When you are gone for months at a time and have a loose itinerary, you will very likely be using a combination of planes trains, boats, busses and cars along your journey. These are some loose rules we have developed for ourselves that may help you save money and time along the way.

1. Prebook your big flights and your long stays 6 months in advance, especially if you plan to be in any tourist hot spots or where an event is happening or if you know you need to get to some place or home at an exact time. You can be opportunistic about the small jaunts along the way.
2. Check on pricing for overnight trains and ferries rather than flights. It can be cheaper once you add in luggage fees, airport transport as train stations and ferry terminals tend to be more centrally located and it also counts as your accommodation for a night rather than flying in a place late only to go to sleep at your next destination. Typically overnight trains and ferries pull in in the morning so you can start your day rested in your new place. Besides, the scenery you see along the way can be priceless. Aside from the almighty Google, Rome2rio.com is a great tool to see different recommendations on how to get from one country to another.
   
3. Capture all your points! Airline points are like gold when you travel for a living. There are many ways to double dip and collecting points on international airlines that are airline partners to the ones you use back home can be a quicker way to get that free flight. If your goal is a trip to Australia for example, collecting those United miles on an ANA account may get you your free ticket faster than collecting in on United. Or if you tend to fly American at home, collecting those miles on British Airways Avios instead of on American as British Airways flight redemptions are strictly based on distance versus American Airlines redemptions are based on dynamic pricing – meaning the amount of miles needing to get from point A to point B will vary according to how expensive the flight is versus British Airways for the same flight is strictly based on distance. Once again it all depends on where you think you will want to use those miles. The Points Guy or Nerd Wallet is a great resource to calculate where you should be saving your points.
   
4. Similar to #3 above, having the right credit card to maximize your travel perks is also helpful. We use American Express Platinum to get our Global Entry and Clear fees paid for as well as certain airline baggage fees, car rental insurance, Priority Pass Lounge access and to a lesser degree Centurion Lounge access in the United States. While to some these seem like luxury items, at the price of food at the airports these days, eating in the lounge not to mention the miscellaneous necessary shower or moment of peace and quiet in a hectic airport can save you some money as well as your sanity. We maximize everything including the monthly Uber allowance, the credits on entertainment subscriptions etc. Because we use ALL the perks, the rather hefty annual fee is completely outweighed by the benefits but if you are not a frequent traveller, this is not the card for you. Some people swear by Chase Sapphire instead. Once again The Points Guy or Nerd Wallet are great resources here.