How to Save Money on Fall Travel

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "How to Save Money on Fall Travel"

Release Date: August 7, 2025 | Host: Alison Stewart | Guest: Sally French, NerdWallet's Lead Travel Writer and Smart Travel Podcast Host

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Introduction

In the episode titled "How to Save Money on Fall Travel," Alison Stewart hosts Sally French from NerdWallet to discuss strategies for planning cost-effective trips during the fall season. The conversation delves into booking tips, popular destinations, travel trends, and financial considerations to help listeners maximize their travel experiences without breaking the bank.

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Planning Fall Travel

Alison Stewart opens the discussion by highlighting the importance of early planning for fall travel. She emphasizes the value of preparing for trips several months in advance to secure better deals and avoid last-minute price hikes.

Sally French (00:52):
"You've had a great lineup of travel content, but thinking forward is my most exciting thing to do."

Current Travel Trends

Sally French provides insights into recent travel spending trends, noting a decline compared to the previous year. She attributes this to lower airfares and hotel prices, although daily expenses like dining and entertainment remain high.

Sally French (02:25):
"Travel spending is down and there are two big reasons for that. That is lower airfares and lower hotel prices."

Despite certain expenses rising, the overall decrease in airfare costs presents opportunities for travelers looking to navigate end-of-summer and holiday deals effectively.

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Popular Destinations

The conversation shifts to emerging travel destinations. Sally observes a resurgence in Las Vegas travel, which had previously seen a downturn due to perceived high costs. Additionally, cruises are gaining popularity, especially multi-generational group trips that offer all-inclusive budgeting and ease of planning.

Sally French (05:06):
"One of the interesting ones is people thought Vegas was so expensive and so people stopped going to Vegas and now we're seeing Vegas is cheap again."

She highlights the launch of new cruise ships, such as Royal Caribbean's "Star of the Seas," which offers extensive amenities, making cruises more appealing to a broader audience.

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Solo Travel and Safety Tips

Listener Jessica from Rutherford inquires about secluded beach destinations safe for solo female travelers. Sally recommends traveling during the shoulder season— the period between peak and off-peak seasons— to enjoy good weather with fewer crowds and better deals.

Sally French (10:39):
"Shoulder season you get the benefit of still good weather. You also get a lot of these businesses that might be open for the summer and close up for the winter, but they're still open during that shoulder season."

She advises utilizing tools like Google Flights’ "Explore" feature to find affordable flight options tailored to specific travel dates.

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Financing Your Trip

A significant portion of the episode addresses financing travel. Sally explains the advantages of using credit cards for travel expenses, such as earning rewards and accessing benefits like TSA PreCheck and lounge access. However, she warns against accumulating debt by not paying off credit card balances promptly, which can negate the benefits through high-interest rates.

Sally French (13:37):
"Using a credit card is not necessarily a bad thing to pay for your trip. In fact, it can be a good thing. You look at credit card rewards and many of these people who are flying first class and you wonder, how does this person afford first class?"

She emphasizes the importance of having a repayment plan or utilizing low-interest offers to manage travel-related credit card expenses effectively.

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Booking Strategies

Alison and Sally debunk common myths surrounding the best times to book flights. Contrary to popular belief, the day of the week you book doesn't significantly impact prices. Instead, booking flights one to three months in advance for domestic travel and two to eight months for international travel is crucial for securing the best rates.

Sally French (15:18):
"It's not so much about the time of the week that we book our flights, but it's how early in advance of the trip we book the flight."

Additionally, Sally advises targeting specific flight days—Tuesday and Wednesday are typically cheaper, while Friday and Sunday tend to be more expensive due to higher demand.

Sally French (16:12):
"Typically what Nerdwallet finds is that Tuesday, Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly. Saturday is also a cheap day to fly. The most expensive days to fly are Friday and Sunday."

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Handling Last-Minute Bookings and Price Spikes

When discussing last-minute travel, Sally explains that flight prices often increase as the departure date approaches due to limited availability. She notes that airlines capitalize on urgent travel needs by raising prices, a trend not as prevalent with hotels, which offer more flexibility and options.

