There is no shortage of reasons to add more travel to your calendar. It could be the ever-increasing cost of living in the U.S., traveling for medical tourism because of a broken healthcare system, or the dismantling of protections created for underrepresented groups happening during Trump’s second term. We could all use a break, right?
Whatever the reason, you’ll still need ways to pay for and travel in the comfort you deserve. Here’s how aspiring or even seasoned Black travelers can do it for free. Use these strategies to add more trips and less stress to your schedule.
Leverage Credit Card Points and Miles
Travel hacking has become more popular with the dawn of YouTube travel vlogs. You can use credit cards to pay your rent, groceries, gas, and everyday expenses that earn redeemable points and miles on airlines, hotels, and travel booking sites.
Your goal should be to use credit cards with 2x or 3x the points in categories where you already spend money. Earn points and miles through everyday spending and then book free travel with the card issuers’ travel portals or by transferring the points directly to airlines and hotels.
For example, the American Express Green Card earns three points per dollar spent on travel, transit, and dining. The Venture X Card By Capital One earns an unlimited two points per dollar spent on anything. Each has a travel portal and dozens of transfer partners. Personally, I earn and redeem over a million points yearly for free travel with my wife.
“As a global traveler, points have been a game changer,” says luxury travel and retreat strategist Makeiba Winclas.
“When I started, my goal was 30 countries before 30. With credit card points, I hit that goal within two years,” says Winclas. “Some memorable trips were flying to Dubai on Emirates Airlines using points I transferred from my American Express, a trip to Paris using American Airlines miles for flights and hotels, and my trip to Greece using my Avios miles I transferred to British Airways.”
Sponsorships
If you have a social media following, plan to build one, or write travel articles for prestigious publications, you can travel on a trip that major brands or governments sponsor.
You can take sponsored trips entirely paid for, and these opportunities can find you. Sponsored trips allow you to travel for free with the red carpet rolled out since you’re a valued guest.
Besides continuing to build your following in high-visibility places, you can pitch directly. One hack is to follow travel influencers, see which entities sponsor them, and connect with those brands since they already fund travel.
If you have a business, it can also sponsor business-related trips. Just make sure you talk to your CPA first. “My business has enabled me to travel the world; I did not have a passport until I needed it for business travel,” says Shameca Tankerson, CEO and global business advisor. “My first trip was to Paris, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve been to Greece, Dubai, Spain, and Antigua.”
Use a Business or Side Hustle
Part of my business is consulting, and I travel to other countries for training; my consultancy pays for these trips. A business or side hustle can be a means of traveling for free. You can take trips related to your work, and the business pays for them.
“I just sent 21 days at the top of the year on three trips my business paid for,” says Darnyelle Jervey Harmon, CEO of Incredible One Enterprises. Harmon has a business consultancy where she uses credit cards to pay for expenses and accumulate points.
“I love being able to see the world on my business. In the last few months, my business has paid me to see Costa Rica, Belize, and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and a Virgin Voyage Cruise to Bimini Bahamas, all for free,” says Harmon.
In the Digital Information Age, you can start a business online with lower costs and create a customer base on social media. You can design courses and digital products or offer coaching. Your business or side hustle can allow you to travel and pay for business-related trips.
Get more travel in your life—and do so for free. Use these strategies to pay for your next trip and enjoy a much-deserved break.
Kimanzi Constable is the author of four books and a writer whose articles have been published in CNET, Fortune, AskMen, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, SUCCESS® magazine, CBS, Parents, Travel & Leisure, CNBC Make It, the HuffPost, Black Enterprise, Condé Nast Traveler and 80 other publications and magazines.