Adventure by Committee: What Happens When You Let Others Pick Your Trip

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Adventure by Committee: What Happens When You Let Others Pick Your Trip"

Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways | NerdWallet Travel
Hosts: Sally French & Tess Viglund (in for Meghan Coyle)
Guest: Hamilton (Sally’s husband)
Date: November 12, 2025

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Overview

This fun and insightful episode of Smart Travel explores the concept of letting others—specifically, wedding guests—choose your honeymoon destination. Sally French, NerdWallet’s “travel nerd,” brings her husband Hamilton onto the podcast to recount the unique adventure of letting friends and family pick their honeymoon spot. The episode blends travel news, credit card rewards tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at group travel decision-making. In addition, it’s packed with practical advice on minimizing delays, strategic budgeting, and maximizing trip rewards for any listener planning a trip.

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Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Latest Travel News & Updates (02:23–12:23)

• Airline Disruptions Due to Government Shutdown (02:23–06:10)

  • FAA has ordered a reduction in U.S. flights by up to 10% at the busiest airports due to the ongoing government shutdown.
  • O’Hare, Newark, LaGuardia, and Detroit are especially affected.
  • Sally's tips: download the airline’s app for alerts, be aware of cancellation/refund rights, consider arriving a day or two early for significant events.
  • Notable Quote (05:12):

    “If your flight is canceled, you are entitled to a full refund...even if the government shutdown means the airline cancels your flight.” — Sally French

• Southwest Airlines Launches a Lounge at Honolulu Airport (06:09–07:23)

  • New 12,000 sq. ft. club announced, rare for Southwest and rare in Hawaii.
  • “Hopefully the Southwest Lounge will not be bleak.” — Sally (06:56)

• Year of the Travel Debit Card (07:28–08:47)

  • United launches MileagePlus debit card—no credit check, $4 fee unless $2,000 is maintained.
  • Sally’s take: for large balances, better to earn cash interest elsewhere.

• Rove Miles Adds Major European Transfer Partner (09:23–10:21)

  • Rove now transfers 1:1 to Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian), a “game changer” for U.S. travelers.

• Choice Privileges Eases Elite Requirements (10:21–11:32)

  • Status thresholds lowered, new Titanium tier, “soft landing” for status loss.

• United MileagePlus and Lyft Integration (11:33–12:23)

  • MileagePlus members can now earn up to 4 miles per dollar when pre-scheduling airport rides through Lyft.

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2. Sally & Hamilton: The Honeymoon "Adventure by Committee" (12:34–24:21, 27:30–55:10)

a. Travel Styles and Couple Dynamics (13:01–15:37)

• Hamilton’s Travel Style:
  “I think our ideal vacation is just going to a new city we haven’t been to, racking up as many steps as we can…” — Hamilton (13:12)

• Earliest Travel Memories:

  • First trip: Tahoe with Hamilton’s friends (“not indicative of our normal style”) (13:55).
  • Vietnam trip with Sally’s family, including boating and a “wrong-way kayaking” mishap.
    “Sally doesn’t like to be still… So we started going before people had even been loaded in... we had to loop all the way back around.” — Hamilton (14:37)

b. The (Travel-Themed) Newlywed Game (15:37–24:21)

Fun, rapid-fire travel questions:

• Who’s better at directions? (16:11)
  “Oh, that would be me.” — Hamilton
• Disney character match:
  “She often refers to me as a monkey, so I’m going to say Rafiki.” — Hamilton (16:41)
• Craziest travel mishap: (17:57)
  • Sally lost her passport in Croatia (“Shout out, US Embassy in Croatia…amazing service!” — Sally, 19:14).
  • Both recall fording a river in the Arctic at midnight, “the real polar plunge.”
• Favorite travel destination (Sally):
  “Anywhere Disney” — Sally (20:22)
• Food she’d go back for:
  “Anything in Vietnam, really.” — Sally (20:47)
• Extreme money-saving journey:
  Creative use of budget airlines and stopovers to cheaply reach Morocco (21:02).
• Travel credit cards:
  Sally has 13 (22:01)—“Listeners out there have way more than 13!”
• Packing rule:
  Sally’s “$10/10-minute rule”—if you can get it at your destination for <$10 in 10 minutes (22:40).
• Most likely to forget:
  “I intentionally don’t pack toothpaste so I can use yours.” — Sally (23:11)

c. Choosing a Honeymoon Destination...by Crowdsource! (27:30–41:32)

• Letting Guests Decide:
  Guests at the wedding used push pins on a world map to vote for Sally & Hamilton's honeymoon spot.

  • “I love chaos. So we decided we would let our guests vote on the honeymoon destination...” — Sally (27:30)
  • “We committed to spend at least one night wherever was chosen!” — Hamilton (31:45)
  • The only caveats: no places with a State Department Level 4 warning, and at least one night in the selected spot.

• Guest Voting Voices: (32:44–46:29)

  • Family and friends suggest everywhere from Minnesota (“the exotic locale of Hastings, Minnesota!”) to the Galapagos, Slovenia, Bora Bora, Namibia, Taiwan, Japan, Antarctica, and even Winnipeg.
  • Sally's late mother, Cheryl, voted for Bora Bora for relaxation, adding an emotional and touching moment (36:01):

    “Sally and Hamilton have been going a hundred miles a minute...I think that they would enjoy some relaxing type of a honeymoon." — Cheryl

• Theme of Chaotic Democracy:

  • Not all votes were serious—Winnipeg referenced as Sally's least-favorite trip, North Korea appeared(!), and Hamilton’s dad voted for “their own house.”
  • “We did get two votes for North Korea.” — Sally (39:06)

• Guest collusion:
  Hamilton’s high school friends coordinated to pin "Madagascar"—inspired by the board game Risk (45:53).

d. The Reveal: Off to Madagascar! (46:30–54:00)

• Initial Reaction:
  “That night, I could not sleep...I’m so excited about it.” — Sally (46:38, 47:01)
• Why Madagascar Wins:
  • Unique biodiversity (lemurs, baobab trees)
  • Untapped by mass tourism, affordable on the ground
  • Beach resorts, adventure options
• Challenges:
  • Getting there is a haul: “Minimum 36-hour journey from San Francisco, minimum three flights...pretty scared about getting there.” — Sally (47:12)
• Broader Takeaway:
  • Embracing unexpected travel choices leads to the best adventures.

    “The best trips we’ve ever been on have been trips that we didn’t really even expect to go on. And so I think that’s what we’re hoping to get out of this honeymoon—a complete unplanned surprise.” — Sally (30:29)

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3. Practical Honeymoon Planning Tips (49:59–54:17)

• Travel Rewards Strategy:

  • Start planning points/miles approach 6+ months in advance.
  • Apply for travel credit cards with sign-up bonuses; refer each other for bonuses (“two player mode”).

    “We split up what credit cards we have. So I have cards in the Capital One ecosystem, he’s got cards in the Chase ecosystem...” — Sally (51:15)

• Credit Card ‘Companion Passes’ (for U.S. honeymoons):

  • Southwest, Delta, Alaska have varying rules.
  • Only some passes cover international flights.

• Booking Luxuries:

  • Programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, Chase “The Edit,” and Capital One offer room upgrades, elite benefits, and “honeymoon treatment.”

    “I feel like half the time when I book a hotel through [FHR], they leave little strawberries in the room or champagne...and I’m like, this is not even my honeymoon." — Sally (53:09)

• Elite Status Shortcuts:

  • Status matches and certain credit cards can fast-track upgrades.