Sally French (18:22):
"With airlines, they see that if someone's going to book a flight last minute, it's because they have to get on that flight. So airlines can take advantage of that and charge more."

She advises against booking flights too far in advance as airlines may initially inflate prices, only to decrease them as actual demand becomes clearer.

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Handling Flight Cancellations

Sally provides practical advice for dealing with flight cancellations, emphasizing the importance of having a backup plan and remaining flexible. She suggests knowing alternative airports and being patient during disruptions to navigate cancellations smoothly.

Sally French (25:03):
"If you are traveling on a canceled flight, make sure you have a backup plan. Do you know what other airports are around?"

She also recommends allocating extra time before important events to accommodate potential delays or rescheduling.

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Predictions for Fall Travel

Looking ahead, Sally predicts a continued rise in luxury travel despite overall cost-saving trends. High-end hotels and services are experiencing increased demand, possibly driven by social media influences and the desire for premium experiences.

Sally French (08:11):
"We are seeing the rise in luxury travel. Believe it or not, as we have people who are saying we're not traveling this summer because we want to save money. There is still really, really high demand for these luxury hotels."

She also anticipates that destinations like Hawaii will see a resurgence in tourism, balancing earlier lows.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Sally French summarizing key strategies for saving money on fall travel:

1. Plan Early: Book flights and accommodations well in advance within the recommended time frames.
2. Be Flexible: Adjust travel dates and destinations to take advantage of cheaper flight days and shoulder seasons.
3. Utilize Tools: Leverage platforms like Google Flights for exploring and tracking flight deals.
4. Smart Financing: Use credit cards wisely to gain rewards without incurring debt.
5. Backup Plans: Always have alternatives ready in case of cancellations or unexpected changes.

Alison Stewart thanks Sally for her valuable insights, encouraging listeners to apply these tips for a cost-effective and enjoyable fall travel experience.

Sally French (26:04):
"Thank you. Happy travels."

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This episode of All Of It provides comprehensive guidance for travelers aiming to optimize their fall trips financially while enjoying rich and diverse cultural experiences. Whether planning a solo getaway, a family reunion, or a luxury escape, the insights shared by Sally French offer actionable steps to navigate the complexities of travel budgeting and booking.

Transcript

[Sally French]

Foreign.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. All week long we've talked about how to be an ethical tourist, planning group trips, the perfect weekend getaway, and your most memorable family vacations. But do you know what I like to do in the final days when I am on a vacation? Plan my next trip. Today we're looking ahead to fall travel. Some people say the secret to a great trip is preparation. So right now you have plenty of time to think about September, October, and even November. Joining us in person to give some tips on where to look for deals on travel this fall is NerdWallet's lead travel writer and smart travel podcast host, Sally French. It's nice to see you in person, Sally.

[Sally French]

Great to see you in person. You've had a great lineup of travel content, but thinking forward is my most exciting thing to do.

[Alison Stewart]

My girl, that is my girl. Listeners, how are you planning out your trips for the rest of the year? Where do you plan on going? Tell us what tips you've picked up along the way to avoid paying costly fees or great deals you've gotten from just doing your research. Or if you want to ask for some saving tips or some suggestions from nerd writer Sally French, you can do that too. Call or text us at 2124-3396-9221-2433 wnyc. You can join us on the air or you can text to us or you can send us a message on social media. Love it. Wnyc. Okay, it's August. We have a couple weeks left of summer. Do you think it's too late to plan a summer trip?

[Sally French]

You know, it is kind of closing in on the end. Typically, Nerd Bullet says for domestic travel you should book your flights one to three months in advance and international travel two to eight months out. Labor Day is closer than we know. Can you believe it? So we are closing in on that. But the good news is for people who want to do maybe a road trip, what Narella has actually found is that rental cars are cheaper, booked last minute and also you can often find great last minute hotel deals. So for my road trippers, this Labor Day might be the time to go.

