Free Travel - Conclusions

[Edit: I've moved! If you're interested in up-to-date info on free travel, check out Free Travel in Your Twenties]

This is it - finally, the last post in my free travel series! Thanks for sticking it out, and hopefully you've even been able to pick up a helpful tip or two.

I've shared several posts on earning points, one on traveling together, an update on my progress over the last five months, and most recently how I plan to spend the points I've earned. I have one last thing to share - my intentions for this hobby going forward..

First off, I'm scaling back. Way back. I've cut my blog feed from 60+ travel blogs down to 10, and I'm thinking I'll cut that down even further. I've also come to realize that while there are lots of opportunities for free points, most of them aren't worth how much time I put into them - I'll be ending the surveys, search bars, etc. And now that I have a pair of awesome credit cards (PriorityClub Visa for business hotel stays and Chase Sapphire Preferred for everything else), it's time to protect my credit score until after figuring out the housing situation. Basically, I spent six months diving in head first, attempting to become a self-proclaimed expert. With all the experience I gained, I now feel like I have a solid understanding of what works and what doesn't, allowing me to choose the best path forward. And that's what I'm going to leave you with...

My one-two punch:

1. Get an awesome credit card, even if it has a moderate annual fee ($100 or less - they're worth it). Use it for your day to day spending, and pay it off every month. I can't recommend the Sapphire Preferred high enough - it's far and away my top choice.

2. Whenever buying online, use a shopping portal. I only shop online for a few things - booking travel, wedding presents on Target registries, and iTunes music. For each, I log into my Chase account, go to Ultimate Rewards mall, and search for Target/iTunes/Travelocity. This is the easiest way to double or triple your points without any extra money.

That's it - my six months of obsession boiled down and presented as two take-aways. I'll be sticking to these two things going forward, as well as following just a couple of key blogs for updates on major changes to the game. Thanks for following along on my long-winded hobby!!

Please, please leave a comment if you've benefited from the series in any way - I'd love to hear from you! Oh, and if you have questions or want to dig deeper, please send a line my way as well - I'd love to help out in any way I can!