Summer Travel 2026: How to Time Your Trip, Pick Your Destination, and Actually Save Money

Summary

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Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways

Episode: Summer Travel 2026: How to Time Your Trip, Pick Your Destination, and Actually Save Money
Hosts: Sally French & Meghan Coyle (NerdWallet Travel)
Date: May 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this robust summer travel episode, NerdWallet’s seasoned travel experts Sally French and Meghan Coyle unpack the realities of summer 2026 travel. They dive into timely advice for navigating record-breaking crowds and soaring costs, dissect recent travel news (from Amex credit card partnerships to theme park makeovers), and provide data-driven insights on how, when, and where to book your next getaway—without breaking the bank. Listeners get actionable tips on optimal timing, budgeting tools, points and miles strategies, trending destinations, and creative travel planning for families, solo explorers, and sports fans alike.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of 2026 Summer Travel

Timestamps: 00:59–12:04

• Record Crowds & Rising Costs: Despite global uncertainties (wars, fuel prices, economy), travel bookings are up.
• Economic Divide: Travel is increasingly “K-shaped,” with higher earners traveling more, lower-income households cutting back.
• Data Highlights:
  • 45% of Americans plan a flight/lodging vacation this summer (up from last year) (12:26).
  • Cash & points airfares are both rising—domestic roundtrips average $464, up 18% year-over-year (15:11, 15:37).
  • Budget fares are particularly hard-hit; "Spirit Effect" noted after Spirit Airlines’ closure (16:22).
  • Points and miles—prices for redemptions climbing even faster than with cash due to dynamic pricing (16:42–17:35).
  • “Don’t count on last-minute deals”—book as soon as you find a fair price (28:22–28:56).

2. Travel News: Credit Card Points, New Theme Park Rides, and More

Timestamps: 00:24–11:03

• Amex-Fanatics New Card: Amex partners with Fanatics, becoming its first non-travel transfer partner (01:29–02:19).
  • Cardholders can convert Amex points to Fanatics Fan Cash, usable for merch and sportsbook wagers.
  • “I do think this is relevant… the Fanatics loyalty program will become the first non-travel Amex transfer partner.” – Sally (01:54)
• Air France KLM Visa Card Update: Bilt now lets you earn up to 3 Flying Blue miles per dollar on rent payments (max: 75,000 miles/year, but with a 3% fee) (02:44–03:23).
  • Atmos card has a similar deal; do the math—fees may negate point value.
• Disney Parks Big Summer Updates: (04:32–09:32)
  • Muppets retheme for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster gets big thumbs up from Meghan.
    • “They actually do look like puppets on sticks. So it was just super cute and I thought the music was great.” – Meghan (04:54)
  • Star Wars Millennium Falcon ride revamped for the Mandalorian era; Sally gushes over Baby Yoda/Grogu cameo (06:47–07:59).
  • Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World now smoother, lower height requirement; Soarin’ becomes America-themed for the 250th anniversary (08:36–09:32).
  • “It’s gonna feel like 4th of July every single day in there…” – Meghan (09:18)

3. Navigating Volatile Summer Travel Pricing

Timestamps: 12:04–21:00

• Why Are Prices + Crowds Up? Economic uncertainty (fuel, global events) has not suppressed demand—more Americans traveling in 2026 than before.
• “K-shaped” Travel Revisited: High-earning households are driving spending, while travel is becoming out of reach for others (13:09–14:03).
• Ways People Are Adjusting:
  • Cutting back on trip frequency, staying closer to home, shifting travel modes, or simply canceling trips (14:29).
• When to Book & How to Save:
  • Airfares are highest in June/July, cheapest in late August.
    • “Going data shows that August fares are about 20% cheaper than the other summer months.” – Sally (19:19)
    • Kayak: International flights Aug 10–Sept 6 average 42% lower (19:37).
  • Disney tickets (and hotels) are also cheapest in late August/September—post-kids’ return to school (19:49–20:12).
  • Halloween events at Disney start in August(!) – “The Halloween after parties at Disney World... start closer in the calendar to the July 4th holiday than to Halloween itself. Can you believe that?” – Sally (20:30).
  • If you must travel peak season, fly Tuesdays/Wednesdays (cheapest), avoid Sundays (most expensive) (21:08–21:32).
  • Use refundable bookings to hedge against volatile prices (27:44–28:56).

4. Trending Destinations & Big 2026 Events

Timestamps: 22:27–27:37

• Trending International:
  • St. Martin (#1), Mexico City, Stockholm, Pamplona (Spain), Budapest (22:48–23:55).
• Trending Domestic:
  • Kansas City, Sarasota FL, Asheville NC, Dallas-Fort Worth TX, Fort Myers FL (24:02–25:01).
  • World Cup (in 16 North American cities) is a travel magnet—suggested hacks include flying into nearby cities or taking trains to stadiums (25:03–25:32).
  • “The Amtrak station in Seattle is right outside the stadium, like literally seven-minute walk…” – Meghan (25:49)
• The 2026 Eclipse: Big spike in travel to Spain, Portugal, and Iceland; rural Airbnb bookings soaring (26:26–27:26).

