Travel Hacking for Canadians

You will learn how to master the art of travel so that no matter how long you are traveling for, that travel doesn't have to be expensive. With this book, you'll learn about the ways to travel that aren't in travel books - these tricks were learned through hard experience on the road. I have travel strategies and tips in this book for Canadians. This book is written for Canadians that want to use their AIR MILES(r) and Aeroplan miles, want to know how to stretch their travel budget, and stay in the finest hotels for a fraction of the cost.

Travel Hacking for Canadians shares the best rewards available to Canadians among the frequent flyer programs (Aeroplan, AIR MILES(r), etc), and shows you how to maximize your rewards while spending the least amount possible, enabling you to travel on a budget.

I decided to write this book as a way to share all the travel tips and tricks I have learned. The term travel hacking sounds mischievous, but personally it means exploring the limits of what is possible by making your travel budget go farther through understanding how to get the best prices.

I grew up in a small city in Northern Ontario, and I always wanted to see the world and other parts of Canada. I never thought it would be realistic that I would be able to visit parts of Europe, Asia, Caribbean, Hawaii, and South America.

Using smart spending strategies and understanding the frequent flyer programs, I have been able to travel for free saving me thousands of dollars. My goal in writing this book is to make travel easier and more affordable for most Canadians. I share valuable advice in this book that can save you thousands of dollars.

I have structured this book into four sections: Air, Accommodation, Transportation, and Cruising. Throughout the book, I have included a Tools area at the end of each chapter to include hyperlinks to the websites mentioned in each chapter.

The first chapter in the Air section describes the major frequent flyer programs available to Canadians in the Canadian Frequent Flyer Programs chapter. The next chapter, Acquiring Miles, describes ways on how to earn frequent flyer miles in your favourite program. The Using Miles chapter shares my recommendations on how to use the miles or points in each program for flights. The final chapter in the Air section, Canadian Air Travel Hacks, shows assorted travel hacks that you can use without using any frequent flyer program.

The Accommodation section starts with the Priceline / Hotwire Strategies, where I share my personal strategies to getting to lowest prices using these websites. The Hotel Hacks chapter looks at ways to get the lowest price for the major travel websites and hotel chains. The Hotel Loyalty Programs chapter shows how each loyalty program works for individual major hotel chains. Finally, the Alternative Hotel Options chapter shows alternatives to staying at hotels that will stretch your travel dollars.

The Transportation section looks at workarounds when booking a car that can save you some money.

The Cruising section describes my tips and tricks to make cruising more affordable, and what to look out