← Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Airport Lounge Access, Family Award Travel, and Cruise Savings: Your Questions Answered
00:28:49
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- [00:00]
A
Hey everyone. Sally and I are always looking for new ways to help you get the most out of your getaways. Which is why we'd love your opinion on how we could make this show even better.
- [00:08]
B
Take a few minutes to fill out our listener survey and you'll be entered to win some seriously fun prizes. One winner will get a Polaroid Go Instant camera and six people will win the Bagu Cloud Carry on bag, which is one of our favorite travel bags. You know I'm Team Carry on only.
- [00:23]
A
Just go to nerdwallet.com travelsurvey and complete the survey form by September 15th for a chance to win. You can read the official rules for more details, which again can be found found@nerdwallet.com TravelSurvey thank you and good luck. Abercrombie Denim is everything right now. Denim should feel like this. Confident, easy, like your butt has never looked better. If you didn't know, Abercrombie's Curved Love denim went viral in 2019 for eliminating waist gap, and it's still a game changer. Between that and their classic fits with a straighter line from waist to hip, the perfect denim does exist. Shop Abercrombie Denim in the app, online and in store.
- [01:04]
B
We got so many listener questions that we are back with another set of listener questions this week.
- [01:09]
A
This time, the questions are not so much about cards and more about travel like cruises, lounges, and Disney. Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Meagan Coyle.
- [01:25]
B
And I'm Sally French.
- [01:26]
A
And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip. Today we're doing that pretty literally and answering your listener questions.
- [01:33]
B
But first, our disclaimer, and that's that we will talk about a few credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners in this episode. That does not 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, so for the latest details, follow the links in the show description.
- [01:50]
A
Let's kick things off with some travel news. It's kind of a mixed bag this week. First up, vacation rentals are having a rough summer. Occupancy is down 10% compared with this time last year according to Price Labs, which is a vacation rental revenue management software.
- [02:05]
B
I guess that means a lot of Airbnb hosts are staring at empty calendars. But Megan, is that really bad news? Because I sort of feel like this is good news for people looking to snag a deal at a vacation rental.
- [02:16]
A
Well, actually, no. Demand is low, but we're still seeing high prices. Price Labs reported that average daily rates are pacing around 3% higher than what they were in 2024 for the month of September.
- [02:27]
B
Weird. That kind of seems to me like hosts might not mind having empty homes rather than try to cut travelers a discount just to fill them. But I am curious, with Labor Day coming up, what are the most expensive markets for vacation rentals?
- [02:39]
A
A few cities have seen some huge demand increases for Labor Day weekend. Again, that's according to Price Labs data. Look at Branson, Missouri, where Demand has surged 39% year over year.
- [02:51]
B
Wow. Okay, Megan. I actually love Branson. I went last winter with my parents, and I had way too much fun, I got to say. They have this hilarious Dolly Parton stampede dinner show. And then it's not far from Springfield, where there is the Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium, which is part of that whole epic bass Pro Shop store. I think I went there and I started to trend.
- [03:08]
A
Well, you were definitely ahead of the trend, that's for sure.
- [03:10]
B
Yay.
- [03:11]
A
There are also other places seeing huge demand, including Atlanta, Ocean City, Maryland, South Lake Tahoe and Destin, Florida.
- [03:19]
B
And then let's look just past Labor Day to the rest of fall. Expedia sent us its Fall Travel Outlook, which shows the top trending destinations, basically based on a change in searches for lodging this fall compared to the same time last year.
- [03:33]
A
All right, so what's trending this year?
- [03:35]
B
Oklahoma City has seen a 70% increase in lodging searches. And another one that stood out to me was Frankenmuth, Michigan, which saw a 55% uptick.
- [03:45]
A
I've literally never heard of that one. Where is that and what is it?
- [03:48]
B
Oh, my gosh. So it's in Michigan, and it's that Bavarian inspired city. And you know, I love Bavaria. I studied abroad there. I also got engaged there.
- [03:56]
A
Just not on the same trip.
- [03:58]
B
No way. Different trips. Many, many years apart.