5. Rapid-Fire Booking Recommendations & “Hot Takes”

Timestamps: 27:37–35:16

• Top Booking Tips:
  1. Go in August if possible (cheaper, but hot—pack a fan!) (27:37–27:44).
  2. Book ASAP—prices are volatile and last-minute deals are rare (27:44–28:56).
  3. Use points/miles if you get average value—don’t obsess over maximum ROI; saving them for later is not always better (28:56–29:46).
• Points Usage Philosophy: “Just use the points and don’t try to overshoot it … not sure that it’ll be easy to find that kind of value on summer bookings.” – Meghan (29:35)
• Cultural Hot Takes:
  • Don’t mock local fast food abroad—try it, it’s a window into the culture. “It is part of the cultural experience to see how other cultures adopt what is typically an American creation.” – Sally (29:52–30:38)
  • Starbucks in Taiwan (or KFC in China) is totally different—try the local specialties!
  • Seek out destinations with good public transportation—can be surprisingly cheaper than domestic car rentals/gas (34:16–34:58).

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Most Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Booking Strategy:
  “It is so unlikely that you’ll see last-minute airfare deals. … If you need to get somewhere, you really need to book right away and follow Megan’s advice. Book that refundable fare.” – Sally, (28:22)
• On Disney’s Muppets Ride Update:
  “They actually do look like puppets on sticks. So it was just super cute and I thought the music was great. I think people are going to love this ride with the new theme.” – Meghan, (04:54)
• On “K-shaped” Travel:
  “If you’re already rich or a high earner ... you might be spending even more on travel. But if you aren’t rich, things are just getting harder and harder because of inflation and the wages aren’t keeping up.” – Meghan, (13:19)
• On International Points Value:
  “I just went to Europe this past month and it was 35,000 points to fly all the way to Europe. I feel like it sometimes is 35,000 points for me to fly to the east coast.” – Meghan, (34:18)
• On “Don’t Dunk on Fast Food”:
  “Do not dunk on fast food in foreign countries. It is part of the cultural experience to see how other cultures adopt what is typically an American creation.” – Sally, (29:52)

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Segment-by-Segment Breakdown with Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:24–04:32 | News: Amex x Fanatics, Bilt x Air France, maximizing rent points, gambling expansions| | 04:32–09:32 | Disney: Ride reboots & new features (Muppets, Mandalorian, Big Thunder, Soarin’) | | 09:39–12:04 | Expedia Summer Travel Report & Last-Minute Booking Trends | | 12:04–21:00 | State of Summer 2026 Travel: Crowds, Costs, Economic Trends | | 21:00–22:27 | When to Book for Best Prices; Flight Day-of-Week Hacks | | 22:27–27:37 | Top Trending Summer 2026 Destinations; Mega-Events (World Cup, Solar Eclipse) | | 27:37–35:16 | Top Booking Tips & “Hot Takes” (Points philosophy, cultural fast food, transit) |

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Quick-Action Cheat Sheet

• When to Book?
  • ASAP for peak months; late August for best value.
• Cheapest Travel Days?
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays (fly then!).
• Peak Events to Avoid/Target?
  • World Cup (check cities), eclipse (Spain/Portugal/Iceland, August 12), early Disney Halloween.
• Points/Miles?
  • Use them up if value is average or above; maxing out value is unlikely in summer.
• How to Save?
  • Travel off-peak, consider car-free destinations (strong public transport), check out local fast food for cheap cultural meals.

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Final Thoughts

Sally and Meghan blend big-picture travel trends with hands-on, actionable advice—always looking for strategies to empower travelers, not just with tips but with context and critical thinking about value. From Disney hacks and credit card point math to offbeat hot takes on international fast food, their insights make summer travel doable—even in a year of record crowds and prices.

For listeners planning 2026 travel: August is your sweet spot, book now not later, and don’t overlook the “obvious” when it comes to saving money or experiencing something new—sometimes the best moves are all about timing, math, and a little open-minded curiosity.

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Transcript

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[Megan Coyle]

if summer travel is so expensive, why is it also giving us record breaking crowds?

[Sally French]

And is that American Express partnership with Fanatics worth your time?

[Megan Coyle]

Is that new BILT deal with Air France KLM any good?

[Sally French]

And Megan, this one is strictly for you. How is that new Muppets roller coaster at Disney World?

[Megan Coyle]

I promise I'll tell you all the answers to these in just a moment. Welcome to Smart Travel from NerdWallet, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Megan Coyle. And I'm Sally French and we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.

[Sally French]

And if your big trip is this summer, it could very well come with big crowds and big prices.

[Megan Coyle]

We're talking all about summer travel in

[Sally French]

today's show, but before that and the news is our disclaimer that we'll talk about a few credit card companies that are wallet partners in this episode 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, so for the latest details follow the links in the episode.

[Megan Coyle]

Description this first story is for our sports fans out there. Everyone who already listens to this show knows that you're a big sports fan. I'm a big sports fan, so let's get into it.

[Sally French]

So American Express just announced a partnership with Fanatics which sells all sorts of sports merchandise, particularly collectibles. And there is a new credit card involved which is launching later this year.

[Megan Coyle]

The new Fanatics Rewards card from American Express is for sports fans who spend a lot on jerseys, collectibles, game day gear and it's not necessarily travel related, but we clearly know lots of people who love traveling for sports and probably buy a lot of these things and

[Sally French]

actually do think this is relevant to the show as the Fanatics loyalty program will become the first non travel Amex transfer partner within the next year. So so with this Amex cardholders will be able to convert their Amex points into Fanatics Fan cash which you can redeem that Fan Cash across the Fanatics ecosystem. That means you can use it to buy apparel, trading cards, collectibles, exclusive experiences and wait for it, actual sportsbook wagers.

