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Today's episode is sponsored by Quince Megan.
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We are now in pumpkin spice season, which means it is also the season for a wardrobe refresh.
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Right? I went from beach mode to layers mode. That's why I'm reaching for my quints.
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What I love about quints is their high quality staples that you really want to wear. 50 Mongolian cashmere, premium denim that doesn't feel like it's scratchy and something you got from the discount store. And outerwear that feels fall without feeling like it cost all of your paycheck.
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Their wool coats are definitely on my list. They look like they belong in a Paris Fashion Week photo. Not in my cart, but here we are.
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Ooh, Meghan, you're so fancy. Of course, the best part of quints is that they partner with top tier ethical factories and cut out the middleman so you get real luxury, but not at luxury prices.
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It's the kind of wardrobe upgrade that feels smart, stylish and effortless. I got a linen pant set from Quint this summer. It was perfect for those hot days, but now it's been great to wear in the evenings and on the airplane. For fall travel, find your fall staples at quint. Go to quints.com smarttravel for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too.
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That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com smarttravel to get free shipping and 365 day returns.
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Quint.com smart travel in true consumer fashion.
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We talked about Halloween last week, but this week it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's.
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Yes, the holidays seem to start earlier every year though.
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The good news is you may not have to book your travel earlier this year.
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Oops. Well, you know, it's never too early to start thinking about it though.
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Megan.
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Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Megan Coyle.
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And I'm Sally French.
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And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.
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We are not wasting any time today. We are moving straight into the holiday season. We are diving into the data about how much people are spending on holiday travel and hopefully giving you tips so you can save.
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But first, our usual 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.
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We do have some transfer partner news. Built Rewards I know you're a fan, Megan. They just added Etihad Guest to its list of transfer partners. That is an airline based in the United Arab Emirates and they're probably best known for their first class seats. Each seat in this class has so much space they call it an apartment.
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That's a bucket list. Redemption for a lot of people because that first class cabin also has in flight showers in the bathrooms.
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Very nice. You know, I've never flown first class, but I have seen showers on an Emirates Airlines flight and that was unbelievable. Also, that one had heated floors. I'm curious how these ones go.
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Ooh, okay. But as usual, these seats will cost you a pretty penny. We've seen first class tickets go for 160,000 miles and around $545 in taxes and fees to fly from New York to Abu Dhabi.
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Yikes. And that is exactly why I have not flown first class on this. But the good news is that BILT does transfer at one to one ratio now, so that is good. If you can afford that first class seat, you might need to transfer points from a couple of different sources, so this is also helpful. Etihad is also a transfer partner of American Express, Capital One and Citi.
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We'll link to NerdWallet's article on the Build Etihad partnership in the Show Notes.
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Also speaking of Citi, they just increased the intro offer on the Citi strata Elite card. That is Citi's new premium card. It has a 595 annual fee. With the intro offer you will get a hundred thousand points when you spend $6,000 in the first three months of account opening.
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That's interesting because this card just launched in July and the intro offer was only 80,000 points. When you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
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Sometimes we see this phenomenon where the intro offer at the card launch is not always the best one. We kind of saw this too with the Chase Sapphire Reserve when they announced all the new benefits on their card. So their sign up bonus went up to 125,000 points after their intro offer which was just 100,000 points though I will say that one it was 100,000 points plus a statement credit for Chase Travel Bookings. And then also like Citi, Chase did increase the minimum speed spending requirement for earning that bonus. So do keep in mind, more points typically means you do have to spend more.
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In fact, several cards have signup bonuses worth more than a hundred thousand points. We'll link to the article we have about boosted signup bonuses right now. And of course the City Strata Elite card is on it now.
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I will say I always forget about this card, but the City Strata Elite card is a really good option for people who fly American Airlines. I fly out of SFO and there just aren't that many American Airlines flights. But Megan, I know you are a big American Airlines fan and what's great about this card is that City Points are the only type of credit card points that can transfer to American Airlines right now.
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I think that's what makes this card super valuable. All right, moving on to some hotel news. Hilton just announced its newest brand. It's called the Outset Collection.
