Greetings, Travel Tip-Seekers!

Here are this week’s tips curated for you from our reliable sources in the travel industry and from general interest newsletters, websites, and publications.

Hey remember when we used to apply for our passports through the post office? You can still do that through their website, but now FEDEX is getting into the business. They’ve partnered with Rush My Passport to give you another option for applying and since it’s FEDEX you might think you’ll get it faster, or more reliably. You probably won’t.

All of the applications go to the same place, and when you apply directly on the passport service website, they offer a rush option if you’re traveling soon. My advice? Just go directly to the source and apply there.

The Washington Post ran an article last week about yet another benefit of having a Costco membership. You can save 10%, 25%, up to 40% off the Expedia rates (!) by using Costco’s travel service. Plug in your details and the site will serve up rates from the 4 car rental companies they work with: Alamo, Avis, Budget and Enterprise. Works in Canada and Europe as well.

We’ve all been there—those airports that make you feel like a lab rat running a maze to find your next connection. For me, it’s IAH in Houston. But a new report offers a more objective view.

In a recent study, Josh Koebert, a data scientist and researcher for Travel Bulletin, calculated scores for “walkability” (distance by foot between two points) and “connection” (total travel time between two points, including train or shuttle transport) for each of the 50 largest airports in the U.S.. He also determined the distances between specific goalposts, such as the longest walk between two gates or between the security checkpoint and the farthest gate.

The worst airport: Denver! Followed by LaGuardia in NYC.

I don’t know if this has happened to you, but I’ve had airlines book extremely tight connections in huge airports like ORD, DFW, IAH and no matter what the nice flight attendants say about letting connectors off first it doesn’t happen. I haven’t missed a flight yet but who needs that stress?

I don’t recommend booking with a third party like Expedia but they do combine different airlines for connections, so I would check them first, then book individual legs with each airline. I know. It’s a pain, but in my opinion it’s a lot better than depending on those airport trains to get you to your next gate. I’ve had trains break down at DFW, IAH and DEN. Even those golf carts—assuming you can find one— won’t save you, so be smart and buy yourself plenty of time to chill and read a book.

You know how it is when you’re traveling in a foreign country. Sometimes just finding an ATM is a challenge. Then some of them rip you off, so you have to know which ones are legit (local guides know). Then when you’re standing in front of the machine, it’s asking you all sorts of questions you’re not used to. The most important one is about conversion. Accept or decline? ALWAYS decline.

And when you’re in a store paying with a credit card, ALWAYS pay in local currency. It avoids the dreaded DCC—Dynamic Currency Conversion—which lets the merchant’s payment processor (or the bank) choose the rate instead of your credit card company or your own bank. Foreign transaction fees are separate.

For the longest time I just used my debit card for everything. I know. I spend @ $4-5K a month on…stuff. And until last year…last year!…I wasn’t getting anything back. Makes you wonder why anyone would take travel tips from me! Well, I wised up and now I just love seeing my points balance increase every month.

If you love your status with a certain airline, I hope you have one of their credit cards. If you just want to see some cash coming back to you, get a cash-back card. And if you want miles and some great perks, spring for one of the premium cards, like AMEX Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Yes the annual fee is ridiculously high, but I’ve covered the fee with dining, Lyft, hotel credits, and lounge passes, and I think I can do that every year. And no foreign transaction fees. Plus they have a little bit of travel insurance (not as good as an insurance policy you’d buy, but it will cover things like travel delays and lost luggage.) Don’t do what I did. Do what I’m doing now. Here’s a credit card benefits comparison chart from Forbes.

Thanks for reading. Happy trails!

Jeannie Edmunds

Chief Operating Officer

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