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Travel hack tool: FlightAware (https://www.flightaware.com). Use this to see if a tight connection is the same plane. So that you know if the first leg is delayed, so will the next one as it is the same plane. Note: You will have to book these flights separately.
- For example, if you why to fly from JFK (B6 2091) to ACK (B6 92) and then back – the connection time is only 47 minutes – and jetBlue will not even recommend the flight. But if you look at the flight numbers on Flight Aware you see that the inbound flight of B6 92 is B6 2091 by clicking on Track inbound plane under Flight Details. Just book the two flights separately.
- Example:
- DCA->JFK->MVY
- MVY->JFK->BNA
- Two cheap flights and all you do its get off and back on the same plane. The flight attendants might look at you weird, but this is how you do this challenge on a budget.
Use the right travel credit card. The goals of this challenge are to protect yourself from delays, issues and lost baggage – all without spending more money. For this, I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. It gives me all of that and more. Yes, the annual fee is high – but I get more in benefits than I pay in annual fees.
Travel Benefits for the Challenge:
- $300 in travel (flights / hotels / rental cars) costs automatically reimbursed
- Lounge access for free food (Chase and Priority Pass)
- Primary rental car insurance (meaning you don’t have to first go through your own credit card insurance before filing claim – which can save you tons of money)
- Trip and delay insurance
- 4X points for direct bookings on hotels and airfare
- You can then transfer those points back to jetBlue at a 1:1 ratio
- $120 Lyft credits
- TSA Pre / Global Entry credit
Other Benefits (that offset the annual fee):
- $300 StubHub credits
- $300 dining credit
- $500 hotel credit
- $250 AppleTV+ and Apple Music credits
- $420 in yearly DoorDash credits and promos
- So many travel partners to transfer points too
If you plan on applying, if you would consider using my referral link, it would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. If you just want the primary rental car insurance and a $50 hotel credit, you can also sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for a $95 annual fee, which is an equally significant value.
Use a spreadsheet for planning and tracking
Tracking is important in this challenge as costs can easily skyrocket (especially those ancillary costs). I made a spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) that works for me that you can download for free. The spreadsheet includes a list of the jetBlue domestic airport codes (for easy searching), and a way to track destinations, layovers, costs and more.
Consider one way cars and trains to avoid major airport hubs and getting stuck places
- Avoid JFK, BOS, and FLL as much as possible by looking for other connections at other airports in the area (remember only destinations count – not departures)
- For JFK, consider LGA and EWR (MTA trains and buses for easy transfers)
- For BOS, consider PVD (MBTA commuter rail and subway for easy transfers)
- For FLL, consider PBI and MIA (Tri-rail for easy transfers)
- For example, fly into PBI and fly out of FLL for a cheaper and much better timed flight – as you will most likely visit FLL again
- Look for deals on one way cars on Expedia
- Fly into RIC and rent a one-way car to DCA.
- The last thing you want is to be stuck in a niche destination, have to find a hotel, and be stuck with not great flight times the next day.
- Fly into RIC and rent a one-way car to DCA.
Pack the right gear
This is the gear I actually use when I travel, and I’m using for this challenge to keep my bag light. You really don’t want to check a bag, since one delay could mean losing access to your stuff. Even bringing both a carry-on and a backpack can be a hassle if you need to rush between flights, so I’m sticking with just a backpack for speed and simplicity.
Packing Cubes to keep everything organized. Especially the dirty clothes. Trust me, you don’t want to accidentally put on a dirty shirt the next day.
A Compact Charger for all of your devices (laptop, phone, fan, etc.). I love that this has a cord that plugs into the wall, making sure my phone and fan can reach the bed for those awkwardly placed outlets in hotels and Airbnb’s. Pro tip: The cord can be swapped out with the EU or UK cord and plug for cheap, making this changer perfect for international travel.
A portable battery bank, to charge your devices anywhere. It also has a nifty flashlight for looking under your seat on an airplane.
A travel fan (that is usb powered and quite powerful). Great for air flow and white noise. This thing is a travels with me everywhere. Its been to 8 countries and about 20 states.
An eye mask for those bright hotels and hostels. There are comfortable and light – making it very easy to sleep.
I may look crazy when I use this on a plane, but this $20 airplane seat head holder device straps my head to the headrest and actually let me sleep on red eyes. I may look crazy but I feel well rested. And this version is basically a knockoff of the expensive TikTok version that I always get ads for.
Loop Dream earplugs for planes and hotels. These things block out EVERYTHING. Not even the loud upstair neighbors can bother me – and they are super comfortable.
Laundry sheets for doing laundry on the go. I just put a few of these in a ziplock bag and they work wonders. I typically double ziplock bag them as the smell permeates. Its not a bad smell, its just a strong one.
End your days in the right places
Consider:
- Cities with cheap hotels (or hostels)
- Hotels with free airport shuttles (again to keep costs down)
- Airports with public transit
- Destinations where your friends or family lives – for free couch surfing
- Redeye’s going from West Coast to the East Coast
- Examples:
- LAX to BUF
- LAX to EWR
- PHX to BOS
- Examples: