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TRAVEL UPDATES
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Price Alerts
Several travel search engines offer price alerts to your mobile device or email. If you don't want to be receiving alot of "junk", create an email just for
these types of messages. Southwest Airlines is one of my favorites for several reasons. They have consistent deal alerts usually on Tuesday mornings and you can exchange your ticket or cancel without any change fee for up to one year from the time of the original ticket purchase. Travel Zoo is another favorite that offers travel alerts on Wednesdays. If there is even a better discount on flights or hotels, you will receive an email about that offer directly. Airport Parking
Back in May of 2018, we parked our car at LAX Airport across from one of the terminals for two weeks. We were running late so opted for the most convenient parking. We thought we were smart and took pictures of the signs on the walls near the elevators. When we returned, we could not find our car. Eventually, we discovered that all the signs in our photos were removed for painting making it a challenge to find the same set of elevators. |
Resources
The sites that make our travel possible. Travel Zoo My Points Guy Southwest Airlines Budget Travel City Wonders Tripmasters Cruise Critic Dave's Disney Vacation I'm finding that emails to airlines or hotels are not being answered as quickly as I need so I have taken to direct messages via Twitter to receive quicker responses to inquiries. Google Maps A few years ago we had a 23 hour layover in Paris so I discovered that walking the streets on Google Maps made it easier to get around the city whenever I arrive to unfamiliar surroundings. Note: if you rely on this feature check the date of the images towards the bottom of the page, because you could get lost if there is construction wherever you are headed. |
Insurance
Many experts advise that trip insurance is not necessary. To make an educated decision, add up your expenses, check the cancellation policies, can you get a refund on anything? If you can't get a refund, what is the cost of exchanging an airline ticket?
Also, check the fine print of the credit card you are using as sometimes the credit card has some insurance built into it for trip delay and lost baggage. Credit Cards
Which credit card is best? This depends on how you travel. We rack up the Marriott points for free hotel rooms. In fact, this year we were able to stay at the Marriott Champs Elysees in Paris for free. Prior to that, we stayed in Houston for free pre and post stays for a cruise all on Marriott points. Also, if you plan to do travel overseas or go on a cruise with several ports, there are some credit cards that don't charge the 3% foreign transaction fee as others may. Lastly, don't forget to set up travel alerts of the dates and cities that you will be visiting. I recall trying to use a card in Belize and I had to call to confirm with them that there was no fraud taking place. |