- Okay. So, this episode's all about travel.
And we love some travel hacks around here.
So, that's why you're here, Rachel.
- Yes, thank you for having me.
- Thanks for being here.
Okay, so what are some of the common mistakes
people make when they travel?
- I think the most common mistake that people make
is simply just not planning ahead.
People think that they're going to get a last-minute deal
by waiting until the last minute,
and that's just simply not true.
The fact of the matter is, really,
that there's more people traveling now than ever.
So, you have to be on top of your game
to be able to get the flights that you want.
And then, if you wait until the last minute,
maybe your resort is sold out.
So, you definitely do have to plan ahead,
especially if you're traveling during those high seasons.
- So, intentionality is key.
- Correct.
- That's what we always talk about on the show—
including your travel— because I do love travel
and I do love to plan.
So, the fact that you're a travel agent—
do you love it?
How long have you been doing it?
- Six years. And yes, I love it.
It's not too shabby of a gig, because we get to go down
and check out the resorts firsthand
and see what's going on down there.
- Must be so fun.
- That way, we can tell the clients what to do,
where to go, where not to go.
- Okay. So, any other tips?
Since this is—you're an expert on all of this—
any tips for people traveling on a really tight budget?
- On a really tight budget?
Well, we touched on plan ahead, but also—
and this is something that a lot of people might not
be able to control—
but the time of year definitely influences the price.
- Oh, that's good.
- So, if you're looking to travel spring break,
summer, Christmas—basically, any time the kids are
out of school, it's going to be higher in price.
So, if you can travel on the shoulder season—
meaning right before the kids get out of school
or maybe right after they go back
or maybe the week after Thanksgiving
but not into Christmas— you're definitely going to see
some major deals during those times.
- That's so good.
Actually, Winston and I, we went to the beach—
this was a few years ago.
I think it was the end of August,
because most people in the south start school early August,
and Rachel, it was empty.
I could not believe it. And we sat, and we were like,
"This is our thing. If we go on trips,
we are going to go when every other kid is in school."
Because it's not crowded, and we got an extra 30% off
because our condo wasn't booked.
- Yeah, you can definitely find some deals
when everybody's not there.
- So, not traveling during the high season.
You get to avoid crowds, you get better deals—
all of the above, right?
So, what's some other mistakes people make?
- So, one thing that would seem completely obvious, I think,
but to a lot of people, it creates stress
starting off the vacation,
is not putting enough time in between your flights.
So, if your connection time is 45 minutes,
and you're in the Atlanta airport
and you have to go from a domestic gate
to an international gate,
you better be wearing your tennis shoes
because you're going to be running.
- Home Alone-ing it.
- Home Alone-style, yes.
So, just make sure—when you're looking at those connections—
make sure you have at least an hour,
hour and 15 minutes is typically enough time.
- And because flights—you start boarding 30 minutes
before departure. So, if it's a 15 minute layover,
you literally have 15 minutes to get there
before you're starting to board.
- International travel, at least two hours for customs.
- Okay. And being customs, I know passports are a thing.
We just went with my family to Mexico,
and my dad was on us.
He's like, "Check your passports!" because—
I didn't even realize—they expire
six months before the expiration date?
- So, yeah. A lot of people don't know this,
and I've heard some nightmare stories of people
getting to the airport—
Their passports aren't actually expired
when they're boarding the plane, but they expire
within six months of the day they're leaving.
So, check your passports. Make sure that when you look
at the passport date, it is actually six months
from the date that you are leaving on that day.
- That is so crazy. Oh, my gosh.
Okay. So, any other mistakes you can think of?
- Another one—I think that a lot of—
I see a lot with clients—is
trying to do too much too quickly.
- Okay.
- So, my advice is: Pick your top three places
you want to go, park it, immerse yourself in the culture,
and then, maybe take a few day trips here and there.
That's going to save you time traveling all day.
It's also going to save you money.
So, yeah. Definitely try to slow down a little bit.
As a society, we're all like, "Let's do it!
Let's see it all. Let's get it all in.
But enjoy yourself.
- Okay. So, when would you use a travel agent?
When do you recommend people?
- You would definitely use a travel agent
when you're going international.
So, if you're looking at a trip, for example, to Europe,
there's a lot of components that go in to making
those reservations and booking a trip like that.
So, we would take you from flight, transfers,
hotels, tours, wrap it up all in a package.
It makes it easy so the client knows exactly
where they're going, what they're doing,
who they're meeting, where they're staying.
So much easier than trying to piece it all together
and figure it out on your own.
- Okay. So, how much is an upcharge for using an agent?
Because that all sounds amazing.
- For my company, we don't charge anything,
and about half of the other agents out there
also don't charge anything.
- Nothing?
- Nothing.
- That's amazing.
- But I would say, make sure, if you do use a travel advisor,
ask them up front, "What are your fees?"
Because they're going to tell you upfront
if they charge something.
We always say, "No charge. We're paid by our hoteliers,
our tour operators, our suppliers, our wholesalers."
- Oh, wow! That's so good.
Well, the first time I ever experienced all of this was
we went to Disney World.
- The magical place on Earth.
- It is magic.
I do not believe when people are like, "It's terrible."
It is not. It's wonderful.
But they have Disney travel agents, basically.
And I mentioned it, I think even on social media,
and I had all these women be like, "This is what I do,
and that it cost me nothing."
And this woman literally booked all of our restaurants,
our hotel, all of it.
- Your fast passes?
- Yes, everything.
- Everything's taken care of.
- So, that is true with a travel agent,
even if you're going to to the Caribbean or Europe,
because you're partnered up with—
- With the tour operators, with the suppliers,
with the hoteliers. So, we have relationships with them.
They're able to get those prices
at a discounted rate for us.
- Yes, totally. So, when would you not use a travel agent?
- So, you probably wouldn't want to use a travel agent
if, say, you and your family are just looking
to have a beach house down in Florida or wherever—
your local beaches that you can drive to.
You probably wouldn't want to use a travel agent,
because those are privately owned.
- Right. So, Airbnb, whatever.
- 100%.
- Rachel, this is so fun.
- So fun.
- We should go on a trip now.
- Yes, we should.
- Thank you so much for coming on, Rachel.
- Thank you so much for having me.
- Such good tips. Such good information.
- Thank you.