Happy New Year everyone! It’s going to be an exciting year for travel. To stay on top of it all, be sure to exploit the below hacks and technology trends to get the most out of your travel, money and memories.
Quadruple Dip on Cash Back/Points
Are you a points junky? Then you’ll love this hack! When booking a flight, it’s possible to get quadruple the cash back/points depending on your credit cards and how you book.
Step 1: Sign up for eBates
When you go through eBates for your online purchases (not just flights), you get cash back on your purchases (more here) directly from eBates. Sites like Expedia and FlightHub are part of this site so if go through eBates to one of these booking sites, you will get cash back. FlightHub offers $7.50 – $22.50 on almost all flight bookings.
Dip #1: Cash back
Step 2: Book Your Flight
Booking your flight will get you the usual airlines points, whether it’s Aeroplan, Sky Team, or others, regardless of who you book through.
Dip #2: Airline points
Step 3: Book With a Rewards Credit Card
Make sure you book with a rewards credit card like the American Express Gold Rewards card to get points on your card.
Dip #3: Credit card points/cash back
Step 4: Site Specific Points
Sites like Expedia offer their own rewards program. Be sure to sign-up for these reward programs (usually free anyways) to get even more points back!
Dip #4: Website specific points or cash back
So in one purchase, you can get a trove of cash and points by getting a little creative with how you do it!
Drones
2017 is the year of the drone! Companies like DJI are revolutionizing the type of footage you can take during your travels. Nothing gets you retweets and Instagram likes like a beautiful aerial shot. But be careful! Regulations and insurance requirements are getting more strict around the world making drone affordability harder. Companies like DroneTec Solutions are coming up with hourly on-demand insurance solutions to make drone insurance more affordable, but a lot of consideration should go into any and all drone purchases. The drone that is likely to be most versatile around regulations is the DJI Mavic. Weighing less than 1kg, the Mavic may be able to skirt some drone laws around the world, including Ireland.
Gimbals and Camera Stabilizers
Similar to drones, Gimbals and Stabilizers are changing the way videos are shot. If you have ever moved around while filming, you know how hard it is to keep your camera stable. These handheld devices allow even the most novice of users to shoot smooth, sharp cinematic videos with little effort.
International SIM Cards
All travellers know how expensive cellular roaming can be. Thankfully, there are some new startups that are addressing this issues that are making roaming more affordable, including Toronto based KnowRoaming. Unlimited daily data plans start at $7.99USD. Use promo code RAITA81 to save 30% on your SIM sticker/card and get $5USD free.
Finding ‘Mistake Fares’ and Cheap Flights is Getting Easier
Flying is a lot more affordable than you think. If you’re not picky on dates and destinations, sites like Secret Flying and Next Departure are great at finding unbelievably low air fares; sometimes even the legendary ‘mistake fares‘.
Return Like a VIP With Nexus
Most people think Nexus is just for U.S. travel. It actually works when you return to Canada from any country allowing you to bypass customs lines. Well worth the $60 investment.
