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I’m Travis, the creator of Extra Pack of Peanuts, and for the last three years, my wife Heather and I have been able to travel the world. We’ve:

  • visited over 20 countries.
  • scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef.
  • visited the Great Wall of China.
  • rode camels through the desert of India.
  • and, of course, found plenty of time to sip wine in Tuscany and drink beer in Prague.

And all because we’re rich! Wait, scratch that.  It’s just my mind running wild again.

(Take 2)

And all because we’ve figured out tricks for how to travel more and spend less. Most people’s travel plans look like this:

  • $1,000 plane tickets
  • 5 nights at $200/night hotel.
  • Expensive meals out.
  • Maybe a $50/day rental car.
  • One week, THOUSANDS of dollars spent.

Since we don’t have all that money to drop, we do things like:

  • Score $5 flights to Rio for the World Cup.
  • Nab $125 tickets to Italy.
  • Stay in 5 bedroom mansions in Breckenridge for free
  • Enjoy $500/month apartments on the Croatian coast.

And if you’ve found our website, I’m guessing you want to do the same. (If not, well, the internet is a funny place, isn’t it?).

Easy Way to Save Money When Traveling

When many people ask us, “how can you afford to travel so much?” they expect an easy, concise answer. Ha!

As you’ll see, we do a wide variety of things, but here’s the best place to start:

Frequent Flyer Miles

Most people are confused by frequent flyer miles – and I was too three years ago!  But they are the key to how I now fly anywhere in the world for under $100, and how you can too.

If you don’t know anything, don’t worry, these two posts are perfect for you:

After getting an idea of what frequent flyer miles are, you’ve got to understand how to use them. Here’s are two posts that very clearly illustrate the power and possibilities of frequent flyer miles:

Frequent flyer miles are a rabbit hole that is easy to fall down.  If you really want to use them to do some cool things, here are two advanced strategies that you should learn:

Finding Cheap Flights Without Frequent Flyer Miles

Frequent flyer miles are a great way to get cheap flights, but they are by no means the only way.

One of the best ways is by taking advantage of mistake fares.  Mistake fares have allowed me to fly to Italy for $125, Madrid for $225, and South Africa for $350.

Another way to get cheap tickets that flies under the radar (bad pun intended) is by using budget airlines.

Forgetting about budget airlines is a bad mistake – here’s how to find and book budget airlines, and what to expect:

Credit Card Knowledge

If you’ve read the frequent flyer information above, you now know that opening credit cards and using them wisely is one of the best ways to earn frequent flyer miles.

To make sure you get started on the right foot, I offer a completely free credit card consultation for all readers:

There’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding credit cards, and so one of my main priorities at EPoP is to set the record straight.

The first question I always get asked is:

Won’t opening credit cards kill my credit score?

A valid question, young Padawan – here’s my answer:

Once people open up credit cards, they often get confused about which credit cards they should keep open and which ones they should close.

Before doing ANYTHING, read these two posts:

Pretty impressed that I can read your mind, eh?

Accommodations…It’s Not Just Hotels!

The second biggest expense behind flights is accommodations.

Luckily, cutting down your accommodation costs is not nearly as difficult as you think. We have more accommodation options than ever, and the key is using all of them.

One of our favorite ways to travel is by renting apartments.  Not only are they usually cheaper than hotels, but they give you a more authentic and unique travel experience.

So, what could be even better than staying in an apartment in a cool part of a city and paying less than a hotel? How about staying somewhere for free!

And while it may seem like I’m beating up on hotels a bit, I’ll definitely stay at them as long as I know I’m getting a good deal.

One way to do that is to get a free nights by opening the right credit card.

Finding Cheap Car Rentals

Now that we’ve ticked off how to get cheap flights and cheap accommodations, it’s time to talk about car rentals.

The price for car rentals can vary wildly – something I’ve learned the hard way.  To make sure you always get the best price, I’ve create this guide:

Even after you’ve found a cheap car rental, there is a ton of bull$&*! fine print that goes along with a car rental.  Here’s how make sure you’re understanding it all and saving money in the process.

Travel Tricks

Before you leave, you’re probably stressed out:

  • How can you make sure you don’t forget anything?
  • What should you pack?
  • How can I use my phone to check Facebook stay in touch with my family while I’m in another country?

I’ve been there and lived through it many times.  And I’ve got answers for you.

Ok, time to tackle the next big question – what should you pack?

Believe it or not, both Heather (a fashion expert) and I (not a fashion expert) pack in only carry-on every time we travel, whether it’s for one week or five months.  Not possible?  I beg to differ – here’s proof:

Want to use your phone while abroad?  Don’t worry, I won’t judge you if it’s for your Facebook addiction!

Success Stories

I get it, you want proof that this stuff actually works.  Here’s two great examples:

Inside EPoP

If you’ve made it this far, it’s obvious that you really enjoy EPoP (or that you’re really trying to waste time).

Regardless of which is the case – although I really hope it’s the former – here are some posts that I’ve written to help you get to know me better and understand what EPoP is all about.

Ok, that one wasn’t really about me, but pretty cool, right?  Those are some of the world’s most famous travelers!

At the end of each year, I also do a Year in Review that people love (and I love writing).  Here’s some from years past:

Each year, I also attend an amazing conference called the World Domination Summit, hosted by my good friend Chris Guillebeau.

Want some life lessons?  Here’s some wisdom for you!

Don’t Like to Read?

No problem!

We appeal to all the senses here at EPoP (well, not touch, smell and taste…yet).

Podcast

We’ve got the #1 rated travel podcast on iTunes and over 130 episodes.  Here are a few of my favorites…have a listen:

Interviews

Travel Tips

Top 10’s/Funny Stories

Photos

Take a look at some of our best photos from around the world.

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