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Hilton keeps rolling out new brands and this brings their total up to 25 brands. I also think this is just an example of Hilton trying to catch up to Marriott. Although Marriott still is in the lead, they have more than 30 brands.
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I'm interested in the Outset Collection though because it's kind of boutique inspired properties. It seems like it's going to have a lot of hotels with upscale finishes. Also like design forward, a lot of like character with location specific touches. I'm very curious.
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That is a way to both of our hearts is Bougie Hotel, but also pretty unique in Botiki. The first outset hotels are expected to open later in 2025 bookings open in November. So a couple locations we've already heard. There is one in Moab. You know I love Moab. And then there's also a boutique hotel in Chicago which another great city.
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No word yet on what the redemption rates will look like if you want to use points for these, but I imagine it'll be similar to some of the other independent hotel collections that fall under Hilton. So those are brands like Curio Collection or the Tapestry Collection.
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Beautiful. We'll have more in a moment. Stay with us. The following is a paid sponsorship, not an endorsement by NerdWallet's editorial team. Today's episode is sponsored by Bilt.
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By now you've probably heard of Bilt, where you can earn points on your monthly rent payment. But did you know they make it possible for you to get more outside of your home too?
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By paying rent through Bilt, you can earn points. Those points are flexible and members can redeem them towards hotels and airlines, credits for a future rent payment, your next Lyft ride and more.
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And it doesn't stop there. Bilt is about making your entire neighborhood more rewarding. You can dine out at your favorite local restaurants and earn additional points, get VIP treatment at certain fitness studios, and enjoy exclusive experiences just for Built members Every month.
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BILT is turning a monthly expense into an opportunity to earn rewards and discover the best that your neighborhood has to offer. Your rent is finally working for you.
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Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to join built.com smart travel that's J-O-I-N.
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B I L T.com smarttravel make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you.
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Today's episode is sponsored by Claude.
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So I just got married in Orange County, California.
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I was there. Your wedding was wild.
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Okay, glad you think so. And we had a lot of people from out of town, so I started messing around with Claude, which is an AI tool. I asked it to plan a trip to Cota de Causa, California, which is where my wedding venue was. It gave me some great history. Like did you know it was famously the original setting for the Real Housewives of Orange County?
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No way. Really? I used to watch that show all the time.
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Oh Megan. A Bravo TV classic. So thank you Claude for that tidbit. But it also gave so much practical information like great nearby attractions and even the best airports to fly into.
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I'm impressed. I also used Claude to help me plan a weekend trip to Seattle this month and it helped me figure out how to get around without a car. So it made this optimized itinerary and it showed all the coffee shops and bookstores that I wanted to visit. It even created an interactive map that showed the route.
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Wow. I hope this means you are going to be getting a lot of steps in.
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Oh yeah, I've got nine. Nine problems. But the itinerary isn't one.
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Claude is the AI for mindset. Don't stop at Goodenough. It is the collaborator that actually understand your entire travel planning process and thinks with you, not for you. And of course it goes beyond travel planning.
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Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Clawd today and get 50% off Cloud Pro when you use our link Claude AI SmartTravel. That's Claude AI SmartTravel right now for 50% off your first three months of Cloud Pro. Sally, we are going into my favorite time of the year.
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Halloween.
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No. Though I do love my chai lattes and Gilmore Girl reruns, so I do have a major appreciation for cozy fall, you know.
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So are you at Thanksgiving Girl?
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Yes, Thanksgiving. That's Literally my favorite holiday. And throw in Christmas too.
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Wow, what an interesting favorite holiday. Okay, well, I will say your favorite time of year is one of the worst times of year to travel.
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Yeah, you're not wrong. I think it really depends what you value. Like, if you're going for cheap bears or fused crowds, then, yeah, not a good time to travel. But I'm traveling to spend time with people and explore new places and, you know, get in the holiday spirit. So holiday travel for me is really special.
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I don't want to sound like a scrooge here, but I explicitly do not travel during the holidays. And instead I recommend gathering with family and either early December or wait until January. Airports give me so much anxiety during the holidays. Sometimes I'm in that TSA line, especially during Thanksgiving, and I'm like, is this these people's first day on earth? Like, sorry. Then you add the outrageous cost of holiday travel. No way.
