Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 44

The Best Travel Hacking Advice for People Who Can’t Get Credit Cards

I write about travel hacking a lot on the blog (and much more in the Cartel), and I always try to point people to the best available deals and opportunities. Some of these opportunities are for credit card signup bonuses, something I’ve been experimenting with for years, ever since first applying for 13 cards of my own on the same day way back in 2009.

Of course, not everyone is able or eligible to get these bonuses—so what else is out there? There’s actually a ton of different opportunitie...

Only Floss the Teeth You Want to Keep

That’s what dentists tell you. You don’t need to floss all your teeth—just the ones you need to keep.

When it comes to your business, your life, or your relationships, a similar principle applies. You don’t have to pay attention to everything and everyone. But you do have to pay attention to what matters most.

It may help to identify some priorities. In my business I track only two metrics on a consistent basis:

1. Email subscribers

2. Product sales

My thinking is that if these things are...

Q&A on the British Airways 100,000 Point Bonus Offer

Link: 100,000 Point British Airways Bonus Offer

Since I first published the news about the updated signup offer for the British Airways Signature Card, I’ve received a bunch of questions from readers.

The first thing to note is that this is a really good offer for a lot of people, but it will definitely help if you know a bit about how to best use British Airways points, also known as Avios.

A couple years ago this offer came around and lots of people took advantage of it. Many of them were...

“If We Never Booked the Tickets, We’d Never Go”: On the Road with Serena Star Leonard

This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

Well into her third year of continuous travel, Serena Star Leonard and her husband John spend their days exploring the world and documenting stories of people who make a difference.

Introduce yourself!

I’m Serena, a half-Kiwi, half-Malaysian born in Hong Kong. My husband is John, an Irishman. We were both living in Australia when we met, fell in love, and got married in the space of 16 weeks.

I’d worked both in corporate envi...

The Best Place to Be Is Somewhere Else

On the road is where a traveler feels most at home. Sure, you can take it slow for a while, staying in one place to save up funds or work on a project or do whatever you need to do.

But secretly you’re like a junkie, thinking ahead to the next hit. There’s always somewhere else to go and another way to get there.

You can live in the moment, but that moment exists in another place. And you have to get there!

As the days approach you feel giddy with anticipation. It’s almost time to leave, you...

“What Have I Missed in My Life?” Notes on The Novels Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge

“I think the message in the book is that we all have flaws we can’t resolve.” -Amazon reviewer

I recently read Mrs. Bridge, a lesser-known novel from 1959 in which nothing really happens. A boring and largely unsympathetic character ambles though normal life events, rarely seeing her equally boring husband. Their three children have normal childhood problems, and eventually grow up.

Sounds thrilling, right? But underneath the surface, there’s a lot more going on. The novel is essentially ab...

Live a Life of Travel, Even with a Full-Time Job: On the Road with Ruby Escalona

This is a travel hacking case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

As many of our readers know, having a full-time job doesn’t mean you can’t make travel a regular part of your life. Ruby Escalona tells us how she does it.

Introduce yourself!

Hi! I’m Ruby. I grew up in the Philippines, but now live in Jacksonville, Florida. I’ve always had ambitious dreams. When I was a child, I wanted to read all the books in the world.

Now, I’m passionate about traveling. My fiancé and I have desk job...

Woman Completes Mission to SCUBA Dive in All 50 States

Congratulations to Jennifer Idol, who just accomplished a huge mission: becoming the first woman to SCUBA dive in all 50 states.

Jen spoke briefly in the lightning round at WDS 2014 and we profiled her back when she was well on her way to accomplishing her quest.

Photos Jennifer Idol

Here’s what she said in an email:

“I did it! It’s a relief, and I am tired. In a way, the journey is ongoing with articles, the book, news, and social media. I won’t be diving all 7 continents, the U.S. territo...

Limited Time Offer: 100,000 Points Bonus for British Airways Card Returns!

Link: 100,000 Points for British Airways Card – Limited Time Offer

Breaking news: one of the best (and certainly one of the biggest) miles & points offers is now back. For a limited time, you can earn a total of 100,000 British Airways Avios points after applying for their signature card and meeting a number of spending requirements.

The first 50,000 points are easy—you’ll get them after completing a $2,000 minimum spend in three months. This is worth it on its own, even if you can’t earn...

The Game Is Rigged, So Learn to Play the Game

You probably learned in kindergarten that life isn’t fair. You can’t always get what you want—and sometimes you might not even get what you need.

When something doesn’t work the way we want it to, we tend to dismiss the process as unfair, flawed, or even fraudulent. “That’s a scam,” you hear about any number of things.

Getting into college, for example, is unfair and flawed. Sure, you can study hard, join the service club, but “the game is rigged” in favor of people who invest in standardiz...