There has been a lot of exciting news lately about travel destinations opening up as COVID-19 vaccinations roll out. I've noticed a change in the tone of several travel podcasts I follow as the 'weekly news' segments begin to include re-opening details and tips on snagging some great deals. Here in Australia, there's a government-sponsored sale on airfares coming soon. All these things make the thought of planning travel for the future feel both more realistic and more exciting.
There's still a lot of uncertainty about when we'll be allowed to travel outside our national borders, but while we wait for some firm news, here are some ways you can be planning for your next family travel adventure:
1. Accumulate frequent flyer program points and hotel rewards so you're ready to go at a reduced cost when the time is right.
In Australia, we have two main Frequent Flyer programs: The QANTAS Frequent Flyer rewards program and the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, which can be linked to the Flybuys rewards program. I don't have a full understanding of the links between these programs and other international airlines, but I do know that the QFF program is part of the OneWorld Alliance. I also have a JetBlue rewards account for travel in the US, and membership of hotel rewards programs like Marriot Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. Research the best programs in your area and join as many as you can, especially if membership is free!
In terms of accumulating points, Here are a few simple tips:
a) Consider credit card point hacking IF you are able to pay down your credit card and IF you understand the implications for your credit score, etc. This is not my area of expertise, but there are plenty of Facebook groups and online forums to answer questions about the specifics of different programs. The easiest way to accumulate points is to earn them on money you're spending anyway.
b) Link your rewards programs to your everyday spending wherever possible. Here in Australia, we have two major grocery chains. Each of them is aligned with a frequent flyer program. My husband and I have linked our frequent flyer accounts with our online shopping accounts so we never miss an opportunity to earn points on our everyday spending. Both the Woolworths Everyday Rewards program and the Coles rewards program (Flybuys) offer 'boosters' with extra points on certain products each week. By swapping whose account we use to chase the best boosters, we are able to maximise our points earned while still getting great weekly grocery specials. The Woolworths Everyday Rewards program has an option to convert points straight to QANTAS points, while Flybuys offers something similar for Velocity.
c) Make sure your children have frequent flyer accounts of their own, so they can accumulate points from travel. I made a rookie error when our family went on an overseas holiday in 2019 and at the time, I only earned points on my own flights. I realised after the trip, in time for my husband to get some of his points backdated, but we did miss out on the points for our kids. I'm now fully prepared for the next time!
d) Shop through the frequent flyer rewards stores to earn points on spending that way. Some even offer points prompters that you can add to your search engine and they'll let you know when there's a reward possibility on a purchase you're making. I know that this means you're selling some of your personal information on search and spending habits (as the saying goes, if you're not paying for a product, then YOU are the product). It depends how much of your data you're willing to share in order to get free/cheaper travel.
2.Research, research, research!
There is going to be high demand for travel as soon as things open up. Already, vouchers for travel discounts are selling out within hours. I follow some Walt Disney World bloggers and they are reporting that the parks are SOLD OUT for dates in the later part of 2021. When an opportunity arises, you're going to want to be ready to seize it, so use this down-time to do your research.
I want to take my family to Uluru, but accommodation options in the Ayers Rock Resort are pretty limited, especially for larger families. We don't always know when we are going to get time off together, so I've done my research so I'll be ready whenever we can secure that magic combination of time off + flight deals + available accommodation.
Jetstar, an airline here in Australia (the low-cost arm of QANTAS), has been offering excellent deals on Fridays. They are often available for a very limited window (sometimes, as little as two hours). To really make the make the most of these opportunities, it's a good idea to have a short list of places you want to visit, dates you have available and places you'd stay in each location so you can pull something together within just a few hours. It's not a nice feeling to organise a trip in a panic - but it's an awesome feeling to have a plan ready to go and then to save some money by being able to seize an opportunity when it arises!
3. Join travel communities online
One of the ways you can conduct research is to join online communities where travel ideas are discussed. Planning travel is one of my favourite hobbies, so I have joined Facebook groups that discuss aspects of travel that I'm keen to learn about. I also follow lots of travel pages and check in on travel forums online. This means that my Facebook news feed is often peppered with travel ideas and tips. I imagine that people who are into cars or home decoration or cooking have a similar number of groups providing constant inspiration via social media. Being part of groups of likeminded people adds a level of connection and fun to the process and so many people are willing to share wisdom from their experiences. I guess that's what happens when people are passionate about something!
Being part of online communities can give extremely helpful insight. Before my family went to Walt Disney World in 2019, I read a few blogs and got my kids excited by watching ride videos on YouTube - one every Friday night. The FastPass+ system was in place and I researched which rides and shows to make my priority. I did enough research to know that I had to get online as soon as FastPass+ bookings and dining reservations opened. We had a wonderful trip and got to enjoy the rides on our FastPass+, as well as all the other rides that were open during the course of our stay. We stayed in an 'on-site' property that I booked online via Disney's website. This meant we enjoyed complimentary bus travel, which took us to another resort one day. I remember my family walking through the lobby of this other resort (Beach Club) on our way to Epcot, and thinking to myself, I wonder if this place has rooms for six people? I hadn't even seen the name of the resort in my online booking search via the Disney booking website. I began to realise that even though I'd felt very prepared, I had really only scratched the surface. During our trip we had one dining reservation and the rest of the time, we just ate whatever was convenient at the time. We had the good fortune of stumbling across Dole Whips when we were all hungry, and we found Woody's Lunchbox at lunchtime in Hollywood Studios, We were at Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival and got to enjoy some great international snacks. But I had no idea how many amazing food options were available on property. When we got home, I started following some Disney bloggers and podcasts. I quickly learned the names of the other resorts on property and heard about some of the amazing snacks and experiences that we had missed, even though they had been right under our noses. Has this new knowledge soured my memory of our trip? Not at all. We had a wonderful time and I feel proud of how much we were able to fit into our time at Disney in addition to all the other things we enjoyed. But next time we go, it's going to be even more fun for me as the planner, because I know so much more! Being part of communities has given me this knowledge and allowed me to hear many viewpoints, rather than just hearing the voices of one or two bloggers whose sites I stumbled across in a quick Google search.
Now is the time to join communities and start learning and sharing. We aren't able to travel far, so it's the perfect time to get inspiration for plans down the track. We aren't in the thick of our own travel planning, so we can relax and consider different perspectives and ideas. I'll share some of my favourite blogs and podcasts in a later post, but it's very easy to find groups of like-minded people on Facebook or to find forums via Google. If you like Disney, the DIS forums contain a wealth of information. Go and join in!
Until we can travel far and wide again, enjoy accumulating those points, researching new destinations and joining communities of people who share your passion!
~ Jane
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