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4. Hot Takeoff Segment: Minimalist Packing (48:13–49:36)

Hamilton’s bold packing philosophy:

“If you’re traveling with a rolling suitcase, you have already overpacked. We are big believers in backpack only... If you switch to backpack only style, you will find your travel experience is significantly better.” — Hamilton (48:24)

Sally teases that if listeners hate this advice, they should “give a one star review to him and him alone.” (49:24)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I love chaos. So we decided we would let our guests vote on the honeymoon destination…” — Sally French (27:30)
• “Shout out, US Embassy in Croatia…amazing service!” — Sally (19:14), on losing her passport
• “If you’re traveling with a rolling suitcase, you have already overpacked.” — Hamilton (48:24)
• “The best trips we’ve ever been on have been totally unplanned or unexpected. And that’s what we’re hoping to get on this honeymoon.” — Sally (30:29)
• Touching tribute:
  “Sally and Hamilton have been going 100 miles a minute...I think that they would enjoy some relaxing type of a honeymoon.” — Cheryl (Sally’s mom), (36:07)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Airline Shutdown/Travel News: 02:23–12:23
• Getting to Know Sally & Hamilton: 12:34–27:30
• Wedding Guest Voting Descriptions: 32:44–46:29
• Madagascar Reveal: 46:30–48:13
• Minimalist Packing Hot Take: 48:13–49:36
• Honeymoon Planning Strategies: 49:59–54:17

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Tone and Style

Conversational, energetic, and playful with moments of sincere emotional depth. The episode flows naturally between practical travel advice, storytelling, and “real talk” about travel mishaps, group decision-making, and honeymoon expectations.

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Smart Travel Takeaways

• Embrace travel disruptions by preparing backup plans, downloading apps, subscribing to alerts, and knowing your refund rights.
• Letting others inject surprise into your trip—like crowd-sourcing your itinerary—can lead to unexpected, wonderful adventures.
• Strategic use of travel credit cards and hotel programs can unlock dream experiences without blowing your budget.
• Minimalist packing enhances mobility and experience.
• Sometimes, the best travel stories start from moments you didn’t (or couldn’t) plan.

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Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Netflix from the creator of Homeland. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys star in the new Netflix series the Beast in Me as ruthless rivals whose shared darkness will set them on a collision course with fatal consequences. The Beast in Me is a riveting psychological cat and mouse story about guilt, justice, and doubt. You will not want to miss this. The Beast In Me launches November 13th only on Netflix. Sally, did you just get back from your honeymoon?

[B]

Not exactly. I went to Europe, but it was not my honeymoon. It was, though, my first ever Mediterranean cruise. And it is quasi honeymoon because it was our first international post wedding trip sailing with Norwegian Cruise Lines. We went around Greece, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro. I wanted to experience whether or not Mediterranean cruising is worth it. And I needed to go before the 2025 season ends. In the name of research, of course.

[A]

Yeah, the classic research trip, right? So was it worth it?

[B]

You know, Tess, it absolutely was worth it. I was so surprised about how efficient this trip made experiencing all of these different European cities.

[A]

I love that you did that. You're going to have to do an episode all about the Mediterranean and cruising it. But for now, we're going to talk about planning your honeymoon, right?

[B]

Yes. The real honeymoon.

[A]

And where are you going for that?

[B]

That's what y' all are going to find out on this episode. Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, trip tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Sally French.

[A]

And I'm Tess Viglund, in for Megan Coyle. We are the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.

[B]

Speaking of big trips, Megan and I keep swapping places. I was in Europe last week. Now Megan is gallivanting around Ireland.

[A]

In the uk, that's what we call two lucky women. Can I go next, please?

[B]

Yes, you gotta go to Europe next week.

[A]

All right. But before Megan left, you guys recorded something with the two of you and a very special guest.

[B]

Oh, very special. And that guest would be My husband. He is joining us on the show today to talk about what it's like traveling with me and of course, where we are traveling to next.

[A]

But before we get there, let's do the disclaimer. We'll talk about a few credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners in this episode, but that doesn't influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening. For the latest details, follow the links in the episode description before we bring.

[B]

In my husband, though. Let's dive into the news. As of the time we are recording this, we are in the longest government shutdown in US History. There is a chance that the government will reopen sometimes this week, so it is a fluid situation. But last week, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a directive to reduce the number of flights by 10% in 40 of the nation's busiest airports. That was starting Friday. So the cut started at 4% on Friday, then went to 5% on Saturday, 6% on Sunday. They are due to hit 10% on Wednesday by the time you are listening to this. But we have already been seeing lots and lots of early cancellations. For example, Sunday, which is generally one of the busiest weekdays to fly, was the fourth worst day for cancellations since January 2024. And that is according to data provided by Cirium. So thank you, Sirium.

[A]

Oof. If you've got a flight coming up, that kind of news just gives you a little knot in your stomach.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Are delays just as bad?

[B]

They are also pretty bad. Going back to this past Sunday's data, only 62% of flights across the nation left unt 30% of flights were delayed by more than 30 minutes.

[A]

Any standout airports that were especially bad?

[B]

Well, Tess, I always say that Chicago o' Hare is my least favorite airport on earth and this data solidifies it. Amen. Sad for the Chicago people. Only 50% of flights left within 30 minutes of their scheduled time on Sunday and then 33% of flights were delayed more than an hour. Other standout airports for arrival delays were Newark, LaGuardia, Detroit, and then again O'. Hare.

[A]

And of course, some weather, particularly in the Northeast, is not going to help either.

[B]

No.

[A]

But for those listeners out there, we should explain the primary reason why flights are delayed.

[B]

There is of course that government shutdown, meaning that a lot of air traffic control and then also TSA people are not getting paid. So the government kind of said that they were going to do this in the name of safety. Who knows what is happening, but it is wild out there.

[A]

So what's your advice here, Sally, for travelers?

[B]

I would say if you have flights coming up, keep an eye on your reservation in case they get delayed or canceled. This is one of those instances where I would definitely subscribe to alerts. If you can download the app ahead of time, get those push notifications. And if your flight is canceled, I want you to remember you are entitled to a full refund if the airline cancels your flight. Which again, this still applies to if the government shutdown means that the airline cancels your flight. Many airlines are also offering waivers right now. Some of these let you cancel or change your itinerary. And even this applies to people with those basic economy or otherwise non refundable tickets. To see if your flight is eligible for this, just go to your airline's website. Typically there will be a big bold header at the top that says flight changes. Please change your flight. And here's exactly how you can do that.

[A]

You know, that might be the better option for some people, like if you can easily reschedule your trip for another time or if you know there's absolutely no wiggle room in your schedule for a delayed flight, maybe this is not the best week for traveling.

[B]

And then of course, if you do really have to get to that destination, this is where I say have a backup plan. My advice goes, whether it's a government shutdown or weather, just understand that you should have some alternative way to get to your destination. Maybe there's another nearby airport that you can fly to. Can you do a rental car? Can you do a train to get to your destination? And then finally, I always say you need to leave enough room before your actual event takes off because in case your flight is delayed by even a day, you want to make sure that you're getting there. So a great example of this is if you're taking a cruise, do not plan to arrive the morning that the cruise is departing because the cruise is not going to hold for you. Similarly, you're going to a wedding or a graduation. They're not going to hold the walk down the aisle if you're not there.

[A]

Oh, come on.

[B]

Maybe it depends how important you are, but always I say fly out a day or two early. So that way if your flight is canceled, you can still hop in another one and get to your destination when you need to. All right, onto happier news, Tess. And I need you to hold onto your boarding pass. Southwest Airlines is getting a lounge.

