Learn to travel for free - one step at a time

Step 1: Don't bring your best sword to a gunfight Make sure you've got the right kind of points that can be transferred to airlines and hotels that will give you the most value for those points. Otherwise - 50,000 points won't ever get you a penny more than $750 (and if you're not careful - as little as $250. Which, by the way, isn't enough to get you from L.A. to Vegas in first-class, let alone around the world.

Step 2: Bunt before you swing for the fences Once you know what you're doing - First-class international flights can be had for anywhere between 25,000 and $150,000 one-way, virtually anywhere in the world. But the hard part is beating the other 50-million people with points burning a hole in their pockets to those seats. Instead of expecting to knock it out of the park with your first time at bat - aim to just get on base with a hotel stay that literally takes 1/100th as many points as a first-class flight takes. By doing so - you'll get to practice the essential skills of calculating value of redemptions, using transfer partners, and most importantly... If you screw up a 3500 point transfer on a staycation at a local hotel - it's no big deal. Screw up a 200,000 point transfer to an airline, and you could be back to "the old fashioned way" of travel for another year or two.

Step 3 - Swing for the fences after getting a few base-hits AFTER turning $35 to $50 worth of points into a $200 to $500 hotel stay, then you can graduate from award stays at hotels to award flights. But practice with coach flights! For every one first-class flight available on points, there are 5 business class flights. For every 5 business-class flights - there are 10 flights in economy. And for every 10 flights in economy - there are 10 hotel rooms that are easier to find. That means finding a good deal on a first-class flight redemption is about 50 times harder to find than finding coach flights. (and 100 times harder than finding a good deal on a hotel room). Pair that with the fact that you're competing with MILLIONS of people who also have points burning a hole in their pocket - and you're bound to give up before even getting started - thinking "this isn't worht the trouble". So rather than getting discouraged trying to swing for the fences at your first at-bat in the big-leagues - find yourself a short flight that only takes 10,000ish points - that is worth $200 to $500.

Step 4: Keep letting your points accrue 50,000 points is great, but it's not going to get you very far if you don't know what you're doing. So while you're practicing with baby steps - you can let those points keep piling up. Before you know it - you'll have over 100k points. Then a quarter million... And so on. NOW it's time to swing for the fences. After getting on base a few times - you'll have all the experience you need to beat the millions of point-earners to those coveted first-class seats, and presidential suites at luxury resorts. But rush the process - and you're destined to get discouraged, decide that was way too much trouble, and go back to the way you've always traveled.