- [04:01]
A
Very. Okay. And what are the trending international cities?
- [04:05]
B
There is a 95% increase in searches for lodging in Koh Samui, Thailand. That's according to Expedia.
- [04:12]
A
I'm not surprised at all. That's definitely the White Lotus Effect app.
- [04:15]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [04:16]
A
Also, the fall is a really good time to go to Thailand. We asked our producer Tess this, and she says November is the best month because it's cooler and drier than the months before it.
- [04:25]
B
Yes. All about shoulder season. Fall really is the best time to travel I feel like no matter where you're going, the weather is still quite good. With kids in school, you can usually snag lower prices. In fact, a spokesperson for Expedia said Cancun Vacation Rentals can drop by 45% at the end of September compared to August.
- [04:44]
A
Okay, so if you need cheap flights to get to any of these places, Going just released its top airlines and airports for cheap flights. Sally, do you want to guess what the top US Airlines are for cheap domestic flights?
- [04:57]
B
Oh, I love when you do these games with me. So our budget airlines in the mix?
- [05:01]
A
No.
- [05:01]
B
Oh, so I can't choose a budget airline? No, that's too cheap. If I'm just like Spirit Frontier, boom, I win.
- [05:07]
A
Right? I think this list is more about like the deals from what the normal price is to the deal price.
- [05:14]
B
Oh, dude, I feel like Southwest is having a bad year that they're like, we apologize for all the changes. We gotta make our flights cheaper. Southwest is on this list.
- [05:24]
A
You are totally right. Southwest is the top airline for cheap domestic flights. They had over 3500 different route deals last year and an average savings of $235 per ticket, which is, you know, like almost 60% off the normal price. That's huge.
- [05:41]
B
I'm not surprised. I got an email that was like $39 flights. I was like, yo, I can't even get an Uber to the airport for $39.
- [05:48]
A
Okay, you did so good on that one. Let's talk international Going looked at the average cost of thousands of flight deals to international destinations as well. What airport do you think had the lowest cost international flights?
- [06:02]
B
Are we talking airport in the US to like another international destination?
- [06:06]
A
Correct.
- [06:06]
B
Honestly, SFO has so many good deals, but I guess flights are inherently more expensive, like, especially if we're talking Europe. So I'll go with the east coast airport. Honestly, I would say jfk.
- [06:17]
A
Jfk.
- [06:18]
B
Just like, because you're close to Europe. Was I right?
- [06:20]
A
You are in striking distance for sure. JFK was number three on the list. And then also Newark, which is, you know, a New York based airport. That was actually number two though. So number one, get this is Orlando International Airport.
- [06:36]
B
Oh, well, is that because there's like so many cheap flights to the Caribbean that they're like so short that that brings down the average price?
- [06:42]
A
Yeah, I think so. So the average deal price is $418, which is 48% off the normal prices.
- [06:49]
B
Yeah, I feel like you get all sorts of cheap flights to the Caribbean from Orlando. Interesting. Okay.
- [06:54]
A
Wow. Great job Sally, you know your cheap airlines and your cheap airports.
- [06:58]
B
I mean, save a sal.
- [07:00]
A
Speaking of deals, let's move on to the big credit card headline, which is Chase is offering a head turning new signup bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It's 125,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in the first three months from account opening. That's topping the previous offer, which was a hundred thousand points. But that previous offer also had a $500 Chase travel promo credit, so depends how you do the math. But 125,000 points. Amazing.
- [07:29]
B
Yeah, I mean that is really. We've never seen anything that high.
- [07:33]
A
And if you can take advantage of a points boost redemption points boost, then you could argue that this is worth like $2,500. That's assuming you can find all those points boost bookings.
- [07:46]
B
Yeah, I mean, and they say if you really maximize the points boost, it's worth 2 cents each. But that is caveat. Caveat. If you really maximize the points boost.
- [07:54]
A
I've used it recently for hotels and I was pretty happy with my redemption.
- [07:57]
B
So you think you got close to 2 cents?
- [07:59]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [08:00]
B
Oh, okay.
