxes and fees, and take their kids to Japan for $585 total.

Travel Hacking by Sean Bryant
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104 pages of in-depth, actionable strategy. No fluff. No filler.

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20+
Countries visited on points
$27
Taxes & fees for 4 people to Europe
18
In-depth chapters
14yrs
Of real-world experience

You're leaving thousands of dollars on the table every year.

Every time you search for flights and cringe at the prices, someone else is booking the same seat for $27 in taxes and fees.

Every time you put a hotel on your credit card, someone else is staying in a $400-a-night hotel for free.

And every time you think "travel hacking sounds complicated," you're leaving another trip on the table.

"I always assumed points and miles were for people who fly for work constantly. I had no idea a regular family could rack up enough points to travel internationally. I was completely wrong."

— A common realization after reading this book

Here's the truth: travel hacking isn't complicated. It's just a system most people never take the time to learn. The airlines and banks designed these programs on purpose. They want you using them. The miles sitting in your account are a liability on their balance sheet.

You just need someone to show you how it works.

This started with a flight to Costa Rica and a pregnancy test.

About 14 years ago, my wife and I used a 75,000-mile signup bonus to fly to Costa Rica. We paid almost nothing out of pocket. She told me she was pregnant on that trip.

I had no idea that trip would turn into a 14-year habit that would take our family to Japan, South Korea, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland, and more than 20 countries total. Most of those flights cost us under $100 per person in taxes and fees.

$27.70
Total taxes and fees for our entire family of 4 to fly to Europe

When I transferred Chase points to United and booked 4 one-way tickets to Croatia, that's what we paid. Total. For all 4 of us. The cash price for those same flights was over $3,000.

I'm not a wealthy guy who flies business class everywhere. I'm a volume traveler. I'd rather take my whole family to Argentina than sit alone in a premium cabin seat. This summer we're flying all 4 of us to Buenos Aires on 160,000 American Airlines miles for flights that would cost $6,400 in cash.

This book is the system I wish I'd had on day one. Everything I've learned, tested, and refined over 14 years. Written so anyone can pick it up and use it.

What travel hacking actually looks like

These aren't hypotheticals. These are real trips booked using the exact strategies in this book.

✈ Croatia & Slovenia
Travelers Family of 4
Cash price $3,000+
Miles used 90,000 United miles
Taxes & fees $27.70
✈ Argentina
Travelers Family of 4
Cash price $6,400
Miles used 160,000 AA miles
CPP value 4 cents per mile
✈ Ireland
Travelers Family of 3
Airline flown Aer Lingus
Miles used 80,000 Avios
Booked through British Airways
🏨 Seoul, South Korea
Hotel Grand Hyatt Seoul
Cash rate $400+/night
Points used 15,000 Hyatt/night
CPP value 2.6 cents/point

18 chapters. 104 pages. Everything you need to go from zero to booked.

This isn't a surface-level overview. Each chapter goes deep so you actually know how to use what you're learning.

1
The actual goal Why the programs exist, how the math works, and what kind of travel hacker you want to be.
2
Points vs. miles The 2 currencies that determine everything, and the one metric that tells you if a redemption is worth it.
3
Your first card How to pick it, what to look for in a signup offer, and what your credit score needs to look like.
4
The signup bonus playbook How to hit minimum spend without overspending, including the advanced category stacking strategy.
5
Building your card stack The 5/24 rule, why business cards belong in your wallet, and how to pick cards based on your actual spending.
6
Transfer partners Why flexible bank points beat airline miles and how to move them to the right program at the right time.
7
Airline alliances How to fly one airline on another airline's miles, and the partner sweet spots most people never find.
8
Finding award space The tools, the timing, and why your home airport is a starting point, not a constraint.
9
When to just pay cash The math that tells you when a cash fare beats miles, and the alert service that finds deals before they disappear.
10
Booking the flight Open-jaws, stopovers, fuel surcharges, and how to turn one award ticket into 2 trips.
11
Cabin upgrades How premium cabin travel actually works, when to chase it, and when a confirmed award beats a bid.
12
Hotels on points Why Hyatt beats Marriott on value, how to use free night certificates, and the all-inclusive trap.
13
Status without flying How to get elite benefits from your credit cards and when chasing status becomes a money trap.
14
Airport lounges Which cards get you in, how families can make it work, and the restaurant credit most people miss.
15
Protecting your accounts The rules banks don't publish, what actually gets accounts shut down, and how to play long-term.
16
Staying current The communities, tools, and alert systems that keep you ahead of the changes.
17
Your first trip, planned Two complete step-by-step examples from zero points to booked flights. Real numbers, real programs.
18
Sweet spots by region The best programs for Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and the US. With tables.

After reading this book, you'll know how to...

What readers are saying

★★★★★

"I've been meaning to get into travel hacking for years but every resource I found was either too basic or so advanced it made my head spin. This book hits the sweet spot perfectly. I applied for my first card the day I finished Chapter 3."

JM
Jessica M.
Teacher, Ohio
★★★★★

"We just booked flights to Portugal for our family of 4 using points we earned in 4 months. The chapter on the Southwest companion pass alone was worth 10 times the price of this book. Genuinely life-changing for how we think about travel."

DR
David R.
Father of 3, Texas
★★★★★

"The sweet spots by region chapter is something I'll reference every time I plan a trip. I had no idea you could fly Qatar Airways Qsuites to Africa for 75,000 American miles and $16 in fees. That kind of specific, verified information is exactly what I was looking for."

KL
Karen L.
Nurse, Florida
★★★★★

"My husband and I have been married 8 years and always talked about a trip to Europe. We finally booked it on points after reading this. Business class to Paris for $375 total. I cried when we boarded. This book made that happen."

ST
Sarah T.
Small business owner, Colorado
★★★★★

"I was skeptical. I'm not a big spender and I don't fly for work. But the section on meeting minimum spend through normal household expenses completely changed my perspective. We hit our first bonus in 6 weeks just by paying our regular bills on the new card."

MP
Marcus P.
Accountant, Georgia
★★★★★

"The chapter on transfer partners finally made everything click for me. I had 80,000 Chase points sitting in my account for two years not knowing what to do with them. Two hours after reading this I had flights to Japan booked for our family."

AW
Amy W.
Stay-at-home mom, Washington

A purchase that keeps paying off

This book stays current. So does your purchase.

Award pricing changes. New credit cards launch. Programs shift their rules. It happens constantly in this hobby.

Every time something significant changes, this book gets updated. New pricing data. New card recommendations. New sweet spots. And every previous buyer gets the updated version automatically. Free. Forever.

You're not buying a snapshot of travel hacking as it exists today. You're buying ongoing access to a system that stays current as the landscape shifts.

14 years. 20+ countries. One system.

I didn't start as an expert. I started with a credit card signup bonus and a flight to Costa Rica with my wife before our first child was born.

Since then I've taken my family to Japan, South Korea, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland, and more than 20 countries total. Most of those flights cost us under $100 per person in taxes and fees. This summer we're flying all 4 of us to Buenos Aires on points for flights that would cost $6,400 in cash.

I'm not a wealthy guy who travels for work. I'm a regular person who learned a system and used it consistently for 14 years. This book is that system, written so anyone can pick it up and use it on their very next trip.

Your next trip is closer than you think.

For less than a tank of gas, you'll have a complete roadmap to traveling the world on points.

$27
104 pages. One-time payment. Instant download. Yours forever.
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