2025 is coming to a close, and it’s time to start thinking about that 2026 travel list! With holiday chaos just around the corner, it’s no small task to balance the in-laws, gift shopping, and travel–so keep these tips top of mind for stress-free trip planning.
Must-haves for all travelers:
- Get a travel-savvy credit card. Capital One and Chase both offer no foreign transaction fees and great travel portals where your miles/points go further. Some Capital One perks include a $120 credit for Global Entry, and every purchase earns travel miles. With Chase, watch for their signing bonus! Those points can equal up to a round-trip flight to Europe. Have a favorite airline? Take a peek at their credit card and see if the annual fee is worth it. Most will offer free checked bags, which can make an impact when choosing flights.
- Become a rewards member for big hotel chains. We get points for any stay, and if you have the credit card as well, you get points for any purchase. Both ways can earn you free stays. Pro tip: Look for times when your rewards points and credit cards work together. Recently, Chase had a promotion where if you transferred Chase points to IHG, they matched your points. So by transferring your credit card points towards hotel points, you can double your points, which, for us, equaled a three-night stay for free.
- Apply for Global Entry. This is a no-brainer if you have the Capital One credit card because it’s free (and includes TSA precheck)! We’ve been in many situations where both TSA precheck and Global Entry have been time savers to get through customs and make connecting flights. Both memberships last five years. You can either make an appointment or go through the interview process when you arrive back in the U.S. after an international trip. See steps to apply.
Our favorite trip research tools and apps:
- Pinterest – Who doesn’t love a visual moodboard to inspire them for their next trip? Saving pins for your destination is a stress-free way to collect recommendations from locals and travel gurus that you can refer to later.
- ChatGPT – While we don’t want to give our little robot friend all the trip planning power, it is a nice tool to bounce ideas off of. Know the activities you want to do, but are not sure how to structure your itinerary? Ask ChatGPT to give you some different options.
- Skyscanner – No more bouncing between different airline sites; this is your one-stop shop to compare airlines and booking sites in one search. You can filter by best, cheapest, and fastest. You can also find flights, hotels, and car rentals. Once you find the deal you want, it will take you directly to the airline’s website to book, so you can still log in and collect or use miles.
- Yelp – This is a great way to find which local restaurants are worth visiting. We all know it can be easy to get into a touristy part of a city and end up spending a bunch on a mediocre meal. Do a quick search in your area to see what locals are saying. No more wasted money on disappointing meals!
- Currency app – If you’re in a country that uses a different currency, especially ones that may be a bit more unfamiliar or the conversion is much larger, it’s an easy and helpful tool to determine if a price is good or not. Tip: Find a free one on the App Store that doesn’t need wifi or data to use.
- DailyDrop – Our favorite travel YouTubers created a newsletter that is all about travel hacking. You can sign up for free and get info about travel credit card offers, flight deals, promotions, etc. It’s a great way to learn and see how you can get more travel for less money. Even better? They also have a YouTube channel where they walk you through travel hacking, so you can listen if a newsletter is not your thing.
Packing essentials:
- Universal adapter
- Laundry bag
- Portable charger/power bank
- Packing cubes
- Eye mask for planes and trains
- Printed copies of your itinerary/booked excursions
Tips for exploring a new place:
- Book a walking tour on your first day. It’s a tried-and-true method to get your bearings in a new place and to note spots you want to return to later. Take it up a notch by booking a food tour so you’re also getting a taste of the local cuisine.
- Keep a travel journal/notes app log so you can remember all of the history tidbits you learned on your tours and as a memory keepsake of your adventures. You’ll then have a record of all that you did that you can pass on to other travelers, too!
- Only plan 1-2 excursions per day. This provides some structure to your day, but leaves room to be spontaneous.
- Ask your hotel receptionist and waiters at restaurants for their tips on the best places to go. You’ll get more local hotspots on the fly.
Made it to the bottom of the article? We love that! So, savvy traveler, here’s your hot tip: December 2 is Travel Tuesday. This is when the “Black Friday” of travel deals comes out. So create alerts for that cruise, flight, or vacation package you’ve been eyeing and get ready to book!
About Sippin’ Sangria
Caroline and Lexa are a traveling duo who have visited several local, U.S., and international destinations together. Through these adventures, they’ve learned the ins and outs of traveling with friends and love connecting with other female travelers. When they’re not booking their next flight, Lexa and Caroline plan trips – honeymoons, girlfriend getaways, weekend trips, etc. Find them at www.sippinsangria.com.
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