{"id":98889085,"date":"2017-03-29T12:51:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T16:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/?p=98889085"},"modified":"2023-05-31T16:56:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T20:56:56","slug":"meet-charles-mccool-travel-hacker-turned-travel-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/meet-charles-mccool-travel-hacker-turned-travel-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Charles McCool, Travel Hacker Turned Travel Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The phrase \u201ctravel influencer\u201d may seem like a fresh 21st century novelty &#8212; like the latest social media platform you\u2019re still trying to figure out &#8212; but the concept of a professional traveler earning income by creating content around their adventures and experiences isn\u2019t that new.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Just ask Charles McCool.<\/p>\n<p>McCool\u2019s been discovering the ins and outs of traveling the world for cheap then sharing and teaching what he\u2019s learned for over 25 years. In fact, McCool (who\u2019s been ranked by social media scorekeeper Klout as the #2 travel expert and written for the likes of Travelers United and Yahoo Travel), can do something that the plethora of today\u2019s travel bloggers, vloggers, and Instagrammers probably can\u2019t: Give a first-hand account of the Earth-shattering paradigm shift that forever changed the travel industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, so many people are savvy and confident enough to book their own travel online but it was rare 25 years ago,\u201d McCool explained. \u201cAround 1992, the first internet consumers gained the opportunity to research and book their own flights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although McCool admits that using early &#8217;90s dialup to find and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/cheap-flights\">book cheap airfare<\/a> was a \u201ctechy and costly process,\u201d he cites it as the first major step to the online travel ecosystem that we know and love today. \u201c[It] resulted in most travel agencies shutting down and travel suppliers shifting operating costs to consumers (self check-in, baggage fees, etc.),\u201d he said, \u201calong with empowering a couple generations of book-it-yourselfers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the early &#8217;90s, right when the then new frontier of online travel booking was being forged, McCool was working as a software tester. He ended up relocating for work to a part of the country describes as not being all that exciting or stimulating for a single guy in his 20s. \u201cSo I spent a lot of my free time visiting other places,\u201d McCool recalled. \u201cMy analytical and curious nature led me to find alternative ways to travel more effectively&#8230;the kids call it travel hacking today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">We&#8217;re sharing our best travel pics tomorrow on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OneTravelChat?src=hash\">#OneTravelChat<\/a> at 2 pm ET w\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CharlesMcCool\">@CharlesMcCool<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Start looking for YOUR best travel pics! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ruU4k5xma3\">pic.twitter.com\/ruU4k5xma3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 OneTravel (@OneTravel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OneTravel\/status\/847101069616295936\">March 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCool would eventually refine his talent for finding flight deals, exploiting little-known airline policies, and seizing last-minute booking opportunities to travel to all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries. When asked to name some of his destination highlights over the years, he cheekily answered with \u201cAlaska, Australia, Amalfi are so amazing&#8230;That\u2019s just some of the A\u2019s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it was McCool\u2019s combination use of the travel hacking skills he\u2019d picked up to fly for two years to four different continents <\/span><b>without paying anything <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that would confirm him as someone who knew how to play against the travel industry house and beat them at their own game. McCool compiled his techniques into a book, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winning the Airfare Game<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which he published in 2001.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy vision was to gain credibility as a how-to travel expert so that I could teach other people how to travel better,\u201d McCool said. \u201cCertainly there was a path to become a travel agent but there was no degree to be a travel expert. I sensed that writing and publishing a book would be my certification.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winning the Airfare Game<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> came out a month before 9\/11 &#8212; which, like the advent of the internet, forever changed the travel industry and its rules&#8230;the very things McCool was advising readers on how to take advantage of. But putting his book together did lead McCool to formulate his underlying philosophy, which he now calls \u201cHappy Travel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a software tester, McCool learned that although he could be a pain to programmers, his role of hunting down potential bugs and glitches was key to preventing inferior products with from reaching customers, costing companies goodwill, money, and resources. \u201cIn essence, I was helping to create \u2018Happy End Users,\u2019\u201d McCool explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It was a point of view that McCool brought to his new turn as a travel expert, giving advice on how to handle travel mishaps before they happen. According to McCool, it just takes some simple steps to prevent most of the problems that can ruin a trip. A good example? McCool suggests making sure that staying somewhere with laundry facilities every three to six days of your trip, which allows you need fewer clothes and pack less. \u201cPacking light works for me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt saves money, time, and stress. It makes me more mobile and allows me to enjoy the trip so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another of McCool\u2019s packing light tips: Buy your toiletries when you get there. It not only saves space in your bag, but can help create a more authentic experience. \u201cShopping for toothpaste, deodorant, or first aid items at a small pharmacy or shop in a rural European or Asian town is exciting, scary, enlightening, and memorable,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As for the problems that can\u2019t be prevented? McCool believes those can be a chance to improve one\u2019s trip. \u201cFor instance,\u201d he explained, \u201cif I make a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/hotels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hotel reservation<\/a>, confirm that reservation, show up and they do not have my room, then that is an opportunity \u2014 an opportunity to be upgraded to a suite, opportunity to get a room at a better property (and have them pay for it).\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"7\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 62.5% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BGXyX9Ttfjb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Today&#8217;s shot brought to you by the brilliant landscape of #Iceland. Oh, well, just another #waterfall I thought when I set out. #skogafoss changed my mind. Amazing. See the #rainbow ?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A post shared by Charles McCool (@charlesmccool) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2016-06-07T23:27:19+00:00\">Jun 7, 2016 at 4:27pm PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It all leads back to what McCool outlines in his book as the \u201cPrinciples of Better Travel.&#8221; Boiled down to their essence, they are: Be Flexible, Be Resourceful, Be Assertive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy most vivid travel memories result from serendipitous moments. Meaning, unmanned, spontaneous occurrences,\u201d explained McCool, who advises travelers to try and leave one day of a trip unplanned and see what happens or even take entire trip with no reservations. \u201cI once flew to Australia with no lodging or plans,\u201d he said. \u201cSuper scary but also fun and memorable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while the travel industry may someday quake and tremble with another unforeseen paradigm shift &#8212; be it to the latest booking app, airfare pricing model, or hospitality trend, McCool is confident the travel philosophy he figured out back then will still work. \u201cNow 15 years later,\u201d he said, \u201cI still promote those principles to anyone who wants to be a Happier Traveler.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The phrase \u201ctravel influencer\u201d may seem like a fresh 21st century novelty &#8212; like the latest social media platform you\u2019re still trying to figure out &#8212; but the concept of a professional traveler earning income by creating content around their adventures and experiences isn\u2019t that new. Just ask Charles McCool. McCool\u2019s been discovering the ins [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":98913705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,69],"tags":[1187,1317,1316],"class_list":["post-98889085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-inspiration","category-travel-tips-intel","tag-affordable-travel","tag-travel-blogger","tag-travel-influencers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98889085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98889085"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98889085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98913706,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98889085\/revisions\/98913706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98913705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98889085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98889085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98889085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}