[Megan Coyle]

Whoa, Wagers. Okay, well, right now you can use Fanatics Fan Cash to place wagers and then convert it into bonus bets for the Fanatics Sportsbook or in select states, casino credit. So, yeah, there's some gambling going on here with Fanatics Fan Cash.

[Sally French]

I guess the value is really all over the place.

[Megan Coyle]

And we should say here on this show we do not endorse gambling or sports betting.

[Sally French]

But I am fascinated by this.

[Megan Coyle]

Next up, there's a new way to earn Flying Blue points faster. So build is now letting cardholders of the Air France KLM Visa Signature credit card earn up to three flying blue miles per dollar spent on their rent payments on up to $50,000 a year with the maximum cap of earning 75,000 bonus miles.

[Sally French]

So I'm guessing the Built Cash shenanigans don't come into play here, but is there a fee? Much like you would sort of have with the Built Cash?

[Megan Coyle]

Right. So if you're paying your rent with your Air France KLM credit card, there is a 3% fee. So depending on how much your rent is, you might have to do the calculation.

[Sally French]

Yeah. Are the points worth the fee?

[Megan Coyle]

Is it worth paying with your credit card to get 4,500 Flying Blue points? You could check our valuations on the Nerd Wallet website and find out that Flying Blue points are worth about 0.8 cents. So that might not make up for the fee. But if you feel pretty confident that you're going to be booking, you know, more premium classes and you'll probably get more than that cent per point value, then it still might be worth it.

[Sally French]

I am not too sure about this. I would say only if you're really confident you can get those high valuations out of your Flying Blue points, is it even worth the time. They do semi frequently have these Flying Blue promos that offer better value. If you know you're always want to jump on those, then maybe do it. But I would not say casual Air France people should jump on this Bill

[Megan Coyle]

also has a similar offer for Atmos rewards card members where you can pay with your Atmos rewards credit card and get three at most points per dollar. And I think that one's a little bit easier to justify because Atmos points are worth a little bit more than Flying Blue points if you're using them for economy flights.

[Sally French]

So still the 3% fee though on

[Megan Coyle]

that still the 3% fee. But again, do the math yourself and figure out whether you still might come out ahead in the number of points you get.

[Sally French]

Now, next news item I am dying to know about is, Megan, you were at Disney World this past week. I was actually at Disneyland this week. There were both press events because Disney is relaunching, launching a lot of new stuff. The biggest thing that has been all over my TikTok feed is the new Rock and Roller coaster with its new Muppets theme. I need to know how it was.

[Megan Coyle]

Sally. I love this ride to begin with and I love it even more with the Muppets. They're just so adorable and so funny and they provide an incredible soundtrack. So the Muppets band, the Electric Mayhem, are now the new rock stars of the Rock and Roller coaster. The track hasn't changed at all, but there is kind of like a waiting room pre show that involves the Muppets and gives you the storyline, which is you are racing to the Electric Mayhem's concert through la. I loved all of it. I thought it was done so well. The Animatronics actually look like the Muppets that I imagine. I don't know, they were like the right size and they actually do look like puppets on sticks. So it was just super cute and I thought the music was great. I think people are going to love this ride with the new theme.

[Sally French]

This is just so smart that Disney did this. So for context, this used to be an Aerosmith themed ride and they got Aerosmith out of there. I had heard rumors that they might replace it with something like the Jonas Brothers or Taylor Swift. I am so glad that they decided to make it Muppets. This is over at Hollywood Studios in Florida and that corner of the park needs some love and it is absolutely going to be bonkers because I know so many people love the Muppets and it is amazing to have a full Muppets coaster in our lifetimes.

[Megan Coyle]

And anyone who was excited about the celebrity artist partnerships, they did still do a couple of those for the song. So I'll leave those as a surprise. But there are some really recognizable names within the ride.

[Sally French]

Disney also did a major update to one of its other rides. This is the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run attraction. This update came to the version of the ride on both coasts. So, Megan, you and I actually got to ride it not only on the same day, but basically the same hour. I texted you right after you had written it yourself, so that was amazing. The RE theme is tied to the new Mandalorian Movie which came out last week starring Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. I mean, Grogu.

[Megan Coyle]

Sally, what did you think? Baby Yoda is like your favorite character in the entire Star wars universe?

[Sally French]

I'm a huge Baby Yoda fan, and I know it's Grogu, but it's Baby Yoda in my heart because I watched a show from day one when it was Baby Yoda because he didn't have a name. So this attraction used to be a little slow. It didn't have the popular characters that we know and love. But now this is a simulator attraction and Baby Yoda appears. You can choose which different planet you go to. You can go to Endor, you can go to Coruscant, and then Baby Yoda appears. And I think it's just generally more engaging, more lovable, and more rewritable. You can find this in the Galaxy's Edge land of the park, which is kind of Star wars theme land. They've also done some other updates to the land this year. When the land first opened, I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed. I am a huge Star wars fan and the land just felt a little lifeless, a little too calm almost. They've added in that epic John Williams score. You can now meet a lot of the OG Star wars characters, like Luke and Leia. I met Leia, she was so pretty. And so I really love the life that they have brought into this land. So if you haven't been to Star wars land in a while, Galaxy's Edge official name. I say go back this summer. You got to check it out.

