Meet a 19-year-old travel hacker

Platinum Elite credit card. Photo: Robert S. Donovan / Flickr

When we think of a “travel hacker,” the instant image that springs to mind is Ryan Bingham, the corporate road warrior memorably portrayed by George Clooney in the film “Up in the Air.” Can young people get in on the frequent-flyer game?

Yes, says Hao Tran, a college student featured in the Million Mile Secrets blog. In his interview titled, Never Stays at Hotels, he describes some of the amazing experiences that free flights have opened up for him. They include attending the 2012 London Olympics and going up the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) shortly after watching Mission Impossible 4.

His best tip for getting more miles was to complain to the airline if you have a legitimate grievance about a bad flight. One e-mail snagged him 20,000 miles. Tran stressed that it must be an honest complaint and this technique shouldn’t be abused.

As for the headline, “Never Stays at Hotels,” Tran explained that he prefers to stay in youth hostels. Although he’s also expanded to using Airbnb as well to stay in private residences.