[Alison Stewart]

In a recent episode of your smart travel podcast, you and your co host Megan Coyle talked about how travel spending declined in June when compared to June of the previous year. Why is that worth noting?

[Sally French]

Yes, that is absolutely right. Travel spending is down and there are two big reasons for that. That is lower airfares and lower hotel prices. Now there are some travel expenses that are higher. And these are not just travel expenses, but these are travel expenses that we face every day. I'm talking about entertainment, the cost of eating out. Those are expenses that hit especially hard during travel since we typically tend to eat out the most then. But the good news is that airfares are still dropping. So again, if people are looking for that good end of summer deal or even thinking ahead into the holidays, there is good news for air travelers.

[Alison Stewart]

So what's some of the reasons that air prices are dropping?

[Sally French]

Yes, Alison, there are so many reasons. Some of it is just some people are feeling a little economic uncertainty and so they are actually not traveling. So airlines are saying we have to offer deals to get people in the door. Another thing is that we are seeing a decrease in international travelers. Good news for that is that domestic travelers can actually capitalize on the deals. We are not competing with people from other countries in the U.S. we have fewer of them. That means more opportunities for US Travelers to get deals here in the US.

[Alison Stewart]

What's a good example of a deal or discount that you've seen and you've been like, wow, that's a good deal?

[Sally French]

Yeah, I mean, there are deals even in places that are notoriously expensive. I'm thinking about a place like Disney World. In fact, Disney, in their recent earnings report said that international travel is still below Covid level levels into its theme parks, but they are seeing healthy domestic travel. So at a place like the Disney parks, they are offering some deals like if you commit to three days at the parks, less than a hundred dollars per day. And you know, that is pretty surprising when you figure on a regular vacation, you might go to a museum and a show, and that combined can often cost more than $100.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Sally French. She's Nerdwall's lead travel writer and smart travel podcast host. We're talking about how to save money on fall travel. We want to hear from you planning your trips for the rest of the year. Where do you plan on going? Tell us what trips you've picked up on along the way and some tips that you've had for, you know, keeping those costly fees at bay. Our phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC or if you have a question first, nerd writer, nerd wallet writer Sally French. You can call us there. 212-433-969-22124. Okay, we do this every time, but I think it's interesting. What are Some of the most popular destinations that you have seen people decide to go to in the last few months.

[Sally French]

Yes, that is a really interesting question. A lot of people changes. Yes, it always changes. And you know, one of the interesting ones is people thought Vegas was so expensive and so people stopped going to Vegas and now we're seeing Vegas is cheap again. So many of these things are cyclical. I mean, I mentioned Disney as well. The other trend that Nirbola is really seeing in full force, especially this year, is cruises. I am not normally a cruise person, but I think it's this proliferation of people wanting to do group trips, multi generational trips. It makes the planning really easy. It also makes the budgeting really easy because typically you just pay up front and then everything is included. Once you're there, there's none of that awkward check dance of like, you got the dinner, I got the dinner. Who's paying for this? Everything's included, which makes it really nice to plan. And we are seeing so many new cruise ships on the horizon. One of the biggest ones coming up, Royal Caribbean, their star of the seas, is actually making its inaugural salient this month. And for people who say, I don't like cruises because I don't want to feel trapped on a ship, this ship is bigger than some cities. It's got the things like the water parks and they even said they have real trees on board, which. That one's got my attention.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, that's also got to be really good. As you said, generationally, you can take the whole family, you can take grandma, you can take the kids and you'll find something to do.

[Sally French]

Yes. I actually just planned my family reunion. It was not on a cruise and I wish it was on a cruise just because there's so much chaos of wrangling. The baby's got to take a nap, but we're out and about, who's going to drive who, where? And with a cruise, it's like, just go back to your stateroom and have your nap and we'll all find you because we are all in the same place.

[Alison Stewart]

I also heard from a friend, mama gets a vacation on a cruise.