- [08:01]
A
And I have a Chase Sapphire preferred, so it's a little less.
- [08:04]
B
And you are a bougie hotel traveler. I do think we should caveat that most of the points boost hotels are at luxury hotels. Like we are not seeing the Hampton Inn on points boost.
- [08:13]
A
Right, Exactly. But I would not book the Hampton Inn on points anyway. Sally, what a waste of your points.
- [08:19]
B
I love those waffles.
- [08:21]
A
Okay. Also, I wanted to mention that there's so many ways to use your points besides points boost or even in the travel portal. And that's if you transfer your Chase ultimate rewards points to airline or hotel hotel programs. That's a really easy way to get perhaps more value out of them. For example, transferring your points to Hyatt is usually like a 2 cent per point redemption.
- [08:42]
B
My wedding block hotel is a Hyatt and I had multiple people compliment me that. They were like, wow, you chose a great points hotel. And I was like, yeah, I did. I. I host a travel podcast.
- [08:51]
A
We also talk about Hyatt. So much so makes sense. It's on brand, I will say.
- [08:56]
B
So this 125000 points offer is great, but depending on how you redeem, I do kind of just want old offer with the travel credit could have been just as valuable or in some cases better. I'm gonna say it, but if you are just going for straight points, this is the highest we've seen.
- [09:12]
A
And just a quick reminder for anyone who hasn't been following the Chase News this summer, the Chase Sapphire Reserve got a huge refresh and we already did a whole episode about that back on June 18th. So download that episode from the archives, figure out if that card is right for you still, because it does have a lot of changes and a higher annual fee.
- [09:30]
B
Yes, much higher.
- [09:34]
A
Sally we had so much fun doing our last Listener Question show that it's time for another one.
- [09:39]
B
Okay, I'm down. The last Listener Question show was entirely points and mouths focused and that is definitely our bread and butter.
- [09:45]
A
But this show focuses on other aspects of travel planning like cruise deals, airport lounges, and even a couple Disney questions.
- [09:52]
B
Ooh yay. Let's do it. Now with these questions answered, we will be ready to solicit more. So if you've got one, please email us@travel nerdwallet.com you can write something out in an email or you can just save your fingers and send us a voice memo which we can play on air.
- [10:08]
A
All right, let's dive into our first question.
- [10:10]
B
I already love how open ended this first question is.
- [10:13]
A
This one is from Ann. She says hi. Can you do an episode on how to get the best cruise deals out of New York?
- [10:19]
B
Ooh, okay. I will say everyone talks about Miami being the cruise capital of the world, but New York is actually a pretty good cruise departure port. You've got options on Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Ms. Sea, even Canard if you want to go full Titanic vibes with that transatlantic cruise.
- [10:34]
A
As far as the deals, I think some of the same principles still apply no matter whether you're cruising from Miami or New York. You just want to try and be flexible and book when people are not usually cruising well.
- [10:45]
B
And you also want to book at the right time. And the best time to book a cruise is what we call wave season. This season runs from January through March. It's kind of like Black Friday, but for many months. And for cruises, this is when cruise lines release their biggest promos of the year. So you can often score things like free drink packages, onboard credits, third or fourth guest sale free.
- [11:06]
A
I'd also throw in Black Friday itself. And there's also Travel Tuesday right after that. And really there seems to be these random shopping holidays popping up throughout the year. So if you're not anywhere near wave season right now, you could always wait for one of those.
- [11:19]
B
Dude, tell me about those random shopping holidays. I mean, even with Amazon Prime Day, it's not just about getting stuff sent to you in The Mail. They had some really good travel deals this year too, on cruise line like Royal Caribbean and Carnival.
- [11:31]
A
As far as sales go, I would look for discounts on a second, third or fourth guest in your cabin. Those are often bigger discounts than those extras like onboard credit or a free drink package. Also, if you're tied to a particular cruise line, often the best thing to do is simply subscribe to their email alerts so you know when the sales are.