[A]

Wait, stop the show. A Southwest lounge.

[B]

I know. I'm shocked by this news as well. It is not going to Texas or any part of the Southwest US Where Southwest seems to primarily fly. Instead, get this, Tess. Southwest got approval to lease space for a lounge at Honolulu International Airport.

[A]

Hnl. Yeah, they've really been building up their routes to Hawaii and trying to rebrand with more premium experiences like extra legroom seats and now a lounge.

[B]

And this will be interesting because there are not currently a ton of lounge options in Hawaii. There are a couple priority pass options, which are pretty bleak. So hopefully the Southwest Lounge will not be bleak. We don't have a ton of info yet, but the approval is for a 12,000 square foot club that is pretty roomy by lounge standards. We also don't have any details on when construction will begin, but keep this on your mind in case you are planning a trip to Hawaii anytime in the next few years.

[A]

Hawaii is always on my mind, Sally.

[B]

Okay, fair enough.

[A]

All right, well, speaking of airlines trying some new things, let's talk about United. They've just launched the United Mileage plus debit rewards card.

[B]

Wow. Another debit card that earns miles. I heard you guys talk about another one last week. So now we have Wyndham, Southwest and United all offering debit cards.

[A]

This seems to be the year of travel debit cards. No credit check needed on these. You can earn miles on every purchase. It's 1 mile per $2 spent on general purchases and 1 mile per $1 on United stuff.

[B]

1 mile per $2, that's a half a mile on $1. And most credit cards are earning at least 1 mile per dollar. So this is not a lot. I would say I don't expect much because it is a debit card and there is no annual fee. At least no annual fee.

[A]

But there is a fee of $4 monthly. Unless you keep an average of $2,000 in the account, then the fee is waived.

[B]

Interesting. Travel experts know to avoid the fees whether it's credit cards or debit cards. So if you don't think by any means you would keep $2,000 in the account, maybe reconsider this card.

[A]

And it's worth mentioning that there is also a monthly miles bonus based on your average daily balance. So if you park 50 grand in there, you could snag up to 70,000 bonus miles a year.

[B]

Okay. I'm not sure I would park 50 grand on my car. Probably not in my account, but. All right, fair enough, fair enough. And even if 70,000 miles sounds like a lot, according to NerdWallet valuations, that's about $840 if you redeem those miles for United flights. So I really just want to kind of go back to my ugh earlier and say compare that to parking. $50,000 in a high yield savings account with a 3.5% APY, you would probably earn twice that in interest over a year. Plus that is cash, which you can spend anywhere, not just on United flights.

[A]

Yeah, this is a bit of a no brainer, I think.

[C]

Ditch it.

[B]

All right, moving on. For all our advanced smart travelers out there, this next one is exciting. Ro Miles. That is a rewards program with a travel portal and a shopping portal. Miles and more as a transfer partner.

[A]

This is genuinely huge news for people who like to travel internationally, especially to Europe. Miles and More is the loyalty program for carriers like Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian airlines.

[B]

You know, I just flew on Lufthansa on Sunday. It was a beautiful experience.

[A]

I love that airline.

[B]

Shout out. Miles and more. All right. But here's what's interesting. It is notoriously difficult for US Travelers to actually accumulate Miles and more points because none of the major credit card programs transfer to miles and more. You can do something like book a Lufthansa flights on credit card points, but it would have to be booking through another partner airline like United is exactly what I did. So if you don't want to go that route, then this is kind of interesting. Rove members can transfer to Miles and more at a one to one ratio.

[A]

All right. In hotel news, Choice Privileges is making traveler friendly changes in 2026.

[B]

Traveler friendly. Test those words. And the loyalty program changes usually do not ever go in the same sentence. So I'm excited to hear what you've got.

[A]

All right. Well, they're making status easier to earn. They're reducing the knight requirements for gold, platinum, and diamond tiers by five knights each. So gold will only require five knights.

[B]

Wow, that's really low for a gold status in a program. And then they're adding a new top tier as well, right?

[A]

They are. It's called Titanium. And the best perk is a Titanium travel award that lets you book up to seven nights at over 400 premium properties for half the points. Plus, they're introducing milestone rewards and a soft landing starting in 2027. Now, with the soft landing, you only drop one status tier per year if you don't requalify. So that's a pretty good overhaul.

[B]

That is because it's so sad if you have status and then you don't travel for whatever reason, maybe some sort of sickness or something, and then you completely lose your status. I thank you. That is so nice. Choice privileges. Love it.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, I thought you were thanking me. No.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Choice privileges.

[B]

And finally, with some United news, they have teamed up with another major transportation player, and that is Lyft.

[A]

Yeah. United Mileage plus members can now link their accounts to Lyft and earn miles on their rides. It's instant, easy earnings.

[B]

I definitely recommend if you ever go with Lyft or you ever go with United, you might as well link your accounts Earn some extra miles for doing what you would be doing anyway.

[A]

The highest rate here is 4 miles per dollar spent. But you have to be pre scheduling a ride to or from the airport to get that. For regular rides around town, you're looking at about 1 mile per dollar.

[B]

I will still take the mile and I will say I always preschedule my rides to the airport anyway. So maybe I will get those four miles then. The Smart Travel takeaway here is if you are booking that ride to start your next trip, pre schedule it through Lyft after linking it in your United account, get those free miles.

[A]

Exactly. It's a great little booster for your mileage plus balance. All right, Sally, time for you and Megan to talk honeymoons. And by the way, I said this to you privately, but I'll say it publicly as well. Congrats on your marriage, Sally.

[B]

Aw, thanks, Tess.

[D]

This episode is a much requested one. It's the honeymoon episode and luckily we have an expert, or should I say experts.

[B]

We are the ones going on the honeymoon. We being me. And we have the spirit special guest on our show, perhaps the specialist guest of all time, that is my now husband, Hamilton. Welcome to Smart Travel. Hamilton, hello.

[C]

Thanks for having me.

[D]

So everyone knows Sally and I pretty well. I think they know Sally's travel style pretty well. How would you describe yourself as a traveler? Like, what's your style? What's your favorite type of vacation?

[C]

I think Sally and I are pretty aligned in terms of our travel style. I think that's one of the reasons that, you know, we've been together for so long is that we just have kind of the same sense of adventure. And I think our ideal vacation is just going to a new city we haven't been to, racking up as many steps as we can and just doing that every day of the trip.

[D]

And how long have you guys been together and when did you guys go on your first trip together?

[C]

Oh, that's a great question. So it will be 12 years this December. Our first international trip. I went with Sally's family to Vietnam. We went to Hanoi and then Ha Long Bay. That was a really fun trip.

[D]

Wow. So first trip together was with her parents?

[B]

First international trip, yeah.

[D]

Oh, okay.

[B]

Although I will say I think our first trip was Tahoe, three weeks in, because, yeah, I moved to San Francisco and I didn't know anyone and I just was desperate for friends. And I had gone on a date with this guy and he was like, I'm going to Tahoe. Do you want to go? And I was like, yeah, even if it doesn't work out, I just need. I need friends.

[C]

Yeah, it was with a bunch of my co workers.

[B]

Fun.

[D]

Okay, cool. And then from that first trip to Tahoe, what did you learn about Sally's travel style?

[C]

I actually don't think I learned a lot because that trip wasn't really indicative of the way that we travel. Like, we haven't.

[B]

I didn't plan that one.

