Who Wants to Fly to Ireland For $40?????

Hi everyone, this is a guest chapter from Deena.  I will be popping in from time to time to explain the details of how we are able to take this trip.   We did NOT win the lottery; in fact our last two attempts at powerball failed miserably.   We did not receive an inheritance, and we are not independently wealthy.   Two years ago, I happened upon a book at Barnes and Noble about travel hacking, and it piqued my interest.  It showed how many people are traveling and seeing the world on very little money.  I determined we would try this strategy as a family.  I started collecting points and miles through credit card sign-up bonuses and in two years accumulated quite a stash of over one million points.

The first leg of the trip started in Charlotte, NC.  We flew to Boston, MA, redeeming  6,537 Southwest  points each and paying $5.60 per person in taxes and fees.  Our total cost for the family was $22.40.

The second leg from Boston to Dublin, Ireland was booked on the British Air partner, Aer Lingus.  British Air has a distance-based chart, and the distance between Boston and Dublin is right under the limit for a flight for 12.500 points.   If you sign up for ONE British Air card by Chase you can fly four people one way for free or two people round trip.  Now these are British Air points (also called Avios)  booked on partner Aer Lingus—they do not charge exorbitant fuel charges on their flights.  You have to call British Air to book the flight on Aer Lingus as it is not bookable online.  Our charge was $ 34.17 per person.   

Our total for both flights was $39.77 per person.   That’s  $159.08 for a family of four to travel from Charlotte to Ireland.

 IMPORTANT TIP:  Do NOT apply for the British Air card and expect to fly to London - British Air charges ridiculous fees on their own flights.

If you use this trick to fly to Dublin or Shannon, then you can hop over to London like we did for an additional $19.

Once overseas, there are several low-budget airlines that make it  sometimes cheaper to fly than using trains or buses.

Ryan Air had a flight for $19, and we hopped on that to London after eleven days in Ireland.

Stay tuned—many more travel and budget tips to come!