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10 Easy Ways to Make Travel Money While You Sleep
Looking to fund your next getaway without picking up a second job? These 10 easy side hustles and money tools can help you earn extra cash, save smarter, and turn everyday spending into free flights and hotel stays.
- Written by: Kyle Maltz
- Updated: November 12, 2025
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Dream vacation on your mind, but your bank account says “not today”? What if you could earn travel money without adding another job to your already-packed schedule? We’re talking about smart, set-it-and-forget-it strategies that pad your travel fund while you’re living your regular life.
The secret isn’t working harder, it’s working smarter. From credit card rewards that basically pay themselves to passive income streams you can start today, these 10 strategies are designed to help you fund your wanderlust without the hustle. Let’s dive in.
1. Never Overpay for Anything Online Again
Pop quiz: When was the last time you searched for a coupon code before checking out online?
If you’re like most people, the answer is “almost never” or “I tried but couldn’t find any good ones.” That’s leaving serious money on the table.
Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension that automatically finds and applies the best coupon codes at checkout. No searching required, no trying random codes, just instant savings.
What it does:
Compares prices across retailers so you get the best deal
Tracks price drops and alerts you when prices fall
Earns you rewards you can redeem for gift cards
Works everywhere with 100,000+ supported stores
Here’s what that means for your travel budget: Shopping for luggage, a travel camera, or booking accommodations? Capital One Shopping automatically tests every available coupon code and applies the one that saves you the most. Sometimes it’s 10% off, sometimes 25%, occasionally 50%+.
The math: Save an average of $15 per online purchase, shop online twice a month = $360 per year. That’s several nights in a nice hotel or a solid chunk of your flight costs.
The passive income part: Even when there aren’t coupon codes, you earn rewards credits on purchases that you can redeem for gift cards. Use those for travel purchases or everyday needs, and redirect the saved cash toward your travel fund.
The app is completely free, works with every major browser, and setup takes 2 mintues.
2. Find Hidden Money You're Already Wasting
Uncomfortable truth: the average person has at least 3-4 subscriptions they forgot about and aren’t using. That’s money disappearing every month while you’re none the wiser.
Rocket Money hunts down your forgotten subscriptions and helps you cancel them with just a few taps. Members typically save hundreds of dollars in the first week by discovering subscriptions they thought they’d already canceled.
What Rocket Money does:
- Identifies and cancels subscriptions: Shows you every recurring charge in one simple list.
- Negotiates your bills: The team will negotiate with service providers (cable, internet, phone) for lower rates.
- Smart savings: Set up automatic savings transfers and watch your travel fund grow without thinking about it.
- Tracks spending: See exactly where your money goes and identify overspending areas.
Quick math: Find and cancel $50/month in forgotten subscriptions (the average is higher) = $600 per year. Add $30/month from negotiated bills = $960 annually. That’s literally a free vacation paid for by money you were already wasting.
Within minutes, you’ll see where your money is going, and how much you can redirect toward your next adventure.
3. Turn Your Biggest Monthly Expense Into Travel Points
Did you know… The average American spends $2,000+ per month on rent. That’s $24,000 a year going to your landlord with zero rewards.
What if you could turn every rent payment into valuable travel points?
With Bilt Rewards, you earn points on rent with absolutely no transaction fees. That’s right, no extra cost to you or your landlord.
The math: If you’re paying $2,000/month in rent, you could earn 24,000 Bilt Points annually just by paying what you already owe.
The magic happens when you transfer those points. Bilt partners directly with over 20 airlines and hotel programs, and your points transfer 1:1. That means 24,000 Bilt Points = 24,000 airline miles or hotel points.
Bonus perks:
Free credit building (rent payments reported to all three bureaus)
Bonus points on dining and travel purchases
Monthly “Rent Day” offers on the 1st, ie transfer bonuses, dining experiences, chances to win free rent
You’re already paying rent anyway, so why not get rewarded for it?
4. Get 5% Back on Everything You Already Buy
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you’re probably shopping on Amazon regularly. Groceries from Amazon Fresh. Household essentials. Random 2 a.m. purchases. (No judgment, we’ve all been there.)
But are you earning 5% back on all of it?
The Prime Visa card is a no-brainer for Prime members. Here’s the breakdown:
5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market
2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and on rideshares
1% back everywhere else
Quick math: Spend $500/month on Amazon and groceries? That’s $300 back per year. Add in gas and dining, and you’re easily looking at $500+ annually, enough for several nights at a hotel or a nice chunk of your flight.
The instant win: New cardholders get a $250 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval. That’s basically free money you can use right away for travel gear, luggage, or anything else you need.
Your rewards are available to redeem as soon as the next day. Use them for Amazon purchases, transfer them to travel partners through Chase, or cash out. It’s your choice.
5. Get Free Money (Literally) Just for Investing
What if someone handed you up to $1,000 just for opening an account?
That’s what SoFi offers new members who open a SoFi Invest account. Open a SoFi Active Invest account, fund it with at least $50, and you could get anywhere from $5 to $1,000 in stock. It’s like a surprise gift that could turn into your next travel fund.
But SoFi isn’t just about the signup bonus. Become a SoFi Plus member (free with direct deposit), and you unlock serious travel-friendly benefits:
1% match on recurring SoFi Invest deposits – Free money added to your investments monthly
3.80% APY on savings – One of the highest rates available
2x rewards points on purchases – Double points on everything
3% cash back on hotel bookings through SoFi Travel – Direct savings on accommodations
Here’s the smart move: Open a high-yield savings account specifically for your “travel fund,” set up automatic transfers, and watch it grow. With that 3.80% APY (vs. the 0.42% national average), your money works for you while you sleep.