[Sally French]

Yes, yes. And you know, they say many of the cruises have babysitting. But then, you know, the funny part is I hear so many kids are like, but I want to hang out with my parents. I don't even want to the babysitting.

[Alison Stewart]

Anyway, we got a text here that says, to save money on international flights, I try to see if any airlines have opened new direct routes between New York City And a destination I'm interested in. Airlines seem to run specials on these new routes. Have you found that to be true?

[Sally French]

That is exactly right. Whenever airlines add new routes, they typically want to build some sort of demand, some sort of excitement. So they will often offer deals just to let people know. People might not know about that new route to a different city in Europe. And we are still seeing an expansion. Of course, during the COVID times there was a huge pullback in routes and we increasingly see airlines add more and more routes. And all of that is good news for customers, whether it's budget airlines, whether it's the major carriers. More competition just means lower prices for the customers.

[Alison Stewart]

This text says I declined to travel this summer in favor of a long awaited trip to Antarctica in November. I was extremely fortunate to have access to a friends and family discount which allowed me to make this travel dream a reality.

[Sally French]

We got to get that friend.

[Alison Stewart]

I know.

[Sally French]

How do we get the friends and family discount?

[Alison Stewart]

What predictions are you having for travel for this fall?

[Sally French]

Yes. Well, I'm guessing if you're doing Antarctica, you're probably doing that, the cruise route. And that is a really, really good way to go. Other places that we're seeing is that we're seeing Hawaii hasn't seen that comeback of tourism. The other trend that we are seeing is the rise in luxury travel. Believe it or not, as we have people who are saying we're not traveling this summ because we want to save money. There is still really, really high demand for these luxury hotels. And brands like Hilton and Hyatt have said their revenue per available room is up at their luxury brands. Their occupancy is up at their luxury brands. Meanwhile, at their budget brands, actually occupancy and revenue per room is down.

[Alison Stewart]

That's really interesting. So people are sort of splurging once a year.

[Sally French]

Yes. You know, there are a few reasons for that. You wonder if there are the people who are price sensitive and they're opting out of and then the people who are not price sensitive are just really going all in. I also just wonder about this. This ongoing Instagram effect of people saying when I want to travel, I want the best place. And the cheap budget hotel just doesn't hit as much as maybe the Waldorf Astoria does. And so people really do want to splurge. Going on with that experience is not things people want to spend the money on the absolute best experience. And for many people, that is a luxury hotel.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Jessica who's calling from Rutherford. Hey, Jessica. Thanks for calling all of it.

[Jessica]

Hi, thanks for taking my call. So I have a very, very busy small business and I haven't been able to take a single day off in about three years. And so I'm like making an active concerted effort to build in some more work life balance. I just realized that I have a weekend that I can make free September 18th through the 23rd. So I really to take advantage of that and I really want to get away from kind of civilization. So I was wondering if you have any suggestions for last minute like secluded beach recommendations that are safe for solo women. And I'm thinking domestic just because I don't feel safe getting back into the country International now.

[Sally French]

Yes. Well, that's a great question. You are on a really good time frame for kind of mid to late September. You're still in that one to three, three months out. Sweet spot to find a really good.

[Alison Stewart]

Cheap shoulder season is great in the in New England.

[Sally French]

Yes. I'm so glad you said shoulder season. So a lot of people don't really know what shoulder season is, but it's that period between peak season and off season and it's one of the best times to travel. Often during the off season the weather is just not good. But shoulder season you get the benefit of still good weather. You also get a lot of these businesses that might be open for the summer and close up for the winter, but they're still open during that shoulder season. So definitely something like a New England September. Sounds beautiful to me. My other tip for you is go to a tool like Google Flights. They have something called Explore and since you have very specific dates, you can input your home airport or any of these airports here in New York. And then you simply click Explore and it will tell you cheap flights to any destination and you can take your pick from there.

[Alison Stewart]

Good tip. Definitely send us a picture wherever you go. Jessica. I want to know where she ends up. Me too. This one says this text says is it a good time to travel to Iceland in September?

