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How to Travel More: 21 Useful Tips, Even with a Full-Time Job or Tight Budget

  • Post author: Rachel Means
  • Post last modified: 2024-03-11

Are you tired of scrolling through social media, wondering how to travel more, wishing you were in a dreamy destination that instead just seems out of reach? Don’t worry. You’re not alone in feeling that way. It’s the dark side of social media.

Between demanding work schedules, financial constraints, and other responsibilities, it’s hard to find the time to travel as much as you’d like. We’ve been there; we get it.

But we’re also here to tell you that it’s possible to travel more, even when you have a full-time job or significant debt.

Because we had both and we made it out to the other side, all while taking our first trips around the world.

We’re sharing all our hard-earned tips and strategies to help you prioritize travel, save money , and maximize your time off so you can travel more, too.

Let’s make your travel dreams a reality!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and associate of other programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Table of Contents

How to Travel More: 7 Useful Tips for Everyone

1. make travel a priority.

There are those that say they want to travel more, but when confronted with ways to actually do just that, they’re unwilling to take action.

Taking action can be scary and uncomfortable, but it’s always worth it.

If you really want to know how to travel more, the number one thing you have to do, before anything else, is make travel a priority.

We’re not talking about manifesting your dreams , like it’s going to appear out of nowhere.

No, this is something you have to consciously choose to pursue.

It has to be one of those things that you want badly enough that you’re willing to make some sacrifices to get it.

When push comes to shove, will you choose saving for trip accommodations or buying expensive tech, like air pods or the latest cell phone?

Saving for a month in Australia, or buying a new car you don’t need?

You will always find something else to spend your money on.

Big and small splurges here and there add up though, and they’re often why people struggle to find money for travel.

You have to really want it, to get you through the not-so-fun saving period before you get to the fun traveling part.

Everyone has different priorities, so we’re not going to judge you for your coffee habit if you don’t judge us for our eating dinner out habit.

But something else in your budget will have to shift to accommodate your new travel priority.

View trimmed by palm fronds of Maho Bay's aqua water and white sand beach with the green hills and islets in the distance

2. Work Hard but Play Hard

You’re more likely to get your vacation request approved if you’re a good worker and a positive team member.

Don’t spend all day at work reading Reddit, skating by doing only the bare minimum to not get fired.

No boss will fight to get that worker’s vacation approved with the higher-ups.

Be a good worker and you’re more likely to get that two-week vacation request approved.

Any good company ( that’s an important qualifier ) knows you’ll pick back up doing a good job when you get back.

If you’re stuck in a crappy job for a crappy company, this tip won’t save you. Don’t waste your time giving your best to a company/boss that doesn’t care. Instead, go find a new job right now.

You don’t have to give up a settled life to travel more.

Keep your career, your suburban home, and your kids’ soccer schedule. Life is about balance.

Remember, you’re working hard so that you can play hard later. It’s a balance.

3. Use Those Loyalty Points

Save some serious moolah and go on more trips by using loyalty points to pay for travel expenses.

We’ve added weekends away for free by using loyalty points to pay for a hotel, exchanging reward points for gift cards for dining, and finding free things to do for the weekend.

Loyalty points could pay for hotels, flights, and rental cars outright.

Take advantage of bonus offers to accrue points faster, and wait to use your points during low or shoulder season when rates are lower.

4. Get a Good Travel Credit Card

Another way to travel for free or with perks is to get a good travel rewards credit card.

Done right, this can be the key to how to travel more.

You should always treat these like a debit card. Don’t buy things you can’t afford, and pay it off every month.

But, if you can be responsible, you can make free money by just paying your bills with a credit card and then paying off the card each month.

Travel cards often have perks, too, like paying for your TSA Precheck application or providing airport lounge access so you can eat and drink for free.

more travel

5. Use Your Time Off Wisely

Make your Paid Time Off (PTO) go further by using it strategically throughout the year.

Take it with a holiday and use only 4 days instead of 5 for a week off.

Even better: combine a 3 day holiday weekend with a week off and you’ve got a 10 day trip for only 5 PTO days.

(Sat + 7 day week + Sun + holiday Mon = 10 days)

6. Enjoy Weekend Getaways

Use your weekends to explore your hometown or destinations close by.

The beauty of this is you’re so close to these destinations that you can lose the once-in-a-lifetime mindset we often have with travel.

Can’t do everything you want to do in one weekend? No problem. Go back next month or even next weekend.

Choose a destination that’s within a 2-hour drive of your home, so you don’t lose too much time in the car.

Really dive into a new destination without worrying about doing it all.

7. Choose Cheaper Destinations

One of the biggest hurdles to traveling more is money. Your budget can only stretch so far.

If money is the limiting factor, then choose cheaper destinations to visit.

Go on twice as many trips for the same amount of money.

  • Central and South America are considerably cheaper than Europe.
  • The Caribbean is more affordable than the Mediterranean or the South Pacific.
  • The US has a wide variety of landscapes to discover, with a variety of budgets to match.

If you had your heart set on say, Iceland, but your budget just can’t do it this year, find a cheaper alternative.

The Oregon coast, for example, has similar lush green landscapes, rocky beaches, and waterfalls everywhere, and is quite a bit cheaper to visit for US residents.

Use the savings and go on another trip!

How to Travel More with a Full-Time Job

You don’t have to quit your job to travel more, unless you want to. Most people that travel have a regular, 9-to-5 job.

Teachers, plumbers, and bus drivers all take vacations.

If you don’t want to quit your job but you want to travel more, these helpful tips are for you.

8. Let Go of Work Guilt

Your company and coworkers will continue to function without you.

Taking two weeks off to go to Hawaii shouldn’t fill you with guilt and stop you from going. It should fill you with joy!

Everyone deserves time off, regardless of what position you hold in your company. There’s a different problem if you really are indispensable.

Let’s use the “hit by a bus” scenario to explain our point.

If you were hit by a bus and laid up in the hospital for two weeks, your company would have to function without you.

You shouldn’t feel guilty about taking two weeks off to recover from getting hit by a bus.

A vacation is the same thing, except you get to recharge in Hawaii instead of the hospital because you deserve a vacation without having to get hit by a bus first!

Now, we understand 100% about deadlines and managing a team and all that.

Schedule your vacation as far ahead as you can to accommodate your work schedule as best you can, but don’t let work rule your life.

Some work schedules will never have a convenient time to be gone, but you should still take your trip.

Read that “hit by a bus” scenario again.

Your brain and body need a break, and you’ll be far more effective at your job when you come back refreshed and relaxed.

9. Several Short Trips Instead of One Long Trip

Often the biggest hurdle when you have a job is limited paid time off (PTO).

Well, in the US it is.

If you’re stuck with only 10 vacation days per year but you want to travel more, then your best bet is to take several shorter trips rather than one long trip.

Take two vacation days, add that to a three-day holiday weekend, and you’ve got a 5 day long trip.

Even if you’re flying somewhere new, that’s a good amount of time.

Following that pattern, that’s 5 trips per year instead of just one or two.

Now, that’s how to travel more!

Another plus: it’s scientifically proven that your happiness level peaks before you leave for a trip.

Plan more trips, and you’ll get that endorphin hit more often!

A single picnic table sits in the shade on the bank of the Catawba River

10. Be Flexible for Deals

Let the travel deals dictate when and where you go, and you can save a lot on airfare and lodging.

Flights are the most expensive part of traveling, for those that don’t know how to travel hack or how to find cheap flights .

That’s because most people choose a destination, then a month to travel, and then the exact days they want to travel, before even looking at the price of flights or hotels.

If you have your heart set on visiting Rome, Italy, then wait for the flight deal to come to you.

The cost savings could be enough to fund another trip!

Good to Know : International flight deals are typically 3-10 months ahead of travel dates, which gives you ample time to inform your boss.

11. Work Remotely (Temporarily)

The only good thing that came out of 2020 is companies being forced into making remote work possible.

This doesn’t apply to all professions, obviously, but remote work is considerably easier and more mainstream now than it was pre-2020.

There’s a good chance you’ll be allowed to work remotely for a week or even as much as a month at a time, if you just ask.

Some companies are more flexible than others, of course, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Start with a small request. You’d like to work remotely for a week.

Make sure you’re productive for that week. Your boss will be more likely to agree the next time you ask to work remotely again.

Meanwhile, go stay somewhere for a week that makes you happy.

Maybe you need to escape the winter blues and go be somewhere warm.

Work day by the pool or the ocean? Yes, please!

12. House Swap to Work Remotely Somewhere New

If you’re a full-time remote worker, you can work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection.

That doesn’t have to be your home office.

It could be a home office in someone else’s house on the other side of the country.

House swapping and house sitting are fantastic ways to slow travel.

You’re still working like everyone else, but you can explore a new destination slowly, living like a local.

Hit the touristy sights on the weekends, and all the good restaurants during the week.

House swapping gives you more control of dates, whereas house sitting is usually dictated by the homeowner’s dates.

Something to look into if you’ve already got a flexible remote job!

A mix of white and tan water cascades over a 50ft cliff at Upper Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan

13. Find a Travel Job

If you crave a stable and reliable paycheck from a regular job, but you want to travel more and can’t seem to do that at your current job, look for another job that involves travel.

Recruiters are always looking for people that are willing to travel for work.

Many people don’t want them because they don’t like travel, or traveling for work, or being away from their families too often.

But perhaps that doesn’t apply to you.

Sometimes you can find these types of jobs yourself on job boards, but working with a recruiter is often faster, in this case.

14. Extend Work Trips

Maybe you already travel periodically for work. Piggyback a personal vacation off of a work trip.

Some companies will let you fly in a few days before or fly home a few days after your work trip and still cover the cost of the flight, assuming it’s about the same price.

You’ll be responsible for your own rental car, food, and lodging for your extra days, but it’s a great way to explore the tourist sights in a new city.

We’ve done this quite successfully many times in the past.