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Let's talk about those prices. So US adults will spend a collective $311 billion on flights and hotels this holiday season. That's according to Nerd Wallet's annual analysis of holiday spending.
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What is even $300 billion? I feel like that's not a real number.
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You're right, it isn't. If you break it down, it's 45% of Americans plan to spend money on flights or hotels this holiday season. And then of those, they'll spend an average of $2,586 for those expenses.
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Interesting. So that is $200 more than the $2,330 that Americans said they spent last year. So that $200 increase is not insignificant.
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And nearly half of 2025 holiday travelers say they'll keep their holiday travel plans regard events this year. I feel like I definitely saw this when I was booking my holiday flights this year. I booked my flights back in August like I always do. I learned this in college. Like, you have to be early and you can just like lock in a low price and then as things change, maybe you can rebook it. But I was seeing round trip prices for my holiday flights from LA to Washington D.C. around $700.
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Oh, that's deep.
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Yeah, normally I would pay about $450 for these round trip flights at other times of the year.
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Although I kind of feel like you just booked too early in the booking window.
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Exactly. So I was booking for Christmas and Google actually found that the average prices for Christmas and New Year's Eve trips tend to be low as 51 days before departure. And that's actually later than last year by about a week.
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Okay, so we'll do the math for you. 51 days out. That is Tuesday, November 4th for Christmas, and that is coming sooner than we know.
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I'm going to stick by my original statement, though. I think it's still better to have something booked rather than nothing because you can always cancel and rebook if the prices drop. As long as you buy the main cabin. Fair and not basic economy.
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Yes.
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At least you have something, a backup plan in case the prices never come down.
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Okay, so that's Christmas data. Let's talk Thanksgiving.
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The latest data from Google Flights says average prices for Thanksgiving trips tend to be low as 35 days before departure. And again, that's 10 days later than last year, which was 45 days.
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Okay, so the ideal time to book flights for Thanksgiving Travel is really October 23rd. That is literally next week. So people PSA, you're welcome for listening to Smart Travel. If you want to travel for Thanksgiving, book now.
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And if you're looking at prices and thinking, wow, this is way too expensive to travel for the holidays this year, we have some ideas for you.
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First, I will say off the bat, be flexible with the dates you want to fly on the off peak dates. So every year I write this article for NerdWallet about the best days to fly around Thanksgiving and then again best days to fly for Christmas. We will link to the full article in the episode description, but I will say consistently the holidays themselves. I am talking Thanksgiving Day or Christmas that's December 25th. Are the slowest travel days also usually the cheapest. And then if you do fly in the morning, you likely still make it to your final destination in time for dinner.
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But the presents?
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Oh come on. I would say don't even pack the presents, just open them at home before you get on the plane. And then also I will say this is purely qualitative, but I swear people at airports are nicer on the actual holiday.
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I agree with that. There's some camaraderie going on with the holiday travelers.
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I agree.
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Sally, what are other good days to fly around these holidays?
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If you can also fly Christmas Eve if you don't want to fly on actual Christmas or Black Friday is also a good day to travel. These are kind of like the second slowest days at airports around the holiday periods, of course, after the holidays themselves.
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Yes, I do know some families have traditions though on Christmas Eve or like high school reunions on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
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Nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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So for people who don't want to miss either of those days either. When should they fly?
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Basically, the rule of thumb is you want to fly as far away from the holiday as you can if you must get there early. So the worst time to fly really is like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving because everyone just wants to be there for Thanksgiving dinner. So if you can fly out, like even Tuesday, Monday or the weekend before, if you can fly out that Saturday, that's a really, really good way to save money.
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Great tips. Okay, my next tip is going to be controversial, okay? Especially because we say this all the time to not consider a layover, because what can go wrong?
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But you're saying do a layover, do.
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A layover for the holidays if it is significantly cheaper, I've definitely rolled the dice. And you know, it does introduce more risk because something could happen. Either a flight, you could lose your bag, but it could also save you a lot of money. And there is the possibility that you just get there on time and for cheaper. Who knows?
