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Smart Travel

@smarttravelpod

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✈️ Helping you travel smarter
🎙️ Hosts: @savewithsally + @mileswithmeghanco
🎧 New episodes Wednesdays

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How do people actually afford to travel?✈️

Most travel advice focuses on where to go, not the decisions behind the cost.

Smart Travel is a podcast about travel costs, affordable travel tips, and making travel decisions that fit your priorities.

Listen to new episodes every Wednesday with @savewithsally and @mileswithmeghanco 🎧

#SmartTravel #TravelPodcast #TravelCosts #AffordableTravelTips #TravelPlanning #moneyandtravel by @smarttravelpod

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9 months ago

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2 days ago

FIRST LOOK at Southwest’s new airport lounges 👀

This is the rendering for the Nashville location, set to open in 2027.

Ummmm, let’s just say it does NOT look like what I expected. I thought “distinctly Southwest” meant red, yellow and blue. LOL, my bad! I guess it was only me who envisioned a clown lounge.

These guys envisioned a lounge that’s classy, swanky, and kinda giving Chase Sapphire Lounge energy... not surprising because Chase is actually the one developing these with Southwest. 👀💅

What we know so far:
🏗️ Construction is underway at the first 4 Southwest locations: Austin, Nashville, Baltimore & Honolulu
📅 First ones expected to open late 2027
➕ More lounges planned, no details yet
💳 Access will require a new premium Southwest credit card (not yet announced)

I’m in Dallas ALL DAY at Southwest’s media event getting more details... so follow this account so you don’t miss my updates.

What do you think of this first rendering? And what do you want to see in an airport lounge? Tell me in the comments!

#SouthwestAirlines #SouthwestIcon #AirportLounge taken in Southwest Airlines by @smarttravelpod

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2 days ago

@savewithsally says it is definitely not a flex to brag about 400,000 Delta miles. The truth: points don’t age like wine — the longer you hold them, the less they’re worth.

@mileswithmeghanco says never transfer credit card points to an airline before you’ve confirmed the award seat. Transfers are typically irreversible — you usually can’t move them back to your card, another airline, or a hotel, and if you can, the rates are poor. The right move: find that seat, transfer, and then book minutes later.

Save this tip for your next trip — and send it to a friend who has a ton of miles.

#travelhacks #creditcardpoints #travelmiles by @smarttravelpod

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2 days ago

Be honest: would you book a business-class award seat a year early, or wait until the week before you fly?
Sally French and Meghan Coyle say those are the two windows that actually work — the middle is where the seats disappear. NerdWallet travel writer Craig Joseph even rebooked his travel partner from economy into business class five days before takeoff.
Save this before your next points booking — and send it to a friend who’s hoarding miles.
Follow @smarttravelpod, @savewithsally and @mileswithmeghanco for more smart travel tips.
Full episode at the link in our bio 🔗
#awardtravel #businessclass #pointsandmiles #traveltips #smarttravel by @smarttravelpod

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3 days ago

Still searching for award flights one airport at a time? seats.aero's founder says try a whole region instead.

Meghan asked Ian Carroll which seats.aero feature people overlook most. His answer: multi-city codes.

✈️ Instead of JFK to London Heathrow, you could search the entire East Coast.
🌍 Type EUR to cover all the major airports in Europe.
🔎 Broader searches can show options you'd miss with one specific route.

Ian says a specific search still makes sense when you have a set date or firm plans. But if you're planning a trip that's a while out, he suggests widening the search.

Save this for the next time you're hunting for award seats 🔖

🎧 Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio 🔗
✨ Follow us and @mileswithmeghanco and @savewithsally for more smart travel tips

#SeatsAero #TravelTips #SmartTravel #BookingFlights #TravelPlanning by @smarttravelpod

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5 days ago

NYC travel nerds — come meet Sally and Meghan from Smart Travel IRL on Nov. 5🗽

📍 MAD Bar & Lounge (@madbarnyc)
🗓️ Thursday, Nov. 5, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
🎁 Swag, prizes, and good travel talk with fellow points-and-miles people

Whether you listen to the podcast, love finding a great award flight, or just want to talk travel with people who get it — we'd love to see you there.

RSVP at the link in our bio 🔗

#NYCEvents #TravelMeetup #PointsAndMiles #ThingsToDoNYC #SmartTravel by @smarttravelpod

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9 days ago

Hot take: travel insurance is a waste of money. Sally and Meghan say it depends on the trip. ✈️

🏠 Simple trip, flexible plans, staying with family? You could probably skip it.
🚢 Complicated, multi-part trips like a cruise are where it earns its keep.
📅 If you travel a lot, an annual plan could cover every trip that year instead of buying it one trip at a time.

Part of our Travel Hot Takes series — Sally and Meghan react to the travel opinions everyone repeats.

When do you buy travel insurance — every trip, some trips, or never? 👇

✨ Follow us and @savewithsally and @mileswithmeghanco for more smart travel tips

#TravelHotTakes #TravelInsurance #CruiseTips #TravelTips #SmartTravel by @smarttravelpod

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12 days ago

Spin the wheel, name the best lounge at that airport. This round: Seattle — and a Delta vs. Amex debate. ✈️

☕ The Amex Centurion Lounge at SEA won this round for the coffee bar alone.
🪟 It's on the second level with big windows — and it opens up a lot more once you walk past the entrance.
🍦 There was a fresh ice cream pop-up when they visited — not a standing feature, but a nice surprise.

Sally and Meghan spin for airports and rank the lounges from memory — round two.

Team Sky Club or team Centurion at SEA? 👇

✨ Follow us and @savewithsally and @mileswithmeghanco for more smart travel tips

#SeattleAirport #AirportLounge #CenturionLounge #DeltaSkyClub #SmartTravel by @smarttravelpod

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16 days ago

If Hong Kong Disneyland isn’t on your travel bucket list yet, it needs to be! Here are 4 things that completely surprised me when I visited:

🐻 1. Duffy is King: Mickey Mouse takes a backseat here! Duffy the Disney Bear and his friends are the ultimate royalty. The merch is everywhere, and the meet-and-greet lines are wild!

🍿 2. Grape Popcorn: Yes, grape-flavored popcorn exists. Was it good? Absolutely not. Was it worth trying for the experience? 100%.

⏱️ 3. Short Lines: Sure there are exceptions, but on most days you can basically walk onto headliner rides with minimal wait times.

🎛️ 4. The Drone Show: Their nighttime castle show features a full-blown drone performance lit up across the sky! Let’s get this in the U.S.!

Have you ever been to any of the international Disney parks? Which one is at the top of your list? Let me know in the comments! 👇 taken in Hong Kong Disneyland by @smarttravelpod

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16 days ago

I went to Seattle to preview what’s coming to @alaskaair and @hawaiianairlines in 2028, and these new lie-flat business class seats and premium economy cabin are worth saving your Atmos points for. Finally, a great lie-flat option to Hawaii 🌺 and between the West Coast and NY!
Read all about it on NerdWallet and hear all the details on today’s episode of @smarttravelpod taken in Seattle, Washington by @smarttravelpod

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17 days ago

Travel Hot Take 🔥✈️: The place you stay matters

Do you agree with this hot take? 👀
✨: Follow us and @savewithsally and @mileswithmeghanco
for more smart travel tips!

#Travel #HotTake #Hotel #AirnBnB #Lodging by @smarttravelpod

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17 days ago