I’ve had a week’s worth of training in Pasadena and got permission to adjust my flights so I could take the weekend after for personal sightseeing.

We saw Channel Islands National Park , Joshua Tree National Park , and the San Diego Zoo all in a long weekend.

And my other half worked remote for the week so he could come, too.

Same thing in reverse: he had a work trip to Seattle and I tagged along and worked from the hotel during the day.

We explored downtown Seattle and took a day trip to Whidbey Island on that trip.

Tall cliffs of Santa Cruz Island surround Potato Harbor where the blue waters of the Santa Barbara Channel gradually turn aqua and then green as a small white sand beach appears against the bottom of the cliffs. Two small white boats float at anchor in the harbor.

How to Travel More When You’re Broke

Travel isn’t a perk exclusively for rich people. Average people in average jobs with average income can travel, too.

Even those living paycheck to paycheck, which is more people than you realize , can find free things to do or inexpensive ways to travel.

We’ve done it as new college grads with six-figure student loan debt.

Responsibly, I might add, by saving for trips ahead of time and not creating credit card debt to go on vacation.

Anyone can learn how to travel more with these tips and tricks to make it easier and cheaper to travel.

15. Re-evaluate Your Expenses

Take a good, hard look at your expenses and ask yourself if they are all really necessary.

They might be, but there’s also a good chance some of them can be reduced by shopping around for a better deal.

If you want to travel more, you have to prioritize it, and if your budget is tight, you have to prioritize saving to allow for travel.

No, we don’t mean live a monk-like lifestyle in extreme deprivation. That’s not going to work.

Take out some little everyday extras to make room for bigger, once-in-a-while extras.

Put another way, as an example, eat out fewer times a week so you can spend that money on a weekend away instead.

16. Have a Savings Plan

A goal is no good without a plan of action to achieve it. If you want to travel more, you have to have a plan to do it.

When finances are tight, you’re often saving little amounts here and there. That’s ok; it all adds up!

But it can be super easy to lose those savings if you don’t keep track of them.

So, have a savings plan and stick to it. Make it automatic if you can.

Schedule an automatic transfer for the day after your paycheck hits the bank.

If you need the visual reminder, a transparent piggy bank at home can be just the right motivation.

Make it difficult to get money out of it, though, so you don’t cheat.

Several saguaro cacti are growing skyward among several other cacti, with one large saguaro towering over them all

17. Travel Hack EVERYTHING

Travel hacking is your best friend when you want to travel more but you’re low on funds.

First, we want to clarify: travel hacking isn’t bad. It’s not illegal or unethical or some shady business scheme.

It’s the travel world’s equivalent to hard-core couponing , and the people that know how to do it right can save BIG money on travel costs .

An example travel hack for finding accommodations could be to use the Hotwire.com Hot Rate and book a 5 star hotel for a 2 star price.

It could also mean finding a coast-to-coast flight for $98 from a free cheap flights-finding subscription service .

Or, booking a first class flight and paying only the taxes and fees.

Yes, travel hacking makes that possible!

When you know how to stretch your dollar further, you can travel more even when you’re low on funds.

18. Find a Travel Buddy

Splitting costs among a group of friends or with another couple is a great way to make travel cheaper and more affordable.

This could mean sharing a hotel room or splitting the cost of an Airbnb, or it could be one person paying for gas on a road trip and the other paying for food.

Always make it clear before you go anywhere or book anything how you plan to split up costs.

19. Start a Side Gig

Whether you call it a side gig, side hustle, or part time job, it’s never a bad idea to have some extra income.

A word of caution though: don’t let your side hustle become a stressful endeavor. It shouldn’t make your life worse.

It’s just something extra, maybe even temporary, to help you earn more to travel more.

This could be a part time job, like delivering pizzas on the weekends or driving for Uber.

It could also be a side hustle, like flipping furniture for a profit.

Important Distinction : Side gigs don’t pay your bills; they’re extra money. If you have three part time jobs to pay your bills, none of those are side hustles because they’re covering your main expenses, not your secondary (fun) expenses.

Golden sunset with large fluffy clouds and a fading blue sky over a peaceful ocean and darkened Rainbow Beach St Croix

20. Ask for a Raise or More PTO

This tactic for how to travel more has a couple of requirements:

  • You can’t be a terrible employee, and
  • Your boss has to be able to grant these things.

Stay positive and respectful and put together a case for why you deserve a raise.

Sometimes a boss just needs a justification that they can copy/paste into a form to send up the line to get approved.

Make it easy for them.

Most companies know that it’s cheaper to give an employee a raise than it is to train a new one.

I’ve found in the US that they’re much more willing to give you a raise than they are to give you more PTO, which makes no financial sense at all, but here we are.

21. Find a Better Job

We know that finding another job isn’t always as easy as it seems, but in most cases it’s just a matter of taking action.

If your 9-to-5 is draining you of all energy and barely covering your bills, you need a new job.

Start simple and look local. There’s always something.

Pizza delivery drivers, school bus drivers, and childcare workers are always in demand, whether the economy is hot or not.

These might not be glamorous jobs, but they’ll allow you to quit your soul-sucking job right away and make some money while you find a better replacement.

Learning How to Travel More is Easy!

Deciding to travel more is an important first step into a bigger, brighter world. With the helpful tips above and a little time and patience, you’ll figure out how to travel more on your budget.

Now that you know how to travel more, get out there and take action! Then tag us on Instagram and share where you went!

More Travel Ideas

  • Incredible 7 Day Southwest USA Road Trip Itinerary
  • Best 1 Week Eastern US Road Trip Itinerary
  • 4 European Countries in 12 Days: Epic Central Europe Itinerary

More Travel Logistics Resources

  • How to Travel More with a Full-Time Job or on a Budget {21 Useful Tips!}
  • 10 Essential Travel Items for First-time Fliers
  • How to Get from BWI airport to downtown Washington, DC
  • 35 Best Staycation Ideas for Relaxing on a Budget
  • Save $$$ with an America the Beautiful National Park Pass
  • How to Get to St John, USVI in 3 Easy Steps
  • St John Transportation: Getting Around Without a Car
  • 9 Ways for Getting Around Seattle – Without a Car!
  • How to Get to Whidbey Island from Seattle {Quick + Easy!}
  • Cheap, Fast Travel from Munich to Zurich {Not What You Think!}
  • How to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich
  • Review of Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) {Flight Deals Delivered to Your Inbox}
  • Can I Bring Scissors in My Carry-on Bag?
  • How to Bring Hiking Poles on a Plane {Tips + TSA Rules}

Happy travels!

Headshot of Rachel Means at Clingmans Dome in Smoky Mountains

About the Author : Rachel Means

With six-figure student loan debt and only 10 PTO days per year, Rachel started traveling the world. A decade later, she’s paid off her loans, changed careers, and been to 36 US states and 14 countries. She’s an expert at planning and budgeting for travel and loves to help others do it, too! Read her full story here.

A photo of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany and of Maho Bay in St John, USVI with text How to Travel More - even with a full-time job or a tight budget!

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Plan, Ready, Go

How to Travel More: Practical Tips to Afford More Travel

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Travel writer Eugene Fodor said that you don’t have to be rich to travel well, and he was right. My husband and I are far from wealthy, but I believe we travel well. Here are my best tips outlining how to travel more .

Key takeaways

  • Decide whether frequent travel or luxury travel is more important to you and find your sweet spot within your budget.
  • You can trim discretionary spending, like eating out less or buying secondhand clothing, to make more room for travel in your budget.
  • Intentionally set aside money each month for travel by cutting costs in other areas and transferring the savings to a separate account.
  • Use rewards credit cards wisely for regular expenses to earn points for travel without going into debt.
  • Keep an eye out for airfare deals, consider driving to your destination, and look for free activities at your destination to save money.

woman planning trip with a map and notebook

For us, travel is a priority. After giving to our church, saving for retirement, and paying for necessities and our regular bills, travel is where our disposable income goes first. That is our choice.

Unfortunately, I have found that a lot of people make a lot of assumptions about the finances of others…even if they have no first-hand knowledge of the other person’s finances.

Just because a person travels a lot doesn’t mean that they are neglecting other financial responsibilities or making poor financial choices.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of comments or questions like ”Maybe if you didn’t travel so much you could do X, Y, or Z?” Yup. Me too.

Oh well. That’s just the way life is sometimes. People butt into other people’s business. I can either let it bother me or shake it off. I choose to shake it off.

If you want to travel more you can make it happen.  You may not be able to travel as much as we do, or you may be able to travel more.

mockup image of a free printable travel planner

This post includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  See disclaimer.  

Evaluate your travel priorities

Think about how you want to travel.

  • Is it more important for you to travel more frequently or experience more comfort/luxury on the trips you take, staying in only the best places?
  • For example, do you want to get to and explore your destination as cheaply as possible?
  • Or is it more important for you to be comfortable (think long-haul flights in economy class rather than in lie-flat business class or hostel versus a five-star hotel)?

Find your sweet spot. If for you that’s traveling as cheaply as humanly possible, finding the best deal every time, go for it. Or if you can do luxury travel all the time, great! You do you.

Read More → Planning a Trip Budget That Works for You

We fall somewhere in the middle of the road…many of you likely will also. We want to travel as much as our paid time off from work will allow, but I’m not into bare-bones-shoestring-budget travel.

I’m a grown woman…a bunk in a hostel room that sleeps eight other people is not for me. But I am perfectly happy staying at an affordable major chain hotel with a free breakfast.

Rocks and sand on a beach with clear turquoise water on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

Reduce unnecessary personal spending

If more travel is a priority for you, I think the easiest way to make more room in your budget is by cutting down on your discretionary spending. Here are some of the ways we’ve made more room for travel in our budget:

  • We use a budget cell phone carrier.
  • We eat out only once or twice a month.
  • We go to the movies only a few times a year.
  • I buy secondhand clothing as much as possible and also buy off clearance racks. Hubby loves to buy clothes at Costco.
  • We own used cars and drive them until we almost literally can’t drive them anymore.
  • Anything that can be re-used or repaired is, rather than buying new things.