Open your SoFi Invest account and claim up to $1,000 in stock
6. Make Your Car Work For You (Without Driving It)
Your car sits unused in your driveway for hours every day. What if it could earn you money during that downtime?
Turo is like Airbnb for cars. You rent out your vehicle to vetted drivers when you’re not using it, and you get paid. The average host earns $712 per month, though many earn significantly more.
Let’s put that in perspective: $712/month is $8,544 per year. That’s enough for multiple international trips, several domestic getaways, or one absolutely incredible bucket-list adventure.
What makes Turo worth it:
Protection: You’re covered with up to $750,000 in liability insurance from Travelers.
You control everything: Set your own prices, availability, and rules.
Vetted renters: Every driver is verified and screened before booking.
Fast payment: Payments hit your account within three days.
- The setup is easy: List your car in about 10 minutes through the app.
Some hosts treat this as a serious business and buy additional vehicles specifically to rent out. But even if you just rent your personal car occasionally, that’s passive income funding your travel dreams.
7. Get Our Newsletter (Shameless Plug Alert)
Okay, okay…we’re gonna be real with you for a second. You’re already reading The Daily Navigator, so here’s our shameless plug: our Smart Points newsletter can help you save $10,000 a year on travel.
No, seriously. We’re talking actual strategies, not vague tips.
Smart Points is our free newsletter where we share:
Points and miles strategies that actually work
New travel products and credit card offers that are worth your attention
Insider tips for booking flights and hotels at massive discounts
Personal finance strategies to save a ton of money
It’s completely free, so If you’re serious about making your travel budget go further (and you’re reading this article, so clearly you are), this is the easiest win on this entire list.
8. Put Your Savings on Steroids (Without Doing Anything New)
Your savings account is basically paying you nothing. The national average? A measly 0.40% APY.
Coinbase gives you two ways to turn your existing savings habits into actual travel money.
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Earn 4% on your emergency fund. Move a portion of your savings to Coinbase’s USDC Rewards and earn up to 4% APY. USDC is pegged 1:1 to the dollar, so it stays stable. $5,000 in USDC = $200/year vs. $20 in a traditional bank.
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Auto-invest in Bitcoin. You’re already saving part of each paycheck. Redirect just $25-50 into Coinbase’s recurring buy feature, it automatically purchases Bitcoin weekly or monthly. Over the past 10 years, Bitcoin went from $240 to over $100,000. Dollar-cost averaging turns small, regular investments into serious growth.
What makes Coinbase great:
Set it once and forget it. USDC earns you 4% while your Bitcoin buys happen automatically. No thinking, no timing the market, just a travel fund that grows in the background.
Quick math: $5,000 in USDC earning 4% + $50/month into Bitcoin = a travel fund that compounds while you sleep. In a year or two, that’s real money for your dream trip.
9. Maximize Every Purchase with AI-Powered Rewards
Ever feel like you’re leaving money on the table every time you shop online? You probably are.
Most of us have multiple credit cards, each with different rewards rates, but who has time to calculate which card to use for every single purchase?
Kudos is a browser extension that does the math for you. Think of it as having a personal rewards optimizer working 24/7. It automatically identifies which of your credit cards will earn you the most rewards at checkout.
Here’s the game-changer: Kudos Boost gives you 2-3x more cash back than other shopping extensions because they pass 100% of merchant commissions directly to you.
The average member earns $750 per year in extra rewards; that’s a round-trip flight to Europe just from shopping like you normally do.
10. Put Your Travel Budget on Autopilot
You know you should be budgeting. You know you need to track spending. But spreadsheets are tedious, and who has time for that when there are trips to plan?
Monarch Money takes the pain out of money management. The Wall Street Journal called it the “Best Budgeting App,” and Forbes named it the “Best Mint Replacement” after Mint shut down.
Why Monarch is perfect for funding travel:
Automatic tracking: Connect your accounts and Monarch categorizes every transaction. See exactly where your money goes without manual entry.
Travel-specific goals: Create a dedicated “Travel Fund” goal, set your target, and track progress in real-time. Watching the number grow is incredibly motivating.
Smart insights: Monthly reports show you where you can cut back to save more for travel. Redirect that money toward your next trip.
The power of automation: You set up your “Travel Fund” category, tell Monarch how much you want to save, and it keeps you accountable. Imagine seeing you’ve saved $2,500 toward Iceland—that visualization makes you think twice about impulse purchases.
Within weeks, you’ll have clear insights and a growing travel fund on autopilot.
Start Building Your Travel Fund Today
Here’s the beautiful truth: you don’t need a second job or a big inheritance to fund your travel dreams. You just need to work smarter, not harder.
These 10 strategies aren’t get-rich-quick schemes; they’re practical, proven ways to redirect money you’re already spending or earning into your travel fund.
Stack a few together, and you’re looking at thousands per year in extra travel money.
Quick math on stacking these strategies:
Kudos rewards: $750/year
Bilt rent points: $528+ in travel value
Prime Visa cash back: $500/year
Turo car rental: $8,544/year
Rover pet sitting: $12,000/year
Subscriptions canceled: $600/year
Total potential: Over $22,000 in travel money. Even doing half of these = multiple vacations per year.
The best part? Most require minimal effort once you set them up. Download the apps, create accounts, and let them work in the background while you plan your next adventure.
Your dream trip isn’t as far away as you think. Start with just one or two strategies today.
Try Capital One Shopping
Automatically apply coupon codes for free - it's kinda genius.
Tired of overpaying online? Try Capital One Shopping. No fees, automatic coupon codes, and rewards on every purchase. Your best deal is just one click away…
- Article Published: October 6, 2025
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. This post contains references to products from one or more of our partners and we may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.
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