[C]

Yeah. And we really haven't done any winter sports since then, so I don't know how much to take away from that first trip.

[B]

What about the Vietnam trip? Did you learn anything there?

[C]

Yes, I have a distinct memory. I think it was one of the days we were on the cruise. We're in Ha Wang Bay. You know, Sally doesn't like to. To be still, so I think being trapped on this boat for two or three days was a little bit rough for her. So one of the activities was that we were doing group kayaking. So we had all gone in strike kayaks. And we're supposed to wait for this guide. But Sally, because this is her first opportunity to be off the boat, she just immediately started paddling. And so we started going before people had even been loaded into her. We had. We were going like the wrong direction. And so we gotten really far before the guy, you know, started the. The tour. And so we had to basically loop all the way back around. And so even though we were ostensibly the fittest on the group, we were by far in dead last because we had went the wrong way.

[D]

Classic. Just went off without any directions.

[B]

Every trip is supposed to be a workout. Come on.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay. Well, because we have two newlyweds on the show today, I thought it would be fun to play the newlyweds. Do either of you know it?

[B]

Oh, yes, I'm familiar.

[D]

Hamilton, this is going to be really fun for you because I've already asked Sally the answer to all of these questions and we're gonna see if you also come up with the same answers as Sally. It's like a how well do you two know each other kind of thing.

[C]

Yeah, I'm very nervous.

[D]

Okay. Oh, and they're all travel themed, so. Okay, first one, I think this is an easy one. Who is better at directions?

[C]

Oh, that would be me.

[D]

Yeah, that one was too easy. Even I knew that one.

[B]

We gotta start off. That was a warm up question.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, I like it.

[D]

Which Disney character do you think Sally thinks you, Hamilton, are most like?

[C]

Ooh, that's.

[B]

Is this one travel themed?

[D]

Disney World.

[B]

Ish. I like it. I like it.

[C]

She often refers to me as a monkey, so I'm going to say rafiki.

[B]

Rafiki. Interesting.

[D]

Very wise.

[B]

You're like, old and wise. You're not.

[C]

I mean, I would like to be old and wise. Maybe I'm projecting what I want to be.

[B]

Okay, wait, that was weirdly close.

[D]

Sal, you want to tell them what it was?

[B]

Okay. This character has a monkey. Do you want to try again?

[C]

This character has a monkey. Who has a monkey?

[B]

Aladdin.

[C]

Oh, okay. I could see that.

[B]

I could see that. See? Yeah. No, I kind of feel like at the wedding, I was like, you kind of look like Aladdin.

[A]

Why?

[B]

I don't know if I should.

[C]

What aspect? The street rat aspect?

[B]

No, the Prince Ali costume. Because you wore an ao dai. Tell the listeners about that.

[C]

Yeah, so for our wedding, we had an outfit change in the middle, where we switched into ao dai, which is like a Vietnamese traditional clothing that you wear for weddings. And we had some kind of cultural aspects to the wedding, so that's why we did that.

[B]

And I said, you look like him for the listeners. Hamilton is Vietnamese. Sally is not. Sally is an appreciator of Vietnamese food. Okay.

[D]

Okay, next question. What is the craziest thing that has ever happened to you two during your travels together?

[C]

I mean, I think there's a lot of options. There's a couple things that are running through my head. One is Sally losing her passport in Croatia?

[D]

Yes. We heard about this a lot at the wedding. I'm pretty sure it was in one of your vows.

[C]

I think it might have been in both of our.

[B]

Both of our vows. Crowding moment.

[C]

Yeah. The other thing that's coming to mind is on our trip in the Arctic, it was like, a really long hike. Something about, like, the rains or the, you know, the melting of the ice basically caused this giant river flood, and we had to ford the river with our small hiking group. Ding, ding, ding.

[D]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

That. I felt like that was the most. Like, we are serious travelers. We're hiking in the Arctic, and, like, we thought we were going to be back from this hike five hours earlier than we actually were back. And finally, we're just like, you know what? We're never going to get back if we don't cross this river. So it was waist deep for me, but it was knee deep for everybody else.

[D]

Yeah, that's classic. That happens on every big hike. I feel like you're always, like, three hours behind schedule, and then you have to do a river crossing.

[B]

Yeah. And in the Arctic, I was like, this is the real polar plunge. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

Well, in the Arctic, there's no risk of getting caught after dark because it was sunlight the entire time we were there.

[B]

Well, no, no risk if you go in July. Which we did.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.

[B]

Go to the Arctic in July.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

And we should just explain that, although me losing the passport was not the correct answer, that was a crowning moment for context. We picked up the rental car in Croatia. We get to the Airbnb. I'm supposed to show my passport to the Airbnb host, and I realized I don't have the passport. So it was kind of a mess. We had to end up driving all the way to the other side of the country, to the capital, to get my passport. A replacement from the US Embassy. And I will say, shout out, US Embassy in Croatia. Amazing service. And I got my passport so fast. They were so nice. They gave us all these tripwrecks. So hot tip. Just lose your passport in Croatia. It's a really nice experience.

[D]

Or maybe don't. Oh, gosh. Okay. What is Sally's favorite place in the world?

[C]

Okay, I think there's a couple that come to mind, but I feel like she would say Hoi an in Vietnam. She did a really fun trip there. I was not there, so. But I know she's talked a lot about it. We definitely want to go back with both of us.

[B]

That's a good guess. I didn't write this one down because you weren't there, Hamilton. So it's not my favorite place if you weren't there.

[C]

Oh.

[D]

So sappy. Okay, what is your favorite place, Sally?

[B]

I said anywhere Disney.

[C]

How much does he get set?

[B]

Like Hong Kong, Disney, Paris, Disney. Disney World, all of the above.

[D]

What food from your travels would Sally go back for?

[C]

Sally professes to be a big fan of durian ice cream. Ooh. So that comes to mind.

[B]

That's a good one.

[C]

She's quite adventurous when it comes to that. Is that the right answer?

[B]

You know, I said anything in Vietnam, Really? So durian.

[D]

Durian ice cream definitely fits the bill.

[B]

Yeah. I give you a lot to work with there, Hamilton.

[D]

All right, next question. What is the most extreme thing you've done to save money on travel?

[C]

Most extreme thing? I'm going to guess the flights that we took to get to Morocco.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

We flew on Norwegian Airlines, which is a budget airline, to Stockholm, Sweden, which is a very different climate from Morocco, especially in April. So that was a little bit tough to pack for. But then from there we went, Flew down to Spain. Did a couple of days in Spain, specifically Madrid, and then we went from Madrid to Marrakech. I feel like Madrid to Marrakech is a more normal flight, like, layover situation, but the flight into Stockholm was. Was interesting.

[D]

Wow. So this wasn't just a layover. This was like a stopover. Like, you guys spent a couple days in all these places?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, we made it part of the trip. Like, we spent at least. I think we spent one night in Stockholm and then I think two nights in Madrid. So, yeah, it was. It was. It was a fun trip, for sure.

[D]

All right, Hamilton, how many travel credit cards does Sally have?

[C]

I know, it's a really huge number. I'm gonna guess 18.

[B]

Wow. Hamilton. This was in our engagement party game, but that people also had to guess how many credit cards I had. Yeah, it was 13.

[C]

Is 13 like, all of your credit cards or just the travel specific ones?

[B]

Current credit cards I have open because hot take. I consider all credit cards that earn any sort of rewards a travel credit card, as long as it earns some sort of cash back, I consider that a travel credit card. Other listeners might fight me on that one, but I'm prepared to fight. And, you know, 13 is a lot for you, and I keep making you apply for more, but I will say many listeners out there have way more than 13.

