How I’m Flying to Ireland for $46

Life Hacking Your Bucket List on a Budget

When I tell people that I’m flying from Atlanta to Ireland- round-trip with window seats and a free checked bag- for $46 (and change), I’m usually met with great skepticism. But it’s true.

I think they assume I’m getting scammed, but it’s all 100% legitimate, thanks to a few travel hacks I’m going to pass on to you.

But let’s rewind a bit.

I’m not a person who travels.

That’s the story I told myself. I always wanted to, but I had this idea that traveling was for more successful people or more privileged people or for someone not like me. My bucket list was filled with places I wasn’t sure I would ever see.

But I’m going to Ireland this month, and there’s no longer any place on my bucket list that I think is out of my reach.

I used to put limits on my dreams. I would say that I could dream up to this much and would have to stop there. I told myself I was being realistic, but what I was really doing was placing limitations on my own capabilities.

I might have thought I was managing my expectations in order to avoid potential disappointment, but what I was really doing was making my life smaller.

I made it small and manageable and filled with little joys. I told myself it was enough.

Yet, my bucket list continued to grow, and I continued to wonder what it would take to actually see or do anything on my list. Patience has never been a strength of mine, so I decided to start. I’d start small, but I would start.

So, I ordered my passport. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I’d have a passport to get there. Then, I started thinking what else I might like to do- no matter how random. I checked several items off the list.

Boudoir photos. Ax-throwing. Purchasing my own paddleboard. A cruise to Mexico. The publication of my first book. Finishing another book. Visiting New York City. And scheduling my first international flight.

But let’s go back to the year before I did all this. That year looked like twice-weekly plasma donations to meet a deficit in my budget. It looked like small claims court to get back money that was owed to me. It looked like paid market and university research and free meals at school for my kids. It looks like using a rebate app to afford birthday and Christmas gifts.

In a year, I went from struggling to being able to start checking items off my bucket list. There was no unexpected inheritance or windfall of cash. I just had a year of being absolutely broke to learn how to be my most creative and resourceful self. I life hacked the hell out of my bucket list, and I thought I’d pass on a few of these tips to you.

Start saving.

When we live paycheck to paycheck, this one feels impossible. So, start small. Round up the change on every purchase. If a purchase is $9.48, write $10 and put .52 in savings. You’d be surprised how much adds up. I’ve gotten as much as $70 in change from a small piggy bank after saving it for a year.

If you think $70 isn’t enough to go anywhere or do anything, I’m flying to Ireland for $46, round-trip. I’m paying just over $70 for 2 nights in a hostel. Seventy bucks can stretch pretty far with a whole lot of creativity!

Don’t think you have to put hundreds or thousands of dollars away. Start with what you can, whether that’s putting back $10 each month or saving any extras that you receive or earn along the way. Giving up a small luxury like coffee, even once a week, could add up if we focus on what we want and not what we’re missing out on.

Coupon.

Apps have made couponing so simple. Ibotta and other apps have made it easy to scan receipts and get rebates off purchases. Ibotta gives you $10 to start when you sign up and make a qualifying purchase with a referral, and you can cash it in or get gift cards once you’ve earned at least $20 total in rebates (including the $10 credit). It can add a few minutes to grocery and meal planning, but it can also add dollars to the savings account.

Couponing also includes Groupon-ing. Looking for deals on travel and other experiences is easy with the Groupon app or website. LivingSocial is another site that offers discounts.

Join a frequent flyer program.

When I found myself in a long-distance relationship, I decided that it would be a good idea to start earning reward miles through a frequent flyer program. I signed up for an American Express and enrolled in the Delta Skymiles program. With my American Express, I received about 30,000 bonus miles with purchases. Since I’m uninterested in accumulating debt, I used my card to pay bills and purchase groceries and then paid it off each month.

Qualified applicants could get up to 40,000 bonus miles with purchases. Using my referral also nets me an additional 7,500 miles for every approved cardmember. Let’s break down how I got a round-trip to Ireland for $46.

