Unlock Your Best Summer Travel: 7 Tips for Travel Prep
Preparing for Summer Travel.
Beach days, boat days, and rooftops are right around the corner and so is summer travel. Starting to prep for vacations in July and August starts now so you can make it as smooth as possible.
Use this checklist to ensure your summer travel is enjoyable and you can roll with the punches as they come up!
1. Set up Your Calendar and Notifications
Add to your calendar any flights, hotels, and other reservations so that your time can be planned and have one place where all confirmations and other details are. If it is a group trip, invite everyone to the invites! This keeps everyone aware and you can edit if need be or if Google updates the invites due to changes from airlines!
Also before embarking on the trip make sure to enroll in all travel notifications from the airline, reach out to the hotel if you need an early check-in, and sign up for any US Traveler programs so that the government knows where you are, just in case.
2. Create Itineraries
You do not have to do the pretty itineraries found all over the internet and Pinterest but have an idea of what you want to do each day. This ensures you do not miss something that is day-specific. When I went to Barcelona a few years ago, I did not use a well-planned itinerary and missed an attraction I wanted to see.
This also helps you coordinate outfits and hopefully reduces how much you pack. If you are an overpacker like me check out these packing cubes on Amazon that are a lifesaver.
Make sure to share this itinerary with all those traveling with you!
3. Packing List and Outfits
Using created itineraries, you can start planning outfits based on the event. A few tips to help, take pictures of each outfit so you can remember what you want to wear, create a PowerPoint or Canva presentation, with screenshots of the pieces, and mix and match there.
This should help decrease the extra clothing you bring because everything is planned out!
If you plan on shopping make sure to utilize the shopping portals such as Delta Shopping or Rakuten to earn either cash or membership rewards for your purchases!
If you want to know how to earn more points via shopping, check out how to earn points daily.
4. Choose an E-sim
If you are traveling outside of the US, make sure to figure out your phone plan. Since I have Verizon they charge $10 a day for coverage outside of Mexico and Canada. Therefore, I rely on an e-sim. My recommendation is Airalo.
5. Check your offers on your Credit Cards
Before heading off, activate any offers on your credit and debit cards. This will help you reduce costs and optimize points.
Chase often has a Dunkin Donuts cash-back offer and American Express normally has offers for clothing stores and at times Hotels! The Delta American Express Platinum currently has an offer for Zipcar where if you spend $100, you get back $20. This is great for your summer road trips and combine it with the Chase Freedom or Flex gas bonus!
If you have the Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex, learn more about bonus categories for Q3, from July 1 – September 30, 2024.
6. Decide on what Credit Cards to Use
Before going on any of my trips or booking additional trips, plan out what credit cards to use!
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help with this:
- If you are leaving the country ask yourself, Does this card have a foreign transaction fee?
- If yes, do not use that card!
- If no, that is a great card to bring with you overseas!
- Does this venue and/or country accept American Express?
- If no, bring a different card like Visa or Mastercard
- Is the expense category at least 3x on one of the credit cards?
- If Yes, use that card for that expense
- If no, if you have a Capital One Venture use that or a card that offers over 1x points for spending.
- If you have no card offering over 1x on that spending category, choose a card based on the points you are trying to earn!
If you are interested in what cards I utilize to fund my travel and recommendations check out this post.
7. Consider purchasing Travel Insurance
Many credit cards provide trip interruption and cancellation. Make sure to read your policies to see what is covered if something happens. In addition, it may be helpful to purchase a policy from Allianz that covers your yearly travel just in case you have a medical emergency. Most insurances will not cover you outside of the US and hospitals outside of the US want to be paid immediately.
Conclusions
Starting early helps to make traveling feel less stressful. Also, It may be helpful to consider TSA Precheck, Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control, or Clear if you want to speed up security or entry back into the US. If you want to know more about the costs and how they help, check out this TSA Precheck, Clear, Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control: Which One? to help you decide. It could be beneficial to add a lounge benefit if you want to have to be in a less crowded area and have access to free drinks and food, check out Priority Pass if you do not want to open an additional credit card! Let’s have fun this summer and let me know where you are traveling in the comments.
If you are interested in ways to fund your travel and how to search on Google Flights and have the points and cash price display check out these posts:
How to Fund Your Travel as a Beginner
Search Google Flights and see both Cash + Points
As an affiliate, I earn a commission for links clicked in this post at no cost to you.
| Travel Resources | Information about Resources |
| Airalo | If you need phone service while out of the country, check out Airalo to avoid all the fees. |
| Amazon | Find the perfect items for your next vacation! |
| Booking.com | If you want to book a mix of hotels and houses check out booking.com! |
| Expedia | Need a package that includes flight + hotel or want to add a car? Expedia is the perfect site to book an entire vacation. |
| Priority Pass | If you do not have a credit card, you can still get lounge access through Priority Pass. |
| Ticketmaster | Heading to a concert or event, make sure to check out Ticketmaster. |
| Vrbo | Find the perfect rental house for your vacation and/or staycation. |
| Viator | The perfect place to find all your excursions and things to do in the many cities you visit. |
Great tips, it also depends if you prefer beach or mountains…
Yes, that is definitely true. I need to explore more mountains, as I am definitely a beach girl
These are such handy tips! Especially remembering to factor in time for checking credit card offers. I never think to do this! Thanks for sharing!
Yes! the offers at times are really good and help save money! I make sure to check when my statement closes!
Helpful advice, I have an eSim, yet always forget to check Credit card offers.
Yeah, I got in the habit of doing it once my statement closes so that I have them all put on the card.
E-sims are such a great thing when traveling outside your bundle. Travel insurance is important and can be so helpful.
These are great tips! I love all the credit card prep checks because we often forget how much in fees we might end up paying for an international trip or bonuses we could miss out on by using the wrong card!
Yes, I always do this before a trip to ensure I am getting the most points. I hate missing out on points!