Prioritize saving for travel

This goes hand-in-hand with the point above. Once you’ve found some areas in your budget to cut, move that money out of your checking account (where it’s easy to spend) and into a separate savings account at the end of each month.

You’ll be surprised at how quickly it starts to accumulate…and that works as added motivation to continue saving until you have enough money for your trip!

And just to clarify, when I say prioritize saving for travel, I don’t mean over saving for retirement, giving to charity or your church, or paying your bills. It makes no sense to mortgage your future for pleasure today.

I do not subscribe to the philosophy I see from some travel influencers or the occasional travel blogger that goes something like this: “Don’t think about it, just book that trip! You won’t regret it.”

If you truly can’t afford it, it doesn’t matter if you will regret it or not; it’s irresponsible to go into debt to travel.

What I’m talking about here is making a concerted effort to intentionally set aside money each month for travel. With a budget plan in place to save for travel, you’re less likely to find yourself spending money without thinking about it.

Piazza San Pietro with chairs set up for the pope's general audience.

Take advantage of travel hacking

By travel hacking, I mean using rewards credit cards that earn points that can be used for travel. They might be flexible points (like Chase Ultimate Rewards points) or you might earn miles/points with a specific airline or hotel chain (such as United Mileage Plus or Marriott Bonvoy).

Again, let me clarify that I do not advocate going into debt for travel. We use travel credit cards for all the regular spending we used to put on our debit card: groceries, gas, utilities, etc.

If you carry a balance on one of these credit cards, you’ve effectively eliminated any cost savings from earning the points and redeeming them for free flights or hotel rooms.

We started using travel rewards credit cards only seven years ago and have already booked nearly free airfare for several trips (saving us literally thousands of dollars) in addition to earning a fairly large supply of points we can use for several free nights in hotels.

If you’re at all interested in getting into the points and miles game, I highly recommend this beginner’s guide from The Points Guy.

Watch out for great deals on airfare

I understand that not everyone wants to get into travel hacking. It does require some work and advanced planning plus a lot of organization to keep track of all your cards and points.

Keep an eye out for great deals on airfare is something anyone can easily do. We found a good deal on round-trip airfare for a week in Paris just by stalking Skyscanner and Google Flights . I don’t usually have time for that though so I rely on a couple of other services to help me find deals.

Read More → How to Use Google Flights to Save Money

PRO TIP: If you have flexible travel dates you need to check out Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). You get amazing flight deals sent straight to your inbox with instructions on how to book directly with the airlines. Check out Going here. Going is my favorite way to find great travel deals. 

Another good free option for airfare deals is Secret Flying. I get more frequent alerts from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights), but Secret Flying is free so what have you got to lose?

For a full discussion on this topic, see my article on how to fly for less.

Drive to your destination rather than fly

One of my favorite ways to travel more is to drive to my destination rather than fly if possible. I think the old-fashioned road trip is a great way to see the United States.

If you live very near a major hub airport with frequent non-stop flights to top destinations, it may make more sense to fly for the time savings even if it’s more expensive. We have to drive 2 ½ hours to get to a major hub airport, so for us, driving is a great option for any destination we can get to in 8–9 hours or less.

There are additional benefits to driving:

  • You don’t have to find a ride to the airport, pay for Uber/Lyft, or pay to park your car.
  • You don’t have to worry about packing light . If I can fit it in the car, it goes.
  • You can pack and take food with you to cut down further on your travel expenses.
  • No dealing with airport security.
  • No dealing with flight delays or cancellations.
  • You can bring back more souvenirs! (Well, there go the savings from packing food instead of eating out.)

Man with grey hair eating a salad on a small balcony with the Florence Duomo dome in the background.

Cook your own meals while you travel

My husband has celiac disease, which means he has to eat gluten-free. It can make eating out a challenge, particularly in an unfamiliar city.

When traveling for more than a few days we prefer to find accommodations with a full kitchen and eat most of our meals in. We’ll usually do one restaurant meal a day (occasionally two) when we travel and buy the rest of our food at a local grocery store. It’s safer for hubby and it saves us quite a bit of money.

Split the cost of accommodations with your travel companions

For our family Christmas trips to Disney World, we like to rent a vacation home through Vrbo and split the cost three ways. For our last big, family trip, I was able to book us a six-bedroom, four-bathroom home for 10 nights…each family paid only $79 per night…over Christmas.

A standard room at a Disney Value Resort would have cost us easily more than double that (not including taxes and the nightly parking fee), and we would be eating all of our meals out. By sharing a vacation rental home, we were able to extend our stay and spend more of our travel budget on the things we were there to experience: the theme parks.

Read More → Is it Worth it to Use Booking.com?

section of boardwalk in a forest in Congaree National Park

Take advantage of “off-season” travel

As much as we love traveling over Christmas (it’s the one time of year my entire family can reliably get time off from work), travel over major holidays can be quite a bit more expensive.

Hubby and I love traveling in May as much as possible. The weather is usually agreeable, but the crowds of tourists haven’t yet reached unmanageable levels.

If you’re able to travel during your destination’s low season or even shoulder season, you’ll likely be able to find better deals on airfare, accommodations, and even possibly event or attraction tickets.

Take short trips or weekend breaks close to home

One of the things hubby and I want to do more of is weekend or long weekend trips within a few hours’ drive of our home. You can see and do a lot in one weekend, especially if you don’t have to spend a lot of time getting there. Learn more about maximizing your weekend getaways .

Or try planning a fun staycation at home .

If we watch our spending (and compare hotel prices), we can do three to five weekend getaways for what we’d normally spend for a one-week trip to Europe…with the added bonus of not having to worry about rationing our vacation time.

Explore your destination for free

One of the best ways to save money on travel is to look for free things to do at your destination. Free museum days, free national parks, free walking tours, etc. are all great ways to see more of the world and save money.

Most major cities (and small towns for that matter) have many things that are available for travelers to do for free. I love scoping out a new place through the free activities and attractions.

Final thoughts on traveling more often

By putting just a few money-saving practices in place you can travel more starting now. Watching for deals on airfare or even driving to your destination, making some cuts to your personal budget, and traveling during low or shoulder season are all great ways that you can afford more travel.

Do you have any great tips for affording more travel?

More articles to help you travel more

  • Creating a travel budget that works for you
  • Flying for less: you can save money on your flights
  • How to use Google flights to save money
  • The best travel planning resources
  • Scott’s cheap flights (now Going) review

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Darcy Vierow is a busy professional and travel planning expert with years of experience maximizing travel with limited time and on a less-than-average salary. Her tips have been published by Forbes, MSN.com, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, Aol, Newsbreak and GOBankingRates. Read more about Darcy Vierow .

14 Comments

These tips are all great advice to travel more. I think the best tip is to change your priorities! If you want to travel more, you change your priorities to make it happen.

Thanks so much for reading!

I love all your tips, especially the ones about travel hacking that tend to be overlooked by people. I am flying to Asia in Dec on points and it’s saves me so much! It’s easy too!

Thanks, Ann. It really has allowed us to do more than we’d be able to just with cash.

This resonates so much with me! I so agree with being prudent with your finances and having a financial plan to travel rather than just doing it since it’s the ‘in’ thing.

Yes! Have fun and travel, but also be a responsible adult. Agreed!

I love these tips! I don’t eat out very often and don’t have things like cable so I can spend more on traveling because I value traveling more than TV!

Thank you! Yes, we love having the freedom to go almost anywhere that our paid time off will allow, and it’s so much more achievable than some people think.

Great tips! I couldn’t agree more. I’ve started staying at Airbnbs instead of hostels or hotels just so I can more comfortably cook my own meals while on vacation. It saves TONS of money but it’s also a way to experience a more local side of your destination (I always try to find the nearest market!)

Thanks so much! Yes, we really like doing apartment rentals when we can. And I do try to also be aware of where we’re traveling so that using Vrbo/Airbnb doesn’t hurt the local economy or residents, so for example we’re planning to stay in a hotel when we go to Venice in a few years.

Great advice! While travel is amazing, I definitely agree with your point not to go into debt or neglect other important things like saving for retirement to travel. Great points on how to make easy everyday changes to save money towards travel. It seems like there are lots of great travel credit cards, that’s something I need to look into!

Thank you! Yes, definitely look into the cards. We wouldn’t be able to afford our upcoming trip to New Zealand without our Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Very sensible advice! Thanks for writing this. I have reduced unnecessary spending already and it works because I managed to book an extra trip this year. I’m sharing this article 🙂

That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for reading and enjoy your trip!

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22 Ways to Travel More—Even On a Small Budget

Jessica Spiegel

Jessica Spiegel

September 19, 2023

There are plenty of people who wish they could travel more, and dozens of reasons why those same people may think that’s an unachievable goal. The phrase, “I’d like to travel more” is very often followed by, “but…”

Sure, some trips may be on the once-in-a-lifetime end of the scale, and if you’re struggling to pay bills, travel may not be in your immediate future. But if you’re looking to maximize the amount of travel you can do with limited vacation time, a busy schedule, or a tight budget , you’re in luck. We’re living in the golden age of travel, and exploring the world has never been easier, more accessible, or cheaper.

Here are 22 ways to get more travel in your life. 

1. Take shorter trips more often. 

When you have a limited number of vacation days from your job, using them all at once means you’ll spend the rest of the year waiting for new vacation days to kick in. Using a few here and there means you’re traveling more often throughout the year. And when international flights often cost less than traveling across the US (like NYC nonstop to Madrid for $275 roundtrip, or Los Angeles to Shanghai for $313 roundtrip), it’s easier to justify a week-long trip to Asia or a weekend jaunt to Europe. 

