As a kid, I loved those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books. The suspense, the unlimited possibilities, and let’s face it – they were a quick read… So let’s have a throwback moment and dive into a story, shall we?

So your friend, or your sister, or your cousin’s boyfriend’s dog-sitter just took a totally Instagram-worthy trip to Thailand and every time you hearted one of those pictures, you found yourself wondering how they traveled there on a dog-sitters salary.  And after they returned home, you asked how they could afford it and she told you that it was totally free, all they had to pay for was food.

“Wait, what? Totally free?!”

“Well ya, free.” 

“Flights?”

“Free”

“Hotels?” 

“Free!”

Do you:

A) Think to yourself there must be some ridiculous catch or information they are not telling you and just go back to whatever you were doing before they interrupted your day.

Or do you 

B) Start asking a million questions to find out just exactly how they did it so that you can visit those same places and take those same photos and eat Thai street food all day?

If you picked A, then you can go ahead and just get back to what you were doing before you opened this post.

But if you picked B, keep reading because I am going to tell you how to get started on your path to walk in the shoes of your cousin’s boyfriend’s dog-sitter.

There are a few key steps to making these kinds of trips happen and one of the main ones, and perhaps the biggest is by using credit card reward points and/or frequent flyer miles.

“Oh, you see, there is the catch,”  you say.

Wait! Before you go, let me just give you a little run down and show you that it’s not a catch, but a tool you can use to get what you really want!

So you have probably heard about frequent flyer miles and credit card reward points. You may even have a card or two that is earning you miles or points.

The reality is, we live in a loyalty-based economic system and so we should be taking advantage of that as often as we can.

And before you say it, let’s chat about the main concerns you might have about getting a credit card or earning points. I’ve probably heard them a few times: 

I don’t travel enough to earn enough miles

I don’t spend enough to earn rewards points fast enough

I don’t want to mess up my credit

Travel is expensive so I am going to need a bajillion (did you know that spell check doesn’t highlight the word bajillion any more…so it must be a thing) points to go anywhere cool

Well let me just say, many many people, who make less money than you have been able to book dream trips within a few months after getting their first optimal rewards card. 

So let me tell you how they do it in just 6 easy steps.

You need a budget.

And by budget, I don’t mean the spreadsheet that has your list of bills and a line item for how much you think you spend on your daily lattes.

I mean an honest accounting of where all your money goes each month. Two reasons: First, you want to know the main categories where large chunks of your money go, and Second,  you want to make sure that you really are not spending more than you make.

If you get a credit card and start running a balance, the value of the points you earn gets negated by the cost of interest charges, and then this whole plan becomes worthless.

Identify your top 3-5 spending categories.

If you are like many families, this will usually be groceries, dining, fuel, or Costco/Sam’s Club. Once you have identified where you are spending your larger chunks of money, you will be ready to start researching different credit cards.

Find a card that rewards your highest spending categories

There are literally hundreds of cards out there you could pick from that give you rewards but most people who are just starting out should pick from about 5. 

We’ve created a quick guide to our top favorite cards. Click here if you want it.

In general,  you are looking for a card that pays its rewards in travel and has a bonus on at least one of your top spending categories.

Now you could go down a deep rabbit hole to make your choice…after all, I did say there were hundreds of cards to choose from, but I recommend moving quickly to the next step, and probably the most important in this entire list.

Pick One.

It is tempting to try and find the perfect option but really there isn’t one perfect card or even the perfect group of cards. The only way to really get closer to your perfect combo is to learn as you go…and that starts with acting on one. Even if there was a better first choice, remember, you will still be getting free rewards with any card that you choose. 

Use cards for everything.

One reason many people don’t earn enough points quick enough is because they don’t use it for all of their spending. So it is time to find out what companies  will accept a credit card for your bills and not charge a fee (a 2 or 3 percent fee will cost more than what the points you earn will be worth). Insurance, utilities, or your phone bill, etc. Use the card for everything, and pay it off frequently.

And like I mentioned in step one, you need to pay off the card each month in full so you are not running up a balance.  Another word of caution: this isn’t an excuse to spend more than you make. It can be tempting to make purchases you wouldn’t normally do because of the travel rewards you will earn. But that is a recipe for disaster. Remember: You’re here because you want to save money, not get into debt. 

Repeat.

Now that you have one card, you will just repeat the process for your next card. You will keep refining your budget, continue to evaluate your spending, and pick different cards that work with your situation.

And then…Enjoy those glorious free flights and hotels!

I know what you are thinking….’this sounds too easy’.

Or maybe you are thinking that you need more information before you start.

I’ve noticed two common pitfalls that people experience: Researching and Analyzing for too long, trying to cram all the information before you start could mean that you never do. Overwhelm kicks in and soon you’re researching every little detail instead of taking quick action.

Or waiting for the perfect time to get started could mean that you miss out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of rewards while you were waiting. 

Taking action might just be the most important step to getting started. We all learn best by taking some sort of action, reflecting on the outcome, and then taking another step in the right direction.

When I began, I got the ‘wrong’ card and didn’t earned very many points. I don’t consider this a failure, rather a great learning experience

With what I learned while having that ‘wrong’ card, I was able to earn two round trip tickets to Europe within 6 months of having my second card. 

I’d call that a win!

TL:DR -Let’s recap:

1. Create a budget
2. Identify your top 3-5 Spending Categories
3. Research a few cards that could work, We’ve already done the work for you here:
4. Pick a card
5. Use the card for everything you buy
6. Repeat this process to get your next card and earn EVEN MORE POINTS

We’ve come to the end of this Choose Your Own Adventure. 

Do you:

A) Keep scrolling, thinking this is too good to be true, or worse, fearing that you’ll never get to see those over-water bungalows in Bora Bora

or

B) Open up a new Google sheet and start putting together your new budget spreadsheet.

Who knows…Maybe this time next year, your friends aunt’s hairdresser will be asking you about that dream trip to Bora Bora. And when they ask you how you did it, you’ll know exactly who to send them to.