[Sally French]

Ooh, you know, I have not been to Iceland in September, so I cannot speak from personal experience, but that is still that shoulder season we see so many people want to go to Europe in this summer. That's when you're paying your highest prices. So I have to imagine Iceland in September is an excellent get. Really maximizing that same shoulder season energy.

[Alison Stewart]

While we're talking about soldier season, we got a text that says I'm going to Turkey in September. Shoulder seasons are great for cheaper hotels and less congested tourist hotspots we are talking how to save money on fall travel. Our guest is Nerd Wallet's lead travel writer Sally French will have more after a quick break. This is ALL of it. You're listening to ALL OF IT on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. With me in studio is Nerd Wallet's lead travel writer and smart travel podcast co host, Sally French. She's joining me to provide some tips on where to find savings while traveling this fall, or at least make the trip worth the costs. And we'd like to hear your suggestions. How are you planning out your trips for the rest of the year? Where do you plan on going? Tell us what tips you've picked up along the way to avoid paying costly feels or some great deal you've gotten from just doing your research. Or if you have a question for Sally, our phone lines are open. 212-433-969-2212, wnyc. You can call in, join us on the air or you can text that number as well. All right, let's talk about financing your trip. A survey commissioned by NerdWallet indicated that 9 in 10 summer travelers, that's 85%, plan to use a credit card to cover some travel expenses. Some of these travelers are still paying for last year's trips. What are your thoughts on using credit cards?

[Sally French]

That's exactly right. So using a credit card is not necessarily a bad thing to pay for your trip. In fact, it can be a good thing. You look at credit card rewards and many of these people who are flying first class and you wonder, how does this person afford first class? I know, I know what their job is. But that person might be maximizing something like a signup bonus on a credit card. Then you look at other benefits that come with these top tier credit cards. Some people bulk at the annual fees and annual fees on a credit card definitely are not for everyone. But many of the best travel credit cards have things like TSA PreCheck included. They have lounge access. They have travel insurance. I was just talking to my dad before this and his United flight got canceled in this whole United meltdown. And I said, I sure hope you paid for this on a credit card with travel insurance. So it can definitely help people. The challenge is when people are not able to pay off their credit card in full every month. And in fact, what NerdWallet found is a good chunk of people still haven't paid off their vacations from last year. If you are charging a vacation to a credit card really Understand that interest because one, the interest can often end up far outweighing the cost of any rewards or the value of any rewards you're getting. But also you are paying interest, which makes that vacation so much more expensive. So if you are planning to put a vacation on a credit card and you cannot pay it off in full every month, make sure you have a plan. Whether that's using a 0% APR, offer a low interest card, or really finding a way that you can do that more affordable vacation. Whether that's something like a road trip, couch surfing with a friend.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk about booking strategies. When is the best time to purchase your flight for a destination? There's so many myths out there.

[Sally French]

There's so many myths out there. We were just talking about this myth that some people swear by Tuesday at 2am And I promise that's a myth. So the good news is none of us needs to wake up at 2am to book a flight. It's not so much about the time of the week that we book our flights, but it's how early in advance of the trip we book the flight. So don't stress about if I book this on Tuesday versus Wednesday. Stress about am I booking this one month out or one week out. Typically you cannot find last minute airfare deals. A lot of people say I want to get away and go to Florida this weekend, but prices are high. I'm going to just keep waiting and waiting and see if they drop in. It's very unlikely they will drop. So one to three months out is that sweet spot for domestic travel. Two to eight months out is that sweet spot for international travel.

[Alison Stewart]

Is there any truth to the idea that booking midweek versus weekends will help save you?