2. Take advantage of long weekends and holidays... 

This tactic has drawn criticism—and for good reason. In order to  maximize your PTO using this  specific plan, you need at least 40 days of PTO and the company you work for must observe federal holidays. So maybe you can’t do this exact plan, but by scheduling even one or two of your trips around holidays, you can get some bonus days to extend what you already have. And if you’re not big on a major holiday that gives you extra time off at work (such as Christmas or New Year’s), use that opportunity to take a trip. You can also maximize your time in the destination by departing for your trip after work and returning late in the evening the day before you’re due back in the office. 

For example, by taking off May 28–31, four days of vacation becomes nine days off work, given the weekends and Memorial Day. Rather than a long weekend, you’d then have plenty of time to head for, say, Europe. 

Speaking of weekends, don’t underestimate the power of a good weekend trip! Often, it requires little to no PTO, and as  our research has shown us , having further-out trips planned produces the most joy. More, shorter trips planned throughout the year = more happiness.

Note that flight and accommodation costs are known to spike around the holidays, so unfortunately this is not going to be the best way to help you  travel more on a budget . 

3. ...And shoulder seasons...

Shoulder season —the period between peak season and off season—is the perfect storm of good prices, decent weather, and slightly smaller crowds. Every part of the world has its own shoulder seasons, generally based on weather. In many regions, though, spring (roughly March–April) and autumn (roughly September–October) are considered shoulder seasons. Cut down on airfare, accommodations, and activities during these times, and you could put the savings toward another shoulder-season (or even peak-season) trip. 

4. ...And 2-for-1 tickets and long layovers.

Our job isn’t to make you love  layovers , but as they are sometimes inevitable, we’re here to show you how to use them to your advantage. Picture it like a whole other city that you get to explore on the way to your final destination. Nowadays, airlines have built itineraries for the sole purpose of enabling travelers to see a new city on the way, with  2-in-1 tickets and  stopovers . We send quite a few of these deals to our members; two of the most recent include LAX to Rio de Janeiro with a stop in Lima, and Detroit, NYC, or Baltimore to tons of European cities with a stop in Iceland. 

Once you see that layovers don’t  have  to be a burden, you open up a whole new world of possibilities. And who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with that layover destination, and it will become your next final destination.

5. Go where—and when—the deals dictate. 

Most people decide where they want to go, pick their dates, and then look for flights. We recommend flipping that script. If you’re open to a range of destinations, keep an eye out for deals and book when you see something you like. Having some wiggle room around dates can also help; sometimes the price can be significantly lower if you change your dates even by a single day. By being flexible, you can save big.

>> Read our guide to using the Google Flights Explore map to find the cheapest place to go. 

6. Prioritize inexpensive destinations. 

We’ve all got those lists of places we’ve dreamed of going for ages, but those aren’t necessarily budget-friendly destinations. If money is what’s holding you back from more trips, help each dollar go farther by heading to places that are cheaper to travel in. Places in South America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, for example, tend to be on the less expensive end of the spectrum. 

>> Check out our list of the world’s cheapest destinations

7. Work remotely when possible. 

woman working from a cafe.

You don’t have to turn into a digital nomad in order to work remotely. Find out whether your company would be amenable to the idea and, if they’re open to it, give it a test run or two to prove your efficiency. The ability to work remotely, even occasionally or for part of your trip, can help you stretch out limited vacation days. Yes, you’d be working part of the day, but when you turn off your computer you’re still on vacation. 

Companies like Remote Year offer programs, spanning from one month to a year, that fix you up with accommodations, professional coworking spaces, and support to make your remote work experience a little easier. 

>> Read our guide to combining work and travel .

8. Examine your prioritizes and eliminate expenses. 

This takes a little soul-searching and a lot of honesty, but it can be worth it. Consider the things you spend your disposable income on, and then examine whether those expenses reflect how important each thing is to you. Maybe you can swap your daily coffee shop run for coffee you make at home. You might be able to do more second-hand shopping, stretch out the time between salon visits, or cut down on ordering takeout. And perhaps you don’t really need Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and HBO. Cutting out even $80-$100 per month could quickly add up to an extra trip. 

9. Stay focused on goals. 

Once you’ve decided you’re going to travel more, it’s important to reinforce your commitment to that goal—especially if it requires changes to your routine. Think of any potential expenses in travel terms (this season’s must-have boots might be another night in a budget hotel, for instance). It may even help to put out visual reminders, like a guidebook or photo of the place you’re planning to visit, so you don’t lose sight of how sacrifices you’re making now will pay off later.

10. Try house sitting or home exchanges. 

While house sitting (or pet sitting) means someone else’s travel schedule is dictating when and where you go, it also means you’re not paying for accommodation when you get there. And, if you own your home, doing a home exchange can be a fun way to explore another place on a budget and get someone to take care of your house while you’re gone. Sites like Trusted Housesitters connect homeowners and house and pet sitters. 

11. List your own place when you’re away.

Anytime you’re out of town, listing your home on a home sharing site like Airbnb means you could make money while you’re traveling. While it can be a big undertaking to make sure you and your home are equipped for guests, it could pay off. More money in your account means more trips in the future, and more opportunity to earn while you’re away, so it’s a self-perpetuating cycle.

12. Get a side gig.

If you’ve got talents beyond what you do from 9-to-5—or if the skills you use in your day job are in demand on the freelance market—consider taking on some extra work to fill your travel fund. The ever expanding gig economy means there are dozens of options, such as selling handicrafts (like woodworking or sewing), driving for a ride-sharing company, walking dogs, tutoring, or even running errands or being a virtual assistant. 

13. Use a budgeting app to save. 

Financial apps can help you with just about any budgeting challenge. You Need a Budget helps you figure out how much you can spend on travel, while Acorns rounds up your purchases so you can save with minimal effort. If setting aside money for a trip feels like too much of an abstract concept, there’s an app for that, too. Albert lets you move money into a specific budget when you’re saving so you can see your money grow in a more tangible fashion.

14. Find a travel buddy or group... 

group of travelers taking selfie on the beach.

When you’re not comfortable traveling alone, you’ve got options. Maybe your book group wants to plan a trip to the setting of a favorite novel, or your best friend is interested in the same trip you’ve been planning. There are lots of group tours that offer built in companionship as well. Companies like Intrepid, Contiki, and Globus offer tours based on age group, travel, style, or whatever you’re into, from river cruises to long-distance biking. 

>> Get tips for traveling with friends

15. ...Or go solo. 

If your friends and family aren’t into traveling and you don’t want to do a group tour, you still don’t have to turn into a homebody. There are lots of resources to make solo travel easier, from the above-mentioned tours and cruise lines (many of which don’t charge an extra fee for a single room) to virtual communities of other solo travelers sharing tips.

>> Check out some tips for solo travel from our Travel Community. 

16. Negotiate for more vacation days. 

Just because your company offers a certain number of vacation days doesn’t mean that’s set in stone. You may be able to get a few extra days, or work out a flex-time arrangement so that when you work overtime you can “bank” some of those hours to take additional days off. The best times to ask: when negotiating a new job, receiving a promotion, or during your annual review. 

>> Get tips for negotiating more vacation time here.  

17. Extend work trips. 

If you’re fortunate enough to travel for work even occasionally, turn your business obligation into a fun experience by adding a day or two to your trip after you’re done with work. Even if it’s not a place you’ve always wanted to visit, part of the fun is discovering what to do there—or figuring out what side trips you can take. Depending on where you’re going, you may be able to easily and cheaply hop from your business trip destination to another spot with more personal appeal. 

>> Read our tips for getting around cheaply in Europe . 

18. Be sure your credit card earns rewards. 

Credit card rewards can go a long way toward enriching your travel budget, so long as you don’t carry a balance. If you pay off your credit card bill each month, look into a card that offers frequent flyer miles, hotel points, or the ability to “erase” travel expenses. Then, everything from groceries to gas to a doctor’s visit can help offset the cost of your next trip; once you’ve racked up enough points, you can use those to pay for part or all of your next flight, so it’s basically nothing out of your pocket. 

>> Here’s how to  get started with points and miles if you’re new to the game.

19. Explore close to home. 

No matter where you live, there are trips you could take from home, whether it’s for a weekend or just an afternoon. Pack a picnic and go for a scenic hike with your family. Go to a museum or gallery. Check out tours on Viator or Airbnb to find new things to do in your city. If you approach your own backyard with the same curiosity as a foreign place, you don’t even have to get on a plane to have an adventure. 

20. Lose the “once-in-a-lifetime” mindset. 

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It’s worth repeating. We’re in the golden age of travel, and international flights can often be had for just a few hundred dollars. Yet, people still often put off their dream trips because they want to wait until they can “do it right”—whether than means splashing out on a lavish hotel or going for more than two weeks. But since they can’t “do it right” at the moment, they don’t end up doing it at all. Forget about doing it right and focus on doing it now ; it may not be the exact dream trip you envisioned, but it may turn out to be exactly what you wanted. 

21. Change how you define “travel.” 

Using every second of your allotted two-week vacation from work in one fell swoop to take an epic overseas adventure is fantastic, but if that’s the only thing you consider “traveling” then you’re only going to get one of those per year. When the word “travel” encompasses being anywhere that’s not home for any length of time, suddenly a world of possibilities opens up.

22. Join Going.

We search dozens of websites, airlines, and OTAs to find the best deals and and when we find a cheap flight departing from you home airport, we send an email with everything you need to know to book the deal. Our members save an average of $550 per ticket with deals like $98 roundtrip to Hawaii, $486 roundtrip to Tahiti, and $270 roundtrip to Barcelona. 

We search dozens of flight booking sites every day, so you don't have to. Our members save an average of $550 per ticket off average prices.   

Jessica Spiegel

Freelance Writer

Published September 19, 2023

Last updated January 29, 2024

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We create life-changing experiences for discerning golfers looking for that unforgettable, luxury Southern African travel experience, dedicated service and knowledgeable organisers with a love of the game and wildlife!

