Welcome to part 1 of a multi-part series of posts outlining my family’s epic 2015 summer vacation — specifically, how we managed to travel nearly 25,000 miles in the air in first and business class, and spend nights in 5-star hotels on 3 continents, in 7 countries and 10 cities, mostly on points and miles that were mostly earned for free.

What’s the plan, Stan?

The late-day sun shining on the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero side of the Seine.

My plan is to produce a multi-post series that will summarize each leg of the trip, how we got there, where we stayed and how we generated the points and miles needed to do so. But my purpose is to illustrate that you need not be independently wealthy to travel the world in style – even as a family of four. You just need to be a bit savvy, learn how to use the system to your advantage, and apply any cash you do spend where it will generate the most value.

We certainly could NEVER have afforded to pay for this vacation solely out of pocket. But, using points and miles to their best advantage let us travel in a degree of luxury we’ve never experienced while allowing us to use the cash we did have for good meals and exciting activities along the way. Because what good is getting somewhere if you can’t afford to do anything fun once you arrive?

Regardless, many people have dreams of travel that may seem out of reach. I’m here to tell you that they’re not. The world of points and miles is a means to an end that can make those dreams a reality.

“Hacking” the system

So, what is this “system” I’m talking about? Essentially, it is the world of airline, hotel and other travel loyalty programs. The “currency” in these programs is points, miles and certificates. The art of understanding the system and using it to your advantage is called “travel hacking.” Travel hacking is essentially the process of earning points and miles as quickly and efficiently as possible and then maximizing their value for travel redemptions (awards) that allow you to travel the world, often in style and comfort.

Wildflowers and mountains over Lac Lemain in Montreux, Switzerland.

And awards are the key. They are the end game, and they can include things like air travel, hotel stays, car rentals, train tickets, etc. Usually these awards are reserved for the most frequent and valuable customers to an airline or hotel chain, but travel hacking allows the rest of us to earn similar point balances (and sometimes elite status) without ever setting foot on an airplane or paying for a hotel room.

I’m not going to go into great depth here – there are many, many more (and better) resources available to explain the complex ins and outs of the travel hacking hobby/lifestyle than I could ever provide. So, this isn’t a how-to, it’s a “how we did it.” A concrete example of one family’s travel to illustrate what can be done. This series will give you some good information about the process so you can decide whether you want to look into it further.

To that end, I will discuss the specific strategies I used for this specific trip and why we chose the types of points and miles we did for each leg. This will illustrate how earning points and miles relates to award redemptions and, ultimately, to the kind of aspirational travel that most of us could never hope for otherwise.

What’s next?

Sunset over Tokyo from the Hikari bullet train to Kyoto.

So, before I get into the nitty-gritty, an explanation of a few fundamental concepts of travel hacking is in order. Part 2 of this series will include a high-level summary of the world of points, miles and awards. I am not an expert, so there will certainly be holes and incomplete information here and there, but it’ll point you in the right direction and hopefully allow you to follow the later posts that specifically outline how we executed our round-the-world trip of a lifetime. Until the next round-the-world trip of a lifetime, that is…  🙂

Please don’t hesitate to post questions and comments — I will do my best to answer (as time allows) and if you have a question, it’s a good bet that others do, too.

So, buckle up and get ready (to get ready) for the time of your life!

Series Links:

• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 1: Introduction (You are here)
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 2: Travel Hacking Primer
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 3: Backbone Air Travel
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 4: Paris
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 5: Switzerland
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 6: Amsterdam
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 7: London
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 8: Japan
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 9: Hong Kong
• 2015 Epic Summer Vacation – Part 10: NYC