Visit Canada's National Parks for FREE in 2017!

CANADA! 

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with getting to Canada these days... it just seems like such a untouched treasure trove. Every picture I see is different from the last one. There are gorgeous snow capped mountains, crystal blue water, tons of wildlife, and millions and millions of miles of terrain. Canada is a little larger than the US, but with so many hidden gems. They have about 10% of the population we have down here, leaving lots of room for beautiful landscapes :)

When I read about the FREE Discovery Pass, I knew I had to sign up, even though we don't officially have any trips planned up north.

This pass gives you free access to any of the Canadian National Parks for all of 2017! If you are a border state, I'd say it's a no brainer for you. If you've even considered planning a trip to Canada in the near future, you should sign up, too! And even if you aren't sure - you have nothing to lose. Just sign up and then you can see all THIS for FREE!

Banff National Park via

Jasper National Park via

The Bruce Peninsula National Park via

They're offering the free pass as a part of their 150th Anniversary of becoming a country. I signed up for my free pass about a month ago, and it just came in the mail today.

I've wanted to visit Banff National Park and Lake Louise for years -  it just looks so incredibly beautiful. So maybe this is my excuse ;)

Get your free 2017 Discovery Pass here!

How We Saved Over $10,000 in Hotels/Airbnbs By Using Home Exchange

That title may seem like click bait -- but it's absolutely true.

When we signed up for Home Exchange, it was just a way to continue to "rent" our house while we traveled without really renting it. A few years prior, we started to Airbnb our house when we were out of town, as a way to make a little extra income. However, Nashville really cracked down and started taxing everything, and it no longer became worth it for us.

Enter: Home Exchange.

While we didn't actually gain any income, we gain a lot in free travel perks! I wrote about Home Exchange before, and how it only costs $150 for the year and you have access to as many swaps as you want. And we made our money back 100x over. Not to mention, we were not taxed on any of these says, since no money changed hands. We get new requests almost daily from all over the world. We say no to 95% of the requests that come in - it just depends on timing, location, etc.

A little back story: In the last 18 months, there was a huge shift in Matt's line of work. With many North American oil fields closing, and many of his customers being connected with NA oil, he was losing customers & shipments left and right. While we are smart with our budget and knew we'd be fine, we thought of ways to cut down on costs for 2016 (after seeing the slow down in 2015). The biggest luxury in our budget is travel (something we budget for! and I should note our shopping/eating out budgets are much smaller so travel can be bigger), so I knew we could cut back on trips and still put the amount into savings we were hoping to do last year. 

What's amazing is that between home exchange & our Southwest companion pass, we spent almost NOTHING on travel. We paid for food and any activities of course, but these are the small potatoes on most of our trips. Airbnb/Hotel costs + flights are always the most expensive part of going anywhere. 

How exactly did we get over $10,000 in free lodging? Here's the breakdown.

March - Cabin in Virginia - $750 (3 nights, based on $250/night they rent out for cabin)
They requested a stay and Matt ended up using these three nights in a cabin for an awesome guys weekend. They only paid for food & gas and it was a cheap trip for everyone!

July - Crown Heights, Brooklyn - $6,200 (31 nights, based on $200/night they actually rent their house out for)
This was the money maker, so to speak. Now - you could definitely play devil's advocate here and say "would you ever really spend $6k to live in NYC for the month?" - and the answer would be no. However -- we got to do it. For free. Even if you weren't going to buy an ice cream, and someone gave you a coupon for it and you redeemed it, you still enjoyed the experience FOR FREE! It's kind of the best thing ever.

August - High Park, Toronto - $1,750 (7 nights, based on $250/night average in that area)
We had never been to Toronto before, and it was so much fun! The area we were in is considered High Park, but it was also close to cute spots called Bloor West and the Junction. We had so much fun hanging out in Toronto and absolutely loved this location.

November - Tamarindo, Costa Rica - $1,400 (7 nights, based on $200/night they rent out during November)
If you can get yourself to Tamarindo, GET THERE! We loved it here so much. The condo we stayed in had a killer pool, two balconies, and was just a few minutes walk to the beach (you can't build condos directly on the beach in this area, but we were as close as you could get). Not to mention with 5th floor views, we enjoyed every sunrise and sunset with a nice glass of vino.