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Explore More Travel is an award-winning specialist tour operator that provides international clients with the highest quality travel services and life-changing experiences. Explore More Travel provides a professional, high quality travel consultancy and destination management service to both local and international clients. Explore More Travel differentiates itself from its competitors by never compromising on the quality of the service, product and overall experience, and will always “deliver on its promises”.

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We highly recommend a self-drive experience starting in Cape Town and ending in Knysna along our Garden Route. The Cape, Garden Route & Safari package is a 10-night tour including golf at Clovelly Country Club, De Zalze Golf Club, Simola Golf Estate & Pezula Golf Estate. The tour finishes at Pezula in Knysna. This 5-star property is located on the East Head overlooking the Indian Ocean & Knysna Lagoon, one word … “spectacular”!!

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Cape Town continues to blow the adventure travelers mind with an abundance of extreme & exhilarating experiences within driving distance of the city. Join us on an All Out Adventure where you get to Abseil from Table Mountain, Surf in the Indian Ocean, Stand Up Paddle with the Penguins, Sea Kayak in Hermanus and Sandboard in the dunes of Atlantis!

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Cover-More Comprehensive Travel Insurance Review

Published: Mar 20, 2024, 2:42pm

Cover-More Travel Insurance offers Australians high-quality cover within its comprehensive plan, including unlimited medical cover that extends to Covid-19. While dental isn’t included in the unlimited medical cover, it is still covered up to $2,000. Plus, Cover-More provides automatic cover for nearly 100 sports and activities, making it a great choice for the adventurous traveller.

Related: Best Travel Insurance Providers for Australians

  • Unlimited medical cover
  • Maximum age limit of 99 years of age
  • Automatic cover for nearly 100 sports and activities
  • Snow, cruise and adventure cover cost extra
  • Dental not included in unlimited medical cover
  • No online discounts

Cover-More Travel Insurance

Table of Contents

About cover-more travel insurance, what is covered by cover-more, does it cover me for covid, what about pregnancy, what about sports and activities, customer service.

Cover-More Travel Insurance is part of the Zurich Insurance Group, with the Australian Cover More Travel Insurance policies underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited. Cover-More was established in 1986 in Sydney, and claims to protect more than 15 million travellers per year with its policies.

The company has won numerous industry awards over the years, and its comprehensive policy has received a 3.3 star ranking from 2843 customer reviews on Australia’s leading consumer review site, ProductReview.

Featured Partners

Fast Cover Travel Insurance

On Fast Cover’s Secure Website

Medical cover

Unlimited, 24/7 Emergency Assistance

Cancellations

Unlimited, (Trip Disruption $50,000)

Key Features

25-Day Cooling Off Period, Australian Based Call Centre, 4.6 Star Product Review Rating

Cover-More Travel Insurance

Covid Cover?

Maximum age limit?

99 years old

Lost luggage cover?

Yes, up to $15,000

Southern Cross Travel Insurance

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Medical Cover

Including medical treatment, doctors’ visits, prescribed medication, specialist treatment & medical transport costs

$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited

Cover-More’s Comprehensive Travel Insurance policy is available for travellers up to 99 years of age, subject to meeting the acceptance criteria. Dependent children are also automatically included up to 21 years of age, provided they are financially dependent and are not in full time employment–making this policy a good choice for family holidays.

While Cover-More doesn’t state a maximum amount of credit card fraud it will cover in its comprehensive plan, it does say that it will repay the legal liability of illegal use and also provide a replacement. As for personal liability, this is covered up to $2.5 million.

Additionally, missed connecting flights are covered up to $3000, and there is cover for hire car excess up to $5000 as well. Cancellations are also covered, with the amount chosen by the customer upon taking out the policy.

Lost luggage

Yes, the Cover-More Comprehensive Travel Insurance policy includes lost luggage cover up to $15,000. Sub limits apply; however, item limits can be increased when taking out the policy if required.

Cover-More’s Comprehensive Travel Insurance policy comes with unlimited medical cover. This includes COVID-19 (as explained below) and some pre-existing medical conditions.

There are 32 conditions that are automatically covered in Cover-More’s policy, provided they meet certain criteria. These conditions include epilepsy, asthma, coeliac disease and more.

Other medical conditions require an assessment to determine whether cover will be provided, and may incur an additional premium on the policy. Cover-More urges policyholders to disclose all medical conditions upon taking out a policy to ensure the correct level of cover is provided throughout the trip.

Is Dental Cover Included in Medical?

Dental is not included in Cover-More’s unlimited medical cover. However, policyholders are covered for dental costs up to $2,000.

Related: Review of Travel Insurance Saver Insurance

Yes, Cover-More includes Covid-related medical expenses within its unlimited medical cover. There is also cover up to $5,000 for trip cancellations due to Covid, and additional expenses–such as emergency accommodation if required to isolate–are covered up to $2,500.

Related: Are You Covered for Covid?

When it comes to pregnancy, a single-child pregnancy is automatically covered with Cover-More’s comprehensive plan. For multiple babies, or if the pregnancy was IVF-assisted, policyholders must apply for extra cover upon taking out the policy.

The pregnancy cover that Cover-More provides is only up to week 24 of the pregnancy, and only for serious and unexpected complications. Childbirth is not covered.

Cover-More provides its customers with plenty of choice when it comes to cover for sports and activities on their holiday. Automatically included in the travel insurance policy are 96 different activities, which range from windsurfing and swimming with dolphins to paint balling and archery.

Some activities that are automatically included come with extra conditions in order to be covered, such as hiking/trekking only up to 2000 metres, and hot air ballooning as a passenger through an organised activity only.

Cover-More adds that all activities listed within its 96 automatic-inclusions must be undertaken recreationally and in a non-professional capacity, with certain limits and sub-limits applying.

For travellers looking for travel insurance that covers other sports and activities outside of the 96 listed, Cover-More provides optional add-ons at an extra cost. This includes adventure activities, snow packs and cruise cover.

Cover-More offers its customers 24/7 emergency assistance via a dedicated overseas medical and emergency assistance team known as Cover-More Assist. Policyholders can contact Cover-More Assist by calling +61 2 8907 5619 from anywhere in the world.

There is also a general customer service phone line, and a separate claims line. Alternatively, customers can choose to submit claims online via the Cover-More website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is there a discount for cover-more travel insurance.

No. At the time of writing, there are currently no online discounts for Cover-More Travel Insurance.

Cover-More does frequently run promotions for its customers (such as the chance to win a $2,000 Visa giftcard or 15% off your policy), with these promotions and deadlines found online at the Cover-More website.

Does Cover-More Travel Insurance cover Covid-19?

Yes, Cover-More’s Comprehensive Travel Insurance policy includes cover for Covid-19. As Cover-More offers unlimited medical cover, COVID-19 related medical needs are included within this.

There is also cover up to $5000 for trip cancellations due to Covid, and additional expenses that incur due to contracting COVID-19 are covered up to $2500.

Is Cover-More Travel Insurance good?

Forbes Advisor compared a wide range of travel insurance policies to find the best choices for Australians. Cover-More Travel Insurance was rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by Forbes Advisor, and also has a 3.3 star ranking from 2,843 customers on independent site, ProductReview.

It is considered a good travel insurance option for Australians, largely due to its unlimited medical cover–which includes Covid coverage–and its many automatically included sports and activities.

Where Can I Find The Cover-More Policy Document?

Cover-More offers a range of different travel insurance policies to Australians, each with differing product disclosure statements (PDS) outlining their inclusions and limitations. The comprehensive plus policy’s PDS can be found here , while the standard comprehensive offering’s policy document can be found here .

For all PDS’ from Cover-More, including its domestic travel insurance offering , you can find them online on the Cover-More website .

Who underwrites Cover-More Travel Insurance?

Cover-More travel insurance is underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited.

How do I contact Cover-More Travel Insurance?

For general enquiries, Australians can contact Cover-More Travel Insurance by calling 1300 72 88 22.

For policy holders requiring emergency assistance, you can call Cover-More Assist 24/7 from any country on +612 8907 5619.

To make a claim over the phone, policyholders should call 1300 36 26 44.

Complaints can be made via the general enquiries line, by submitting a form online , or emailing [email protected].

Does Cover-More offer domestic travel insurance?

Yes. Along with Cover-More’s comprehensive offering, as reviewed above, the travel insurance provider also provides plans for those travelling domestically.

Cover-More’s domestic plan made it onto Forbes Advisor Australia’s list for our pick of the Best Domestic Travel Insurance , scoring 4 stars out of 5.

From our review, we found that the Cover-More Domestic policy is available for all ages up to 99 years, subject to acceptance criteria such as pre-existing medical conditions. Delays are covered up to $1000, missed connections are also covered up to the value of $2000, and the value of cancellation cover is chosen by the customer.

Sophie Venz is an experienced editor and features reporter, and has previously worked in the small business and start-up reporting space. Previously the Associate Editor of SmartCompany site, Sophie has worked closely with finance experts and columnists around Australia and internationally. Sophie grew up on the Gold Coast and now lives in Melbourne.

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Travel insurance for when the unexpected happens on your trip..

Whether you’re traveling across the ocean or just across the United States, there’s a chance your trip might not go according to plan. If the unexpected happens, travel insurance can help protect you – and your wallet – from a financial loss.

Travel insurance helps protect the most important parts of your trip. From trip cancellations and lost baggage to 24-hour travel and emergency medical assistance, our travel protection plans provide important coverage for you and your trip investment, helping you feel safe, secure and connected while on your trip.

Do You Really Need Travel Insurance?

Great question. The answer is yes. Many travelers think their health insurance or free credit card insurance will completely cover their out-of-pocket expenses. However, that’s often not the case. Consider the reasons below for purchasing travel insurance for your journey.