[Sally French]

Yes. So it's not necessarily the day you book. Again, don't worry if you click checkout on your computer on Tuesday versus Saturday. But what does matter is the day you fly. Now this, this can vary by destination, but typically what Nordwallet finds is that Tuesday, Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly. Saturday is also a cheap day to fly. The most expensive days to fly are Friday and Sunday. You're really getting those weekenders. Monday's also expensive because you get a lot of people going out on business trips for the week. So if you have flexible travel schedules, you might be returning from a wedding that probably happened on a Saturday and you might think, well, I'm going to fly home on Sunday, that's going to be an expensive time to fly. So maybe you extend that wedding vacation into a Monday or Tuesday. Fly home that day and you'll typically find savings. This can be hundreds of dollars, especially across your whole family.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's get some more checks. For those of us looking to take a short road trip into nature upstate, our favorite destination is Belfire in the Catskills, an off grid, glamping destination in Roxbury, New York. We're headed there now. Have a great trip. I'm traveling with my two adult children to Spain to walk part of the Camino. The cheapest flights out of Newark to Madrid seem to be about a thousand dollars round trip. We are traveling in mid October. I thought the prices would be lower. Are you surprised by that?

[Sally French]

Yes, I'm not entirely surprised. Just wondering what airport you might be looking into. What we typically find is some airports in Europe are so cheap and some airports are so expensive. What Nordvallet recommends is just get the closest airport you can. And that might be, you know, maybe flying somewhere into Ital. Maybe you can get a cheap flight to Rome. And then once you are in Europe, you can find either a budget flight from there or take advantage of Europe's amazing train system and see if you can hop on a train. Sometimes the airport you want to go to is going to be $1,000 more than the airport that is somewhat nearby. And then you can just jump on a quick layover flight to get to your final destination.

[Alison Stewart]

What causes the last minute price spikes in flights and in hotels?

[Sally French]

Yes, that's a good question. Especially with airlines, they see that if someone's going book a flight last minute, it's because they have to get on that flight. There are not a ton of options. With hotels, we have many more options. I don't necessarily need to stay on this exact block, so I might be willing to shop around and find the cheaper hotel. Typically with flights, if there's a flight I want to take last minute, I need to be on that exact route. So airlines can take advantage of that and charge more. On the flip side, they also charge more if you book too early. We see those eager beavers who are excited about summer 2026 and they book their flight. Don't do that, because airlines also want to charge as much as they can just to see what they can get. And then when they realize what demand really looks like, they typically tend to lower their prices.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, so don't plan a year and ahead. How far ahead?

[Sally French]

Yes, again, if you're looking at that international trip, like eight months at the max to book, one thing that you can do is start at least Looking now where you want to go. So in the case of that Spain trip, look at the other airports that you could possibly go to see if you want to extend your trip. Go to other countries in Europe. And then you also kind of have an idea of what you need to do to save money. If you need to apply for a credit card to take advantage of maybe a sign up bonus to get points and miles to actually pay for that trip. So definitely thinking about trips a year out is a great idea. Have a rough plan of what's going to happen, but you don't necessarily need to actually click the checkout until sooner or later. Another thing that you can do is earlier we talked about Google Flights and that Explore tool. Google Flights has so many excellent tools. Another one is an alert tool where you can say I'm looking for flights from New York to Italy. And Google Flights will actually send you an email if it finds deals that are considered below average or maybe above average in that case.

[Alison Stewart]

Wow, that's so interesting. Yes. Let's talk to Debbie from Clifton, New Jersey. Hi Debbie, thanks for taking the time to call all of it.

[Jessica]

Hi, how are you? So I am going to my husband and I are going to Rome for the month of October and we've done, you know, we're retired so we've done this before. We went to Arles in the south of France for a month a couple of years ago. And one thing that's great about it is that we can we, our Parisian friends are going to join us for a week. My daughter's going to join us for a week. But I have one question which is as a great leisurely way to not have to rush to everything. But I've discovered that it is a jubilee year in Rome, which means that it will be as crowded as it is in the summer because there'll be all these pilgrims coming to the Vatican. So any tips? I'm not so concerned about waking up early to go to the Coliseum, which I've seen before, but ways to enjoy a foreign city, you know, in a way that's like that will accommodate being in a crowded place.

