Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways

Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways

Planning your next vacation? Before you budget, learn how to get the most out of your travel dollars with Smart Travel. NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, are here to help your travel dollars work even harder. But the travel Nerds don’t just make recommendations; they break down the latest travel details, exploring the pros and cons of specific strategies, practical tools, and tactics. Dive deep with the experts as they lay out all the options so you can finally plan that dream vacation. So put your seat in its full upright position, buckle up, and let’s help that travel budget take you places you’ve only dreamed about. Join hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle, two of NerdWallet’s expert travel Nerds, as they lay out tips, tools, and strategies for your next travel getaway, including: Travel budgeting: What’s the best way to budget for a vacation? How can you save money planning travel? The Nerds compare the best travel budgeting tools. Travel Strategies: Should you use travel points or travel miles? Should you Airbnb or get a hotel? The Nerds have your how-to travel guide for your next trip. Family vacation planning: Thinking of a Disney trip or something more tropical? Should you fly or rent a car? The Nerds lay out your options so you can decide the best way to book your next family vacation. Travel Agents: Can travel agents save you money? Are there better alternatives? The Nerds dive into the actual cost of financial traveling and lay out your best options. Seasonal timing: When’s the right time to book travel for next summer? How far out should you plan a holiday getaway? The Nerds got you covered from Spring to Winter with smart travel strategies. Fee and policy changes: How do the latest TSA rules affect you? The Nerds break down recent regulations and how it impacts your next travel budget. Travel Planning Tools: Not sure about a new travel app? Does that website actually give you the best deals? The Nerds have reviewed all the major platforms and share their pros, cons, and insights. Destination-Specific Booking Strategies: Dreaming of Hawaiian or European getaways? The Nerds can help you and your travel budget when booking popular travel destinations. If you’re planning on traveling within the next 12 months and ready to start researching and booking your next great adventure, then follow Smart Travel to upgrade your getaways. You’ll love Smart Travel if you like podcasts like: Far From Home, Zero to Travel, Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, Amateur Traveler, Point Me To First Class, Takeoff A Points And Miles Podcast, Frequent Miler On The Air, Women Who Travel, and many other travel related podcasts. NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http:// www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/