Health Insurance Doesn't Cover Everything

According to the US Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs some domestic health insurance may cover “customary and reasonable” costs overseas. However, they often won’t pay for a medical evacuation back to the US which can cost upwards of $50,000. That’s where travel insurance can help.

Credit Card Shortfalls

There’s a chance your credit card provides some coverage for travel insurance. It’s important to check what coverage you have as this can vary depending on your card type and can even cost you additional funds to invoke. Credit card companies often have several conditions in order for their insurance to apply. For example, you may have had to pay for the entire trip using that credit card. For higher benefits coverage, purchase a specific travel insurance plan.

Travel Investment

You don’t want to cancel a vacation or lose the money you’ve invested. Cancel for a covered reason listed in your policy and Cover-More can help.

Medical Expenses

When traveling you may not always have access to the best health care. Your health and safety is a priority. If an emergency medical evacuation is necessary, we will transport you to the nearest suitable hospital for treatment. Additional benefits include transportation of a visitor of your choice to stay with you or to transport any traveling children back home, should you become hospitalized.

Personal Belongings

A trip to the beach isn't much fun without a bathing suit. If your luggage is delayed or lost, Cover-More plans go above and beyond. We can refund you for items lost, stolen or damaged, and reimburse you for necessary items you need to buy until your baggage is returned.

Travel Assistance

Call the toll-free number 24/7 prior to departing for assistance or advice on planning your trip. When you’re traveling, one toll-free call gives you access to a variety of travel services like medical emergency assistance and lost baggage retrieval.

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Fans of fine art, of painting, sculpture and graphics will conquer the great Tretyakov Gallery exhibition and the Museum of Fine Arts – the Pushkin Museum. Music lovers will not pass by the ballet and opera productions at the Bolshoi Theater with their performance of brilliant works of art. In Moscow, also are valuable historical and architectural monuments of world significance: the Kremlin and the Novodevichy monastery, listed in the list of World Cultural Heritage, the Red Square, the St. Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, many manor houses and palaces.

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The Guide to Chase’s Travel Portal

Ramsey Qubein

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

Who can use the portal?

Benefits of booking travel in the portal, is chase's travel portal worth using, does chase's travel portal price match, how to use chase's travel portal, what else you need to know, chase travel portal tips, recapped.

Chase's travel portal is one of the best features of having a Chase credit card. Earning Ultimate Rewards® with credit cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® can deliver big value if you know how to navigate Chase's travel portal.

Much like third-party booking sites like Orbitz or Expedia , you can use Chase's travel portal to book flights, hotels and cruises, among other things. You can redeem points to offset the cost of the trip or pay in cash. You won’t have to worry about blackout dates or award inventory caps like you may find when using airline miles or hotel points for the same trip since you are essentially buying travel with cash.

Within the portal, you can also redeem points for merchandise or transfer them to other travel loyalty programs if you are short on miles and points there. In short, having a flexible points currency like Chase Ultimate Rewards® is one of the smartest routes you can take in the miles and points game. Booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® is simple. Here’s what you need to know about the portal.

» Learn more: Chase Ultimate Rewards®: How to earn and use them

Not all Chase cards have the same benefits. Only some cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points; others may earn loyalty miles and points with an affiliated partner. For example, the United℠ Explorer Card earns United MileagePlus miles.

These are examples of cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® and give access to Chase's travel portal:

Chase Sapphire Reserve® .

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .

Chase Freedom Unlimited® .

Chase Freedom Flex℠ .

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card .

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card .

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

• 5 points per $1 on travel booked through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

• 2 points per $1 on other travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Point value in the travel portal: 1.25 cents apiece.

• 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining, hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase.

• 5 points per $1 on air travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining not booked with Chase.

Point value in the travel portal: 1.5 cents apiece.

• In the first year, 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 4.5% cash back on drugstores and restaurants, and 3% on all other purchases on up to $20,000 in spending.

• After that, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Point value in the travel portal: 1 cent apiece.

Point value in Chase travel portal: 1 cent apiece.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Earn points on paid reservations

The primary reason you may want to book travel via Chase's travel portal is that you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® on paid reservations. You can earn 5x points on airfare booked within the portal and 10x points on hotels and car rentals.

That can really add up, but beware that when booking hotels through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, you are not eligible to earn points with the hotel loyalty program or reap elite status benefits since it is using a third-party service. The tradeoff can vary by property, but using Chase's travel portal is especially helpful when booking unaffiliated hotels or hotel brands where you usually do not collect points or have elite status. In those instances, you are less likely to be passing up the perks of points earning and elite status.

Earn points on airfare even for redemptions

When booking airfare through Chase, you do earn miles no matter if you pay with cash or points. This makes using points for airfare via the travel portal more beneficial than redeeming for a hotel.

Earn bonus points for restaurant bookings

You can even earn bonus points when making restaurant bookings through the portal. This can be a great way to enhance your trips with great dining in advance rather than chatting with your hotel concierge.

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Shop for the best value redemption

Since the value per Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is relatively constant, using the travel portal may not always be the best option. You may be able to spend fewer points if you book the same trip with the specific airline or hotel's points instead of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. This is more common with itineraries with high cash prices, like a hotel night that's particularly expensive. Always compare the cost of using traditional miles and points over using Chase points to see which offers better value. In some cases, you may want to transfer Chase points to partner programs to squeeze more value from them.

One example where that could be exceptional value is for expensive business class tickets that also have award availability. Let’s say you’re looking for a United business class ticket between Newark and London. If the cash cost of a one-way ticket is $2,505, that will cost you 250,500 Ultimate Rewards® points when redeeming at a value of one penny per point. In this example, it may be worth redeeming MileagePlus miles instead.

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For this flight, the one-way mileage cost is 91,700 miles. Even if you don’t have enough United miles, you could transfer that amount from Chase Ultimate Rewards® (since they are partners), and save yourself a nice chunk of Chase points in the process. It is always best to compare the cash cost with the redemption cost using both Chase and the airline or hotel’s own loyalty program.

» Learn more: The best Chase transfer partners — and the ones to avoid

Chase's travel portal can be worth using in specific scenarios.

Redemptions: You hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and want to make a redemption. The first two cards get an elevated point value of 1.5 cents apiece when redeeming points and booking travel in the portal; the latter gets 1.25 cents apiece.

Bookings. You hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and want to earn bonus points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® typically earn 5x points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns 5-10 points per $1 spent on Chase Dining, hotel stays, rental cars and air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®.

Otherwise, you might be wise to book travel directly with the airline, hotel or rental car company, which can simplify cancellations or changes to your bookings. You can do this with cash, card or by transferring points to one of Chase's transfer partners.

» Learn more: The guide to Chase transfer partners

Despite being powered by Expedia — an online travel agency that includes a Price Match Promise — Chase's travel portal does not offer customers a price matching benefit.

Capital One Travel has price drop protection that will advise you when to buy and refund you if the price of your flight drops by a certain amount after purchase.

Once logged into your Chase account, you’ll find a sidebar on the right of the page with your Chase Ultimate Rewards® balance. Once you click on it, it brings up a variety of options for how to spend your points. Choose “travel” to take you to the standard booking page where you can enter your plans for flights, cruises, rental cars, hotels or other activities.

Depending on the card you have, your points are worth between 1-1.5 cents per point. The best value card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , which offers 1.5 cents in value per point to redeem through the portal, while the Chase Freedom Unlimited® only values points at a penny per point. This means that Chase determines the number of points you’ll need to redeem for an award based on the cash cost of the travel you are trying to book.

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It’s easy to search for the travel you want. Chase has partnered with Expedia to run the search engine, but this has limited the search function a bit with some low-cost airlines no longer appearing. Be mindful of this when making a reservation (perhaps check to see if the airfare is similar to the basic economy or main cabin price on the airline’s website first).

The advanced options button lets you sort by airline and class of service.

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Much like other online booking engines, once you find the travel plans you like, you enter your personal details. The best part of using the travel portal is that you can pay in full with points, cash or use a mix of points and cash. You can adjust the amount of points you want to spend for your trip and the website will display how much remaining cash you owe. If you need more points, you can transfer them from other Chase Ultimate Rewards® earning accounts you may have to boost your balance.

The process for booking hotels or car rentals is similar to reserving a flight, giving you the option to use a mix of cash or points.

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To book a cruise with points, however, you’ll have to call Chase directly.

Another exception is when making a reservation at Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection properties, you can only make a cash reservation (you pay upon checkout) and cannot redeem Ultimate Rewards® points. You may still want to reserve through the portal, though, since it means you are eligible for additional perks like daily breakfast for two and a special amenity that varies by the hotel.

You can also reserve activities at home or your destination and pay for them in cash or with points. These include tours, museum visits and other local experiences.

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Chase may charge a service fee on certain reservations. You will want to weigh whether this small charge is worth the benefit in Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you may use.

Many hotel companies offer member-only rates to entice you to book directly with them rather than through a third party. You’ll want to weigh whether earning Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is more valuable than the difference in the lowest rate booked directly with the hotel company.

When making any reservation through Chase's travel portal, you will be at the mercy of its own policies when it comes to changing or canceling a ticket. You will have to contact Chase Ultimate Rewards® directly to adjust your plans since you made it independently of the airline or hotel company. This can make it especially difficult with last-minute travel plan changes.

» Learn more: Advanced tips for redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards

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With a little comparison shopping for your travel plans, you can squeeze exceptional value from points via the Chasee's travel portal. They can be redeemed like cash for travel, but always be sure to compare a reservation using Chase points to the cost of using hotel or airline points.

Sometimes, it may be less advantageous to use Chase points since you will lose out on travel-related perks. Other times, you’ll come out ahead since you can save cash using points, which is helpful when there is no award availability for your preferred travel plans.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

1%-5% Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.

$200 Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

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Travel | travel: alaska is ready for another record-breaking cruise season.

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Alaska is home to more than 30,000 grizzlies, but the state’s cruise industry is experiencing anything but a bear market as momentum of last year’s record-breaking season is expected to continue in 2024.