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Megan, it is not even the hot takes time of the segment. I will say do this at your own risk because you know, especially if you're doing a layover in a place like Chicago or Denver where weather is rough, then you do kind of risk flight disruptions for that. So I would say layover at your own risk. But I do agree often layovers are so much cheaper. So this is like big time gamble energy.
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Yeah. And like you said, it's important to think about where you're going to layover. So you want to avoid airports that might have weather. I also look for layovers in cities that are close enough to where I'm going. That sounds a little weird, but for example, I fly home to the Washington, D.C. area for the holidays and I usually try to get a layover in Philly. And so let's say worst comes to worst, my flight from Philly to D.C. is canceled. I can actually just leave the airport and take an Amtrak and go down to Washington.
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That's a good tip. And then also like, I go from San Francisco to St. Louis often and it can be expensive to get a direct flight. So if I have to do a layover, sometimes there'll be like layover in Seattle and then catch his flight. And I'm like, there is only one flight a day from Seattle to St. Louis, but I will always do layovers in Chicago because I feel like there's flights every hour from Chicago to St. Louis. So. So choose an airport that has many layover options in case you somehow get delayed and miss it. You can just Hop on another flight.
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And related to all this airport talk, I wrote an article about the airports with the best flight deals. It's definitely not a guarantee during the holidays because all the norms go out the window, but definitely keep your options open. Maybe like a slightly further airport for you might be cheaper. Just be flexible about the dates and the airports.
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And then of course, do not forget your credit card. Points and miles can be a good option. Holiday flights tend to be really high in terms of cash fares. I have realized recently that points rates, especially for last minute fares, can often be very good. So if you do procrastinate and you need to look at the last minute, don't overlook looking at points now if you're not sure what your points are worth, NerdWallet has calculators that can help you do the math and kind of tell you because all points are worth a different different amount depending on the airline or the frequent traveler program. So we will also link to those in the episode Description.
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One of my best redemptions ever was actually a points deal during the holidays. It was 11, 000American miles and I think it was from LA to Hawaii because I was going there for New Year's Eve and a wedding of course.
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Wow, that is a very good deal. Okay.
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It was a late flight too. So we landed and I was so tired that I fell asleep during the fireworks. Like imagine the booms and Megan's just. Just passed out.
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Nice. Okay, so let's also talk about what else Nerdwell has to say about how people are planning to save money with points.
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Well, they said more than a quarter will stay with loved ones instead of getting a hotel room or a vacation rental.
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Okay.
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And one that I found really interesting, about 3 in 10 holiday travelers will use AI tools to help them plan holiday travel this year.
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Oh my gosh. I feel like I'm seeing so many trend pieces these days about, you know, this being the first AI Christmas and all that. I'm scared.
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I'm so confused. Like, what are they using the AI tools for? Like, it doesn't have super accurate pricing data for flights that change, you know, prices every minute or something. So I really want to know what everyone is doing with AI and getting cheap flights for the holidays.
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I do like AI for travel planning in general, but I'm very curious about holiday AI usage. So maybe we'll have to dig into AI for travel in a future episode.
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Yeah, let's do it.
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Okay. Cheap flight prices aside, I think one of the other big concerns for holiday travel are just Those delays and cancellations. We kind of mentioned this already, but do you remember when I got caught in that southwest meltdown in 2022?
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You are actually the most positive person I've ever heard. Get caught in like the biggest airline meltdown of the last five years. What did you learn from that experience?
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Oh, I'm like, I love the chaos. And I also love a good airport lounge. So I'm like, yo, this is just an excuse to go to an extra lounge. But I will say, if you are traveling during the holidays, or really anytime, but especially during the holidays, be flexible. Have backup plans. I often think backup plans are what other airports you can fly to. So, Megan, you mentioned, like, can you fly to Philly and then take the train or whatever. So understand what your options are. I would say arrive early. So if flights are delayed, maybe you can jump on an earlier flight that is just like the other delayed flight that you're there for. So always, just. Just be prepared. I think holiday time is so chaotic because so many people are traveling, planes are full. So if there is an issue, it just creates this domino effect.