Technically, we've also "earned" the following two locations during non-simultaneous swaps. They've already stayed at our house, and we are able to cash in on their houses when we can make the trip!

Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia - $1,500 (1 week at $150/night, average for the area)
We hosted these two Aussies in October 2016 and it was so much fun! Hosting is another option in home exchange, but not if you don't want to. We did FaceTime and emails in the 6 weeks before and got to know them a little more. We absolutely loved "hosting" and would do it again. They originally wanted to swap in October, but we knew it wasn't an option for us with only 6 weeks notice, so they suggested hosting. So we get to visit them next time.. hopefully soon!

March 2017 - TriBeCa, Manhattan, NYC - $1,400 (4 nights, based on the $350/night she rents it for)
We are cashing in on this in March for my birthday, but they already stayed at our house last April. We did a non-simultaneous and it worked out great for us!

Grand Total: $13,000

This is of course an estimate, but I estimated it mostly based on the price that these people rent their homes out for, or a median of similar homes in that area. 

What's most amazing about this is we thought we'd travel LESS in 2016 because of self imposed "budget cuts". However, we traveled MORE and spent less using Home Exchange! We got to stay in some really gorgeous places, and I can't wait to see where Home Exchange takes us this year! 

So... have you signed up for Home Exchange yet?
xo

The Best Free or Cheap Things to do in NYC

New York can be an expensive city -- but it's also jam packed with free or very cheap activities! There are a lot of obvious "sight seeing" opportunities, like Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Times Square, but there are a lot of things you can actually DO! Here are some of my favorites.

Visit the Cloisters
The Cloisters are run by the MET and therefore are by donation only. Our friend who lives in NYC says the MET has enough money, so we paid $5 per couple :) There are beautiful gardens, free tours every half hour, and lots of gorgeous art! Almost the entire thing has been pieced together by the Rockefeller family from monasteries or castles in Europe. It has such interesting history and is a great reprieve from the city if you feel like you need to "escape". More info here.

Be Part of a Live Studio Audience
There are SO many opportunities to be a part of a studio audience in NYC -- we were able to be on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah which was so fun! Many of these are based on a raffle, so you don't have a ton of choice in your date, but it could be a fun thing to plan your New York trip around.

Check Out the Local Events
The NYC Parks website has SO much great information on free/cheap events going on in the city. I'd check it out. I found so many different things to do when we were in New York in July, although it would be quite different in the winter. I did Broadway in the Park, attended workout classes, movies on rooftops, and live music all over the city! The city does a great job of hosting these events, you just have to see what's happening. 

Roosevelt Island Tram
The Roosevelt Island Tram is so fun! Roosevelt Island is in between Manhattan & Queens that just has some housing and parks. It's really cute and feels removed from the city somehow. You can take a subway train there (only one line stops there) OR you could take this fun tram! It's like a gondola you'd take up to go snowboarding. It gives you a great view of the river and 3 boros. You pay with your MTA ticket, so it costs no more than a subway ride (or is free if you have a week/month pass).

Find Some Elevation
There are so many gorgeous rooftop bars. We loved finding rooftop spots at sunset to catch views like this one! Find a list of rooftop bars here. The photo below was taken at Roof at Park South in Kip's Bay/Gramercy Park. 

Pizza by the Slice

As if you needed an excuse? Pick up some pizza by the slice for a cheap dinner on the go. It was something we liked to do if we wanted to eat in the park or on the water. Joe's Pizza is one of the best and is easily located in the East Village at 14th St E & 3rd Avenue, or Greenwich Village on Carmine St. & 6th Avenue. PS - I absolutely love the East Village AND Greenwich/West Village. Two of my favorite areas in Manhattan!

Governor's Island
If you want to visit Governor's Island I hope you've been saving up.... it's $2 round trip and you have to pay up front :) The ferry ride is short and leave every 30 minutes. It provides great views of the city and is a great place to spend the day outside! You can take long walks, enjoy the fun slides and hammocks, or rent bikes. There's also some fun art and cute food trucks. We brought a picnic and some wine and made an afternoon of it. I loved it and would highly suggest it if you're visiting with good weather.

