42 Travel Planning Tips & Tricks from Travel Pro Leigh Rowan

#187: Learn the art of travel planning to enjoy incredible vacations. Travel pro Leigh and I share over 40 practical tips to create the perfect itinerary, save on flights and hotels, find travel inspiration, experience destinations like a local, and much more.

Leigh Rowan is the founder and CEO of Savanti Travel, a full-service travel management company. Prior to that he was the COO of The Points Guy.

Partner Deals

LMNT: Free sample pack of my favorite electrolyte drink mix

Facet: Personalized Financial Planning + $250 enrollment fee waived

Mint Mobile: $15/mo for unlimited wireless on the nation's largest 5G network

Vuori: 20% off the most comfortable performance apparel I've ever worn

DeleteMe: 20% off removing your personal info from the web

For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals

Resources Mentioned

Leigh Rowan: Savanti Travel | Twitter

Travel Publications for Inspiration

Robb Report
Travel + Leisure
The New York Times: 52 Places to Go This Year
Lonely Planet

Flight Monitoring Tool: TripIt

Article: Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Fees

Activities, Experiences, Tours

International Data: Airalo | Mint Mobile

Love and London: Get 10% off digital travel guides and itineraries with code "ALLTHEHACKS"

Episodes:

Find other travel, points & miles related episodes here.

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(00:41) The Secret to an Incredible Vacation

(02:33) Why Travel Planning Starts with Organization

(06:15) Ways to Feel Inspired

(09:21) Considering Seasonality and Timing

(12:46) How Chris Uses Notion for Travel Planning

(15:22) Leveraging ChatGPT

(22:03) Tips to Monitor Booked Flights (+ Save Money!)

(23:59) 3 Ways to Make Your Layover Count

(29:05) Double Booking Trick for Flights

(31:16) Rules of Thumb for Creating an Itinerary

(40:04) Finding Accommodation and Getting Deals

(44:23) Why Leigh Emails Hotels After Every Booking

(46:54) Finding Local Experiences

(53:37) Free Walking Tours

(55:07) Finding Travel Inspiration Through Online Videos

(58:26) Should You Use Credit Card Concierges for a Local Experience?

(1:05:48) The Importance of Local Embassies

(1:06:50) Best Ways to Access Money Abroad

(1:06:58) Travel Insurance

(1:10:02) Important Trip Elements to Review for Upcoming Travel

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.