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I actually looked up data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics about the most reliable airlines. Now, this also won't guarantee that something won't happen to your flight. But if you are curious which airlines have the most on time flights, Southwest is number one. And that's if you don't count Hawaiian airlines because they have beautiful weather and not that many flights.
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Flights low sample size with Hawaiian.
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Yeah, exactly. So Southwest number one for this year. But also, do you want to guess like the other contenders for most reliable airlines?
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Most reliable airlines. I really like Delta. I just feel like they really. They really have it together. So I'm gonna say Delta.
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Yeah, they usually perform really well in on time. You know who beat them this year is Spirit Airlines.
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What?
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Yeah, they had a really good summer. They were very on time.
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Is Spirit beats Delta. It's something. Oh, my God.
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Yeah.
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All right.
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So lots of things to consider when you're trying to avoid some of the mishaps. What are your thoughts, Sally, on travel insurance for holiday travel?
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I think it can be a good idea for some travelers Now. Holiday travel just brings in that added component of weather. So make sure your travel insurance policy does cover weather delays if you're going for travel insurance. I think travel insurance is also really critical for trips ships that kind of have these dominoes that could stack if something goes wrong. So I think about a cruise. If you are flying out and then you miss your cruise, then you probably Just can't get on the cruise. So that travel insurance will be really helpful. I do think with holiday travel I'm often staying with family that if my flight is delayed by one day, it's not really this huge deal because it's just, you know, one less day to stay with my family. Or if I have to stay longer, it's one more day that I can stay for free with my family. So I would kind of just, just weigh like what are all the moving parts of your trip and how much chaos would be incited if something goes wrong.
A
A lot of times we talk about like, is this trip something that has a lot of non refundable expenses? And so maybe a family trip doesn't qualify. But if you are going like on a really big New Year's Eve trip and you need to be there for the cruise in the harbor during the fireworks and that's non refundable, that might be a time to think about getting travel insurance. Plus you might already have some travel insurance protections on your credit card. So my recommendation is to refresh your memory on what your specific cards cover before you book your holiday travel on it. I made a mistake on one of my trips earlier this year and that's why I didn't get as much money as I thought for my lost luggage.
B
That's because you paid for the flight on point, so the insurance didn't kick in.
A
Yes. And also the bag was not totally lost. It did come back to me after two weeks.
B
Weeks.
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But my card only covered it if it was declared lost, which the airline said they would do after 21 days. So it didn't quite meet the requirements.
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At least you got your bag back.
A
I did, I did.
B
Okay, let's talk about international travel. I think you are heading abroad.
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I am. I'm going to Australia during Thanksgiving this year.
B
Oh.
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It'll be summer there, which is kind of wild to think about.
B
And let me guess, you are going for yet another wedding.
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Man, you know me so well.
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Wedding queen. Okay, so we talked about the best days to fly for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I also wanna talk about just flying during that period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Often you can save a lot of money and avoid crowds.
A
Yeah, it's kind of like a mini shoulder season. Like shoulder season's usually in the fall, but there's like this mini sandwich season sandwich between the two really busy times to travel.
B
Oh my gosh, let's coin that term. I have not heard sandwich season before.
A
Let's make it a thing.
B
Yeah, good time to travel. Then even overseas.
A
And Google published a list of some of the trending destinations for Christmas this year. I want to talk about some of them. Maybe it'll give you some ideas. Rio de Janeiro.
B
Okay.
A
Saint Lucia. Marrakech in Morocco.
B
Ooh. Love Marrakesh.
A
And Curacao. Is that how you say it?
B
Yes, Curacao. I would say this is basically just a list of warm and sunny places. All the snowbirds want to get away. Someplace a little. A little warmer. Also in that spirit, I'm just going to throw in Hawaii is a good one for that melee Kalikimaka spirit. It.
A
Oh, yes, I love that. It's so cute. All the palm trees are decorated.
B
Yeah. Hawaii. Love Santa.
A
Okay, so we hope you all end up going somewhere fun for the holidays. Let's do a listener question. We haven't done one in a while.