Episodes

March 18, 2026 47 mins
Learn how to cut the cost of a ski trip before lift tickets, rentals and parking wipe out your budget. How do you keep a ski trip from blowing your whole vacation budget? When should you buy a season pass instead of a day ticket? Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French discuss how to save on ski and snowboarding trips to help you plan a cheaper mountain getaway. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Marriot...
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Get listener-powered answers on lounges, Disney cards, cruises, and layovers. Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle kick off the first listener questions episode of 2026 with quick travel headlines, including Wyndham Rewards Member Month, the Epic Pass going on sale for the 2026–27 season, and Rove Miles adding Japan Airlines as a transfer partner. They also swap recent travel wins, from Meghan’s David Copperfield weekend in Las Veg...
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Learn how to avoid common travel upsells that drain your budget, from cruise add-ons to sneaky foreign card charges. In this video episode, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down travel “noob traps” to help you spot pricey add-ons before you click “book.” But first, they cover the latest travel headlines, including Chase adding Wyndham as a new transfer partner, Skyscanner launching flight search inside ChatGPT, Kayak’s sp...
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JetBlue’s 25-for-25 sounded simple: fly to 25 airports. Hear what three finishers learned chasing 350,000 points. Before delving into the JetBlue story, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down the latest travel headlines, including big United MileagePlus changes that kick in April 2, 2026, Hyatt updates that could reshape what award nights cost, Alaska’s Atmos Rewards Global Getaways promotion, Spirit’s new Free Spirit® d...
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Learn how you can explore the Mediterranean without losing days to ferries, hotel check-ins, or pricey islands. Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle discuss Mediterranean trip planning to help you link coastal cities and islands without wasting precious vacation time. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Southwest adding Starlink Wi-Fi, JetBlue and United expanding the Blue Sky partnership for booking a...
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Learn what 2026 status program changes mean for perks like upgrades, rebooking help, and lounges. Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French talk through the latest elite status updates to help you decide when they’re worth chasing. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including the U.K.’s electronic travel authorization (ETA) enforcement starting Feb. 25, 2026, a Hawaiian Airlines credit card giveaway offering chances...
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Get a clearer way to compare hotel prices with and without credit card program perks. Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French discuss when it makes sense to book luxury hotels through credit card travel portals so you can decide if perks like breakfast, upgrades and $100 credits are actually worth the tradeoffs. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including the new Disney Inspire Visa from Chase, an American Expr...
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Learn how a points pro mapped a six-continent route to score 1 million Turkish Airlines miles. Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French talk to Ashley Peterson, founder of Ashley Gets Around, about how she became a “points millionaire” while traveling across the globe. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including winter storm flight cancellations and airline waivers, new restrictions and options tied to Bilt Cash...
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Find out if Bilt’s new credit cards are worth the hassle for earning points on rent or a mortgage. Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle dive deep into the Bilt Card 2.0 Program to explain what’s changed and what to consider before signing up. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including a World of Hyatt Credit Card welcome offer that can earn up to five free nights, what Southwest’s assigned seating rollout mea...
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Build a credit card lineup that earns more travel rewards without becoming a full-time spreadsheet manager. In this special video episode, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle discuss how to build the perfect travel credit card “wallet” to help you earn more rewards, unlock perks, and avoid common points mistakes. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Bilt’s revamped card lineup and new “Bilt Cash,” Amer...
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Travel TV icon Samantha Brown shares tips for finding hidden gems, saving money, and dodging airport stress. Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle sit down with Samantha Brown, host of Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, to talk about how she keeps travel feeling fun, affordable, and deeply local after decades on the road. But first, Sally and Meghan swap recent trip highlights, including a car-free weekend in Oceanside, California, an...
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If 2025 was about premium everything and complicated travel perks, 2026 is shaping up to be more intentional: fewer trips, less algorithm-chasing, more ease — and spending where it actually improves your experience. Hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French ring in 2026 by looking back at the biggest travel and credit card trends of 2025 — from the “everything is fancy” luxury boom (even at Southwest) to the rise of premium card coupon-...
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Learn what it’s like working with a travel advisor, including how much time and money they can really save you when planning your next trip. Can travel advisors really save you money? Should you be booking travel yourself or outsourcing the job to a professional? Hosts Megan Coyle and Sally French discuss the unexpected perks, cost structures, and potential savings of working with a travel advisor, formerly known as a travel agent...
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“Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan shares what he’s learned from his life of travel in this special presentation of “Powering Travel” from Expedia Group. In an inspired conversation about the lessons he’s learned from a lifetime of travel, Phil joins host Elisabeth Goodridge to reflect on his earliest memories abroad and how exposure to diverse cultures shaped his worldview. He shares personal stories from the road, reflections on h...
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Learn how same-day flight changes and standby can save you money when your travel plans suddenly change. In this special video episode, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle dive into last-minute travel rules, exploring when you can make a same-day flight switch, what “standby” really means, and how fees and policies differ from airline to airline. But first, they break down the week’s travel headlines, including Delta’s “Centennial...
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We answer listener questions about travel insurance, Chase point transfers, lounge access, free checked bags, and more. Host Sally French opens the episode with the week’s biggest travel headlines alongside Elizabeth Ayoola, host of NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, who fills in for Meghan Coyle during the news segment. They cover sweeping 2026 changes to U.S. national park pricing and fee-free days, Disneyland’s newly announced k...
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In this special video episode, see if $2,000 in credit card fees is worth it and learn how you can audit your own travel rewards wallet. Should you really be paying nearly $2,000 a year in credit card annual fees, or is it time to downsize your wallet? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle sit down with NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast host Elizabeth Ayoola to dissect her stack of premium travel cards and decide which ones earn thei...
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Learn how AI may raise your travel prices and what to watch for before you book your next trip. Before the Nerds delve into the surprising ways AI can affect your travel booking, hosts Tess Vigeland (covering news this week for host Meghan Coyle) and Sally French kick things off by covering the latest travel headlines, including pre-Thanksgiving travel deals from Hyatt, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Expedia. They also preview poten...
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Sally and her new husband unpack their unconventional honeymoon plan and share practical tips to plan your own getaway with purpose. How do you plan a honeymoon that feels luxurious without blowing your budget? How can newlyweds use points and miles to pay for their trip? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle share how Sally’s own wedding guests chose her honeymoon destination — and the travel and financial lessons that came from it...
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Learn when pricey travel cards are worth it and how to pick the one that gives you the most value. Are premium travel cards worth the high price tag? How do you decide which one(s) to keep in your wallet? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down the real-world math of annual fees and rewards to help you understand when these cards pay for themselves. But first, show producer Tess Vigeland joins Meghan to cover the week’s tra...
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