Travel hacking has nothing to do with cheap travel

There seems to be a misconception out in the world about travel and the money we pay for it. There are permanent nomads who claim to “travel” all the time. They tend to sleep on other people’s couches, camper vans or hostels. On the other end of the spectrum is the belief that travel is expensive. A friend once told me she was saving for a trip to Germany with her son, and her savings goal was 20,000 (!) dollars to turn that dream into a reality.

I’m not (at all) about cheap travel. I usually enjoy staying in luxury properties around the world. I call the Bellagio in Las Vegas, one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, my home away from home. In San Fransisco I had the privilege of staying in the gorgeous Palace Hotel for a recent conference. Some of my stories create the illusion travel is an expensive rich-mans-game. More than once I’ve been asked whether I was a millionaire, or have some sort of travel secret.

It’s true. I travel all the time. My travel secrets resulted in a travel hacking book. If you’re not interested in spending 20 bucks on the book, this blog shares many of the other things I do for free. Still believe travel is expensive? The opposite is true. Remember my friend and her son? I helped her book that trip for well under $2000, securing a high end hotel and free transatlantic airfare. You don’t need a lot of money to travel well. Read that again. The key is to travel well. I’ve stayed in hostels before, and there’s no shame in that. But there is a time in life to enjoy the finer things. It’s up to you to decide when that time starts.

To put my money where my mouth is, I’d like to offer you my help in building the perfect itinerary for your next trip. Free of charge. I’ll give you access to secret rates, that are usually kept behind the curtain of the travel world! I’ll share all my favourite hotels and destinations at travel.wilko.ca. I’ll include personal notes and recommendations. The travel industry might hate me for exposing their secret rates, but I’ll take my chances. They’ve loved me for booking free airfare. Bellagio treats me to amazing upgrades and comps usually reserved for “high-rollers”. If I can do it, so can you. Feel that travel buzz going after reading some of the awesome stories? Message me here for advice on your next trip. I’d love to see where you’ll go.