✈️ The Ultimate Travel Hack Thread

Fiscal

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Jun 18, 2025
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Many of us are pioneers, not just in business where we do not shy away from new challenges and methods. And where we constantly push boundaries, but also physically, as we explore the world around us. Although Perpetual Travelling has in recently years become (nearly) impossible, the truth is: many of us are still on the move, some even almost permanently. And even when one is settled down on a tropical island or mountain village, some of enjoy a nice trip every now and then.

This thread is meant to be a central place for sharing useful websites, resources, tools, and travel hacks that make our journeys smoother, cheaper, more interesting and enjoyable. Whether it’s finding the best tickets, affordable international health insurance, tips on how to breeze through airports, E-Sim info, this is the place to share and learn from each other. Also, don't be afraid to share the best restaurants in Monaco or the Caribbean for example. Or did you have a great time in a specific city or nature reserve worth visiting? How do I escape mass tourism? Which luxury taxi service works best? Best dating apps?Most beautiful beach resort? Let us know here.

Feel free to post anything that has helped you while travelling: apps, websites, gear, or just good advice. Let’s build a solid reference for location-independent living and smarter travel.

Plane tickets
Flightlist.io / Made for digital nomads, remote workers & flexible travelers. Discover more affordable routes and cheaper dates within a date range. Gives you the most affordable options to fly.
Skyscanner.com / The most well known and useful way to find a good route. Tip: delete your cookies or browse incognito to prevent/fix price fluctuations. Once you've found a good flight, book directly with the airline! In my opinion this is a better option than Google Flights, but you can always use that to see more options.

(E-)SIM

weroam.xyz / Global SIM Plan offers global data freedom with zero hassle. I highly recommend this service compared to other e-sim providers. It provides you with an Austrian phone number. Compared to other eSIM providers, this number doesn't expire after 30 days (it's valid indefinitely), and you don't need to reside in a single country to ensure validity. It works worldwide, and all you need to do is top up the minimum amount. You can also make calls with it, but with most providers you can only use data.

Loyalty Programs

Don't throw money out the window. If you travel a lot, a loyalty program is definitely worth it. Join a hotel chain and flying program that provides you with points/miles and work towards free stays/flights and upgrades. Carefully consider the global coverage that best suits your needs. Marriott has good global coverage and is the largest hotel chain. But looking for great service as a valued customer? I hear a lot of good things about Hyatt.

Taxis
Uber/Lyft are obvious options, but be careful with booking depending on your city. Not every driver is suitable! For easy airport pickups or longer trips, I use Shuttledirect.com; it works worldwide and I haven't had any bad experiences. Blacklane.com is also becoming more popular and seems to work well.

These were my two cents to get things started, obviously there is a lot and a lot more info to be shared in the near future to which I'll contribute as well. And I'm certainly looking forward to you guys contributions and the further development of this thread.
 
And even when one is settled down on a tropical island or mountain village, some of enjoy a nice trip every now and then.
For pleasure trips, it's fun to avoid planning and just explore (without too much help from GMaps) randomly.
the best restaurants in Monaco
Le Grill - can't beat it
or the Caribbean
I will mention Graycliff in Nassau and El Bucanero in Luperon (DR). Very different places, both worth visiting.
Plane tickets
Flightlist.io / Made for digital nomads, remote workers & flexible travelers. Discover more affordable routes and cheaper dates within a date range. Gives you the most affordable options to fly.
Skyscanner.com / The most well known and useful way to find a good route. Tip: delete your cookies or browse incognito to prevent/fix price fluctuations. Once you've found a good flight, book directly with the airline! In my opinion this is a better option than Google Flights, but you can always use that to see more options.
good tips. But it's so time consuming! Easier to email your Amex concierge and in a couple of hours you will receive your itinerary.
(E-)SIM

weroam.xyz / Global SIM Plan offers global data freedom with zero hassle. I highly recommend this service compared to other e-sim providers. It provides you with an Austrian phone number. Compared to other eSIM providers, this number doesn't expire after 30 days (it's valid indefinitely), and you don't need to reside in a single country to ensure validity. It works worldwide, and all you need to do is top up the minimum amount. You can also make calls with it, but with most providers you can only use data.
how many gb per month? How is the connection speed?
Loyalty Programs

Don't throw money out the window. If you travel a lot, a loyalty program is definitely worth it. Join a hotel chain and flying program that provides you with points/miles and work towards free stays/flights and upgrades. Carefully consider the global coverage that best suits your needs. Marriott has good global coverage and is the largest hotel chain. But looking for great service as a valued customer? I hear a lot of good things about Hyatt.
This is a deep rabbit hole. There's a whole forum dedicated to it: https://www.flyertalk.com/
Anyways I just opt for the hotels part of the Amex FHR, they are vetted and you get special benefits when booking through Amex.

If anyone needs a good and honest broker for private flights, send me a DM and I will be happy to share.
 
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how many gb per month? How is the connection speed?

This is a deep rabbit hole. There's a whole forum dedicated to it: https://www.flyertalk.com/
Anyways I just opt for the hotels part of the Amex FHR, they are vetted and you get special benefits when booking through Amex.

If anyone needs a good and honest broker for private flights, send me a DM and I will be happy to share.

There is no monthly fee as long as you meet the minimum requirement of $5 in data, payment can be done with crypto. You choose the amount of data you need and pay. Worldwide network 5G or 4G in the worst-case scenario. So solid speed. I ended up with this provider because many e-SIM companies do not offer a calling option and the e-sim expires after 30 days.

I can't DM you right now, but I'll upgrade my account asap because I'm really curious about the private jet broker.

Loyalty programs are indeed a very broad topic, especially in combination with credit cards. I think it would be especially interesting to highlight which ones are still worthwhile in 2025. Amex is always recommended. Marriott also has a concierge option (if you're an ambassador) which can be useful, but Marriott isn't where my loyalty lies these days due to member saturation. Status doesn't mean as much anymore. The good news is that I do notice the difference in higher segments of hotel chains, and it can be worthwhile to feel appreciated staying with certain brands.
 
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Loyalty programs are indeed a very broad topic, especially in combination with credit cards. I think it would be especially interesting to highlight which ones are still worthwhile in 2025.
Reminds me of the movie Queenpins 🤣

Status doesn't mean as much anymore. The good news is that I do notice the difference in higher segments of hotel chains, and it can be worthwhile to feel appreciated staying with certain brands.
I used to have top tier Kempinski status, where they upgraded you to the highest room category irrespective of your booking. So for example I booked a basic room at the Emirates Palace and I was upgraded to a corner suite.
Today Amex is the best option for an upgrade, and some social skills still help, in particular with independent/small chain hotels.
 
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did you ever use them? All flights offered at €1,290, from Siena-Grosseto (55km) to Milan-London :bored:

I understand your concern but it's private flight, the normal rate is 500€ for 2H flight in normal plane.
The company is from Austria and well-known here but if you want to do due diligence check these :

VIES VAT number validation:



Partners :


 
GlobeAir is legit, I flew with them before. They are based in Austria and only cover Europe, and not even the entire continent (see map here: https://www.globeair.com/p/fleet). Their fleet mostly consists of Cessna Citation Mustangs (they are the primary user of this type of plane), and having to fly back regardless after a one-way trip I believe that's how they are to able to offer lower prices than others. So this is a good find and glad you shared it CEO. They allow payment with crypto.
 
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I understand your concern but it's private flight, the normal rate is 500€ for 2H flight in normal plane.
500€ for 2 hours? :wacky: I’m not sure if there’s still a plane that costs 2,500€ per hour.
The company is from Austria and well-known here but if you want to do due diligence check these :
They are legit, they operate the small Citation Mustang
 
GlobeAir is legit, I flew with them before. They are based in Austria and only cover Europe, and not even the entire continent (see map here: https://www.globeair.com/p/fleet). Their fleet mostly consists of Cessna Citation Mustangs (they are the primary user of this type of plane), and having to fly back regardless after a one-way trip I believe that's how they are to able to offer lower prices than others. So this is a good find and glad you shared it CEO. They allow payment with crypto.
Empty legs is good, thank you for the information didn't know they accept crypto, sounds amazing.
 
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GlobeAir is legit, I flew with them before. They are based in Austria and only cover Europe, and not even the entire continent (see map here: https://www.globeair.com/p/fleet). Their fleet mostly consists of Cessna Citation Mustangs (they are the primary user of this type of plane), and having to fly back regardless after a one-way trip I believe that's how they are to able to offer lower prices than others. So this is a good find and glad you shared it CEO. They allow payment with crypto.
Nothing against GlobeAir, but with about the same budget you can charter a Phenom 100, which is a better aircraft. Arcus Air is a good operator. Anything over 1 hour though and you will suffer severe cramps and claustrophobia.
But it is always a question of positioning costs, which is why sometimes a CJ2 can be cheaper than a VLJ.
Don’t forget the nice PC-12 (turboprop) for short trips, and the great P-180 (best operator in the EU: Airgo) for longer trips.
 
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Nothing against GlobeAir, but with about the same budget you can charter a Phenom 100, which is a better aircraft. Arcus Air is a good operator. Anything over 1 hour though and you will suffer severe cramps and claustrophobia.
But it is always a question of positioning costs, which is why sometimes a CJ2 can be cheaper than a VLJ.
Don’t forget the nice PC-12 (turboprop) for short trips, and the great P-180 (best operator in the EU: Airgo) for longer trips.

Truly appreciate the input, noted. I just saw Airgo offers the Piaggo Avanti which is truly a special sight to behold (in my opinion)
 
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good tips. But it's so time consuming! Easier to email your Amex concierge and in a couple of hours you will receive your itinerary.

Is this service always provided directly by Amex? I've been offered the Platinum card by the Py bank, which includes a concierge, but I'm afraid it's just some lame local service.
 

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