[D]

All right, Hamilton, what does the first 10 in Sally's 10$10 rule stand for?

[C]

I mean, I can say the rule. I don't know what's the. The specific ordering of the rule? But it's like if you can get it within 10 minutes for $10 or less, and it's like one of those just in case items, then you should consider not packing it.

[D]

Perfect.

[B]

Very well done. That's the rule.

[D]

The first 10 stands for minutes.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

All right, two more and you're almost done. What is Sally most likely to forget to pack?

[C]

I would say her toothpaste.

[B]

No, I feel like I intentionally don't pack toothpaste so I can use yours.

[D]

It's part of the rule, Hamilton.

[B]

It's not what's intentional.

[C]

All right, fair.

[D]

Okay. What was it, Sally?

[B]

I wrote down passport. Just because I like. Do you remember the time that you had to FedEx me my passport because I was flying to Florida to get on a cruise, and then you had to FedEx my passport overnight? That. That's like the most traumatizing. If you forget to pack toothpaste, no big deal. Just go to Walgreens.

[C]

Yeah, but that's not like the Most common. You've forgotten it twice now. I mean, and really, you didn't forget to pack it in Croatia. You just lost it in Croatia.

[B]

Okay, fair enough. We all lose that one.

[D]

All right, the last one kind of leads us to today's episode. Where does Sally want to visit next?

[C]

One place that we've talked a lot about visiting together is Japan. I think there's a lot going on there. Really fun cultural stuff, really big city stuff. And of course, they've got a Disneyland, so that automatically puts it to the top of Sally's list.

[B]

Ah, beautiful. That's exactly what I wrote down.

[D]

You know, it meets all the requirements.

[B]

I think he got nine out of ten. Eight pretty good. You got the rafiki one wrong, too. Come on.

[D]

So Sally and Hamilton are not actually going to Japan for their honeymoon. It was a surprise to them. Let's find out where they're going right after this.

[B]

The following is a paid sponsorship, not an endorsement by NerdWallet's editorial team. Today's episode is sponsored by Bilt.

[D]

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[B]

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[D]

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[D]

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[B]

That's J-O-I-N B I L T.com smarttravel. Make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you.

[D]

Today's episode is sponsored by Quince.

[C]

Megan.

[B]

Do you have a signature look?

[D]

Hmm, I don't know. I'd say classic, but with fun details. What about you, Sally? Do you have any go to Layers for the holiday season?

[B]

Okay, well, my friend just told me that she thought my signature winter look was a leather jacket slash moto jacket. And while I have many of these in my collection, I did something terrible recently. I lost my favorite one. In an airport, no less.

[D]

No why are you always losing stuff, Sally?

[B]

I know. I almost feel like losing stuff is part of my personality. Anyway, you can imagine my delight when I went to browse the Internet for a replacement. And get this. I found so many good leather jacket options on quints and many of them were under $200.

[D]

No way. Under $200. That's so affordable.

[B]

I know. I am floored and we are talking 100% top grain, cheap leather plus YKK zippers. And this is also unbelievable. For the jacket I was looking at, they used biodegradable leather made with sustainable methods such as low energy.

[D]

Amazing that they're able to offer that and keep prices so low.

[B]

By working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quince skips the middleman and offers prices 50% less than similar brands.

[D]

Okay, well, it sounds like I know what I'm getting you for Christmas.

[B]

And honestly, same to you, Meghan. If your look is classic, then Quince's high quality basics fit the bill.

[D]

Sally, I want a sweater.

[B]

Okay, noted.

[D]

Quince has something for everyone on your list.

[B]

Step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished. And last from Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself.

[D]

Go to quince.com smart travel for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com smart travel to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com smarttravel so Sally and Hamilton, you guys had a really unique idea where you didn't actually pick your own honeymoon destination. You let other people pick it for you. Can you talk about how you decided to pick the honeymoon destination?

[B]

Well, I love chaos. And so we decided we would let our guests vote on the honeymoon destination. We had a map with push pins at our reception. Everyone was entitled to one pin and they could vote on where we go.

[D]

And this was at your wedding. Your wedding guests could vote on where you go for your honeymoon.

[B]

Yes, that is exactly right. And you know, a lot of people always have this idea of their favorite destination that they should go to. And I will say I think we're kind of lucky in that we do get to travel to so many amazing destinations and we will go to Japan at some point in time. But I think I also wanted our guests to be a part of it and I wanted them to feel like they were invested in this honeymoon. And so we said we will go to Japan eventually. And spoiler, they did not vote on Japan, but we will get there, but we're going to where they voted on.

[D]

And Hamilton, what do you think makes a good honeymoon destination? Like, if you were picking, we know where Sally wants to go, but what do you think you would pick?

[C]

A honeymoon is your opportunity to kind of go all out on your trip. So one where you can really spend a lot of time there, maybe a country where you can visit multiple locations, do a wide variety of activities there, and one that you'll remember for a long time, your official honeymoon location kind of holds like a special spot in your history as a couple. So pick one that is going to have a lot of meaning for the both of you.

[B]

I also, though, think that there is kind of this pressure to have the best honeymoon ever. And it almost feels like if you don't have the trip, best trip ever, maybe it's some sort of failure or something. And so I was like, I don't want to put that kind of pressure on me. I'm going to let the guest pick. So if it's horrible, then it's not my fault because the guests picked on it. But also the other thing is that Hamilton and I have done so many trips together that have been completely unplanned and unexpected, or they've been destinations that we've sort of been like, quasi forced to go to. So, for example, once I was asked to speak at a conference in Oman, which is in the Middle east, and we have no idea what to do in Oman. But I was like, you know what, let's just go and let's spend a whole week there and see what this country's about. And that ended up being one of our favorite trips. I was also supposed to speak at another conference in Spain and they were paying for my airfare, but not Hamilton's. And so we booked Hamilton's airfare and then the conference canceled and we were like, oh no, we still have this trip to Europe that we've already booked Hamilton's flights for. And so we were like, we'd already been to Spain, that was on the way to Morocco. So we're like, you know, let's just go somewhere else in Europe. It's all close by. So we ended up going. It was not close by, but we ended up going to Croatia and Belgium. And those were some of our favorite trips. So really, TL Dr. Is the best trips we've ever been on have been trips that we didn't really even expect to go on. And so I think that's what we're hoping to get out of this Honeymoon is a complete unplanned surprise.

[D]

And where did you think people would pick for you? Like, were you kind of working the crowd a bit and being like, I want to go to Japan, so vote for Japan kind of thing?

[C]

Some people had asked us that ahead of time, and I kind of hinted at Japan, but I would have been totally happy if we got somewhere else. As Sally mentioned, like, if we wanted to go somewhere, you know, we could just plan that trip for ourselves. We did get word of, like, a couple other voting blocs forming up ahead of the wedding. We had one friend who was really into her trip to the Amazon rainforest, so she had told us she was going to try to get a lot of people to band behind her. And part of the reason that we wanted to do this activity was actually we wanted to hear from our guests what are the places they like to travel to. A lot of people voted on where they went on their honeymoon. And so it's really cool to, to hear those stories.

[D]

I love it. And every good trip has an element of unexpected. So yours was already starting with that element of the unexpected. I love that. And then, you know, this is smart travel. We have to ask, is there a budget? Like, what were the parameters of voting for this place? Were there any destinations that you were like, that's a no go, it just doesn't fit in the budget or something like that.

[B]

Ham, is there a budget?

