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How I Travel Like a Rockstar

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how I travel like a rockstar (or words to that effect).

So in this series of articles – How I travel Like A Rockstar – I will explain the 3 aspects that seem to intrigue most people, which are:-

How I travel – e.g. Premium (first or business class), upgrades, luxury lifestyle, Elite benefits in hotels etc.
How I pay for my travel and fund my lifestyle
What travel hacks (cheats, dodges, equipment, tricks, advice etc.) I use/recommend

How I Travel

Travel Like a Rockstar: Etihad A380 First Class Apartment

I first travelled overseas when I was 3, and since then I’ve almost always been ‘on the road’ (or in the air, on the sea etc.). I lived in the Middle East when I was 9, served ten years in the British Army, spent ten years travelling as a contractor and then worked as an expat since 2009. Safe to say, I know a thing or two about travelling.

I’m a Most Viewed writer on Quora on topics such as :-

Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Hotels
Expatriates
Qatar
Cape Town
Restaurant Recommendations
Hotel Recommendations
Emirates Airline
Jobs in Dubai
Hotel Management
Etihad Airways
Airline Baggage and Luggage
Luxury Hotels
Luggage
British Airways
Visiting and Travel in South Africa
Qatar Airways
Star Alliance (airline alliance)
Visiting and Travel in London
Rewards Points
Burj Khalifa
Foreign Countries
Check-Ins
Commercial Aircraft
Suitcases

And ‘Up and Coming' in:-

Airlines
The Middle East
Airfares
Doha
Fiverr
Frequent Flyer Miles and Programs
Loyalty
Moscow
Deals (Daily, Group and Other)
Working Abroad
Kuwait

All of which has brought to me a love of travel, along with many ideas, innovations and best practices about how to enjoy and make travel easier. I’ve always been looking to learn, and put into practice, ‘blags’ such as getting upgrades on flights and I’ve made it my mission to learn as much about ‘travel hacking’ as I possibly can.

I like to travel in luxury, as easily as I can make it and with as little stress as possible – and I want to help you do the same also (hence this article).

Some examples of my Rockstar travels in the last year are:-

Staying over ten nights in luxury hotels (e.g. 350 Euros/night) in Europe and Dubai
Flying in the Etihad A380 First Class Apartment
Being upgraded in over 95% of my hotel stays
Flying long-haul Business Class four times
Flying long-haul Economy once for free – it was an emergency, normally I #alwaysturnleft !
Enjoying numerous hotel benefits such as free drinks, free breakfasts, Lounge Access, welcome gifts (wine, fruit, chocolates etc.), early check-in and late check-outs

Travel Like a Rockstar: Emirates A380 Business Class DXB-MAN_cabin 2

How I pay for my travel

The simple answer is, I try not to.

When I have to, I want as much ‘bang for my buck' as I can get, and so I've learned how to leverage and maximise loyalty programs and other ‘travel hacks' to benefit me.

How I fund my travel falls into a few methods:-

I cash in points and miles earned in airline and hotel loyalty programs for premium travel (First and Business Class).
I learn and execute ‘travel hacks' to enable upgrades, promotions and offers to obtain free hotel nights or Elite benefits.
I have only paid for one flight in over two years, and that was a ‘positioning' flight on a budget carrier to connect with a free onward flight in Business Class.
I almost always #alwaysturnleft on planes, in fact, I've only flown economy once in 18 months. Even then, that was for an award flight to redeem a small amount of ‘orphan' miles I had in an airline loyalty program I no longer used.
When I travel, I work closely with the management of hotels and companies when there is a shortfall in service. Note – this is NOT complaining. I highlight ‘opportunities for improvement' and do so in a positive, professional and upbeat way. Occasionally, this may bring a ‘service recovery‘ such as a free night, complimentary offers and upsells, points/miles etc. – which although are nice bonuses, they're never the aim nor expected.

Travel Like a Rockstar: Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Suite upgrade

What travel hacks I use/recommend

As this is quite a lengthy subject, it’s perhaps best to split into topics, such as:-

How to maximise loyalty programs
Equipment/Kit I use and what I carry
Recommended Travel Apps
What to Pack
Books you should read (for inspiration, travel tips, lifestyle design advice etc.)
Travel ‘tips and tricks' I've picked up over the years – e.g. how to beat airline baggage limits, how to get VIP airport lounge access, the best ways to get upgraded etc.

So for now, these will be covered in greater detail in subsequent articles in the Travel Like a Rockstar series shortly.

BONUS – “Luxury Travel For Free” book

If this article has interested you, as a BONUS we'd like to offer you our ebook, “Luxury Travel For Free”.

To download this 50 page book (worth $4.79), just follow the instructions below:-

Click this link to be taken to the Gumroad product page.
Although this normally sells for a bargain $4.79, we will give you a promo code to download it for FREE.
Click the green/blue “I Want This!” button
Enter your email address in the box
Enter promo code ‘rockstar' in the “Offer Code” box
The green/blue “Pay” box will change to ‘Get” – click it
Check your email – especially your spam/junk folder – for your free download!

What did you like about this article? Did it inspire you to read further, or have you any questions?We'd love to hear from you - use the comments below to tell us your thoughts, feedback or questions.