Looking at the most-visited Alaskan port as a proxy for the ship-shape southeastern side of the state, Juneau set a new mark a year ago with 1.65 million passengers descending on the capital city during cruise season, which generally runs from early April to late October. That figure from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce is a Danali-sized jump of 30% compared to the previous mark set in pre-pandemic 2019.

Coinciding with Alaska’s 65th anniversary of statehood, the upcoming cruise season appears to be just as robust with 19 cruise lines sending 43 ships to the Last Frontier. Kicking things off for the second straight year is the 4,008-passenger Norwegian Bliss, which is scheduled to dock in rustic Skagway on April 8. With four mainstream-category ships homeported in either Seattle or Vancouver, Norwegian Cruise Line ( ncl.com ) has nearly 100 more after that. Impressive, but two competing companies have staked out larger claims in this modern-day, maritime Alaskan gold rush; Holland America Line ( hollandamerica.com ) is sending seven premium-class ships for 141 total cruises, and at the top of the totem pole is Princess Cruises ( princess.com ), which is celebrating its 55th year in these waters with seven premium ships sharing 158 departures.

Rafting alongside Mendenhall Glacier is a chance-of-a-lifetime adventure for many. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Not counting grand voyages with itineraries so rich that they make a visit to Alaska seem more like a pitstop, this cruise season will see more than 800 trips of mostly seven to 10 days starting or ending on this side of the Pacific. Where they’re all going is a destination rich in unparallel wilderness, wildlife and native culture. In other words, bucket list stuff.

“Alaska is one of those places that draws you in and sets the hook right away,” said Kristi Switzer, destination marketing manager for Travel Juneau ( traveljuneau.com ). “Visitors come for the otherworldly experience of being in the presence of glaciers and fjords, seeing whales and bears, and finding the balance of Alaska Native cultural heritage with the rustic sophistication found in the capital city and other places within this magnificent state.”

Sometimes just seeing a whale's tail is a win when on an Alaskan tour. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Although Switzer recommends visits lasting several days instead of several hours, the city’s destination evangelist hopes that a partial day in Juneau and each major Alaskan cruise port has over 1.5 million passengers wanting more.

“This magical corner of the world has so much to offer beyond being a checkmark on people’s bucket lists,” she said. “Make time to enjoy the fascinating culture, spectacular outdoor recreation, unique shopping, amazing restaurants and artist galleries that Juneau and all of Southeast Alaska have to offer.”

Walking on a glacier is one of the more exciting shore excursions Alaska has to offer. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Alaska is a checkmark for about three-quarters of all passengers headed there, according to the Alaska Tourism Industry Association, and the same can be said for two ships this season.

Starting with a six-day sail out of Vancouver on May 11, the namesake of Celebrity Cruises’ ( celebritycruises.com ) popular Edge class will make her Alaskan debut with weeklong roundtrips from Seattle through Sept. 13. The 2,918-passenger vessel features a unique “outside-in” architecture that provides more floor-to-ceiling glass on the exterior and expanded outdoor spaces to soak up the Alaskan coastlines.

Skagway, a popular cruise port, is the northernmost point in Alaska's Inside Passage. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Edge will be joined by a pair of fleet mates for the season, albeit Summit’s seven-day roundtrips are turnarounds out of Anchorage or Vancouver and Solstice’s weeklong jaunts are solely based in the British Columbian seaport. Celebrity, a premier-category cruise line, meaning it’s between the economical mainstream class and pricy luxury level, has 57 departures to Alaska scheduled this year.

The other new recruit is Silver Nova, the youngest Silversea Cruises ( silversea.com ) ship in the luxury fleet to ever service Alaska. Capped at 728 guests, Silver Nova was launched last year and has the goods to do justice to a dreamlike place that captures the imagination of wilderness lovers and history buffs.

“Silver Nova is the ideal ship for Alaska cruising,” said company spokesman Brad Ball. “Her innovative design, which prizes openness over symmetry and incorporates an unprecedented use of approximately 4,000 square meters of glass, immerses guests into the incredible scenery of Alaska from virtually all venues and suites, with far-reaching views at every turn.”

While in Skagway, let happy and hard-working sled dogs take you on a spin around Musher's Camp. (Photo by David Dickstein)

The ship’s reimagined pool deck, which overlooks the water on her starboard side, and all-new outdoor venues — the Dusk Bar and the Marquee — allows unique openness to view spectacular Alaskan glaciers and wildlife. Those who want to experience an older and smaller Evolution-class Silversea vessel can book the Silver Muse, which also will sail mostly seven- to 14-day trips between Anchorage and Vancouver.

Because nearly every Alaskan cruise includes the staples — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage, and Denali with a land add-on — some cruise lines like to shake things up with unique itineraries.

Holland America has a roundtrip that makes it easy to visit the 49th and 50th states without a long flight. A new “Glaciers & Volcanos: Alaska to Hawaii” cruise, part of the premium line’s Legendary Voyages collection of journeys from 25 to 59 days, departs on Aug. 31 from Seattle or Sept. 1 from Vancouver aboard the 1,916-passenger Westerdam. The near-four-week-long itinerary includes seldomly visited Kodiak and Dutch Harbor before heading down to the tropics to make four calls to three Hawaiian islands.

Seabourn ( seabourn.com ) strives to offer a more tasteful Alaskan cruise and not only because it’s an ultra-luxury cruise line. “Caviar on the Ice” is a savory and swanky soiree on every Alaskan voyage, and when the 450-passenger Odyssey is in Sitka, a town originally built by Russian traders in the early 1800s, Seabourn guests can enjoy a culinary adventure that includes a scenic drive to a taproom for a sampling of local brews and a few eateries to try Siberian-rooted pelmeni dumplings and a hot dog made with caribou that the locals call “reindeer dawgs.” Sorry, vegetarians and friends of Santa, but Blitzen on a bun is da bomb.

Red Onion Saloon, a former bordello built in 1898, is a top attraction in historic Skagway. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Carnival Cruise Line ( carnival.com ) is staying with a three-ship deployment in Alaska this season. Sharing the workload of 55 roundtrips generally lasting seven to 11 days are Carnival Spirit (2,610 passengers) and Carnival Luminosa (2,260) out of Seattle, and Carnival Miracle (2,667) from San Francisco. Another mainstream cruise line, Royal Caribbean ( royalcaribbean.com ), has four ships making 85 runs to Alaska from Seattle, Vancouver and Anchorage: Ovation of the Seas, (4,905) and older sister Quantum of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas (2,543) and Radiance of the Seas (2,466).

Disney Cruise Line ( disneycruise.com ) is sending its 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder out of Vancouver for 15 week-long roundtrips, one five-day spin leaving on July 24 and an extended nine-day voyage on July 15.

Other cruise lines showing passengers a whale of a time in Alaska include Crystal, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Lindblad/National Geographic, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas and Viking.

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See what’s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights

More than two decades after the concorde’s last flight, several private companies are competing to bring supersonic travel to the masses.

In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet — a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel.

There hasn’t been a commercial supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde stopped flying in 2003. Since then, supersonic jets — which travel faster than the speed of sound — have been used primarily by the military. But the space agency’s unveiling of the X-59, designed and built in partnership with Lockheed Martin, comes as a growing number of private companies are vying to bring back supersonic travel for the commercial market.

Boom, Exosonic and Spike are among the companies promising modern supersonic travel that will be quieter, greener and more affordable than in the past. And at least one company — Hermeus — is exploring hypersonic flights, which would whisk passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes. But there are questions about whether these companies can make good on their claims given the economics of air travel and growing concerns about the impact of commercial aviation on the environment.

Here are five things to know about the effort to revive supersonic travel.

1. The sonic ‘boom’ could become a ‘soft thump’

NASA’s goal in developing the X-59 is to reduce the sonic boom — the thunder clap that resonates far and wide when an aircraft crosses the sound barrier. NASA scientists hope the demonstrator jet can prove that travel at supersonic speeds is possible without such earsplitting noise.

One key to quieting the boom comes from the plane’s design. The engine is mounted on top. The plane has a long, narrow nose and sculpted wing to help ensure the shock waves it creates as it speeds through the air are similar in strength and evenly spaced along the aircraft to create a gradual increase in pressure instead of the rapid jump that creates the loud bang, said Peter Coen, mission integration manager for the Quesst mission.

The sonic boom is around 105 PLdB, or perceived level of decibels, similar to that of the sound of a balloon popping next to you. In comparison, NASA says the X-59’s will sound closer to a car door slamming 20 feet away.

Turning the boom into a “soft thump,” as NASA hopes, could also improve the economics for commercial supersonic flights. It could mean an end to the U.S. ban on supersonic travel over land, which was enacted over noise concerns. That in turn could make commercial supersonic travel financially viable because airlines would be able to fly supersonic planes to more destinations.

Designing and building the X-59 took roughly five years. Testing is underway, and other phases of the project are expected to take another four. The total projected cost is $839 million, according to NASA.

2. There’s a flurry of interest from private companies

Nearly a half a dozen companies are competing to be the first to offer supersonic travel to the public — a curious interest at a time when much investment and innovation in transportation is focused on developing cleaner, more climate-friendly options that consume less fuel or alternative propulsion technologies such as batteries or hydrogen.

Denver-based Boom Supersonic is eyeing 2029 for the debut of its supersonic passenger jet, called Overture. The aircraft is expected to seat 64 to 80 passengers, according to Blake Scholl, the company’s chief executive. It will travel at Mach 1.7, or 1.7 times the speed of sound — more than twice as fast as a regular passenger airplane .

One company, Aerion — which had backing from major players in the industry including Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build a supersonic business jet — has already bowed out of the race. It shut down in 2021, unable to secure the funding to continue it work.

Industry analysts say venture capital and the mind-set that commercial supersonic sounds like a good idea has largely fueled the revival.