[C]

There was no budget. The only parameters that we gave our guests, which, for what's worth, they did not entirely follow. But we basically said, we are not going anywhere where there is a state department level four security warning. So basically anywhere that's like, obviously unsafe. And then the other thing that we committed to is that we would spend at least one night in that location. So depending on where we got sent to, you know, if it made sense to do that as part of, like, a longer itinerary, we definitely spend at least some amount of time in the location that people voted on.

[B]

Yeah, this is shout out to Mike and co, my aunt and uncle who live in Minnesota, and they definitely voted to send us to Minnesota. No shade to my Minnesota people out there. But that is not a top honeymoon destination. So we're like, oh, my gosh, if that one ends up winning, we are going to spend one night in Minnesota and then we'll just hop on a Delta flight out of Minneapolis to, like, Paris or, you know, Amsterdam, where there's many flights. So we did always have a backup plan in case we got sent to Minnesota. Obviously. Great honeymoon destination. Just not for us.

[D]

Okay. I'm really excited for this next part because I was at your guys's wedding, and I was tasked with going around and asking people where they wanted to send you on your honeymoon. And now you guys get to listen to the videos.

[B]

You're working hard, Megan. Yeah, working.

[D]

Never off the clock. Okay. The first person I talked to, actually was Hamilton's dad. Are you ready, Hamilton?

[C]

Oh, I can't wait.

[D]

You know where he voted for?

[C]

I actually don't know. I don't think he wrote it in a guest book.

[D]

You're gonna find out.

[C]

I'm Hin.

[B]

And I'm Hamilton Death.

[D]

Wait, that's here in Orange County?

[C]

Yes. Our house.

[D]

Oh, my goodness. Okay, so you don't want them to go too far.

[C]

And too bad the location is too small, so we can't find on the.

[B]

Map to put a pin on it. He voted on his house. That's right.

[D]

I literally had to cut out the address because he told me your address, Hamilton.

[C]

Okay. I sensed a jump there. Yeah, that's. It's very on brand for my parents to do that.

[B]

They don't love traveling. They raised a child unlike themselves.

[D]

Yeah, totally. Okay, so he said the location was too small to put it on the map, so that's why he had to choose somewhere else. So here's his actual, real recommendation.

[C]

One place they can go.

[B]

Go to the high mountain in Vietnam.

[C]

Ooh. It does the.

[B]

What do you call it?

[C]

Indigenous people who live there. It would be nice.

[D]

And then, Sally, next up, I got a chance to talk to some of our biggest smart travel fans. They also happen to be your uncle, aunt and grandpa, in that order.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

These are the people who are sending us to Minnesota. I know it. I feel it coming.

[A]

We voted for the exotic locale of Hastings, Minnesota. What's in Minnesota in January?

[B]

We are right on the edge of.

[C]

The Mississippi, so it's a nice place to come and visit.

[B]

Okay. That's right. But we also put a pin on the Galapagos Islands.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Because we thought she would love going there and seeing all the tortoises and all. But Minnesota is way better.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Did they take two pins? The rules were one pin per person.

[D]

There's one for each of them. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. Okay, okay.

[D]

Okay. Here's your grandpa.

[B]

If they go to Hastings, we're gonna cut them out of the will. We believe they're going to go to Bled Slovenia.

[D]

Blood Slovenia. Why is that?

[B]

And, well, because it's one of the most beautiful, spectacular fairy book places around.

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

They would really?

[A]

Like, if I were going, I would.

[B]

Go to Hanalei Bay, Hawaii. And it's just, to me, it's the Hawaiian island. Oh, I love that I would go to Slovenia.

[D]

I think you also called that your grandpa would maybe pick Hawaii.

[B]

Yeah, So I did think that my grandpa would send us to Hawaii, but I would take Slovenia. That he is a very well traveled man and I go to the places he's been.

[D]

There you go. Okay. I also talked to your mom. Here's where she wants you to go.

[B]

Hello, my name is Cheryl Lamana and I am Sally's mom.

[D]

And where do you want to send her and Hamilton on their honeymoon?

[B]

I think I would like to send.

[D]

Sally and Hamilton to Bora Bora.

[A]

Ooh.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

And the reason, because as I'm sure that you know and can see, Sally and Hamilton have been going 100 miles a minute. And so I think that they would enjoy some relaxing type of a honeymoon.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I think that Bora Bora.

[D]

Would be a great place to send them for relaxation. Also, I have heard that Bora Bora.

[B]

Is known for some mountainous terrain, so when they're tired of relaxing, they can.

[D]

Go ahead and go on a great hike.

[B]

Megan, that is the sweetest thing I've ever gotten.

[D]

Oh, my God, you're going to make me cry.

[B]

For the listeners who don't know, my mom actually passed away 10 days after our wedding. So this is the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Thank you for recording this. Yeah, it was really special. Well, we'll go to Bora Bora in her honor for sure.

[D]

Yeah, we'll put it on the list. Okay, Hamilton, back to your family. I interviewed your sister.

[B]

Hi, my name is Vivian.

[D]

I'm Hamilton's little sister. Oh, and where did you choose for them to go on a honeymoon? Well, they said not to send them.

[B]

To Winnipeg, so of course I had to send them to Winnipeg.

[D]

What do they have against Winnipeg?

[B]

You can read it on their wedding website. Maybe Sally has a story to tell. I. I just think they don't like it. No offense to the good people in Winnipeg.

[D]

I love it. All right, thank you so much. What do you guys have against Winnipeg and why was it on your wedding website?

[C]

Yeah, so our wedding website, we kind of just shared a bunch of travel stories of places that we've been. Our whole wedding was kind of, you know, lightly travel themed, but.

[B]

And each table was a destination we've been to. We made postcards telling the stories of each destination. Who were the people who we cursed to be at the Winnipeg table.

[C]

So Winnipeg did not make it.

[B]

Oh, it did, because we don't dislike our guests that much.

[C]

Yeah. I feel like that would be really rude to put people at the table that we wrote on our website is our least favorite place we've ever been.

[B]

I'm so sorry. Someone from Winnipeg is giving us a one star review right now. I have this whole other side hustle about drones, and I speak at a lot of conferences, as you've gathered. And so I was speaking at a drone conference in Winnipeg, and I always want to stay longer to explore the place. Maybe we went at the wrong time of year, but I was literally looking at flights to leave Winnipeg early. There was nothing to do there. We. We went to the Costco. The Costco is very good. They didn't. They have poutine?

[C]

They did, but that was, like, the entire highlight of the whole trip. Like, it was us going to Costco and then going to that coffee shop that had, like, the Latte Art Maker.

[B]

Yeah, they. That was back in the day when custom latte art was, like, really unique. So we got that.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

All right. I was sensing a theme as I was interviewing all these people, and a lot of them were actually trying to pick the places they thought you wouldn't like.

[B]

Our friends hate us.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

We did get two votes for North Korea.

[D]

Oh, okay. That one might be difficult. This next one is also kind of difficult, so I'll play this one for you.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

Tell me how you know the couple. I'm Hannah.

[B]

I'm Jonathan, and I'm Hamilton's cousin on our dad's side.

[D]

All right, and where did you choose for Sally and Hamilton's honeymoon destination?

[B]

I chose Dublin, Ireland, because I think it'll be fun. I'm not sure if they've been there already. Okay.

[C]

And I chose Antarctica just because it was blank on the map. And I know they like to explore the world, so I thought that could be a fun trip for them.