[Sally French]

Yes, you are exactly right. This is a jubilee year. This is busy in Italy. So the idea to wake up early to go to the Coliseum, do it. You're jet lagged anyway, so time doesn't really matter when you're in Europe. My other tip is to just make sure you get those attractions tickets early. Things like going to the Vatican or going into the Coliseum can sell out. And what we find is that There are many kind of third party tour companies that will often buy up these, these tickets. So they sell them out from regular people like you and I, and then what happens is they will resell them so you can still get in, but sometimes for two or three times the cost. So if you really need to go someplace like the Vatican or the Coliseum, make sure you book those tickets early.

[Alison Stewart]

This question says, do prices on airline tickets really go up the more I look on the same browser?

[Sally French]

No. That is also another myth. I'm so glad you asked that. So we could bust it. NerdWallet looks at thousands of airfares a week and we don't see our prices go up. I literally spend a good chunk of my job just looking at airfares. And so if it would go up for me, it would go up for you. That is definitely a myth.

[Alison Stewart]

All right. Back in May, CNN reported that certain airlines were charging what some describes the tax on single travelers on certain routes with a fare doubling at least one instance.

[Sally French]

Why yes, we did hear that. And then a lot of the airlines walked back and said, actually we're not doing that. But you know, you are totally right. The cost of being a solo traveler is expensive, even if it's not just that airfare quandary. Whether or not that really happened, you have to consider, am I sharing a taxi or rideshare with someone else? Can I share a room with someone else? And being a solo traveler truly is expensive. So that is something to budget for many airlines.

[Alison Stewart]

Once you get your flight, you have to pay for your seat or pay extra for your seat. Southwest put its first ever assigned seats on sale this week after like a 50 year policy of not having that. First of all, why did they do that?

[Sally French]

Because, yeah, Alison, this is quite the myth busting show. So one myth that I do want to bust is even if you book an airfare, you still have a seat. You just won't know what it is until check in. Interesting. A lot of people say, I didn't pay to book my seat, so am I gonna have to stand? Do I not have a seat? And that's not true. It means if you don't pay for your seat, you're probably gonna have the worst seat, like that middle seat in the back row. Paying, paying to select your seat enables you to pick that window or aisle which we all really want.

[Alison Stewart]

This says, I want to travel to Norway, the western coast island, but can't decide what time of year to go. I love to see snow and northern lights, but not sure I Want so much darkness. I'm thinking if November or March to have some daylight and some snow, maybe it'd be nice to be there in the spring. Can't decide. What do you think?

[Sally French]

All the times you could go anytime and really maximize it. And I think that's what's wonderful about even, you know, going to Europe in the summer, you take advantage of your summer break, but going to Europe in the, you know, fall, you take advantage of the shoulder season, fewer crowds. If you really want to save money, I recommend you set up those flight alerts. So look for airfare deals into Norway and I say go when you get the best deal.

[Alison Stewart]

All right. This is a little bit of advice you should give to people. Traveling can be really difficult. It can be difficult in the airline. It can be difficult when your flight is canceled. What is the best way to handle your flight when it is canceled?

[Sally French]

Well, I know so many travelers are experiencing that right now, especially if they are flying with United. So if you are traveling on a canceled flight, make sure you have a backup plan. Do you know what other airports are around? Maybe your flight into JFK got cancelled, but can you fly out of LaGuardia, look and see what your options are. And I always say pack some patience and have some padding time. A lot of people say I have a wedding this afternoon and I'm going to fly in that morning. If it's really important to you to make that event, make sure you add some pad time. Come in the day ahead.

[Alison Stewart]

Are you saying that I should go knowing what my alternate flight should be?

[Sally French]

You know, I always tend to have a backup plan. So I do know, you know, if I'm flying into San Francisco, maybe I will have to fly to Oakland. And then there's alternative to get there.

[Alison Stewart]

Sally French. She's Nerdwald's lead travel writer and smart travel podcast host. She has joined us to share her thoughts on how to save money on fall travel. You were great. Thanks, Sally.

[Sally French]

Thank you. Happy travels.

[Alison Stewart]

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