- [11:49]
B
So that's all about when to book, but actually, let's talk about when to sail. So I worked with Cruise Critic to analyze some data showing the best time to cruise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the cheapest time does vary by location.
- [12:02]
A
Yep. So what does it say about New York?
- [12:04]
B
Well, I would factor in a lot of New Yorkers going down to the Caribbean to go someplace nice and warm. So the data found that July was the most expensive month to sail, presumably because you are competing with all the kids out of school. Then September was the cheapest. Again, the kids are back in school. But you are also contending with hurricane season.
- [12:24]
A
Oof. So that's a good reminder that if you are sailing during hurricane season, it's worth splurging for the cruise insurance.
- [12:31]
B
Definitely. And actually, this whole report is super interesting. We break down average price by a month to all sorts of cruise destinations, including the Mediterranean, Alaska, the Mexican Riviera. We'll link to that in the episode description.
- [12:42]
A
And another tip is that we often talk about using price alerts so that you know when the sales are happening. And you can do that for airfares, but you can also do that for cruises.
- [12:52]
B
Yeah, there are all sorts of websites that can help with this, like Cruise Sheet, Cruise Watch, Cruise Critic. Each one of these functions somewhat differently, but on the whole, you can basically just use these things to set alerts and track price drops.
- [13:05]
A
Okay, after the break, we'll talk about ways to find airport lounges. Plus, we've got some Disney questions that's coming right up.
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B
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A
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- [14:17]
B
Time to talk Lounges and this one is a question from our friend Peter from San Diego.
- [14:22]
A
Is that the same Peter who asked about the Alaska Companion Fair on the last show?
- [14:26]
B
Yes, it is. We love Pet. Big fan of the show, always great questions. And this one is straight to the point. Peter says do you know if there is a Capital One lounge in the San Diego airport? Also, I wish there was a list of pay as you go lounges around the world, since that would seem to work better for my family. If you know of some link or list to such lounges, or any idea how I might find those pay as you go lounges easily, please let me know.
- [14:50]
A
Oh Peter, we've got you. But let me make this quick for you. The answer is no to a Capital One lounge in the San Diego airport. Currently, some of the only locations are Dallas, Denver Dulles, which is in Washington D.C. or Las Vegas.
- [15:05]
B
Yes, so you asked about Capital One lounges and I'm not sure if you already hold or you might be considering applying for the Capital One Venture X. But even though Megan said there's not actually a Capital One lounge in San Diego, that card offers access to Priority Pass lounges, and these kind of fill the gap since the actual number of true Capital One lounges is so small.
- [15:25]
A
For example, if you have a Capital One Venture X card and you're flying out of the San Diego airport, you could go to the Aspire Lounge, which is part of the Priority Pass network, and you could get into that one for free with that card. Otherwise you could buy a day pass. If you don't have Priority Pass, the day passes for the Aspire lounge are about $45.
- [15:44]
B
We have a list of the airport lounges in San Diego specifically on the Nerd Wallet website that has some of the entry details. But of course we don't have lists of like every airport. So if you want to know about other airports besides San Diego, you can go straight to your credit card's website where you can search lounges in their network. So for example, if you do have something like the Venture X, you could go to capitalonetravel.com and then see all the lounges you could access with that card broken out by airport.
- [16:09]
A
Definitely check those sites out before you apply for a new credit card with lounge access. Because a lot of people ask me, what's the best credit card for lounges? And I'm like, it really depends what airport you fly out of.
- [16:20]
B
Right. For me in San Francisco, I definitely say it's a platinum card from American Express because I love their Centurion Lounge Lounge. But then again, I was just in San Antonio and their only two lounges are either a USO lounge or United Club, in which case, maybe if I was always flying out of San Antonio, I would just go with the United Club Infinite card.
- [16:38]
A
Good point. All right, two back to back Disney questions coming right up.
- [16:42]
B
Oh, I love these. Let's go.
