by The Frugal Tourist | Mar 13, 2022 | Capital One, Hawaii, MILES & POINTS, North America, Redemptions
Hawaii is a bucket-list destination that is popular with both local and foreign tourists alike. However, there is no doubt that embarking on a grand Hawaiian vacation carries the risk of instantly wiping out anyone’s hard-earned savings. Thankfully, it is possible to reduce a significant amount of travel expenses by using miles and points whenever we travel. In this blog post, I will do a deep dive on Capital One points and walk you through several options to fly to Hawaii for nearly free.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 26, 2022 | Europe, Italy, Walking Tour
Milan is a vibrant city full of culture, art, fashion, and history. It’s no wonder that it has become one of the hottest tourist destinations in Europe! With its stunning architecture and beautiful scenery, Milan offers something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to explore the city’s historic sites or shop at designer boutiques, there are plenty of free things to do and see in Milan.
From strolling through picturesque parks to visiting awe-inspiring churches without paying admission fees, here are some of the top free activities in this amazing Italian city. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!
by The Frugal Tourist | Jan 14, 2022 | Travel Tips, USA
With over 400 stunning national parks speckled across the country, the United States boasts an array of some of the most striking landscapes to be found around the globe. While some of these parks are free to enter, several of the major players require a reasonable fee. This can be quite prohibitive to some, especially if cash is tight. The National Park Services recently released the list of entrance-fee free days for this year. Therefore, anyone can now experience the splendor of the great outdoors, regardless of budget and income.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 30, 2021 | Cash Back, MILES & POINTS, POINTS ACCUMULATION
I’ve found that with a little bit of effort and know-how, it is possible to earn hundreds of cash back or airline miles each year without spending more than you would typically spend when eating at your favorite restaurants. In this blog post, I will go over the steps on how I was able to stack multiple dining offers to earn miles and cash back from my restaurant bill not twice, not thrice, but four times. Whether you plan to eat out or dine in, make sure to check out the various apps and dining programs I mentioned in this post. Good luck on your future dining stack.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 6, 2021 | North America, San Francisco, USA, Walking Tour
San Francisco, arguably the most beautiful city in the United States, is divinely formed by nature to be a gift to walkers and hikers. As my first ever stairways post in the blog, this particular walk is dear to my heart as it is one of my favorites. This walk is filled with spellbinding vistas, remarkable neighborhoods, glorious stairways, and Coit Tower perched atop one of SF’s striking hills – Telegraph Hill. Let’s go!
by Adam Fortuna | Mar 20, 2021 | Financial Independence
Are you one of the millions of Americans who are currently rethinking their finances? If you want to reset and reevaluate not only your money but what your life will be after the pandemic, there are ways to bring it all into balance without feeling deprived. The pandemic dramatically and immediately changed the speed of our treadmill. You can choose to permanently slow it down and live a more simple life now and in the future. Let’s look at 20 ways to nudge your mindset in a new direction.
by Monica Fish | Mar 20, 2021 | Travel Tips
While 7 out of 8 U.S. timeshares owners are satisfied, one-in-four Americans have trouble paying their bills. In a world of tough choices, a timeshare invoice is probably placed at the bottom of a stack of bills. Do you have an unwanted timeshare? Is the maintenance fee a financial burden? Similar to other commitments, you can’t just walk away from a timeshare company. Here are five ways you can “divorce” your timeshare legally that don’t include paying thousands of dollars of upfront fees to timeshare exit companies or to a timeshare lawyer. Read along.
by The Frugal Tourist | Mar 6, 2021 | North America, San Francisco, USA
Twin Peaks, one of SF’s most iconic tourist attractions, is a must-see on your first trip to this stunning city by the bay. In this blog post, I will map out a walking tour itinerary that is guaranteed to get your heart pumping to its limit. Prepare to tackle numerous stairs along the way and summit two of SF’s most popular hills. Let’s go!
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 28, 2021 | Travel Tips
Travel has been completely jolted because of the unprecedented effects of COVID19. But with the rollout of multiple vaccines that have already started arriving into people’s arms compounded by pandemic fatigue (a.k.a. cabin fever), people have started to gain more confidence in mapping out their vacations in the near future. As such, demand is expected to substantially grow once we are finally out of the woods. In this post, I will go over the top search engines that have consistently generated cheap airfare, so you are guaranteed to get the best bang for your buck when shopping for plane tickets.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 14, 2021 | Flying Blue, Israel, MILES & POINTS, Redemptions
So, I just pulled the trigger and booked a round-trip business class ticket from San Francisco to Tel Aviv during the Christmas holidays. At first, I did not really expect multiple award seats from various airlines to be widely available during the holidays. In this blog post, I’ll go over the steps I took from transferring points to booking with Flying Blue so you would not have to reinvent the wheel in case you want to replicate the process. Total miles: 125,000 Flying Blue Miles.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 5, 2021 | North America, San Francisco, USA
San Francisco is well-known for its dramatic geographical location and its extensive list of alluring attractions. Unbeknownst to many, San Francisco is also a treasure trove of stellar street art. Mesmerizing murals are strewn all over town, just waiting to be uncovered by many a curious traveler. In this blog post, I will list out my personal choice of the best murals that can be found in San Francisco’s famous Mission District.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 4, 2021 | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, South America, TOP 10
South America is one of my favorite continents in the world. My travels across this incredible region have led me to discover so many extraordinary highlights – marvelous towering peaks, iconic lost ancient empires, wondrously scrumptious cuisine, and pristinely lush jungles – splattered everywhere in this spectacularly scenic and geographically-diverse continent. In the past decade, my love affair with this continent made me return at least 8 times, providing me with countless opportunities to travel extensively all over, from its northernmost tip in Colombia to the southernmost region of Patagonia. In this blog post, I count down the personal list of favorite sites in South America.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 4, 2021 | Europe, Italy, Walking Tour
This blog post is the companion walking tour guide of my article on Rome’s Ultimate Top 10 Best Churches to Visit. A free walking tour map is included and can be easily downloaded to your google maps and shared with someone who is interested. After several visits to Rome and to these churches, I assure you that the itinerary I have laid out will not only satisfy your religious spirits but also gratify your cravings for stupendously enchanting artistic masterpieces.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 3, 2021 | Financial Independence
Receiving bank bonuses is one of my favorite ways of earning passive income. As a matter of fact, I try to participate in several offers year after year. As a result, the profit I earn immediately gets diverted to either my emergency fund, travel bucket, or retirement accounts. In this blog post, I’ll take a closer look into BBVA’s current bank offers.
