How I've been traveling for (nearly) FREE since 2023!

I've earned 119 FREE NIGHTS since I began travel hacking in 2023. Some of my stays were simple like a night in downtown Greenville and some were top tier, all-inclusive, adults only stays like Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets.  Scroll to the bottom to learn how I do it!

Here's a breakdown of my FREE travel since I began:

Trinidad

2026 - 9 FREE nights total so far...and we have enough points to book our upcoming anniversary trip!

7 nights in Clearwater booked for March Spring Break!

2 nights in Miami

Flights to Trinidad

Cancun

2025 - 32 FREE nights!

7 nights in Cancun at Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets + flights

1 night in downtown Greenville

3 nights in Nashville

1 night in Savannah

1 night in West Palm Beach

3 nights in Key West

7 nights in Naples

1 night in Jacksonville

7 nights in London + flights

1 night in downtown Greenville

Flights to Dominican Republic

London

2024 - 57 FREE nights!

7 nights in Cancun at Impression Moxche by Secrets + flights

2 nights in Charlotte

1 night in Columbia

2 nights in Buckhead

2 nights in Boston + flights

1 night in Charlotte

1 night in Downtown Greenville

2 nights in Savannah

7 nights in Orlando

2 nights in Savannah

6 nights in Charleston

7 nights in Panama City

2 nights in New Jersey + flights

2 nights in Chapel Hill

3 nights in Key West

7 nights in Cancun at Hyatt Ziva + flights

1 night in Charleston

Flights to Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

2023 - 21 FREE nights!

5 nights in Cancun at Zoetry + flights

2 nights in Charleston 

2 nights in Asheville

2 nights in Savannah

1 night in Charlotte

1 night in Columbia 

3 nights in Atlanta

5 nights in Clearwater

Our first FREE stay - Clearwater, FL

These 115 FREE nights + flights have a cash value at just under $36,000! I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of money to spend on travel. So that's why I love travel hacking! One thing that everyone is worried about is credit score, but mine and Nick's have increased, and I've heard from others that their score has increased, so don't worry about that. If you're interested in getting started, here's how I did it...

I suggest you start with this personal credit card like I did. I love this one because you can transfer to Travel Partners like World of Hyatt and a handful of airlines.

Once you've hit the minimum spend with that personal card, stop using the card and move on to their business cards. This business credit card has an elevated offer right now of 100,000 rewards points! 

Even if you don't own a business, you can still probably get a business card. Have you sold something on Marketplace? Count that as your business! Think of some way you've earned cash, even a side hustle, and use that to your advantage to sign up for some amazing business cards.

Finally, download the Travel Freely app to keep track of your credit cards and points earned and the World of Hyatt app to dream and plan how to spend your points!

Have fun crossing off that Bucket List!

HOW WE TRAVEL FOR (nearly) FREE!

     In the last 16 months, we've earned over $23,550 in free travel!

Let me tell you how...

In March 2023, I learned about Travel Hacking, applied for a recommended credit card and began putting all our spend on that one card, treating it like our debit cards and paying it off weekly so we don't accumulate debt. Between our personal expenses and our two businesses, Nick and I quickly hit the minimum spend and earned the sign-up bonus. Once we had done this with a few credit cards, we saved up enough rewards points to take our first paid-with-points trip. So we booked five nights in Clearwater, FL for July 2024!

Without Travel Hacking, we would not have been able to afford such a nice family vacation, so we were hooked and decided to keep using credit cards strategically to travel as often as possible.

Here is a breakdown of our free travel since July 2023:

5 nights with Nick and Ivy in Clearwater, FL

Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa

3 nights with my sister, Mary Ashley, outside of Atlanta, GA

1 night with my sister, Maggie, in Columbia, SC

1 night with my sister, Elizabeth, and our kids, in Charlotte, NC

2 nights with Nick and Ivy in Savannah, GA

2 nights with my friend, Emily, in Asheville, NC 

2 nights with same friend, Emily, in Charleston, SC

5 nights + flights in Cancun with Nick for our 16th wedding anniversary 

Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Cancun

7 nights + flights in Cancun with Nick and Ivy for Spring Break

2 nights with my friend, Emily, in Chapel Hill, NC 

3 nights + flights with my sister-in-laws in Key West 

1 night by myself in downtown Greenville, SC

3 nights + flights for family reunion in NJ

7 nights with Nick, Ivy and my parents in Panama City Beach, FL

6 nights with Ivy, my mom, 2 sisters and my nephew in Charleston, SC 

Hyatt Ziva Cancun

That's 50 FREE nights in hotels, resorts and all-inclusives in the last 12 months!

Also, many of those places, we also used points for flights and only had to cover taxes and fees from our own pockets!

Isn't that insane?

Plus, we've already booked another five nights in Cancun for our upcoming 17th wedding anniversary and seven nights to visit my cousin in London during Spring Break 2025, we have more points to spare as we try to decide what other travel we'd like to do in the near future and my credit score has increased!

Wild Dunes, Charleston, SC

If you're ready to save money, travel more and improve your credit score, I suggest you start with this personal credit card like I did. I love this one because you can transfer to Travel Partners like Hyatt and a handful of airlines.

Once you've hit the minimum spend with that personal card, I suggest you go through their business cards. This business credit card has an elevated offer right now of 120,000 rewards points!

Even if you don't own a business, you can still probably get a business card. Have you sold something on Marketplace? Count that as your business! Think of some way you've earned cash, even a side hustle, and use that to your advantage to sign up for some amazing business cards.

Finally, download the Travel Freely app to keep track of your credit cards and points earned and the Hyatt app to dream and plan how to spend your points!

This Impressions by Secrets is where Nick and I are spending our upcoming anniversary. I see that it costs around $1,000 per night and we are staying five nights for FREE!

Don't miss out on FREE travel...If you need help, send me an email at nickandemilystewart@me.com and I'll share my advice based on what I've learned about Travel Hacking since March 2023!

Key West