- [16:43]
A
The first one is from Amanda. She says, hi, Megan and Sally. My family is planning a big Disney World trip for February 2027. Four nights at Pop Century. We'll be driving from Atlanta and it's going to be a big group. Four families total with little kids ages 2 to 6. It's been decades since I last went to Disney and it feels like a whole new world. Good job on the pun there. I'd love advice on whether the meal plan is worth it, must try food or treats, what to prioritize over four days, whether the photo package is worth it. And we're planning to rent a double stroller. Anything else I should know? I'm definitely a Disney newbie, so any help is appreciated.
- [17:23]
B
Amanda, so many Disney questions. I love all of these. Maybe we start with the Disney meal plan question.
- [17:27]
A
Sure.
- [17:28]
B
All right, here's the deal. The Disney dining plan is not necessarily a way to save money. This is what I always say. But I do believe it can be a really convenient way to budget ahead of time. This especially will make a huge difference for you, Amanda, because you are coordinating with multiple families. So I always think splitting a check 12 different ways at the end of a sit down meal. Heck no. The dining plan simplifies that. It just gives you effectively prepaid credits which you can just scan and show them to get your meals and snacks so you're not doing that awkward money math with all the families at the table.
- [18:00]
A
And if you want to take this to the next level, you could even maximize the plan by ordering like the most expensive menu items or maximizing the snack credits. So if you're really smart about this, these can save you some money.
- [18:12]
B
And I know you said you're going in 2027. We don't have a ton of offers yet for 2027, so you might even wanna hold off on booking. But just to give you an example of what you might be able to look for in 2026, Disney is running a kids eat free deal with the dining plan. You can get this if you stay at a Disney owned hotel. Keep in mind, kids in Disney speak are ages 3 to 9. But assuming a deal comes out like that for 2027, that could be a huge win for you.
- [18:40]
A
Absolutely. Okay. In terms of what you can eat at Disney, I have so many favorites, but I'm gonna choose the Dole Whip. It's the pineapple soft serve. It's an absolute classic. It used to be like you could only get it there in Hawaii, but.
- [18:53]
B
Yeah, I see dole whips everywhere now. Yeah, they're kind of Zoo's got a dole whip.
- [18:57]
A
Ubiquitous. Right. But everyone has their favorite Disney treats. Like there's churros, there's Mickey shaped macaroons. Like there's so many things I would say go with an open stomach.
- [19:07]
B
Okay. I will say churros at Disney are so much better than all the other churros. Like hot take Costco churros, even though they're way cheaper, are just like nowhere near Disney level.
- [19:17]
A
Mm, interesting.
- [19:18]
B
Okay, one more tip. Just scroll through Disney's official food Instagram account. I feel like it's a mood board for your taste buds.
- [19:25]
A
Another tip is mobile. Order when you can. It'll save you from waiting in line.
- [19:29]
B
Yes. Especially with cranky toddlers.
- [19:31]
A
Totally.
- [19:32]
B
Okay. Amanda also asked about the memory maker photo package. This is one of those kinds of it depends things. So people who don't know what this is, you can basically subscribe to this package. And then there are photographers all around the parks. In the primary spots, like in front of the castle, in front of the tree of Life, those on ride photos of like the hilarious like Tiana's Bayou Adventure splashdown photo. So you can get all of these photos for one price. It's about $200. I will say I have never purchased this because I'm pretty handy with my own camera and I have my iPhone. I just like to take that. But I actually am kind of tempted for you just because your group is so big.
- [20:09]
A
I mean, one package can cover up to 25 people. So. So you'll have a lot of like kids and adults kind of sharing that. That might be fun.
- [20:17]
B
I always love the in ride photos and that is something that you cannot just get on your own with. Your iPhone. And some of those are gold. So maybe consider that. And finally, let's talk strollers. You can rent strollers directly from Disney in the parks if you don't want to ship yours on the airplane.
- [20:31]
A
One thing you should know though is that all the Disney strollers look alike. So if you're gonna rent one of those, bring something so you can identify your stroller like a bright ribbon, a scarf, something, anything to help you stand out in that huge sea of strollers.
- [20:44]
B
Okay, Amanda, have fun. Let us know how the trip went.
- [20:47]
A
Next up, we've got another Disney question. This one is from Jay. Do you think it's cheaper to book Disney through a travel agent or through Disney itself?
- [20:55]
B
Wow. The listeners really trust us with Disney advice.
- [20:57]
A
I like it.
- [20:58]
B
Okay, Jay, here is the deal. In most cases, it is not cheaper to book. Direct booking through a Disney certified travel agent usually costs the same as booking through Disney itself. No markup, no extra fees.
- [21:09]
A
So what's the benefit of using a travel agent if the price is the same?
- [21:13]
B
Yeah, well, often they can offer additional deals, particularly because the travel agent is buying in bulk. That gets them discounts which they can then pass on to you.
- [21:22]
A
I've also seen like some fun add ons that a travel agent can get you. Like they'll be able to throw in like Disney gift card or dining or maybe a free upgrade at the hotel.
- [21:31]
B
I really think the reason to go to the travel agent route, particularly for Disney is the planning support. So if you have a good agent who cares about you, they can walk you through, through the whole process. What park to visit on which day, what time you should rope drop the big rides. You can ask them all those questions that like I want to know where should I eat, how do I make this dining reservation, all that, which park do we road drop? So if you are a newbie, ask your travel agent. They want to help you.
- [21:56]
A
Okay, last question. This one is from Tracy on Spotify and that's a good reminder that if you want to leave a question, leave it as a comment on Spotify. We will see it.
- [22:04]
B
I recently learned that people can do that. So if you didn't know, none of us knew. But do it now.
- [22:09]
A
Okay, here is our question from Tracy. I am new to the award miles game and I was hoping to hear more tips on booking awards for family vacations. For example, we found it was hard to find hotels that fit more than two people in a hotel room in Europe when we paid cash. So I figure booking with rewards will also be tough.
- [22:27]
B
Wow. Was Tracy, just listening to us because Megan, you and I were just talking about this a few days ago and yes, it can be so difficult to book hotel rooms for either bigger groups or even just to get multiple beds in one hotel room.
- [22:41]
A
I have a couple of ideas here. So one, you can look for the family rooms or suites when you're looking for hotels to book. Those types of rooms usually cost more points when you're booking with rewards, but it might be slightly cheaper than booking two separate rooms on points and it'll be more convenient because they're connected or just have more space.
- [23:00]
B
Another thing is look through your credit card issuer's travel portal. So some credit cards have access to these, these kind of fancier travel portals. I'm thinking about things like Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts. Chase is the edit. And these are only accessible to people who have certain credit cards. But often I find that these hotels have larger rooms. Sometimes they have things like statement credits for booking daily, breakfast, early check in and so that might also serve you.
- [23:28]
A
And don't forget about vacation rentals in Europe. Those are often your best bet because you can get these entire apartments or villas or homes and you can actually book them on points like Capital One has a collection of rental properties. Marriott Homes and Villas lets you book vacation rentals in Europe on Marriott points. So that might be a good option as well. Yeah.
- [23:49]
B
We'll link to our article on booking vacation rentals with points in the episode description. But for now, it is time for hot takeoffs.
- [23:55]
A
Okay. Mine is related to the curated hotel programs we were just talking about, like the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program. Chase is the edit Capital One's premiere collection.
- [24:05]
B
Let's hear it.
- [24:06]
A
I predict that this will go the way of lounge access because it's becoming so widespread that it'll start to feel like everyone is booking that way. Like it's not going to be special anymore.
- [24:16]
B
I totally agree. If everybody is special, nobody is special. If everyone gets that one suite upgrade, then there is only one. So only one, one person gets it. It's not even special.
- [24:27]
A
Right. And Bilt has a similar program now hotels.com like everyone is jumping in on this, this. So I think if you want the extra perks, definitely do it. But it wouldn't be a reason, I think, to choose one rewards program over another.
- [24:40]
B
These are like so ubiquitous everywhere. They don't impress me anymore.
- [24:46]
A
Since today was all about listener questions, we also wanted to share some of the great advice we've gotten from listeners.
- [24:51]
B
Yes, this next listener left us A voice memo. I love to get a voice memo. And this is a great packing tip, which came after last week's episode.
