Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways

Episode: 2025 Travel Trends and 2026 Predictions: Where to Go Next and How to Pay for It
Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Sally French & Meagan Coyle (NerdWallet Travel Experts)

Episode Overview

In this New Year’s special, hosts Sally French and Meagan Coyle reflect on the biggest travel trends of 2025 and share their expert predictions for travel in 2026. The episode is packed with practical advice on budgeting, destination strategies, new travel credit card realities, and how to get more value from every vacation dollar. The Nerds dive deep into the appeal of luxury upgrades, the pitfalls of trendy destinations, new ways to plan smarter, and their favorite spots (plus hidden gems) for your next adventure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Reflections on 2025 Travel Trends

[02:28]

• Luxury Leap: 2025 was all about travel companies upgrading their offerings, with more luxury hotel openings, airlines enhancing premium cabins, and even Southwest adding extra legroom and planning airport lounges.

  • Sally French: “The energy that set the tone for the whole year was when travel companies just came out and said, what if, hear me out, everything was fancy and then they just went for it.” [02:41]
  • Even Southwest, traditionally a budget airline, both upgraded (lounges, legroom) and removed older perks (open seating and free checked bags).

• The Downside of Upgrades:

  • Meagan Coyle: “Southwest is not the budget airline that people will remember flying with and loving in years past.” [03:12]
  • Loss of open seating and free checked bags, with open seating ending January 27, 2026.
  • International partners added for ticket flexibility but with restrictions (limited points usage, booking via partners).

• Luxury and All-Inclusive Boom:

  • Surge in luxury and boutique hotel openings, especially all-inclusives and upscale cruise experiences.
  • “Ship within a ship” cruise concepts (like MSC Yacht Club & NCL Haven): private luxury sections on larger ships for exclusive experiences with access to ship-wide entertainment.
    • Sally French: “You sometimes get the best of both worlds... you get that sort of small yacht experience, but then you’re also on a big ship with 4,000 people.” [07:20]

• The “Coupon Book Era” of Premium Travel Credit Cards:

  • Major credit cards (Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve) now bundle loads of credits: lounge access, statement credits (e.g., for Lululemon, restaurants), TSA PreCheck, travel insurance, etc.—but annual fees are rising.
    • Meagan Coyle: “These credits could add up to thousands of dollars if you used every single one of them... but it can get really overwhelming.” [09:18]
    • Sally French’s cautionary tale on credit card benefit tracking: “My husband and I spent the past week just trying to find tickets on StubHub ... so we could use our credit.” [11:07]

• Travel Inflation & Dynamic Pricing:

  • Everything is pricier; AI-driven dynamic pricing is making budgeting stressful.
  • Sally French: “Some of it has gotten so granular that it is very stressful. For example, at the Empire State Building ... prices are different even based on 15 minute intervals.” [12:29]

• Traveler Adaptation & Spending Patterns:

  • Despite rising costs, most travelers are unwilling to shift dates or fly budget airlines to save money.
    • Sally: “70% of people are unwilling to adjust their travel days just to save money… 22% are willing to fly budget airlines, the rest are saying, nah.” [13:24]
  • Concern that low-budget options are shrinking as travel becomes more premiumized.

2026 Travel Predictions

[16:08]

1. Skipping the Algorithm: Ditching the Social Media “Hot Spots”

• Hosts predict a backlash against social-driven bucket lists.
  • Modern travel has been dominated by viral TikToks/Instagrams, but travelers are tired of overcrowded “hidden gems.”
    • Sally French: “You get to that, quote, hidden gem, and then it's you and 500 of your closest friends all trying to take the same photo in the same spot.” [16:49]
  • 2026 trend: Going off-the-beaten-path, consulting locals, seeking authentic experiences.
    • Meagan Coyle: “Maybe actively avoiding the ones that the TikTok influencers are recommending... a great way to be more intentional.” [17:25]

2. “Easy Travel” and Slow Vacations

• Value on quality, not quantity—fewer bucket-list check-offs, more relaxation and immersion.
  • Meagan: “Not packing my stuff so much... changing hotels every two days... gets exhausting.” [19:32]
• Repeat visits or longer stays, living like a local.
  • Sally French: “I like the idea of just slowing down and enjoying what you have.” [19:06]

3. Fewer Trips, But Making Them Count

• People will take fewer international trips (dropping below two per traveler), but invest more in making each one special.
• Willingness to spend more to avoid crowds and create “easy” experiences.
  • Meagan: “They're not going to be corralled with hundreds of sweaty people in the Vatican museum because they saw it on social media.” [21:14]