B
Oh, okay. This one is from Bob. Bob says most of the non stop flights at my home airport are on American Airlines, but I would rather get a Chase or Amex card instead of an American card. Is there a way to transfer points and book American flights? Thank you in advance, Bob.
A
Good question. Okay, he's on the right track here. He wants a card that can help him book American Airlines flights. And technically you could do that with a Chase or Amex card if you book through the travel portal. But I want to suggest another option which is a city card that earns Citi thank you points because Citi just announced this the year that they are partnering with American Airlines as a new transfer partner. So Bob could get the City Strata Elite card. That card has a 595 doll annual fee or possibly the City Strata Premier card. That one only has a $95 annual fee. But both of those cards earn Citi thank you points which transfer to American Airlines at a one to one ratio.
B
And I will say, you know, I love a lounge. And this City Strata Elite card also comes with some lounge passes. So if there is an American Airlines lounge at your home airport, Bob, maybe consider that one.
A
All right, well, that's it for today, everyone. Give us a follow on social media. We're making a bunch of really fun content, especially you, Megan.
B
You are crushing it over on TikTok.
A
Oh, than thank you. Go follow Sally at Save with Sally.
B
And Megan is miles with Megan Co. On both Instagram and TikTok.
A
And while you're at it, make sure to 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. Please drop us a comment right in the app.
B
Yes, we love to hear your comments. We love if you can give us a five star rating if you did enjoy the show. Those ratings are really the currency of the show. It is free to listen to. But we do love if you can pay us back in those reviews and comments.
A
This episode was produced by Tess Vaglen. Our audio is edited by our editor, Nick Karisimi. Claire Sosi and Hilary Georgie helped with fact checking.
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Thanks everyone and here's our brief disclaimer. We are not financial nor investment advisors. This info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and it may not apply to your specific circumstances.
A
We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller Happy Holidays.
B
Melee Kalikimaka Parenting is hard. We're out here trying to childproof everything.
C
Corners of tables, electrical sockets, pet water bowls. Our own emotional overwhelm.
B
It's easy to get overwhelmed by tiny humans you're somehow responsible for not messing up. It's nice to know you're not alone, though. Home.
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We've been there. I'm Tori Phantom.
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And I'm Gwenna Lakeland and we host Childproof.
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We cover the good, the great, the hard, the feels impossible on Childproof, an Airwave Media podcast available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts.
Hosts: Sally French & Megan Coyle (NerdWallet Travel)
Episode Date: October 15, 2025
In this episode of Smart Travel, hosts Sally French and Megan Coyle dive into the art of booking affordable holiday travel for the 2025 season. With a mix of NerdWallet insights, personal anecdotes, and data-driven tips, they break down when and how to book, which travel tools and strategies really help, and offer practical, timely advice on maximizing both points and dollars during one of the most chaotic travel periods of the year.
Quote:
"What is even $300 billion? I feel like that's not a real number." – Sally [09:56]
Quote:
"PSA, you're welcome for listening to Smart Travel. If you want to travel for Thanksgiving, book now." – Sally [11:55]
Quotes:
"People at airports are nicer on the actual holiday." – Sally [12:52]
"There's some camaraderie going on with the holiday travelers." – Megan [12:55]
Quote:
"Layover at your own risk. But I do agree often layovers are so much cheaper. So this is like big time gamble energy." – Sally [14:22]
Quote:
"Don't overlook looking at points now if you're not sure what your points are worth…" – Sally [16:15]
Quote:
"I feel like I'm seeing so many trend pieces these days about, you know, this being the first AI Christmas…" – Sally [17:15]
Quote:
"Spirit beat Delta. It's something. Oh, my God." – Sally [19:38]
This episode is packed with practical, up-to-the-minute advice for booking smart—and sanely—during the 2025 holiday travel rush. From pinpointing the best booking windows, leveraging points, and navigating travel chaos, to new trends like AI trip planning and evolving transfer partners, Sally and Megan offer frank, data-backed, and personal guidance for travelers looking to make the most of their holiday journeys—budget and all.
Find more: