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Best Travel Credit Cards- Main Players 

Date: 07-11-2023

Travel More Podcast

Want to get started with travel hacking but don’t know where to begin? Overwhelmed by the amount of credit cards on the market and don’t know what to choose? Today we continue our summer school series on travel hacking, breaking down the best travel credit cards to start building your wallet. 

We’ve already talked about our Easy, Medium and Hard travel hacking in our Second ever episode so this is going to be more about the full wallet, not just one card! 

When we say main player cards, we mean where you are spending money and turning things you buy into flexible currency. So your main cards need to be flexible currency (e.g., points that are transferable to airlines and hotel programs)

When you start - you will probably have one main card off this list, from one of the ecosystems

As you progress - you’ll want to add cards that give you more points in certain categories:

What we cover in this episode 

-The four different “ecosystems” of travel credit cards and what might be best for you.

-Combinations of flexible currency cards that make sense to increase your point earning rate

-Our rules on opening credit cards and what to watch out for

-Some of our favorite redemptions to date

Here's the article explaining each piece of this episode- First Travel Credit Card

If all this makes your head hurt, you can check out our own credit card wallet and how we use different cards to rack up the points and miles.

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Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Delayed Flight Compensation: Know What to Ask For Next Time You Fly

Date: 7/4/23

Travel More Podcast

Almost 8,000 US flights delayed or canceled due to severe storms! These were the headlines leading into the fourth of July weekend. And while that’s not what you want to see before heading to the airport, knowing your passenger rights, airline compensation policies and having access to some travel protections can make a huge difference in your summer travel plans. Today we’ll show you how to protect your summer vacation and why you might already have all you need! 

#1 Air Regulations

Travel to/from EU:

• Government regulated compensation packages 
• Have to be traveling around the EU, out of the EU or to the EU (with an EU airline) to be eligible. 
• Can be up to $700 compensation, food and lodging 

Travel to/from US

• No major government regulated compensation packages- only with luggage 
• Most major airlines have compensation packages 

#2 Credit Cards and Travel Insurance

• Most major travel credit cards have some sort of travel insurance built in
• Most delayed trip expenses- up to $500 for 6-12 hours delayed
• Chase has the best coverage, and while it is even better with the expensive Chase Reserve, even the $95 Chase Sapphire is pretty great giving the most comprehensive trip cancellation insurance (very similar to regular travel insurance).

#3 Up and Coming

• There is some hope for US regulations- there is a bill proposed that will make compensation packages more similar to the EU regulations, which would protect travelers a bit more. We’ll see if that passes- that could change some things! 

Check to see if your flight is owed compensation at AirHelp

Get one of the best travel credit cards for travel protections: Chase Sapphire

Do a deep dive of credit card protections 

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Are Airport Lounges Really Worth It? What to Expect and How to Get in

Date: 6/27/23

Travel More Podcast

Traveling through an airport can be stressful and expensive. Movies and TV shows always show airport lounges for business and first class travelers- but we’re here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be that way. Today we’re unveiling the mythical airport lounge experience and letting you know if it’s really worth it and maybe more importantly- how to get in! 

Airport Lounges are not all created equally, we’ve been to some great ones, and some not so great ones. But even the not so great ones beat sitting at the gate for 2 hours before your flight. There are 4 main ways to get in:

1. Buy a Day Pass
2. Fly First Class or Business 
3. Have Status with an Airline 
4. Have a Great Credit Card

So of course, like most episodes this summer- we suggest getting your feet wet in the travel hacking world. They can get you some great fringe benefits. And while we wouldn’t get the cards JUST for lounge access, it’s nice to have on the side! 

Here’s our favorite lounge access card: Capital One Venture X

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Beginner Travel Hacking- Breaking down the Lingo

Original Air Date: 6/20/23

Travel More Podcast- Summer School Bonus

Travel hacking, like most hobbies- can come with its own lingo. Whenever you start to talk to people in the points and miles word it can quickly feel like they're talking in a foreign language. We’re here to translate that for you: We’ll be doing 5 travel hacking episodes during Summer School so this is the first installment

Today we got over these travel hacking terms:

Redemptions

CPP

Player 1 + Player 2

Transfer Partners 

Portals

Flexible Currency

Fixed Currency

Status 

Minimum Spend 

If your head is spinning, don’t worry! We also published an article you can use to help you make it a little easier. You can find it here.

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Essential Travel Tools: 5 Websites We Use for Every Trip

These websites we’re going to share are our utility belt of travel planning tools. None of these websites require sign ups or email addresses and they are all free to use (in the way we do!). Today’s lesson will help you find the cheapest flights, navigate through any itinerary, and find the best food in the city. Let’s jump into our top 5 travel websites. 

https://www.google.com/travel/flights - the best way to search for flights at all times. We use this every single time we book a flight

https://www.rome2rio.com/ -the best way to plan a multi-city trip

https://www.booking.com/ -create a budget using average hotel prices and book them on this site if needed 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ -use tripadvisor for cheap eats! Our absolute favorite feature 

https://www.viator.com/ -search tours and see what the most popular things to do in the area are- don’t necessarily book through this site.

Check out our video tutorial of how to use Google Flights here

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Why Cruising Should Be On Every Traveler’s Bucket List

Travel More Podcast

Some people swear it's the only way to travel - others turn their nose at the thought - is cruising really so controversial? There’s more to cruising than what you’ve seen in brochures or heard from sitting through your relatives slideshow from their 12th Caribbean adventure. Keep listening to hear our take on both classic and lesser known ways to set sail and find out why cruising should be on every traveler's bucket list. 

#1 Caribbean Cruises

Caribbean cruises are great for people who just want to relax and see some great beaches in the meantime. These aren’t going to take you to the most authentic and cultural places, but they’ll be a fun, all-inclusive experience. These are fantastic for big groups of people, like family vacations, because everyone can go and do their own thing. These can also be an affordable way to vacation. We’ve seen them from as little as $700pp to, well as much as you want to pay. Making sure you pick the correct cruise line is the number one consideration with Caribbean Cruises.

#2 European Cruises

This is where things get interesting. European cruises obviously drop you off in European cities which are generally easy to get around. This allows you to get out of the tourist traps right on the docks that you will probably be stuck in on caribbean cruises without an excursion. 

There are also smaller cruise lines like Variety Cruises that are only 49 people tops. Because of the small size of the boat, they are able to port in smaller destinations. This allows you to explore places that would be very difficult to get to on your own. This cruise line goes all over the world but has lots of amazing European destinations- like Greece. 

#3 Adventure/Expedition Cruises

Adventure cruising is cruising that is specifically focused around exploring. You won’t necessarily find mini-golf on the top deck or a 24 buffet in the galley but you will find naturalists on board, sometimes labs are on board, specialists and destinations that you can’t get anywhere else. 

Get Reliefband here 

Book with Virgin Cruise Here

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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Why We Would Skip Yellowstone and Where We Would Go Instead 

Are you ready to get outside this summer but aren't sure where to go? Is Yellowstone national park on your bucket list? Today we share why we may skip one of America’s most famous parks and what we might do instead, plus we give you our insider tips for visiting America’s national parks.

First all about Yellowstone 

Okay, maybe we wouldn’t actually skip it, but we wouldn’t base ourselves there for a major trip. 

The great part about Yellowstone? Wildlife and geothermal pools

The Cons?

• it’s giant– we spent over 7 hours driving in one day in Yellowstone. 
• it’s mostly about sightseeing from your car, some overlooks, and boardwalks more than anything. 
• it’s extremely popular, which means busy. We got stuck in more than a few traffic jams due to wildlife sightings—we often coin phrases (kinda like an inside joke) that we say over and over again in our trips and ours here was: just another buffalo!
• the campgrounds were also extremely busy, with little to no privacy and with alot of people who don’t necessarily know camp etiquette. We’re no professional campers but things like, quiet hours, are definitely a thing to know and follow in a campground! 

So where would we go instead? Easy- the Grand Tetons

• It's less than an hour to Yellowstone from the Tetons, and this is definitely where I would base myself for the trip 
• You won’t be driving as much- it's not nearly as big 
• This is a lot more active of a park, there’s some amazing hiking trails, kayaking, fishing, rafting, etc. This is more of the outdoorsy experience I was expecting from the National Parks
• We had one of our favorite hikes ever here- Jenny Lake

Finally we have our top secret tips for visiting a park- you’ll have to tune in to hear all about those!

Remember- we’re doing a giveaway to celebrate our summer podcast series- we are so excited! All people on our email list will be eligible for the giveaway so join now if you want to be entered to win- link below in the show notes! 

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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How to Create a Travel Budget for Your Trip

Are you someone who feels stuck before you even get started planning a trip? Does the word budget make you feel dread and panic? Have you been putting off that bucket list trip because it always seems out of reach? Today we break down the essentials of planning a budget using two strategies that Shelly and I have used to make our bucket list trips a reality. And stick around to hear about our new found travel love and a hack to skip the nitty gritty of budget planning. 

Today we are talking about all things travel budget. We have a few different strategies when it comes to planning a budget. 

We will learn about:

1. Many different travel tools to help plan your budget 
2. A few different types of budgets and when they are appropriate 
3. A revival of a type of travel that allows you to limit your required planning and be able to experience your bucket list destinations.

There are two ways to build a budget: destination specific and date specific. 

Destination Specific Budgets: 

Destination specific takes more planning but you can more easily check off specific bucket lists. For example, if you want to see the Northern Lights in Norway, you will probably be hard pressed to make that a super budget trip. It's a popular season and an expensive destination. So instead, we will give you the tools to build a specific budget for that destination.

Date Specific Budget: 

Date specific (which is all we talk about in our Travel Talk episode) gives you much more flexibility and is less time consuming, but it does require a bit of trust that you’ll enjoy the destination that is “chosen” for you. I’ll explain that a little more as we go. 

We also have a fun little bonus that allows you to minimize your planning efforts while also going to specific bucket list destinations.

Support the show

Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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AirBnB Vs. Hotels - How to Choose the Perfect Stay and Avoid a Nightmare

Travel More Podcast

A question that plagues the modern traveler- do I book an AirBnB or a Hotel? Both have their unique pros and cons. Today we share some of our dream AirBnB stays like our tropical paradise in the Everglades and Florida keys, but also our nightmare experiences, like midnight cockroaches in North Carolina. Keep listening to hear our stories and advice on how to find the perfect accommodation for your next adventure. 

#1 Explaining the different services 

• The differences between AirBnBs and Hotels and (and why you would choose one over another) can be put into many a few different categories. We define these categories as: Price - Style - Credit Cards and Loyalty - Dependability - Group Size 

#2 Our Experiences in AirBnBs

Good 

- Everglades Airstreams 

- Boat in the Florida Keys 

-Quirky finds in New Orleans 

Bad

- Orlando Apartment

-Cleaning Requirements in Vermont

- Cockroaches in North Carolina

#3 Our Recommendations

It depends! Look at both!

• How to read AirBnB reviews to determine it’s worth - also watch for hidden fees
• I trust google reviews the most
• AirBnB
  • Pros
    • Can be cheaper - or way more expensive, unless splitting with group
      • Check the hidden fees!
    • Could have local community location - feel like you’re staying how locals live
    • Unique features compared to hotels
  • Cons
    • Can be sketchy based on owner - more risky than hotels 
    • Hidden fees
    • They are actually illegal in some places and some people have been kicked out of them because of this- make sure you know the laws of the area
• Hotel
  • Great if you are building points/loyalty or redeeming
  • Consistency - a presence there for later check-ins - feeling of security
  • Can still be fun and quirky- just have to read reviews and make sure they are truly quirky and not just dingy 
  • Transparent fees 
  • My favorite brands are Marriott and Hyatts- IBIS for cheap stays in Europe and Holiday Inn for Cheap Stays in US if not Marriott/Hyatts

We want to thank Going f

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Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

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What is Local Travel and Why Should You Already Be Doing It
Want to travel more but feel overwhelmed by flying, finding a week off, or leaving the country? Or maybe you already travel some but you're feeling stuck in your routines? Are you at a place in life where it’s hard to commit far in advance? We have the solution - and today we go over exactly where to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in a rut. 

Sign up for giveaway here- http://travelmorepodcast.com/landing-page 

Chapters

#1 There are many ways to define local travel, just like there are many ways to define travel in itself. But here’s how we define it: Local travel is all about getting out of your typical routine and discovering new things. What does that look like? It could look like going on a 3 day weekend to a nearby town. It could look like going to the next town over to go to a festival or fair. It could even mean going to a new brewery in your area. We would consider any of that local travel. 

#2  The more you say yes- the easier it gets. The more you get out of your comfort zone and experience new things, the more you look for those experiences and when that flight finally shows up and all the stars align- you are much more likely to pull the trigger and say yes because you are already used to choosing new things and putting yourself out there. It’s kinda like Dave Ramsay’s Debt Snowball, if you’re familiar with that financial idea. 

#3 We live in New England now but we also lived in the panhandle of FL and I lived in Memphis- right in the middle of the country. In each of these places we found cool places to go on local trips. Let’s start with New England

In New England- some of our favorite places to “travel local” are to the local fairs- pretty much our entire fall is spent this way. We also love Cape Cod for longer trips and of course, skiing

In Memphis- I liked Nashville of course, I actually went there and back in a day a few times. I also visited Saint Louis on a long weekend trip as well as Chattanooga, Hot Springs, the Ozarks and finally Tuscaloosa for a game!

And in Florida- we of course did Disney (on a resident’s pass), but we also did St. Augustine, and our very favorite weekend location- New Orleans. 

We’d love to hear all about some of the local travel adventures you get up to! Shoot us an email at

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Subscribe to our Newsletter for a bi-weekly points and miles tip, an update on the best current travel deals, points and miles transfer bonuses and interesting places we've found in our travels.

Join our Travel Community on Facebook to connect with other like minded travelers, share stories, tips, tricks and travel hack wins- Travel More Insiders

Visit our Website https://travelmorepodcast.com/

Join Going (Scott's Cheap Flights) Use code: MAGIC20 for 20% off your first year!

Check out our travels in real time and get additional tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmorepodcast/

Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would or do use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.