If I’m honest, I think it was more like $46.73. I was planning my trip to Ireland, tracking flights, and generally trying to figure out how to make it all work on a budget. I received an email from my frequent flyer program advertising specials for discounted air miles for international flights. The discounts were for particular places on particular dates, but I found one that fit well with my vacation time. I used 33,000 miles (30,000 of which I earned just for signing up and using the card) plus $46.73 to book a round-trip international flight from Atlanta to Dublin.

While I don’t advocate running up debt, being smart with a credit card that earns flyer miles can help you reach your travel dreams. Managing it responsibly can also improve your credit rating and give you access to members-only travel offers and discounts. What normally would have cost me 90,000+ travel miles was available to me with only 33,000 — all because I took advantage of a great deal!

Consider hostels, home exchanges, and other non-traditional accommodations.

I’m staying in a hostel in Dublin in order to save money. It’s centrally-located, includes breakfast, and will only cost about $40/night. I found it on Airbnb, and it is affiliated with my Skymiles program, earning me additional discounts. Get $40 off a home booking with my referral code or use this link to sign your own home up as an Airbnb location.

While hotels offer a lot of great amenities, Airbnb often offers interesting places to stay for an affordable rate. I once stayed in an air-conditioned teepee on the Georgia coast, and it was an interesting, unusual, and fun experience I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t been willing to consider more creative options.

Tap into your creativity.

Making your dreams comes true requires motivation and resourcefulness. I hated giving plasma to have to pay the bills, but it’s nice to know that my donations can help people who need it. Donating plasma even once a month could add to a bucket list fund. Applicants do have to meet health requirements, so this option isn’t for everyone.

Participating in paid university or market research may sound boring, but it helps with their research while giving your budget a boost. Maybe it’s not what you’d prefer to do in your free time, but if it gets you to your goals, it might be worth a try.

Get creative with how you earn extra. Consign old clothes using Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, or local kids’ consignment sales. Have a garage sale. Make something to sell on Etsy. Let your creative juices flow, and get creative with how you save for what you want.

I’ve gotten creative in getting what I want, and I’ve also learned how to make a dollar stretch until it cries because my priorities have shifted to creating an adventurous life for myself and for my kids, not having more possessions or a newer car or a bigger house.

Network.

Maybe money isn’t your issue. Maybe it’s time. Or childcare. Or health. Network with others like you and learn a few life hacks. As a writer, I have a community of support from other writers. We happily share with each other what works and what doesn’t when it comes to freelancing, and we also give each other pro tips about helpful apps, programs, and techniques that make our lives easier. When we network with others, we figure out easy life hacks for reaching our goals.

Sign up for Next Vacay.

I didn’t get my deal to Ireland on Next Vacay, but the yearly fee for a heads up on local flight deals is worth it. I’ve been getting their notifications for a few months now, and I’ve seen some I’d love to have taken advantage of if they’d been in the timeframe I’d needed. They’re offering memberships for only $25/year right now, and I get emails every week letting me know about affordable flights near me. Think $500 from Atlanta to Hawaii or $300 to Paris. Round-trip. And, no, you don’t have to ride in the cargo area with your luggage.

I’m not sure what’s up next for me. The second I land back in the US, I have to get ready for the release of my first book. It’s heady stuff, and I’ll admit to being a little overwhelmed.

Because I wasn’t a person who traveled. Or wrote books. And now I am.

I’m no longer interested in what I can’t do. I don’t think like that anymore. Instead, I ask myself one very important question:

What do I want?

Then, I go out and figure out how to get it.

I hope this inspires you to figure out how to get what you want and make your dreams happen. Maybe you won’t find an international flight under $100, but I hope you begin to suspect that the life you dream of is possible. Sometimes, it just takes a little creativity, motivation, patience, and resourcefulness. And sometimes it just takes believing that what you want is, in fact, possible.

So…

What do you want?

Now, go get it.

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