Welcome Back To Side Hustle Weekly!

I’m excited to share with you another great side hustle you can start today! Today we will be discussing how you can start a travel planning business.

Before We Get Started Here’s Your News Recap:

Trump’s immigration crackdown is skewing labor data
Stricter border measures and deportations have tightened the labor force, leading to an artificial drop in unemployment (4.2%) despite losing 696,000 jobs in May—complicating the Fed’s economic signals and tightening labor breakeven estimates to around 50K new jobs per month.

U.S.–China trade talks enter second day in London
Staunchly optimistic, U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick reports the London talks are “going well,” with discussions around semiconductor export controls and rare-earth shipments potentially easing tariffs.

Wall Street remains flat ahead of trade clarity
Dow was down 0.05%, while S&P and Nasdaq edged up 0.17% and 0.28%, respectively. Though cautious, investors are focusing on trade talk progress, awaiting CPI data, and eyeing a modest 0.3% S&P gain earlier in the day.

Treasury auctions test investor confidence
This week sees $119B in 3-,10-,30-year note auctions. Short-term notes are attracting healthy demand, but appetite for long-dated bonds remains shaky amid fiscal concerns and looming tariff implications.

World Bank trims global 2025 growth to 2.3%
The World Bank downgraded its global GDP outlook, flagging elevated tariffs and unprecedented uncertainty. U.S. growth estimates also take a hit, likely hovering near mid‑1%.

Dollar steadies during trade negotiations
The U.S. dollar remained flat-to-slightly lower as traders paused preemptively, balancing ongoing currency volatility and anticipation from the U.S.–China dialogue

Small-business optimism edges up
The NFIB index rose to 98.8 in May, driven by easing tensions in U.S.–China trade and tariff cuts—from 145% to 30%. Yet, the uncertainty index also climbed, reflecting unease over the “Big Beautiful Bill” and future policy clarity.

Ukrainian refugees boost Poland’s GDP by 2.7% after more than 1 million Ukrainians integrated through employment and business formation.

BOJ may slow bond taper amid jittery markets, signaling caution before further policy normalization

Travel Hacking

Travel Smarter, Earn Smarter

What if you could turn your obsession with cheap flights, travel points, and planning the perfect trip into a business—without becoming a travel agent or running a tour company?

That’s what a travel hacking business is all about.

You help others travel like pros—getting the best value from flights, hotels, credit card rewards, and hidden travel gems. You package this expertise into custom itineraries, downloadable PDFs, or personalized planning services. And the best part? You can sell the same destination plan hundreds of times or outsource the planning entirely once the system is in place.

Whether you're helping a couple find the cheapest way to Paris or creating a 7-day guide to exploring Thailand on points, you're selling knowledge, not bookings—and making serious income doing it.

Step-by-Step: How to Start Your Travel Hacking Business

Step 1: Master the Craft of Travel Hacking

You don’t need to be a lifelong nomad, but you do need to know how to:

• Find flight and hotel deals

• Use points/miles effectively

• Optimize travel routes and timing

• Pick experiences that give travelers max value

Start by practicing for yourself. Plan trips using tools like:

• Google Flights + Skyscanner

• AwardHacker (for points)

• SeatGuru

• The Points Guy (for credit card rewards)

Step 2: Define Your Services and Offers

Decide what you’ll offer and how you’ll deliver it. Some ideas:

• Custom trip planning (for a flat fee or premium package)

• Pre-made destination guides in PDF/Notion formats

• Travel hack consults (Zoom or email-based)

• Digital products like "7 Days in Rome Using Only Points" or “Ultimate Thailand on a Budget Playbook”

Start with one core offer, like a $97 custom travel plan, and build from there.

Step 3: Build Your Website and Storefront

Use platforms like:

• Carrd or Webflow (for landing pages)

• Gumroad, Podia, or Payhip (to sell digital products)

• Canva (to design your itinerary PDFs)

• Calendly or TidyCal (for consult bookings)

You don’t need a fancy site—just a clear message:
✅ Who it’s for
✅ What they’ll get
✅ How it saves them money and time

Step 4: Get Your First Clients

Start by offering a trip plan for free or at a discount in exchange for testimonials.
Post in:

• Reddit subs like r/travelhacks or r/digitalnomad

• Facebook groups for travelers and budget explorers

• TikTok or Instagram with reels explaining travel tips

Share before vs. after itineraries:
“Here’s a $2,300 trip I hacked down to $1,050 with points and deals.”

People love this. And once one custom trip is created, you can resell that itinerary as a product again and again.

Step 5: Productize and Automate

Now comes the fun part—scaling without doing more work.

• Turn custom plans into evergreen digital guides for destinations

• Use Notion or PDF templates to streamline guide creation

• Automate delivery using Gumroad + Stripe

• Hire a VA or travel planner (on Fiverr or Upwork) to handle new requests

• Set up email funnels using ConvertKit or MailerLite to resell future plans

Now you’re not a service provider—you’re running a digital travel guide business.

How You Make Money

💰 Total Potential Monthly Income: $3,000–$6,000+

Scale it up? Build more guides, run ads, and automate delivery = $10K/month possible.

Pros and Cons of a Travel Hacking Business

✅ Pros:

• No need to be a travel agent or book anything

• Can sell the same guide many times (high leverage)

• Fun, fulfilling niche for travel lovers

• Easy to outsource with templates and SOPs

• Multiple revenue streams (custom, products, affiliate)

❌ Cons:

• Requires solid understanding of rewards systems

• Some upfront work to create first products

• Hard to compete unless your guides offer real value

• SEO or social content may take time to gain traction

Requirements to Get Started

• Travel knowledge (or willingness to learn)

• Website (Carrd, Gumroad, or Shopify Lite)

• Stripe or PayPal for payments

• Canva (for design)

• Gmail + Google Drive (for delivery & client info)

• ChatGPT (to help generate outlines and descriptions)

• Basic ad budget (optional for paid traffic)

Products to Maximize Results

• Canva Pro – for branded, gorgeous travel guides

• ChatGPT Plus – for writing and formatting guides quickly

• Gumroad or Payhip – to host and sell downloads

• SurferSEO or NeuronWriter – if you're blogging for traffic

• Upwork VA – to handle client intake, formatting, and logistics

Summary: Sell Smarter, Not Just Trips

1. Master your niche: Learn to hack travel like a pro

2. Offer value: Custom plans + guides that save people time and money

3. Build your storefront: Simple site, clear packages

4. Sell once, resell forever: Productize plans into evergreen digital downloads

5. Automate and delegate: Let AI or VAs do the heavy lifting

6. Grow your income with affiliate tools, consulting, and volume sales

✈️ Final Thought: Travel Hacking Is the Ultimate Scalable Side Hustle

You’re not just planning trips—you’re building systems that sell smart travel knowledge over and over again. As the world reopens and people crave experiences, your guides and services become even more valuable.

That’s A Wrap

I hope you enjoyed today’s post and if you have any questions about the post, upcoming posts, how to advertise, or anything else, feel free to reply. See you next time with another money-making post, helping you boost your income!

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