[Megan Coyle]

Now I'm going to have to drag you out of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge next time we go to Disneyland, Sally. But you know where I will be taking you. If we were in Disney World, I would take you to the new Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which just got renovated, so it's not huge changes Again, it's the same ride, you know and love, but this track is way smoother and there's a lower height requirement so smaller kids can ride it. And I just love this roller coaster. It's just a tier for me. I will say there is a construction site on both sides of this ride at Disney World because they're building the cars land.

[Sally French]

They gotta make room for that.

[Megan Coyle]

Exactly. So that part maybe not as pretty, but the ride itself, amazing. And last new thing that you might be able to see in Disney World is Soarin Across America. So this is the Soarin ride where you kind of paraglide over all these famous landscapes. And the thing that always happens when people ride this is they're testing their geography knowledge. So this version of the ride is all America landscapes. And so there's the Grand Canyon, there's New York City, there's Oahu. And I loved hearing everyone try to guess where all these places were.

[Sally French]

And that was done in honor of America's 250th anniversary, which is also happening right now.

[Megan Coyle]

I'm pretty sure this isn't a spoiler, but it's very heavy on the America theme. There's like red, white and blue fireworks and like a little water show. So, yeah, it's going to feel like 4th of July every single day in there for probably this entire year while this ride runs.

[Sally French]

I love it. Very interesting. Disney is taking a lot of their old stuff and giving it a refresh this summer to get people to go there and check it out.

[Megan Coyle]

And last but not least, we're talking summer travel this whole episode. And we've got one more to add to the mix.

[Sally French]

Expedia just released its big summer travel report. And the biggest takeaway here from Expedia is that travelers are booking closer than they used to. So last minute summer planning is definitely becoming more common again.

[Megan Coyle]

I feel this because everyone is worried about the jet fuel prices, and I think there's a lot of, will it go up? Will I just wait and see if it goes down? And so I totally understand this uncertainty around what prices are like and maybe waiting a little bit longer to book, but I don't necessarily recommend that.

[Sally French]

One thing that stood out to me as being interesting is when Expedia said last minute planning is becoming more common again. I was like, was it ever not common? I feel like ever since COVID when Covid, it was like, I really can't plan more than two weeks in advance because who knows what next variant is coming out. I think a lot of people got into the habit of last minute planning, and I'm not sure it ever went away. But according to Expedia, it went away and now it's back.

[Megan Coyle]

I think it's back because there was a time where, you know, after revenge travel when people were planning further in advance because they're ready for the whole world to open. And so now it's kind of condensed again because we're back in this time of like, what is going on?

[Sally French]

What is going on out there? Meghan? Yeah. And with that, we will get so much more into summer travel. That is right after the break.

[Megan Coyle]

This episode is sponsored by Rakuten Rakuten opens up a world of rewards. You can earn cash back on fashion, beauty, electronics, pet supplies, kids stuff, groceries. But what I'm here to tell you is with Rakuten you can get cash back on travel too. Join and save on your next trip. You'll get cash back on the flight, the hotel and the car rental book on your favorite travel sites like Expedia, Booking.com, viator, VRBO, Hotels.com IHG and more. Save on cruises, vacation packages and experiences as well. And don't worry, cash back can be earned on top of your credit card points and with many loyalty programs because we know you're saving every way you can. So go ahead, take a trip. Find that perfect hotel. Book an artisan cheese experience inside a cave in Spain. Wherever you want to go, go with Rakuten. Join today for free. Go to rakuten.com or get the app that's R a K u T E N Summer travel is officially here. Memorial Day was last weekend, but Sally, is it just me or does this summer feel different than the most recent summer travel seasons?

[Sally French]

Yo, it feels different. It feels kind of sad. There are a lot of things putting a damper on summer travel this year. There's a war with Iran, there's rising fuel prices, general uncertainty about the economy. Then you pile in Spirit going out of business. Travelers are dealing with a lot right now, especially if they didn't have any trips before now. Booking is just wild.

[Megan Coyle]

So do you think people will be traveling more or less this summer?

[Sally French]

Okay, this is interesting because I said all of that and Nerdwall at Summer Travel Survey actually did find that 45% of Americans plan to take a vacation in summer 2020. We define that as something that requires a flight or paid lodging. That is actually up from last year, which was 44%.

[Megan Coyle]

Bank of America's summer travel report backs this up as well. Bank of America's report found that 77% of Americans are planning to travel this summer. They use slightly different requirements than us and it's an upward trend three years running. So 2025, 74% of Americans were planning to travel that summer and 2024 it was 72%. So just slightly creeping up even with all the other things going on in the world.

[Sally French]

Bank of America, being a bank, likes to use all these fancy economic terms and they are pointing out what they call the K shaped pattern in reference to how people are booking travel.

[Megan Coyle]

Everyone is calling it a K shaped something. I'm not surprised that the K has come to travel as well. So the K shape generally refers to this disparity between the rich and the poor and their spending habits or like their financial outcomes. So the rich are the arm of the K that's going upwards. Because if you're already rich or a high earner, you know the stock market is doing well, maybe you are getting richer, so you might be spending even more on travel. But if you aren't rich, things are just getting harder and harder because of inflation and the wages aren't keeping up. Maybe you're having trouble finding a job in this economy. So that's the arm of the K that's going down and those are the travelers who are spending less.

[Sally French]

Yeah. And that's what makes me so sad about this is I want everyone to be able to travel. I love the idea of experiences and everyone getting to take part of this. It's unfortunate that low income households are already much more likely to not have travel plans. And now what we're seeing is travel related spending is down year over year relative to 2025, meaning people who did travel last year are saying we can't afford it this year.

[Megan Coyle]

And then by contrast, those middle and higher income households are seeing stronger travel, spending that up arm on the K like we were just talking about. I've also seen some summer travel reports that say that travelers are looking for ways to cut back on travel. They're still going to do it, but they're going to make some adjustments. So for example, reducing the number of trips, picking a closer destination, changing the mode of transportation, maybe taking a road trip instead of flying, or just canceling altogether.

[Sally French]

So we should talk about what everyone wants to know, which is how expensive is summer travel going to be if people decide to travel?

[Megan Coyle]

And the answer is pretty much more expensive than last year across the board.

[Sally French]

So how much more expensive I want to go into. So going, which is a flight deals alert service, found that domestic average fares for June through August of this year are sitting at an average of $464 round trip. Of course, that is just an average. It can vary if you're going from LA to sfo, hopefully cheaper than that. But what's important to note is that average airfares are up 18% year over year.

[Megan Coyle]

And 18% is a lot. I mean, that's almost 20% more. And that means that you're not going to see a lot of flight round trip prices in the US that are lower than $400 round trip. I mean, I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I was flying back and forth to the east coast and I could find flights for under $4 round trip. But that's not the case this year.

[Sally French]

And here's the unfortunate part is we're not so much seeing the increase at the top end, but the increase is with those budget airfares. Budget airfares used to be really cheap. We all know that. Now budget airfares are up nearly 19%. So something that used to say, on average cost $297 last year is now costing an average of $352.

[Megan Coyle]

And we could attribute this to the Spirit effect. We talked about this in the news last week, where basically Spirit Airlines as a budget airline, put downward pressure on prices in any markets that it was flying to. So that might be a reason that the budget tickets are so much more expensive.

[Sally French]

Now, we did talk about cash fares a lot, but what about points prices?

[Megan Coyle]

Okay, so points Path founder Julian Keel says points fares are actually increasing even faster than cash fares.

[Sally French]

Really?

[Megan Coyle]

That is not good. I mean, this is all due to dynamic pricing. So airlines can kind of charge whatever they want in points prices because it's not tied to an exact valuation amount. It's not like one mile equals one cent or something like that. So the fact that the points fares are going up so much and maybe faster than the cash fares means that using your points might not be a way to save a ton of money. Of course, you wouldn't have to pay cash for that flight, but you might be spending more points than you normally would.

[Sally French]

Although this makes me kind of wonder, are the listeners saying, okay, well, if points fairs are so expensive, should I save my points? But Megan, I think no, I think you should spend your points because I think points fares always get more expensive. What do you think they do?

[Megan Coyle]

I think there's a balance between overpaying in points and also using them effectively and regularly to make sure that you're getting at least a certain amount of value out of them. So, I mean, if it's going to absolutely demolish your collection of points, I would maybe think about, hey, should you take a trip at a time where it's a little less busy and maybe the points price is proportionally much lower compared to the cash fare.

[Sally French]

Okay, well, that is the real advice here is rather than just worry about the prices, I say adjust your time that you travel. And everyone wants to travel. Fourth of July weekend. I was just looking at flights for 4th of July. Outrageous. But there are some times that are still within the quotes summer that are far Cheaper to fly.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah. And the big time to go for cheaper flights and cheaper hotels is actually late August. That's where most of the deals are.

[Sally French]

I have noticed I'm a dink, so I. I'm not an expert in kids school schedules, but I think kids school schedules start earlier and earlier. Like school for some people starts in mid August. Am I right?

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah, totally. It depends where you live.

[Sally French]

I think that's why the deals are there is because a lot of kids are already in school. So if you are a parent with kids, I'm sorry, you probably can't take advantage of this. But if you are a person without kids, late August is the time to go.

[Megan Coyle]

Not to mention some kids might not be totally back in school, but they're already gearing up for school. Like I remember being in cross country and having to start practice on Aug. 2, even though school didn't start until after Labor Day. So again, August is a real sweet spot for traveling during the summer. But it'll be a little bit cheaper because there are so many kids back doing school activities. The only thing is, August can be really hot depending on where you're going. So keep that in mind.

[Sally French]

Right. But if you do go in August, you can save. So going data shows that August fairs are about 20% cheaper than the other summer months. Some specific sweet spots include the weeks of August 17th and August 24th. Price floor for both domestic and international travel. So if you want to go to Europe, that is your time.

[Megan Coyle]

The price aggregator site Kayak even said international flights are averaging 42% lower during August 10 to September 6 compared to other summer travel dates.

[Sally French]

And it's not just airfares. We talked about this with Disney theme park tickets as well. You know, I analyze Disney theme park tickets. Their tickets in August and September are actually the cheapest time of the entire year to go. Again, I think the kids are either back in school or gearing up with those cross country practices. And then also, it is so hot at Disney World in the summer. So if you want to go to Disney, that is also the cheapest time to go.

[Megan Coyle]

And we talked about if you go in August, you might be able to catch the Halloween after hours events at Disney parks. So that might be an added bonus if you're a Disney person and a Halloween person.

[Sally French]

I feel like we just need to stop there because listeners are like, wait, August, Halloween, what is going on here?

[Megan Coyle]

It starts early at Disney.

[Sally French]

Okay, this is the funnest fact, Megan. The Halloween after parties at Disney World, they host these nighttime after parties they start closer in the calendar to the July 4th holiday than to Halloween itself. Can you believe that?

[Megan Coyle]

That's crazy.

[Sally French]

But it's such a good time to go. Just get. You know, I live in San Francisco where everybody loves a costume. We just had beta breakers. People love excuses for costume. So go to the Disney Halloween party in August, and then you got an excuse to wear costume again.

[Megan Coyle]

So, Sally, wait. If you are locked into June or July travel, what should people do if they don't have that much flexibility in their schedule?

[Sally French]

At least if you have some flexibility in the day, you can fly. That's the best thing you could do. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are consistently the cheapest days to fly. Sundays are the most expensive day to fly. No surprise. Everyone wants to max out that week if you work the traditional Monday through Friday schedule. So if somehow you can finagle and not do that, instead fly on a Tuesday and Wednesday, maybe leave on Tuesday, return on the next Wednesday, that is the way to go.

[Megan Coyle]

I'm quite literally doing this flying schedule in late August. So I'm hitting both cheapest day and cheapest month to travel this summer. So I'm very excited about it.

[Sally French]

You're flying on a Wednesday?

[Megan Coyle]

Yes. Flying on a Wednesday, Coming back. Actually, I have to come back on a Sunday because work. We got to record the podcast. Sally. Sunday.

[Sally French]

Don't overpay. Okay. At least I hope you're going somewhere good. Where are you going?

[Megan Coyle]

I'm going to Hawaii. I'm getting ready for wedding stuff. So my fiance and I are planning on getting married in Hawaii next spring. And so we're going to do all those, like, tasting, you know, see the venue again and just get a lay of the land.

[Sally French]

Okay, so you're going to Oahu.

[Megan Coyle]

I'm going to Oahu, yeah.

[Sally French]

Megan, did you know I'm going to Hawaii this summer? Yeah.

[Megan Coyle]

You're going to Kauai for the first time, right?

[Sally French]

Yes. I've been to every single of the major Hawaiian islands except Kauai. I am so amped. So I think we'll have to talk about Hawaii later on the show because you and I love Hawaii. Okay.

[Megan Coyle]

This is a good segue to where people are traveling this summer. We'll cover that right up after the break. Sally, I pulled a list of the trending destinations from Google this year, and let's talk about some of the big hits.

[Sally French]

So, okay, what's Number one?

[Megan Coyle]

Number one for trending international destinations is St. Martin in the Caribbean.

[Sally French]

I think that feels random. What do they define trendiness?

[Megan Coyle]

It is the destination. Seeing the greatest year over year, increase in searches on Google flights for trips departing US Airports. This is June through August. So this is prime summer dates.

[Sally French]

So places that were not necessarily as popular last year, but much more popular this year.

[Megan Coyle]

There are some big hits that I feel like are always popular. For example, number two is Mexico City.

[Sally French]

Oh, yeah. That's been rising for many years, I think.

[Megan Coyle]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Anytime I go to Mexico City, I feel like I see so many Americans. It's like crazy. I feel like I haven't left la, honestly. And then number three, Stockholm, Sweden. I think this is interesting. I've been seeing a lot of flight deals to Scandinavia, so actually this one wasn't that surprising to me because I also considered going to Stockholm just because I saw a really great flight deal. And just to round out the top five, the other two are Pomodemoica in Spain and Budapest, Hungary.

[Sally French]

Okay, that's good stuff. Europe seems to be very popular, but I guess not. Those are the. The three to five. So interesting.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah. Let's talk about domestic number one. Sally, you'll love this. Kansas City, Missouri.

[Sally French]

Oh, yes. You know, finally. Are people trying to go to the World Cup?

[Megan Coyle]

I. Maybe, maybe.

[Sally French]

I thought we were saying World cup interest was down, but people want to go to Kansas City.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah, it's one of the trending destinations. Number two, Sarasota, Florida. I think Florida is always popular because there are a lot of cheap flights to Florida, especially during the summer when it's very hot. So I get it. I also want to go to the beach during the summer. Number three, Asheville, North Carolina.

[Sally French]

Oh, yeah, that's.

[Megan Coyle]

We talked about Asheville a couple weeks ago.

[Sally French]

I've never been, but I feel like Asheville is very hot. Was it the. The house swapping guy from Asheville?

[Megan Coyle]

Exactly, exactly. I think it was Robert. Robert, the one from Asheville. And it is a great mountain town. There's actually a lot to do there, but it still gives you sort of cabin y vibes, small town vibes. I love it there. Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas is number four. And number five is Fort Myers, Florida.

[Sally French]

I love it. Good stuff in there.

[Megan Coyle]

Lots of great ideas for your summer travels. And we can't talk about summer travel this year without mentioning the World Cup. We've talked about it several times on this podcast, but just as a reminder, it's 16 cities across the U.S. mexico and Canada, and ticket prices have been coming down in recent weeks. The American Hotel and Lodging association said hotel demand is less than expected. So I Think there might be a last minute surge in interest in going to the World cup games.

[Sally French]

If you are interested, we did an episode a few weeks back about sports and travel. You don't even have to go to the game itself to experience all the fun. I went to all the super bowl events when it was in San Francisco. Obviously I did not pay super bowl money for a ticket, but I think it's so fun to go to these events, so do consider that.

[Megan Coyle]

And I also think there are some ways to get creative with traveling to these events. For example, you can play with your layovers a little bit and see if it's maybe cheaper to fly into a nearby city and then figure out another way to get there. Or I also like the idea of taking the train to some of the games. For example, the Amtrak station in Seattle is right outside of the stadium, like literally seven minute walk to Lumen Field. So I think that could be a good option if you just want to go in for the day. It might not be super, super cheap, but again, just so easy and maybe cheaper than paying for parking.

[Sally French]

Okay, so that is sports travel. Listen to the sports travel episode for more. But the other big event happening over the summer that people have to talk about is the eclipse that is coming in August 12th.

[Megan Coyle]

Oh my gosh. Sally. I am scarred by eclipse travel because I don't know if you remember a couple of years ago there was another eclipse and.

[Sally French]

Yeah. Well, it passed over Missouri. My sister and my mom went and got together and saw it.

[Megan Coyle]

Exactly. So I remember we were talking about on our team, should we cover eclipse travel? And I went, no, I don't think so. No one goes like, I mean, you can pretty much just see it from anywhere. Yeah. And then I was totally wrong. People were so into the eclipse. I just forget people are obsessed with space and like, way more than I am. Yeah.

[Sally French]

So the eclipse is, is not in Missouri this year. It is passing over Spain, Portugal and Iceland. So if you want to do a really epic Europe trip, I've actually seen cruises that are Iceland cruises. And then they say we're going to watch eclipse from the cruise.

[Megan Coyle]

And Airbnb says there's actually an uptick in bookings for rural Spain properties to watch the eclipse. That also sounds very dreamy.

[Sally French]

Okay, so wrapping up, what are our top tips about booking summer travel this year?

[Megan Coyle]

I would say number one, go in August if you have the flexibility.

[Sally French]

Bring a fan if you go in August.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah. Maybe one of those motorized ones that like hangs around your neck. You're going to need it on at all times. Number two, even if you are going in August or if you're going in June or July, I would say book as soon as you can because the prices have been very, very volatile and I just don't know. I don't know if it's going to go down later and I don't want to take the risk. So if you see a flight price that you are comfortable with, if you see a hotel price you are comfortable with, book a refundable fair, book a cancelable hotel and then just rebook if you see the prices go down. But I wouldn't count on that.

[Sally French]

I know sometimes I feel like I just repeat myself saying this over and over, but it cannot be said enough. It is so unlikely that you'll see last minute airfare deals. I have so many friends who are like, flights are so expensive, I'm just going to wait and see if they get cheaper. But it's a trip that they have to take. It's like my weightlifting friends who want to go to a sports meet and they are literally signed up to compete. So they have to go. They hold off on booking their flights and then the flights only get more expensive.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah.

[Sally French]

So if you need to get somewhere, you really need to book right away and follow Megan's advice. Book that refundable affair. So if it drops, you can just rebook it.

[Megan Coyle]

And if you're trying to figure out whether or not you should use your points and miles, I think this summer is maybe not the time to try to maximize the value of your points. As long as you are getting the valuation of these points and miles. We have a whole published list of the valuations of airline miles and hotel points on the NerdWallet website. We'll link to it in the episode description. As long as you're getting that median amount, I say just use the points and don't try to overshoot it by getting, you know, $0.05 per point or some type of, you know, out of this world value. I'm not sure that it'll be easy to find that kind of value on summer bookings.

[Sally French]

That sounds like a hot take to me. Save your point sounds like the hottest take I've heard.

[Megan Coyle]

No, I'm saying don't try to maximize it. Just satisfy the valuation. Get an average amount and that'll be great.

[Sally French]

Okay, so you don't think it's a hot take. So should we do another actual hot take?

[Megan Coyle]

Okay, sure. What's your hot take for this week?

[Sally French]

Okay, I have a good one. So we previously said, always try the local McDonald's. I want to expand on this hot takeoff and say, do not dunk on fast food in foreign countries. It is part of the cultural experience to see how other cultures adopt what is typically an American creation. So I was on this trip, and a bunch of other people on the trip were like, KFC, McDonald's. Why would you go to KFC in these other countries? And I'm like, yes, go. It is such a cultural experience. So let me tell you this. I was at the hotel residence Taipei, which is part of the tapestry collection by Hilton. I have Hilton diamond status. As you know, one of their perks is you get a daily food and beverage credit at this particular hotel. The only place you can use the credit is at the Starbucks in the lobby.

[Megan Coyle]

Oh, okay, right. Well, I mean, at least you can use it there. You know, I don't mind one Starbucks chai latte.