“It’s that Silicon Valley mentality that you put money down on 20 things for one that does well,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory. “Again, it sounds like a good idea. There’s a good market for air transport and people want to fly fast. We had Concorde in the past so it sounds right — so let’s put some money there.”

Bruce McClelland, a senior contributing analyst at aerospace and defense industry analysis firm the Teal Group, added, “A lot of projects attract money whether they’re completely viable or not.”

3. It promises sustainability

Companies say their new generation of supersonic jets will have a smaller carbon footprint, mostly because they will be fueled by sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel is made from agricultural products including soybeans and animal fat.

But critics say that pledge ignores some significant realities. For instance, there isn’t enough sustainable aviation fuel for planes that exist today. The sustainable aviation fuel that does exist is more expensive — by some estimates two to four times the cost of fossil fuel.

And no matter the fuel, the reality is supersonic jets will always use more of it. According to a 2022 study by International Council on Clean Transportation, supersonic jets could use seven to nine times as much fuel as regular commercial aircraft while carrying fewer passengers. But NASA’s Coen contends that supersonic travel at least initially will be a very small part of overall CO2 emissions and a very small part of commercial aviation.

Even so, with airlines pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, some say it’s hard to understand how supersonic jets fit into that framework.

4. It could be affordable for more people

The Concorde ended service because only a small slice of the flying public could ever afford a ticket, among other reasons, including a 2000 crash that killed 113 people and grounded Concorde’s supersonic planes for a year. But today’s entrepreneurs say supersonic travel can be affordable — though maybe not at first.

They point to Tesla and the burgeoning space tourism sector as an example of new modes of transportation that have and could eventually become accessible to a growing segment of the population.

Analysts have their doubts, though, given how difficult it is for commercial airlines to stay afloat. Supersonic jets will carry fewer passengers and consume greater quantities of fuel. If that fuel is sustainable aviation fuel, those costs increase even more.

“Essentially, the faster you fly, the more fuel you are burning per mile,” said Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “Supersonic is always going to be more expensive.”

5. It could get even faster

Hermeus, based in Atlanta is just one of the companies exploring the possibility of an even faster, hypersonic commercial passenger jet. While supersonic aircraft travel faster than the speed of sound, hypersonic aircraft travel at speeds five times faster or more.

Translated: that would make a flight between New York and London — a 90-minute trip — about the same as flying from New York to D.C. on today’s commercial aircraft.

The company’s Halcyon jet would travel at Mach 5 — or five times the speed of sound. A.J. Piplica, the company’s chief executive, said the company is laying the groundwork for Halcyon by building hypersonic drones that could be used for defense and national security purposes.

But the company is open about the technological challenges it faces developing such a fast aircraft. Today, there’s a less than 50 percent chance of getting Halcyon in the air, Piplica says — but he expects the odds to improve over time.

Even then, Hermeus — and all the start-ups — will have to convince the public to buy in and will have to grapple with growing concern about the impact of air travel on the environment. It could be a tall order.

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Following Measles Outbreaks, Officials Grow Wary of Renewed Threat

Cases this year have already topped the total in 2023. Unvaccinated travelers account for most infections.

A close-up view of an MMR vaccine dose on a tray in a clinic.

By Apoorva Mandavilli

Measles, a highly contagious but preventable disease, is resurging in pockets of the United States, a warning of the dangers of the strengthening anti-vaccine movement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more cases this year than the 58 tallied in all of 2023, although the agency is not expected to release exact numbers until Friday. On Monday, the agency advised health care providers to ensure that unvaccinated patients, especially those traveling internationally, stay updated on their immunizations.

The number of cases is likely to keep rising because of a sharp spike in measles worldwide, along with spring travel to some regions with outbreaks, including Britain, said Dr. Manisha Patel, chief medical officer at the C.D.C.’s respiratory disease division.

Nearly all the cases in the United States so far are related to unvaccinated travelers. “We’re not going to see widespread measles cases going throughout the country,” Dr. Patel said. “But we do expect additional cases and outbreaks to happen.”

Measles is among the most contagious of diseases; each infected person can spread the virus to as many as 18 others. The virus is airborne and can stay aloft up to two hours after an infected person has left the room, spreading rapidly through homes, schools and child care facilities.

In Chicago, one case of measles at a migrant shelter has grown to 13 , prompting the C.D.C. to send a team to help contain the outbreak. (Two additional cases in the city appear to be unrelated.)

In Florida, seven students at an elementary school contracted measles even as the state’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, left it to parents to decide whether unvaccinated children should attend school.

In southwest Washington, officials identified measles in six unvaccinated adult members of a family living in two counties. And in Arizona, an international traveler infected with measles dined at a restaurant and transmitted the virus to at least two others .

Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000, and American children generally must be immunized to attend school. Yet sporadic cases lead to larger outbreaks every few years. But now a drop in vaccination rates, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, has experts worried about a resurgence.

When vaccinations lag, “the first disease to appear is measles, because it’s highly infectious,” said Dr. Saad Omer, dean of the O’Donnell School of Public Health at U.T. Southwestern in Dallas.

Nine of 10 unvaccinated people in close contact with a measles patient will become infected, according to the C.D.C.

Measles is far less deadly in countries with high immunization rates and good medical care. Fewer than three of every 1,000 American children with measles will die as a result of severe complications like pneumonia or encephalitis, the swelling of the brain.

Still, about one in five people with measles may end up in a hospital.

Because widespread measles outbreaks have been rare, most Americans, including doctors, may not recognize the vibrant red rash that accompanies respiratory symptoms in a measles infection. They may have forgotten the impact of the disease on individuals and communities.

“Most of our local health department folks have never seen a measles outbreak,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist of Idaho, which contained a small cluster of cases last year.

“It’s going to be a big challenge to us to respond if and when we get our next outbreak,” she said.

Before the first measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, the disease killed an estimated 2.6 million people worldwide each year. But its full impact may have been much greater.

Measles cripples the immune system, allowing other pathogens easier entry into the body. A 2015 study estimated that measles may have accounted for as many as half of all infectious disease deaths in children.

For about a month after the acute illness, measles can stun the body’s first response to other bacteria and viruses, said Dr. Michael Mina, chief science officer of the digital health company eMed and formerly an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

That leaves patients “massively susceptible to bacterial pneumonias and other things,” said Dr. Mina, who was the lead author on the 2015 study.

“It’s very risky for people in those first few weeks post measles,” he added.

The virus also induces a sort of immune-system amnesia. Normally the body “remembers” the bacteria and viruses it has fought before. Dr. Mina and his colleagues showed in 2019 that people who have measles lose between 11 and 73 percent of their hard-won immune repertoire, a loss that can last for years.

That does not mean the body no longer recognizes those pathogens at all, but it does shrink the arsenal of weapons available to fight them.

“People should be aware that if they’re choosing not to vaccinate, that’s the position they’re putting themselves and their family in,” Dr. Mina said.

The C.D.C. recommends receiving the first dose of the measles vaccine after 12 months of age, and a second between ages 4 and 6. Even a single dose of the vaccine is 93 percent effective. Measles vaccination averted 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2021, according to the World Health Organization.

Vaccination rates in the United States have shown a distinct, if small, dip to 93 percent in the 2022-23 school year from 95 percent in 2019-20 — the level required to protect everyone in the community. Rates of vaccination exemptions increased in 40 states and the District of Columbia.

In a survey last year , just over half of Republicans said that public schools should require measles vaccinations, compared with about 80 percent before the pandemic. (Support for vaccines among Democrats held steady.)

While national or state-level vaccination rates may be high, there may be pockets of low immunization that provide tinder for the measles virus, Dr. Omer said.

If there are enough unvaccinated cases to sustain an outbreak, even those who are vaccinated but whose immunity may have waned are vulnerable, he said.

In Idaho, 12 percent of kindergarten-age children do not have a record of vaccination. Some of the gap results from parents unable or unwilling to share records with the schools, and not because their children are not immunized, Dr. Hahn said.

Still, online schools, which proliferated through the pandemic and remain popular in the state, have some of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions, she said.

In September, a young Idaho man brought measles back after international travel and became ill enough to be hospitalized . Along the way, he exposed fellow passengers on two flights, dozens of health care workers and patients, and nine unvaccinated family members. All nine developed measles.

Idaho got “very lucky” with the outbreak because the family lived in a remote area, Dr. Hahn said. But there are most likely many other areas in the state where an outbreak would be difficult to contain.

“We’ve got plenty of tinder, if you will,” she added.

Some large outbreaks in recent years exploded among huge clusters of unvaccinated people, including the Amish in Ohio and the Orthodox Jewish community in New York City.

In September 2018, one unvaccinated child returned to New York City from Israel, ferrying measles virus picked up during an outbreak in that country.

Even though the city maintains high vaccination rates, that single case set off an outbreak that raged for nearly 10 months, the largest in the country in decades. The city declared a public health emergency for the first time in more than 100 years.

“We had more than 100 chains of transmission,” said Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city’s health commissioner at the time, and now the president and chief executive of United Hospital Fund.

“Keeping all of that straight was a challenge,” she recalled. “And to have to investigate over 20,000 exposures like that, that was huge.”

Working with community leaders, city officials hurriedly administered about 200,000 doses of vaccine. More than 550 city staff members were involved in the response, and the final cost to the city’s health department topped $8 million.

The C.D.C. is working with state and local health departments to identify pockets of low vaccination and prepare them for outbreaks, Dr. Patel said. The agency is also training health care providers to recognize measles symptoms, particularly in patients with a history of international travel.

Measles is a slippery adversary, but public health is intimately familiar with the tools needed to contain it: screening, tracing contacts and vaccinating the susceptible.

“We’re not helpless bystanders,” Dr. Omer said. “The focus needs to be on meat-and-potatoes public health.”

Apoorva Mandavilli is a reporter focused on science and global health. She was a part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the pandemic. More about Apoorva Mandavilli

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