Travel Hacking Basics

All credit to Chris Guillebeau,
creator of the online manifesto “A Brief Guide to World Domination”.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/

The following is taken directly from Chris Guillebeau’s book:
The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live The Life You Want, and Change The World

Travel Hacking Basics

• Once you earn elite status with one airline, you can request a “status match” from several others to become a high-flyer on every major airline alliance. (Just be careful, because some airlines only allow one status match per lifetime.)
• If you’re stumped with a travel dilemma, visit the forums at FlyerTalk.com. Some of the experts on these boards are even more experienced than I am, and if you ask nicely, several will offer free advice on your itinerary or travel issue.
• If you’re looking for lodging and hotel prices are high, check Hostels.com for a large database of guesthouses and smaller establishments. In addition to dorms, many of the properties offer private rooms with breakfast and Internet access. If you’re up for company, you can also stay for free thanks to CouchSurfing.com
• Priceline.com can be a good source for discounted hotels (it’s not usually worth it for plane tickets), but the company has an advantage on consumers by not disclosing the minimum successful bids. To negate this advantage, use Google to search for “Priceline winning hotel bids” to find several sites that list the hidden information. I’ve used this strategy to stay at the Brussels Marriott for $60 (usually $240), the Prague Sharaton for $45 (usually $195), and many other nice hotels all over the world.
• If transatlantic airfare is pricey, look for a repositioning cruise. These cruises take place twice a year as cruise lines move their ships from the Mediterranean to the United States. (A smaller number also go from Alaska to East Asia, and from California to Florida via the Panama Canal.)
• I use round-the-world tickets for most of my long-haul flights. The booking process can take some time to navigate, but if you travel extensively, it’s well worth your time to study up. My tickets are usually booked through the OneWorld or Star Alliance airline families.
• Without a lot of effort, most people can easily earn at least 25,000 miles a year without changing any of their spending habits. That’s enough for one free ticket – and for those who are up for it, you can spend more time on it and earn up to 100,000 miles without much difficulty.
• When redeeming frequent flyer miles, you can request rewards on partner airlines, and the value is often better than on the domestic carrier. I’ve used partner rewards to go to Mongolia (Korean Airlines, booked with Delta SkyMiles), Kuwait (Qatar Airways, booked with American Express points), and dozens of other places.