- [24:59]
A
This one is from our listener, Catherine.
- [25:01]
B
I live as a retiree in Mexico now and I've just completed a four month trip through Europe and Turkey. I used a lot of your tips already on this trip. I came with just two carry on bags. And one of the things that you did not mention in your podcast was, was going to thrift stores. So I forgot a jean jacket. You know, that's multi purpose. It kind of dresses up and dresses down. And so while in Germany, I just stopped in at a local thrift store and picked up a jean jacket for like €6. Catherine, my queen, that is amazing. And I almost feel like you are totally adhering to my 1010 rule. Basically, you do not need a packer jacket. You just went, you bought a jacket.
- [25:52]
A
I also love that she used another one of our tips, which is just leave stuff behind if you don't have room for it. And it was low cost. So she actually left that jean jacket behind at the end of her trip because she needed room for her souvenirs. And she already has a jean jacket at home.
- [26:07]
B
Yeah. And it's like $10. I'm so impressed.
- [26:09]
A
The second thing that she shared in this email was that I learned from this trip that I only really needed like three outfits. I had two dresses that I just wore over and over again. I'm traveling solo and so nobody was there to notice.
- [26:22]
B
Catherine, I love it. And I think especially in this era where everyone wants to look cute on Instagram, they're like, I need to pack a million different outfits. So this is just so refreshing and beautiful to hear.
- [26:31]
A
Yeah. I also love the idea of kind of combining a lot of ideas, like going to a thrift store, getting a replacement thing, but also possibly getting your vacation outfits at a thrift store. So I just got back from Hawaii and my family went to a thrift store to get Hawaiian shirts.
- [26:47]
B
Shirts.
- [26:47]
A
They're like half price and they're the exact same high quality brands they can find down the street for brand new.
- [26:53]
B
Yes. I feel like Hawaii sells Hawaiian shorts for like $1 million. And then you go to the thrift store and they're so cheap. That's amazing.
- [26:59]
A
I've also done this in Iceland. I got an Icelandic sweater at a thrift store there.
- [27:03]
B
What's an Icelandic sweater?
- [27:04]
A
Oh, you know, it's like one of those knit sweaters that has kind of like a pattern around the neck.
- [27:08]
B
Oh, that's Cute.
- [27:09]
A
It's so cute and it's so warm. Mine, like, I think is handmade. Like you can see where the yarn like stretched to different parts.
- [27:15]
B
Wow, that's such a good souvenir. I love it.
- [27:17]
A
Yeah, it feels special. Okay, that was fun. Thanks again, Katherine for the voice memo. We love hearing from our listeners on the show. If you want to send us a voice memo or write us a question, remember to email your questions to travelardwallet.com follow us on Instagram. I'm Miles with Megan Co. And I.
- [27:34]
B
Am Save with Sally. And we love to comment back to fans of the show there. So you can just go ahead, follow us, comment and we will comment back to you.
- [27:42]
A
And also leave us a star rating and a review wherever you listen to this show right on your podcast Appreciate app.
- [27:47]
B
We love to read your comments and we particularly love to read the comments that are attached to five stars.
- [27:52]
A
Nice. And don't forget to follow Smart Travel on all those apps as well, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio. That way you automatically download the new episode.
- [28:02]
B
And let's give a shout out to our producers, Hillary, Georgie and Tess Viland. Also shout out Claire Socie, who helped with fact checking, and Nick Ky, who mixed our audio.
- [28:11]
A
And finally, our usual disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This information is only offered for general educational or entertainment purposes.
- [28:20]
B
We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. Thanks, everyone. See you next time. Hello, this is Matt from the Explorers Podcast.
- [28:46]
A
I want to invite you to join.
- [28:48]
B
Me on the voyages and journeys of the most famous explorers in the history of the world. These are the thrilling and captivating stories of Magellan, Shackleton, Lewis and Clark and so many other famous and not so famous adventures from throughout history. Go to explorerspodcast.com or just look us up on your podcast app. That's the Explorers Podcast.