Top Destinations for 2026

International Hotspots

• South Korea
  • Favorable exchange rate, affordable food/shopping, famous for affordable cosmetic treatments (and you can haggle!), K-Pop influence and film-driven interest.
    • Meagan: “You can actually haggle the price of your, like, lasers, your facials, Botox even.” [22:33]
  • “K Pop Demon Hunters” movie expected to have a “White Lotus effect”—inspiring pop-culture-motivated travel.
• Eastern Europe
  • Seven of Kayak’s ten fastest-growing search destinations: Prague, Sofia, Krakow, Budapest. Cheaper than Western Europe, but equally rich in culture and beauty.
    • Sally French: “You’ve seen the Eiffel Tower already on Instagram, go to Prague, go to Budapest and see something a little different...” [24:46]
• New Zealand
  • Anniversary of Lord of the Rings, beautiful landscape, better air connectivity, Air New Zealand’s new “Skynest” bunk-bed pods for flights.
    • Meagan: “If you are looking for a not crowded place to visit with great nature... New Zealand is the place for that.” [27:16]
• Mexico (Guadalajara & Monterrey)
  • World Cup host cities (infrastructure investment, new hotels, improved transit).
  • Guadalajara: youthful vibe, university town, proximity to Tequila (city), tequila tours.
    • Meagan: “Tequila tasting. It was rowdy. I loved it… my friend met the love of their life in Tequila, Mexico.” [28:31]

North America / Domestic Picks

• Las Vegas
  • Prices lower after a 2025 slowdown; FTC rule now requires upfront disclosure of resort fees.
    • Sally French: “Vegas is much more enjoyable now because you’re not seeing that nickel and dime experience.” [33:13]
• Route 66 (100th Anniversary)
  • Epic road trip: 2,000 miles, 8 states (highlights: Chicago, St. Louis-Joplin, Flagstaff, Santa Monica). Great domestic and international connections, including BA launching Heathrow-St. Louis flights.
    • Sally French: “If you’ve never done Route 66... it is 2,000 miles. It passes through eight states.” [29:39]
  • Flagstaff & Southwest: Ideal for stargazing (dark sky cities), and scenic landscapes.
• Salt Lake City
  • Airport upgrades (Delta Sky Club, Amex Centurion), all-season destination: skiing, hiking, and a vibrant food scene.
    • Meagan: “Great place to go all year round… world class skiing, snowboarding... or hiking in the summer.” [38:48]
  • Sally French’s gem: “All those little soda restaurants… your girl loves a Coke Zero with fancy flavors.” [38:51]
• San Antonio
  • Walkable, especially along the Riverwalk. Avoid tourist zones for local gems like the Pearl. Noted for gastronomy: only one of two U.S. “creative cities of gastronomy” (UNESCO).
    • Sally French: “My favorite spot ... is Pearl, in a former brewery… San Antonio is one of the country's only two UNESCO-deemed creative cities of gastronomy.” [36:17]
  • Sally’s must-try: Nicosi Dessert Bar (Michelin-star, $120 for eight courses and four cocktails). [36:32]
• San Francisco
  • “Back” from crime slump, with major renovations: Castro Theatre reopening, Japantown upgrades, big events (Super Bowl, World Cup).
  • Hotel prices still below pre-pandemic peak—go now before they skyrocket.
    • Sally French: “If you want to see San Francisco, I think this is your last chance before it hits record highs again.” [40:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “Coupon Book” Credit Cards:
  • Meagan Coyle [09:18]: “The credit card companies were also raising annual fees because they are giving you, in theory, more value... but it can get really overwhelming. Just because there are tons of credits doesn’t mean that everyone is getting that top dollar value for all of those credits. So I am just a little bit over like needing to track every single purchase.”
• On Social Media Destinations:
  • Sally French [16:49]: “You get to that, quote, hidden gem, and then it's you and 500 of your closest friends all trying to take the same photo in the same spot.”
• On “Easy Travel”:
  • Meagan Coyle [19:32]: “I'm also really enjoying not packing my stuff so much... It just gets exhausting.”
• On New Zealand’s Skynest:
  • Sally French [26:22]: “You can book a four hour rest block in one of six of these bunk beds on the aircraft.”

Timing of Key Segments

• 2025 Trends and Reflections: 02:28 – 14:49
• 2026 Predictions: 16:08 – 21:46
• Destinations for 2026 (International): 21:51 – 29:02
• Destinations for 2026 (North America/Domestic): 29:39 – 40:32
• Final Hot Take & Wrap-up: 40:34 – 41:47

Final Hot Take & Closing Advice

Embrace the Day Tour!
Meagan Coyle [40:39]: “I think those tours where you have a little driver and you go around in a little van are gonna have a comeback moment because that is easy travel, my friends. That is the easiest.”

Closing Thoughts:

• Personalize your travels: Find your own gems, prioritize comfort and experience, and don’t chase social media popularity.
• Follow Smart Travel and the hosts on social for ongoing tips.