[D]

Oh, fun. Okay. And do you have any travel advice for the couple? Oh, bring your passport, Sally. Very good. Okay. How do you feel about Antarctica as a honeymoon destination?

[B]

I think I'm glad we didn't get it. I like that, though. I don't hate it.

[C]

Yeah. The one thing that makes me real nervous about Antarctica is that I do get seasick very easily, and I know getting there and crossing the Drake Passage is really, really rough. So Antarctica is, like, one of those places where I feel like we do want to go eventually, but we got to figure out what's the best Way to get there.

[B]

You guild can't pay a lot of money for a helicopter to allow you to skip crossing the Drake. We said there was no budget, but there is a budget and you know, within reason and actually I think I'm glad we didn't get Antarctica for this reason is that you know, Save with Sally is such a cheap traveler and I think no matter what destination we go to, we can make it at least semi affordable. Of course San Francisco is always going to be more expensive than Vietnam once you're on the ground. But I do think, you know, even in a place like San Francisco, we'll do the cheap tricks like pack your own snacks or stay in a more affordable hotel. We don't need to stay in a luxury place. But I think what's challenging with Antarctica is you don't have a lot of options. You have to basically take a cruise there. There's really no way to make Antarctica affordable. So that's what scares me about Antarctica.

[D]

Yeah, I mean they do have wave season where you can get cruises for a little bit cheaper and some of the Antarctica cruises are in those sales. But you're right, it is very difficult to get a cheap trip to Antarctica.

[B]

Yeah. And you can even do hacks like you can go and wait for a last minute cruise in whatever rooms they have available. They'll sit, sell you basically when the boat is ready to take off. But I'm just not prepared for that kind of adventure. So and, and potential high cost. So I'm, I'm kind of glad we didn't get Antarctica just because I think that would be outrageously expensive.

[D]

Okay, Sally, your friends did have your back though and they did want to send you to your favorite place that you want to go to next. Okay, tell me your guys name and how you know the couple. I'm Tiffany.

[B]

I'm Melissa.

[D]

We both know her from weightlifting. Oh, so cool. Okay, so you came down from San Francisco. I'm from San Francisco. I'm from Vegas. Oh cool. Okay, tell me where you're sending Sally and Hamilton on their honeymoon. Tokyo, Japan. Japan. Okay. Similar vibes here. Did you like talk about this before? I think she said Sally's never been to Japan before. Someone else told me that. Have you guys been to Japan, either of you? I have.

[B]

Have.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Why would it be a good honeymoon destination? There's a Disney Tokyo, Disneysea. So she hasn't been there. I feel like that would be a good place. I also think that there's a lot of like walking she can do. Yes, which she really likes so much.

[B]

Walking.

[D]

There's a fly.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay, perfect. Any other reasons you picked Japan? It's a goal of mine to go to Japan, so I will live vicariously through her. Maybe she'll take you with her. And then do you have any travel advice for the couple? I would say maybe don't walk so much, Sally. Oh, okay. My advice for your honeymoon, it's like, chill a little bit. Less walking, more kissing. Love that. All right, thank you, guys.

[B]

I appreciate my. My gym girlies are looking out for me.

[D]

Totally. And they knew the Disney. I was like, you guys know her so well. This one was also one of my favorites because this interview, I actually saw them picking their destination. And when I tell you it was very chaotic. It was 100% chaos. Because this is your gym friend that has two kids, two really small kids. And the way that the kids picked the destination was truly.

[B]

I love it.

[D]

So here's where they ended up choosing. Tell me your names and how you know Sally and Hamilton. My name is Joanne. Okay. And this is.

[B]

I'm Warren.

[D]

What's your name? K. And this is Ava.

[C]

Hi, Ava.

[D]

We know Sally and Hamilton. Well, I know Sally from Equinox back in the day when she was the youngest little girl at Equinox. I felt like she was like just 20 years old, probably. And I just remember being like, who is this ball of energy that was at the gym? And we became very, very close, like, from that day. It's been over 10 years. Wow, that's so special. 10 or 15 years. Yeah. Okay, and where did you all choose to send Sally and Hamilton on their honeymoon?

[B]

Kaya chose Namibia in Africa. It's a country.

[D]

Nice. And I chose Taiwan. Taiwan. Taipei is where my family is from. And I think she would have so much fun exploring all the good food that she will try. Finally, Hamilton. And it's just such a fun city to be in. All the dumplings. Yep, exactly.

[B]

Thank you so much. I used to be a really picky eater before I met Hamilton. In fact, we went to Hong Kong and I was vegetarian. Huge mistake. There's not a lot of vegetarian friendly options there. So we want to go back to Hong Kong and then Taiwan. Thank you, Joanne, for sending us there.

[C]

Great locations.

[D]

You know, as the night went on, I'm looking at the map and the pins are starting to accumulate in all these places. And it's becoming pretty obvious, like, halfway through your reception that there is a clear front runner in this vote for your honeymoon destination. And I was like, what? What? I've been standing by this table all night, and I haven't talked to a single person who has voted for this destination. So I'm like, this requires some investigative journalism. I'm like, walking around the entire dining room looking for people I haven't talked to yet. I'm like, one of you guys has to be. I mean, actually, like, probably 20 of you guys have to be the ones voting on this destination. So I finally found some of the culprits. So here is the winning destination for Hamilton and Sally's honeymoon. Tell me your names and how you know the couple.

[B]

Derek and Bri.

[C]

I grew up with Hamilton. We went to middle school together. High school. So.

[D]

Okay, so 20 years.

[C]

20 plus years now.

[D]

Okay, and where did you guys vote for to send them on their honeymoon?

[C]

We voted for Madagascar.

[D]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Finally. I've been trying to figure out who voted for Madagascar.

[D]

Okay. How did this start and why?

[C]

There's a bit of a collusion, you know, maybe going on amongst people from my period.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

But we used to play a board game called Risk a lot. We still sometimes play it.

[B]

Oh, fun.

[C]

And it's a very common territory where everybody would kind of hole up and have defense at, so. But they're adventurous people, so we felt like they would still enjoy a pretty out of the box trip.

[D]

Yeah, I think they'd love that. I think there's beaches. It could be fun.

[C]

Yeah, I think it's gonna be a very unique experience.

[D]

Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

We found the winner. Okay. What was your guys's reaction when you found out it was Madagascar?

[B]

I will say at first I was like, oh, no, we need to put pins in Japan. I need to, like, hire tiny tiff to put more pins back in Japan. But then I was just like, okay, go with it. And then that night, I could not sleep for, you know, many reasons. It was like my wedding night. I was so wired. But then at like 2am, I'm just like on my phone googling what to do in Madagascar. And I'm so excited about it.

[D]

Tell us why.

[B]

Well, it's got a lot of beaches. There's a really beautiful area of kind of more resort y style. Then they have so much biodiversity. They've got the lemurs, they've got the baobab trees. It seems very affordable. So that also checks the save a Sally box. I am very nervous about the flights to get there though. It is minimum 36 hour journey from San Francisco. Minimum three flights. And if you want to go the save of Sally route, it's going to be even more flights. So I am pretty scared about getting there. But also it's a honeymoon. We have more time. As Hamilton said, the rules say we only have to go to that destination for minimum one night. And obviously we're going to go for, I would say at least a week. But we will have more time to hit up other places nearby. So I know Mauritius is nearby, Seychelles are nearby, Ethiopia, South Africa. Listeners should send us tips about what to do in Madagascar because it is going to be an adventure.

[D]

I am so excited for you guys. And you also have some time to plan now because I believe the best time to go to Madagascar is actually like spring to fall type of season.