Coney Island
Talk about cheap thrills - Coney Island is #1 on this list! You can take the subway out there, and then you don't have to spend any money if you don't want to. Matt wanted to try a Nathan's Hot Dog (this is where they do the hot dog eating contest every year) so we spent a few bucks. :) It's got an old carnival feel but is a lot of fun.

Rush Tickets
There are several ways to see broadway shows on the cheap or even for free. You can sign up each day to win a number of raffles (almost every show does it, but each show has different rules, so check with them directly) and I've had a lot of friends win these free tickets! The thing is they are for that day only, so make sure you're free. Or you can often find severely discounted tickets day of but in limited quantity. Another great way to get tickets around $25-50 is downloading the TODAY TIX app. We saw Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime AND Les Miserables for $29pp. Yes, we sat in the back row but it was awesome and saved us a TON! Sign up using my link and take $10 off your first show!

Brooklyn Brewery Tour

They only offer tours on the weekends as far as I know, but it's a lot of fun and it's free. I'd suggest going early as they fill up quickly! They also have a tasting room with pretty cheap beers and some of these brews are harder to find so it can be a bit of a treat! 

These were some of my favorite activities and I will repeat a lot of them! This is a great list to keep on hand when you're trying to have a cheap weekend but still enjoy some local color and have a great time.

What are your favorite freebies in NYC?
xo

The Best FREE Museums in London

Let's just start this post by clarifying, most of the museums in London are free. I think this is incredible, because art & culture should be shared with everyone. I've skipped many of the major museums of the world, for fear of seeing ONE famous panting and being bummed I spent $25 to do so (cough, cough.... Mona Lisa at the Louvre). But I digress.

London is chock full of museums, more than you could ever see during a week-long visit. And in my opinion, it has some of the best, most diverse museums in the world! Even if you're not a museum person, keep these on your radar if you're caught in a storm or need to warm up.

Here are five (technically six!) of my favorites & they're all free.

The National Gallery

Location: Charring Cross tube station (Trafalgar Square)
This might be my favorite "traditional" museum in the world. It has so many different paintings from the 13th-19th century, and a little something for everyone. I also love the National Gallery because of the beautiful fountains out front in Trafalgar Square. It's a great place to sit and drink a coffee while you people watch. Some noteworthy artists include Monet, van Gogh, Rembrant, Michelangelo, Botticelli, da Vinci, and more.

Victoria & Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum

Location: South Kensington tube station
A little less traditional, the V&A is focused on fashion and design. They have famous fashion designers collections displayed from time to time and they're so cool! If you aren't one for paintings but also don't understand modern art, this is a museum you can get behind. 

And I included the Natural History Museum because it's right next door. Anyone who is into dinosaurs, bugs, butterflies and more will love this. Even if it's not your cup of tea, it's really interesting and worth a browse! I've never been to the AMNH in NYC... but I don't think I'll pay the price tag, because the NHM is great.

Tate Modern

Location: St Paul's or Blackfriars tube stations & walk across the Millennium Bridge
To be completely honest, I don't always understand modern art. At all. What really sold me on this museum was its location (at the end of the pedestrian bridge & looks down over St Paul's Cathedral, just gorgeous!), and the paintings Rothko was commissioned to do for the Four Seasons & instead, he donated to the pieces to the Tate Modern. So cool. 

British Museum

Location: Tottenham Court Road tube station
The British Museum is going to offer a lot of ancient history - truly.  Instead of paintings, think of specially curated artifacts from all over the world. History at its finest.

Museum of London

Location: St Paul's tube station
If you're into London or British history at all, this is the place for you. There's so much cool stuff here, as well as rotating pop culture exhibits (currently it's Sherlock Holmes & Pattington Bear). It's a favorite.

I might be a little bias, but London is the BEST! These museums are so well done, and don't rely on ticket sales. Amazing! 

Have you visited any of these museums during your travels? Which one is your favorite? Did I leave any of the greats out?
xo

Southwest Companion Pass

Ever since I heard about the Southwest Companion Pass, I've been CONSUMED with getting it. I neeeeeeeeeeed it! Do you have it? If you do, I'm incredibly jealous.

Since I was in the dark about this, I thought some others might be, too! So I've done my research and found out HOW to get it, and WHY it's awesome!

