Going Places is a new series from TripIt that highlights frequent travelers to showcase their unique travel styles and insider tips.
“My bucket list is ever-changing because the world is ever-changing—and I’m always changing, too.”
Meet Kendyl Grender: the budget-travel hacking coach helping travelers never pay full price to travel. A quick peek at her Instagram reveals tips for traveling to a wide range of cities—from Vegas to Vienna—for just $100 per day.
How did she get into travel hacking? “Early in our relationship, my now-husband and I made a promise to each other to go to five new places every year,” Kendyl said. “We called it the Five New Rule. But at the time, we really couldn’t afford to travel, so I started researching how to travel on a tight budget—and that led me to learning how to travel hack.”
Now, Kendyl offers one-on-one coaching and monthly group coaching to help other people achieve their individual travel goals—without breaking the bank.
She also believes in the beauty of spontaneity when it comes to traveling: “I follow the deals and not the destinations when it comes to travel. Many a cheap fare has brought me somewhere I would never have visited otherwise.”
Deals > destinations
Her advice for getting started with traveling on a budget? “If you want to save on travel, you have to be flexible on your dates, destinations, and sometimes even the airports you fly in and out of.”
When you travel matters, too. “Shoulder season—the season sandwiched between high and low seasons—is a great time to travel, but keep in mind that it’s different everywhere. For example, shoulder season in Thailand is in July—a time many of us consider the busy summer travel season."
The bottom line: “No matter where you go during shoulder season, it’s going to be a better travel experience.”
And if you don’t have the flexibility of when you travel, but you still want to save money? “That’s when it’s time to use your points and miles,” she said.
Kendyl believes firmly in her “follow the deals, not the destinations” mantra when it comes to traveling on a budget. But if she had to choose a destination to recommend? “It would be a second city. Second-city tourism is not only better for the environment, it’s easier to get a sense of the place as a tourist, too.”
Her top pick? “Any city in Poland. Poland is a special place to me because it was the first country I traveled to outside of the U.S.—but it’s also where east meets west in Europe. Everyone should go.”
As for the destinations on Kendyl’s (ever-changing) bucket list? “I just returned from Thailand and Laos—that was my big trip of the year. And in 2024, I hope to go to Egypt and the Azores.”
On having peace of mind—and everything in one place
For keeping her travel plans—bucket-list and otherwise—organized, Kendyl relies on TripIt.
“TripIt is my go-to app for everything itinerary-related. I turned on Inbox Sync to ensure that all travel bookings are automatically sent to TripIt to create a comprehensive itinerary for every trip. I also upload any tickets so that everything is not only in one place, but also available offline.
“My trips are almost always complicated—they’re often multi-week trips, involving half a dozen countries, cities, flights, and so on—and TripIt handles it all. It gives me peace of mind ahead of every trip.”
Speaking of peace of mind, Kendyl also makes sure to share her travel plans with her parents—just in case.
And one time, that capability was particularly useful: “I was in Germany in March 2020—the early days of COVID—and my mom couldn’t get ahold of me. But thanks to TripIt, she could see on my itinerary where I was staying, and was able to call the inn directly to get in touch with me.”
Staying organized and saving money on travel often go hand in hand. In addition to TripIt, Kendyl recommends apps like Travel Freely for tracking your travel credit cards—and in particular, when your annual fee is due—as well as Card Pointers for knowing what card to use when you're traveling internationally to maximize your travel purchases.
“My goal has always been to inspire people to travel. Through social media and my coaching business, I’m grateful to have built a community of travelers who share my passion for not only traveling on a budget, but also taking chances on unexpected places.”
Want more of Kendyl’s tips? Follow her on Instagram, check out her website, or sign up for her weekly newsletter to get budget-travel hacks straight to your inbox.
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