[B]

Yes. The people who go to their honeymoon the day after their wedding, God bless you. I don't have that kind of energy. People said I'm a ball of energy, but I don't have energy to get on a flight and go someplace right after. So I'm excited to wait six months.

[D]

And then go and plan this amazing trip. Hamilton, before we let you go, we always ask our guests for a hot take for our hot takeoff section. So it's a hot take on travel. What do you have for us?

[C]

I think Sally and I are pretty aligned in terms of our minimalist packing, so I'll make a pretty bold statement. I will say if you're traveling with a rolling suitcase, you have already overpacked. We are big believers in backpack only. I mean, within reason. And like, if you are doing a specific trip that requires like specific gear, I understand that if you're not physically capable of carrying a backpack, that's another thing. But in general, like, you really should only need a backpack. And my, my tip for you all is that if you switch to the backpack only style, you will find that your travel experiences are actually significantly better. Much easier to get around, Much less stuff that you're lugging around. Much more targeted packing.

[B]

So what about parents?

[C]

I mean, I think that that might be a case where it can be a little bit tough, but I think it's still doable. And you know, you can get the kids wearing backpacks too and just get them on the lifestyle early.

[D]

A family of backpacks. That's gonna be you guys. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

I love that. Wow. Okay, so I will say just to be clear, Hamilton is not a host on the show. If you hate this hot take, you can give a one star review to him and him alone. Save your five star reviews for Sally and Megan.

[D]

Thank you so much for Coming on the show, Hamilton.

[C]

Yeah. Thanks for having me.

[D]

Okay. Sally, that was so fun. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Amazing. Let's have Hamilton on the show more. Although we might have to add him to the nerd wallet payroll. I don't know how the bosses feel about that.

[D]

He's very well spoken. I thought that at your wedding, and.

[B]

I think that now his vows are really nice. I will say they were very sweet.

[D]

All right, now that you know where you're going for your honeymoon, what is the next step here?

[B]

Well, I think the good thing about having our honeymoon so far out and for people who are going on their honeymoon the day after their wedding, they just need to plan ahead. We have, you know, minimum six months to go on this trip. And during this time, we are not just planning the trip, but we are going to plan out which credit cards we need to get us there. We are going on a flight that's going to be expensive, even if we fly in economy. And I think Hamilton wants to be bougie and fly in at least premium economy, which means we are going to need a lot of points to get those points. We are going to have to apply for credit cards. We are going to have to earn signup bonuses on those credit cards, and then we are going to have to book the flight. Flights. We have no idea what airline we're going to fly. As we said, there's different ways to get to Madagascar, whether that's to South Africa, to Dubai, whatever that kind of flight that gets us to that part of the world. Once we figure out what that flight is, we're going to start applying for credit cards that earn us points or miles. So we can actually book those flights.

[D]

And then you can also refer each other for the credit card. So you could, for example, open one credit card, and if it has a referral bonus, then you could refer Hamilton, and then you'll get the referral bonus and Hamilton will get a separate signup bonus if he meets the minimum spending requirement. And now you have double the points plus a referral bonus. So that would be nice.

[B]

That is such a great tip. And that is two player mode to the max. It's really great because Hamilton and I kind of split up what credit cards we already have. So I have cards in the Capital One ecosystem. He's got cards in the Chase ecosystem. So if we do realize we need more Chase points, he can refer me and I will apply for a card to get those points.

[D]

Nice. And then I also want to mention that some credit cards have benefits that are Actually, specifically for people who travel together. So newlyweds going to their honeymoon Companion passes is the benefit I'm thinking of. So some of the Delta cards have companion passes. There's a bunch of different ways to get these. On Southwest. You have to be flying all year. So maybe if you had a bunch of weddings that year.

[B]

Too bad Southwest doesn't fly to Madagascar.

[D]

Yeah, that wouldn't work for you guys.

[B]

Companion pass on Southwest, get in the middle seat because you didn't check in early enough.

[D]

Yeah. The thing to remember here, though, is that those companion passes have restrictions based on the fair class you can book in or even sometimes the places you can go. Like, not all of them are international. So if you are going to go on a honeymoon in the US Then maybe a Companion pass would be a good benefit to look for. But if you're going abroad, you'd need to find a card that has Companion pass that lets you go internationally. And the one I'm thinking of is that new Alaska card.

[B]

Ooh, that's true. Do you think Alaska can get me anywhere near Madagascar?

[D]

I don't know. We'd have to check.

[A]

We'll have to look.

[B]

Listen, please let us know.

[D]

The other thing I think people should look at when they are getting a new credit card for honeymoon is maybe looking at a card that has access to one of those programs with a hotel collection where they will give you extra perks when you book through that collection. So that's like Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts. Chase is the edit. Capital One also has one. Those perks seem really nice if you're on a honeymoon, like Hamilton said, you really want to splurge. And that's one of the easiest ways, I think, to just get that splurge credit right up front.

[B]

That is such a great tip. I feel like half the time when I book a hotel through one of those luxury programs like the EDIT or AMEX fhr, they make me feel like I'm on my honeymoon. They leave little strawberries in the room or they leave champagne in the room. And I'm like, this is not even my honeymoon. So it would be nice to kind of quote, guarantee it. If I. If I book through one of these programs, of course it's not a guarantee, but often they give you so many other benefits, like a room upgrade. We just stayed in an FHR hotel room, and I booked the cheapest one, which was bunk beds. And Hamilton was like, why are we doing this? And I was like, we're on a budget safe with Sally. And they upgraded us instead to a two bedroom suite from there.

[D]

Oh nice.

[B]

I know. Thank you Amex FHR for the sweet upgrade.

[D]

You definitely want the sweet upgrade on your honeymoon. And then another good benefit to have if you aren't going to book through one of those programs is just earning hotel elite status. Because sometimes a certain level of hotel elite status will also get you complimentary upgrades and you can also get those through certain credit cards. Good year to earn elite status. Whether that's through status matching or getting a credit card that has a high level of hotel elite status, I love it. Well, thanks Ali for sharing your wedding and your honeymoon journey with us.

[B]

Thank you for coming to my wedding. It really was the best day ever. I know that's the most cliche thing, but it was so fun to have you there. One of the comments on our show said that our show sounds like we're just two best friends chatting. And I was like, you know what we are and that's why you came to my wedding. So I'm so glad that you got to help us capture it as well with the audio.

[D]

I'm so happy. I want to go again and again to your wedding. It was too much fun.

[B]

It's a one time only deal. I had a lot of fun planning it, but both Hamilton and I were like never again. We are never doing this again. No way.

[D]

Plus no budget. You know what I mean? That's a one time expense deal.

[B]

And if you want to see the amazing videos that Megan took because that was not just audio, she recorded the people. So you can see what my beautiful guests look like, follow my Instagram that is @save with Sally. They will also be on TikTok at save with Sally. And you should definitely follow Megan on Instagram and TikTok. You have been crushing it on social media lately.

[D]

Oh thanks Sally. All right, make sure to also follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio to automatically download new episodes. And if you're listening on Spotify, drop us a comment in the app and let us know what you thought of this.

[B]

We love to read your comments, all of them, and if you can accompany them with a five star review, that would also be much appreciated.

[D]

This episode was produced by Tess Viglin and edited by Nick Karisimi. Claire Socie and Hilary Georgie helped with.

[B]

Fact checking and here's our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes. It may not apply to your specific circumstances.

[D]

We Hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. Happy honeymooning. See you next time.

[C]

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[B]

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[C]

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