[Sally French]

Yeah. And. And so my husband is like, I don't want to go to Starbucks. We're in. We're in Taiwan. I want to go to all these local places. And I was like, let's. Let's just check it out. So first off, the flag should have been that there's a sign that it says, we only serve hotel guests from 7am to 9:30am and I'm like, hmm, that's weird. Why is the Starbucks not open to the public at those times? So anyway, I followed my husband. We did not go that morning because we wanted to go to the very famous Fuhang soy milk breakfast restaurant, which was a block away. And that was a very good recommendation. I'm so glad he said that because it's so good. But we had the Starbucks credit to still spend. So we came back in the evening. First off, it's already interesting. Starbucks is open in the evening. It was golden week, which is a holiday week for them. But Starbucks in the evening was packed with people on their laptops studying. People were drinking. They serve wine at this Starbucks. So then we're like, we gotta spend this money. So we get. We just got food because we didn't want coffee in the evening. The food was unbelievable. They have taro and butter bread, and it just has this giant hunk of butter on it, massive hunk of toast with peanut on it. They have these delicate little chiffon cakes. They got egg tarts, which you got to get an egg tart when you're over there. It was so much different than American Starbucks.

[Megan Coyle]

Oh, wow, that sounds amazing. Wait, I wish ours were open that late. Because I'm constantly looking for a place to finish my work and I'm not necessarily done at 5pm or whenever the Starbucks closes. So that would be so much fun if I could just be snacking on egg tarts and finishing my work at like 6:30 on a Tuesday at a Starbucks.

[Sally French]

I've seen a couple Starbucks in the US openly, but it is not like it is in Taiwan that people of Taiwan are in love with Starbucks on a level that I found unbelievably fascinating. So basically tldr go try the local food. For sure, if you're in Taiwan, you got to go to Fuhang soy milk for breakfast.

[Megan Coyle]

But.

[Sally French]

But don't dunk on Starbucks either. Don't generally dunk on American fast food as a pit stop in a foreign country because you might find it to be a fascinating cultural experience on its own.

[Megan Coyle]

Okay, I'll also add on to this real quick. KFC in China is also a total vibe that's very different from the kfc. Actually, I can't remember the last time I went to a KFC in the us but the ones in China have wings that are super good and egg tarts as well. And everyone is there like so many people are there, just like on a casual weekday, you know, just getting a little snack and I'm like, oh wow, I wish the KFCs were this popping

[Sally French]

in the US now this makes me sad. I was in Hong Kong with friend of the show Tiff, you know, Tiffany, and she and I kind of separated for a morning. And you know what she did? She went to KFC and got an egg tart and I regret not going with her now. She was telling me, she was like, the egg tarts are so good.

[Megan Coyle]

How many egg tarts do you think you had on your trip, Sally?

[Sally French]

Well, I had zero from the kfc, which I regret, but I had a lot from other places because I do go local food spots. But I now I regret not going to the KFC and getting an egg tart there.

[Megan Coyle]

All right, that's a great hot takeoff out of the list everyone, when you're traveling internationally. Wait, actually I want to add one more hot takeoff. We're just going to keep piling it on for this summer. I think people shouldn't discount international destinations if they're trying to save money because depending on the conversion rate, depending on if you go to a foreign country that has a more walkable city or has better public transportation, I feel like the public transportation costs don't go up as quickly as gas prices. And airline fuel. So if you are trying to save money, go to a place that you don't need to rent a car when you're traveling.

[Sally French]

I think that's a hot take is

[Megan Coyle]

go to a car free place and possibly consider international because I just went to Europe just this past month and it was 35,000 points to fly all the way to Europe. I feel like it's sometimes is 35,000 points for me to fly to the east coast. So consider like, okay, just because it's international, it's definitely going to take longer. Like time wise probably, but it might be a lot cheaper of a trip.

[Sally French]

And just to pile onto the public transit thing, as you know, I was in Taiwan. Their public transit rides like a train ride is like 30 cents. It's so cheap. It's so good. Why don't we have more public transit in the US and with prices like

[Megan Coyle]

that, that makes public transportation more affordable for families. I feel like that's something we hear all the is like, oh, I'm taking my kids, there's four of us. So it doesn't really make sense to do public transportation. No. Oh my gosh. If you look at some of the public transportation prices in other places, you'd be surprised. It does work for an entire family.

[Sally French]

20th hot takeoff of the day. Add some more public transit.

[Megan Coyle]

All right, if you guys have hot takeoffs, be sure to send them to us travel nerdwallet.com you could also leave us a comment on Spotify. You can drop us a comment right in the app, maybe share your hot takeoff and we might share one on the show.

[Sally French]

You can leave comments on all sorts of platforms, even Apple Podcasts. You can do that when you leave a comment. Also, please leave a five star review. That's one of the best ways to share the show. We want this show to grow. I hope you want the show to grow because that means we can continue doing more shows. So please leave us a review. Leave us a comment.

[Megan Coyle]

And if you haven't already, follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio. That'll help you automatically download new episodes and help other people find the show as well.

[Sally French]

This episode was produced by Tess Viglund and edited by Nick Karisimi. Claire Sosi and Hilary Georgi helped with

[Megan Coyle]

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 and may not apply to your specific circumstances.

[Sally French]

We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full. And your wallet. Even Fuller. Thanks, everyone. See you next time,

[Megan Coyle]

Sam.