Free Rides All Day On Your Next Travel Adventure

I'm always looking for ways to save when traveling.  Mainly because in order to go on more trips, I have to convince my husband that I will not bankrupt us!  We went on a trip to Fort Lauderdale a few weeks back and found a way for people to chauffeur us around the city for FREE for the whole day (Thanks to Alex for the tip!).  We started from the cruise port and got a free ride to a restaurant for lunch, then onto historic Las Olas Blvd to catch a water taxi tour and finally to the airport.  We didn't have to rent a car or navigate the crazy city with its even crazier drivers.  A local driver did all the driving for us.

For Lauderdale Beach

If you are traveling this summer and want to get in on this particular saving, you'll have to willingly participate in a pyramid scheme.  But hear me out, it works to your advantage.

You've probably heard of a little something called Uber.  Uber is a ride sharing service operating in 471 cities world wide that allows you to easily find a ride, get an estimate on the cost of your ride upfront and pay, all via an app.  It's a taxi service for a technology crazed world.

You can take advantage of Uber's first time user promotion to get a free ride, up to $22 in value.  You can continue to get free rides by referring friends to use Uber.  You'll get $20 for every person that use your link to sign up and use Uber for the first time.

So to to start getting a free ride on your next trip:

• Download the Uber app or use my link and follow instructions to set up your account.
• When you're ready for a ride, enter your pick up location and destination.  You'll be able to see which Uber drivers are near by and estimated time of arrival.

The cars represent nearby Uber drivers.

• Click on Fare Estimate to see the cost of your trip.
  
• Enter Promo Code "FEELING22" to get a free ride, up to $22 in value (expires 1/1/2017) or if you want to give me free rides use "thaot856ue" and get $20 off your ride and I'll get $20.  I promise this blog entry is not self serving!
• Confirm payment and pick up.

Pretty simple!  While you wait, you can track your driver's location and the time of arrival.  It'll also give you the model of the car so you'll know what to look out for (there's no Uber signage on the car). 

So what's the ride like?: It's very much like a taxi but the drivers are people like you and me.  Some drive full time, others just want to make some extra cash on the side.  Uber takes a percentage of what the driver makes. All drivers undergo an application process and background checks.  Our drivers were very friendly.  

Tipping policy?: The Uber experience is completely cashless, no money exchange hands (it's all via the app).  Tipping is not included in the fare and voluntary.  According to Uber's policy, tipping is neither expected or required. 

Will Uber driver get the money with this promotion?: The ride is free for you but the Uber driver still gets the money due to them. So don't feel bad!

What does the $22 off really mean?: You'll get to use that only once.  So even if your ride is only $15, the entire value of $22 will be used.  

To make the most of your free ride, get all your friends traveling with you in on it.  We got free rides all day in Fort Lauderdale because this happened:

• Husband's cousin | sent referral link, used by husband, so cousin = $10 referral bonus
• Husband | first time user =  $20 off first ride 
• Husband | sent referral link, used by me and my sister, so husband got $20 (1st referral) + $10 (2nd referral) = $30 referral bonus
• Me | first time user = $20 off first ride
• My sister | first time user = $20 off first ride
• Total savings: $100 or around 6 free rides.

Want another way to save?  Lyft, the rival ride sharing app is offering $50 off to first time users, you can find the information here.  I haven't tested out that promotion yet, but will try that on my next trip.  We used a Lyft service in Charlotte last year and had a pleasant experience.  Lyft is easily identifiable by the a pink mustache placed in the front bumper of the car.

Happy traveling friends!