Hi! I’m Donald, and welcome to my blog! I’m never great at introductions but still thought it would be beneficial for you to know a little about me and what this blog is about.
I am by no means a full-time traveler or a blogger. Rather, I’m just your run-of-the-mill young adult working-class citizen. But I DO like to travel. This blog is just a way for me to record my experiences while also hopefully providing some inspiration for others. The truth is, travel doesn’t have to be expensive – it just has to be fun.
Some people travel to soak up the sun and enjoy the beach. Others travel just to hit the best ski slopes in the world. For me, I’m in it for the cultural exposure and the feeling of being faster than anyone else in the world at that moment.
Or, it’s to see awesomeness like this:
A Little Background
I’ve been obsessed with all things travel from a very young age. I have been fortunate enough to have parents who valued my awareness of other cultures and brought me to faraway places. Our travels were far from glamorous – always the cheapest flights, cheapest hotels, and cheapest meals everywhere. But the memories I shall cherish forever.
I most looked forward to our annual trips to China. With family halfway around the world, it’s not every day I get to spend time with my grandparents or aunts/uncles. These were short 1-week trips that revolved around school holidays but were the best weeks of the year. No amount of jetlag could hold me back from the “pilgrimage”, as I started calling it.
My parents got me my first authorized user credit card on my 18th birthday. I slowly started to learn about the points and miles game until, before long, I had opened 2 of my own cards. Those cards enabled us to upgrade to business class for our very next trip to China. Needless to say, I was hooked.
My Credit Cards and Me
Sign up bonus after sign up bonus, I continued to climb the ladder. I learned most of the bank’s application rules and limitations. Friends and family started to ask me “What credit cards should I get?” or “How do I travel for free?”. I was getting weekly texts asking for help finding their next card.
So while I worked my regular job during the day, my evenings were dedicated to this hobby. Through the years, I’ve cycled through over 10 personal credit cards, helped friends secure over 15 of their own cards, and taught countless others how to redeem super cheap (and often free) flights.
I became an avid travel hacker. Be warned, If we’re engaged in a conversation and you mention anything about credit cards, I will definitely lead us astray and spend the next hour talking solely about my credit card strategy. I will annoy you until you tell me to stop.
My friend sent me, to this day, the best text I’ve ever received:
“The first step toward beating your addiction is admitting you have one, Donald”
A caring? annoyed? concerned? friend
What’s Next?
This is my true passion. I don’t anticipate stopping my travels anytime soon, nor do I see myself winding down my strategies to see as many new places as I can. There’s still so much more to learn and so much more to exploit explore that I’ll keep going until my body tells me to stop. And the best part is, I get to share all of it with you!
I update posts on my blog page regularly. These posts are directly accessible through my home page. I focus on things like trip reviews and yearly summaries in my posts.
If you are new to credit cards or want to learn much more about my credit card strategy, just hang tight! I’m constructing a section of my website dedicated to everything credit cards, awards, and redemptions. My hope is also to bleed these into my blog posts too. I’ll update this section when it’s ready!