Flying First Class Emirates from India to Dubai. Whole Cabin to Ourselves!
I’m Matt, the travel hacking Canadian behind Canadian Free Flyers.
Way back in 2004, I left my hometown of Fort.McMurray and moved to Calgary to reinvent myself. Fuelled by the desire to go from ordinary to extraordinary, I began developing a limitless mindset. I dared myself to get a university degree, tried out for the olympic speed skating team with no experience, lost 22 pounds of fat in 12-weeks, skydived, jumped off of a bridge, hang-glided over the ocean, went night-diving with sharks, and left Canada for my first long-term solo trip to Australia and Indonesia in 2009. This is when my passion for travel truly began.
I’ve since been to Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Nepal, India, Dubai, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Palau, South Korea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, all over the U.S.A, and every province in Canada.
I’ve travel hacked my way to more than 2 million points and have used them to travel around the world in business class, experience a first class shower at 40,000 feet on Emirates, and to visit dozens of countries for a fraction of the normal cost.
Drinking the world’s most expensive coffee in Bali, Indonesia.
My wife and I standing in stunning La Prohm temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia. You might recognize it from Tomb Raider.
I love taking advantage of lucrative offers that add up to hundreds of thousands of points each year. As I started to building up thousands of frequent flyer miles many years ago, I began to share the info with my parents so that they could do the same. Within no time, I was able to take my parents and my wife to Mexico City (where my wife is from) and show my parents a truly unique and amazing country. Not to mention cheap Enchiladas and Corona! I also enjoyed a free stopover in Chicago and Houston to visit some friends while my parents enjoyed a free stopover in Las Vegas.
I was hooked.
My family and I looking down upon the colonial town of Taxco, Mexico.
I became a travel hacking aficionado. But I also began to realize that no “travel hacking” site was catering to Canadians. They all catered to Americans and although Canadians could partake in certain offers here and there, it was annoying to see other great deals missed and to have my mind and email cluttered by deals I could not apply for.
Canadian Free Flyers was born.
Flying first class on Emirates for $89. Normal price? $15,000.
I decided to cut the clutter and focus on deals specifically for Canadians. I started with an online tutorial, which became popular after it was mentioned in the Toronto Star. Actually, they interviewed me over Skype when I was in Laos. Needless to say, multiple calls were needed thanks to poor WiFi signals.
As time went on, I realized that Canadians are busy with their work, families, and hobbies and didn’t really want to cut into that time to search websites, forums, and other outlets for promotions on earning points for flights and hotels.
Real time deal alerts was born. Canadians can get all the deals for earning frequent flyer miles and hotel points sent to their email. All you need to do is open up your email, see if the deal is suitable for you and then click the link and get the points.
Simple.
My mission is to create the #1 travel hacking community for Canadians interested in traveling more for less or for experiencing things they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford such as flying first class around the world.
Sitting on one of the 3000 ancient temples scattered across the plains of Bagan, Myanmar (Burma).
Nothing has expanded my mind and soul more than travel. Whether it’s conversing with the amazing but very oppressed people of Burma or sitting three-feet away from wild elephants in Borneo, independent travel is the most amazing thing I have ever had the opportunity to do.
It has not only provided me with unique views in developing countries but it’s even opened me up to exploring my own country. Travel is a mindset. Real travel is the art of removing oneself from where they are and exploring something different. Meeting new people. Trying new food. Exploring new boundaries. Learning new things.