As an entrepreneur, running four companies can be very expensive, especially when traveling on vacation or even for business related reasons. I seriously love traveling and actually travel quite often for business. I recently got back from a mini vacation in Las Vegas, then spent a couple of days in town before leaving for Atlanta which is where I’m at right now.
I am definitely not a travel blogger, who can give you travel hacks that wow you. You can find those blogs easily. To be honest, I don’t have time to be doing all these steps just to do a travel hack for $60. There is a good amount of work put into those hacks, no need to add more to my plate. I’ll read an article with a title that says travel to exotic location for $60; to learn they had a rewards credit card with miles accumulated on it and they were already in Europe.
Queen of Apps
We are a technology based world and I am a techie. There is an app for everything. You can book a hotel, car, and flight all on your smart phone within seconds. One of my favorite apps is Hotel Tonight. I am super last minute when it comes to booking a hotel. I will book my flight 4 to 6 weeks out. My hotel room some times I don’t know until I land. Horrible, I know, but that’s where Hotel Tonight comes in. Not all are on discount, but sometimes you find really good ones. I recently, stayed at The W Hotel for $89 a night; normally, a suite is $309 a night.
Social Media
When I wanted to go to Atlanta earlier this year, I stumbled across AirFare Watch Dog’s Twitter account. This has been a goldmine for my business travels. One day, they tweeted about Frontier Airlines. I had never heard of them until that day. I tend to be pretty loyal to certain airline companies. I only knew the heavy hitters in the industry such as; Delta, American, or Southwest. They tweeted a $39 flight deal. I was able to fly to Atlanta for less than $120; including my travel insurance and bags. I will note that Frontier Airlines’ makes you pay for your carry on bag. Which, I am still not bothered by. 
Loyalty Within Brands
Still to this day, I remember flying with Continental Airlines as a kid. That memory has long gone, since it seems most companies have filed for bankruptcy or were acquired by someone else. One of the things I try to do, regardless if I am using an app or a discount, is to use the same brand when traveling. When it comes to flying, I tend to fly Frontier or American Airlines. Sometimes it’s more expensive to be loyal, but it pays off. I have been upgraded numerous times on American Airlines.
Book Trips For Business + Personal
Most of the time when I travel, I tend to make sure the cities I go to are where I have friends. This way, I can either fly in a day prior or stay a day later to hang with them. When I’m in Atlanta, I stay with two of my best friends; this saves me a lot of money on hotel fees. Unless, a client is paying for it all, then yeah, I’m staying at a hotel. A couple of my friends, when on a business trip, travel with their husbands so they can have a mini vacation, as well.
Traveling on an entrepreneurial budget doesn’t have to limit you to doing business only in your state. There are so many options. Invite people to speak at a conference or to be apart of other opportunities to get business owners there; then take an extra day to rest and relax. I am even thinking of taking a large portion of December off to travel all over.
