What Is The Greatest Travel Hack You Did?

[whacked1]

The ones I'm posting all expired, so no use asking for the little details:

I had found a system to rent by Avis in a way that the miles earned per rental had a way higher value than the actual rental.
Practically, that means that I rented 5x per week a one day rental for a couple of months till it died.
Since I used it in the city I live in, I arrived by Avis by bike in the morning, picked up the car and returned it in the evening. I drive so little that refueling made no sense.
They kept on asking me why I don't rent for a month straight. Way cheaper and way less paperwork...
Result: free car + about $800 / month.

After a DO a bunch of years back, picked up this neat little trick of renting cars for free with free gas and insurance. Started always renting cars and lending /renting out my primary car in yeshiva. Good times

[Abebee]

The ones I'm posting all expired, so no use asking for the little details:

I had found a system to rent by Avis in a way that the miles earned per rental had a way higher value than the actual rental.
Practically, that means that I rented 5x per week a one day rental for a couple of months till it died.
Since I used it in the city I live in, I arrived by Avis by bike in the morning, picked up the car and returned it in the evening. I drive so little that refueling made no sense.
They kept on asking me why I don't rent for a month straight. Way cheaper and way less paperwork...
Result: free car + about $800 / month.

Why not return the car the next morning when you picked up the new rental?

[shwarmabob]

flying from the US to TLV with a stopover and travel in Japan with the family and saving 60000 United miles

[Yehudaa]

After a DO a bunch of years back, picked up this neat little trick of renting cars for free with free gas and insurance. Started always renting cars and lending /renting out my primary car in yeshiva. Good times

When I was in yeshiva we had a manager in a local branch who was willing to give us cars for $25-30 each weekend which was officially Friday-Mon, but he'd let us take the cars Thurs if they were going to sit on the lot until Friday anyway, so we could get cars from Thurs-Mon for around $7/day all in.

Definitely not as good as free cars and free gas, but it was a good deal and got us cars to go away each shabbos.

[hvaces42]

When I was in yeshiva we had a manager in a local branch who was willing to give us cars for $25-30 each weekend which was officially Friday-Mon, but he'd let us take the cars Thurs if they were going to sit on the lot until Friday anyway, so we could get cars from Thurs-Mon for around $7/day all in.

Definitely not as good as free cars and free gas, but it was a good deal and got us cars to go away each shabbos.

That was regular price at Thrifty in Montreal in the early 90s.

Best travel hacks involve booking connecting flights during weather waivers and getting nonstop. Done that multiple times. 

[Yehudaa]

That was regular price at Thrifty in Montreal in the early 90s.

This was 20+ years after the early 90's

[~King Lake~]

U sound jealous not excactly the reason I called in to switch the class was cuz I wanted it to count as full fare premium so that way it's only 15k miles and no surcharge to upgrade.

Not jealous sir, just stating a fact, good for you that you got it

[moko]

That was regular price at Thrifty in Montreal in the early 90s.

vehn I vaz ah yung boichik, vee vaz paying 40 cents ah gallon for gasoline

[Yehuda57]

Not necessarily my best "hack" but before I was on DD and learned about HC, my in-laws had long figured out HC on their own. I didn't realize it was against the rules and managed to convince the United rep to let me get my bags at the layover. Here is my n00b post about it:

I've done it on United. I checked with them before I made the ticket, and you can request at check in to pick up your bags at the layover.

The check in agent was adamant that I would not have time to make my connection, and I said I understood the risks, but that it was my problem and she doesn't haven't worry about it.

Not only did I check baggage on a HC, I called the airline first to check it was ok!

[Yehudaa]

Not necessarily my best "hack" but before I was on DD and learned about HC, my in-laws had long figured out HC on their own.

I once heard from a certain elderly Rosh Yeshiva that growing up in the 60's and 70's he regularly did HC tickets to get from his home to/from the yeshiva that he was learning in. He did not know the HC term but described it well.

אין כל חדש תחת השמש

[aygart]

vehn I vaz ah yung boichik, vee vaz paying 40 cents ah gallon for gasoline

I drove from Lakewood to Toronto on $9 of gas in 2001

[Euclid]

I drove from Lakewood to Toronto on $9 of gas in 2001

Lakewood, Ontario?

[moe8555]

Not necessarily my best "hack" but before I was on DD and learned about HC, my in-laws had long figured out HC on their own. I didn't realize it was against the rules and managed to convince the United rep to let me get my bags at the layover. Here is my n00b post about it:

Not only did I check baggage on a HC, I called the airline first to check it was ok!

Literally LOL from this one 

[Dan]

When Mimi flew to CLE for a couple days when we were engaged, last minute flights from MCI-CLE-MCI were ~$750 while MCI-CLE-ERI-CLE-MCI flights were ~$200.

Booked the flight to ERI and was going to pick her up from there, but as soon as a delay was posted for MCI-CLE I called CO and told them that the connection was now too close for comfort and would need to cancel CLE-ERI and find another way to get there. Of course as the rental car requires a return to the origin, we'll also need the ERI-CLE leg cancelled. The agent did that and processed a partial refund as well

Helps to book tight connections sometimes:

[YitzyS]

when we were engaged

They had commercial airlines back in the 1920s? 

[Spoon]

When Mimi flew to CLE for a couple days when we were engaged, last minute flights from MCI-CLE-MCI were ~$750 while MCI-CLE-ERI-CLE-MCI flights were ~$200.

Booked the flight to ERI and was going to pick her up from there, but as soon as a delay was posted for MCI-CLE I called CO and told them that the connection was now too close for comfort and would need to cancel CLE-ERI and find another way to get there. Of course as the rental car requires a return to the origin, we'll also need the ERI-CLE leg cancelled. The agent did that and processed a partial refund as well

Helps to book tight connections sometimes:

Nice try.

Now tell us about that time you found space for your family in J to TLV....

[Dan]

They had a CO hub in CLE back in the 1920s? 

FTFY marketing dept

[SuperFlyer]

Why not return the car the next morning when you picked up the new rental?

And deal with the difficulty of parking in my hood? 

[mendy95322]

I seized the United Arline deal that Dan just posted last week to book a trip to LA for winter break for a family of 6. I used 2 United Quests cards, one for each way. It was $375 each way for a total 6 tickets. I then applied the $125 travel credit on both cards. With the Quest card I will also be getting free checked bags. I then texted customer service, as advised by DD since traveling with children under the age of 14 they must assign seats for free.  In the end I affectively paid for a family of 6 a total of $510 for rounds trip nonstop tickets from CLE to LAX , with free baggage and assigned seats.

[Dan]

I seized the United Arline deal that Dan just posted last week to book a trip to LA for winter break for a family of 6. I used 2 United Quests cards, one for each way. It was $375 each way for a total 6 tickets. I then applied the $125 travel credit on both cards. With the Quest card I will also be getting free checked bags. I then texted customer service, as advised by DD since traveling with children under the age of 14 they must assign seats for free.  In the end I affectively paid for a family of 6 a total of $510 for rounds trip nonstop tickets from CLE to LAX , with free baggage and assigned seats.

Welcome to DDF, nicely done!