FACTS ON THE SOUTHWEST COMPANION PASS

The only way to get the Companion Pass is earning 110,000 Rapid Reward Points in one calendar year. This means January 1 - December 31. It's January 21, so let's hit the ground running with this New Year's Resolution :) 

The 110,000 RR points must be in one person's name. These points cannot be transferred from another Rapid Rewards account. You can't have 55,000 in your name and 55,000 in  your spouses name..... all 110,000 have to be in one name. No exceptions.

The Companion Pass is eligible for the rest of the calendar year (so, 2015) and the entirety of the following year. Which means as soon as you earn it this year, you're in the clear for the next year, too! Awesome.

The Companion Pass is only eligible for ONE person.... which you can change three times. So for example's sake, if I signed Matt up as my companion (duh!), I could switch it to my best friend, but still be able to switch back to Matt. It gives you one option, but just be careful you don't mess it up!

The Companion Pass is eligible for EVERY flight the holder books. SO, if I pay for my flight with money or miles, it doesn't matter - Matt comes with me for free. Please note that the "companion" must be with the holder of the pass, so he doesn't fly for free unless he's with me. 

110,000 points is enough for an average of 9 free flight segments. Reward flights start as low as 6,000 points (one way), and go up to about 18,000, depending on when/where you're flying (I looked at a bunch of different flights to get a sample). So even if you only earned the companion pass in December 2015, you have 110,000 free points to fly the next year - so you can pay for YOUR flights with points and your companion is still flying free. That's an incredible deal in itself.

There are several ways to earn points:

• The largest (and easiest) is to apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card with the current bonus offer of 50,000 RR points (if you spend $2,000 in the first three months of having the card)
• You earn 2RR points / $1 spent directly with Southwest (a $200 flight = 400 RR points). Please note this needs to be purchased DIRECTLY with Southwest (on their website or phone)... not through a 3rd party website or travel agent.
• You earn 1RR point/ $1 spent on the card on everyday purchases (a $35 tank of gas = 35 RR points)
• You earn the RR points for every flight you take with Southwest (this is not dependent on having the Southwest Credit Card)
• You earn RR points by shopping through the Southwest Shopping portal. You sign in & do your regular online shopping... but for extra points. Nordstrom is 5points/$1 right now, iTunes is 3p/$1, and Sephora is 4p/$1. 
• Please note if you do your spending on the credit card, you'll also get 2points/$1. If you drop $50 at Nordstrom, you'll get 100points for the credit card and 250points for the shopping portal, making your $50 worth 350 points

Let's do a little math. 

If you sign up for the RR credit card and are approved, you'll start at 50,000 points. If you book 12 Southwest segments (6 round trip flights) this year ON the credit card, average $200 per segment, each and average 1,000 RR points (12 segments total), that's an extra 16,800 points. Putting you at 66,800! 

Now, if you do $50 a month of shopping through the Southwest portal on the credit card, even at only 3point/$1 offers, you still will earn an extra 250 points per month, or 3000 points for the year... putting you at almost 70,000 points!

Now all that's left is 40,000 points to earn. If you spend $40,000 a year then you're SET. You might not think you spend that much, but chances are you come pretty close! It comes to just over $3,000 a month on the Southwest Credit Card (I'm only into responsible credit card using.... only spend it if you can pay it off!)

A few notes:

• If you're buying for 2 - which if you're not, the companion pass is a little useless anyway - you will get the double points for money spent, just not their actual flight points. So, buying 12 segments for 2 people, puts you up to 24 segments total at $200, making your points earned 9,600 points... or 21,600 points. The new average would be 71,600 before any portal shopping or regular spending on the credit card. 
• If you're traveling for work, see if you can purchase your own flight and invoice the company. Every extra point counts!
• This companion pass would work best for someone with a business parter (if you travel together often), a married couple/seriously dating couple or a family with kids. If you mostly travel alone or with a variety of different people, this wouldn't make much sense for you. 
• Choose the person who will fly the most often - for example, I travel solo for work more often, so I in theory will earn more points in the calendar year.  
• You can use up to $15,000 in balance transfers to the Southwest Card in the first three months that WILL gain you points. However, they're at a 3% rate, so I would not advise it.

You guys.... we can do this. With a little strategy, you can work your way to dozens of free flights! Who's with me?

xo

More on Cheap Flights:

Save Money on Round Trip Flights

How to Travel for Free