Welcome to the Travel Tuesday episode of the Sunshine Travelers podcast. If you've never heard of Travel Tuesday, think of it as the low-key sibling of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Except, instead of gadgets, you can score great deals on travel and give the gift of experiences. It's the perfect excuse to start planning your next adventure without breaking the bank. Today, we'll share a few of the savings we have discovered, but don't wait. Many of these offers end today. Jump on them now. You'll never regret giving the gift of memorable experiences.
I'm Scott. And I'm
Melissa. And we are the Sunshine
the Sunshine Travelers. Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoyed as much as we do, or those who want to learn more about travel, or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you fall along that journey, get ready to hear about our firsthand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on earth.
So happy Travel Tuesday, Melissa.
Happy Travel Tuesday.
We hope all of our listeners in the U.S. enjoyed their holiday weekend. We want to express how thankful we are for the listeners of the Sunshine Travelers podcast. Yes, we appreciate you guys being here and especially just appreciate when you reach out and ask
appreciate you guys being here and especially just appreciate when you reach out and ask questions and just say little things like we enjoy your podcast and, you know, then have a question for us. It just makes our day.
Well, we had our son and daughter-in-law in town over the weekend. And so we thought we would just share a few of the activities that we did here on Amelia Island, because that is where we live. And it's one of our favorite places in the US to be. And so, you know, we started out watching some college football. And I'm just gonna say the eight overtime game against Georgia was pretty epic.
Yeah.
It didn't turn out the way that we wanted it to. Georgia did end up winning there in the eighth overtime. But that was an amazing game. How crazy to be the
How crazy to be the second longest game in college football history. That was what a game. Yeah, that was amazing.
So we all watched that, stayed up way too late watching that game. We also went and did something new that we've never done here before. So we went duck pens bowling.
Yeah, so that was really fun. I actually like duck pens bowling, I think, than regular bowling. You don't have to get bowling shoes, and you don't have to have your own ball and then wait for it. So that was a lot of fun. We've tried to do that before, but they're always very busy. But the place is called Duck Pens, and it's a neat little bar and I want to go back to have a ski ball upstairs. And so I would say it's
say it's like a mixture of ski ball and bowling.
Yeah, that's true.
Right. So you're using these little round wooden balls and you're rolling them down the aisle and the pins are attached to a cable. And so when you knock the pins down, it can tell most of the time which ones you knock down. And then it only puts the other ones back down every time.
Yeah. So that was really fun. So if you want to do it, you have to kind of get there early and put your name in or wait for the crowds. But they have like craft cocktails there and some appetizers. And they if you're a Jaguars also, they always have like craft fan, cocktails there and some And they also, appetizers. if you're a Jaguars fan, they always have fun Jaguars game day festivities.
Yeah. And I don't think this year it's as much of a issue, but I know we've been there in the past where every time the Jaguars scored, they would do shots for everybody sitting at the bar. Yeah.
So, so it's a fun little place that's downtown. So other fun places downtown is the the, palace saloon. So it's a fun little place that's downtown. So other fun places downtown is the Palace Saloon. So and also, you know, just live music everywhere. But the Palace Saloon is quite the place, the most interesting. You've got just a good mix of locals and visitors and all age groups. So it's a very interesting place to hang out. And then also the Pajama Black Friday. I think that's a unique experience. Everybody wears their pajamas and lots of people shopping small, which is really neat and supporting the local businesses.
Yeah, we noticed on Friday that the river cruise was actually in town that morning. And so imagine all these people getting off the river cruise. Maybe they told them in advance and maybe some of them were there in their pajamas. But could you just imagine you get off this river cruise, you go into this town and everybody's walking around in pajamas?
Yeah. So but it's just a neat way to kind of leave the
leave the topic of Amelia Island is we have one of our favorite times of the year coming up, which is the Dickens on Center. And so, you know, if you thought walking around in pajamas was kind of crazy, now just fast forward a couple of weeks and there are going to be people walking around in downtown Amelia, all dressed up like Charles Dickens era characters. And so that'll go on for like four days. And, you know, it's just a fun time. It's a great way to kick off the holiday season and really get you kind of in that festive spirit.
Yeah, it's one of Florida's largest Christmas markets. So the second weekend in December.
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Well, in today's episode, we wanted to share some of the deals that we found for Travel Tuesday. Now, this episode comes out on Travel Tuesday, so you're not going to have a lot of time to ponder these deals when you see them. But go out there, jump right on these, because many of them are only good through the end of the day today. And so we're going to share a few of these that we've found, but then we'll also give you a few tips along the way that will be useful anytime. So we've kind of bucketed these into three different topics. One of them is around airfare. And so we'll share some of the details that we found with air deals that are out there. Then we'll talk a little bit about some hotel and places to stay. And then the third bucket that we'll have is around a luxury experience to one of the places that we have absolutely loved when we visited there. So those are the three buckets that we'll use today. And Melissa, why don't we go ahead and get started with the airfare? Okay, yeah. So the first one
the first one is airfare. So I wanted to start it out by saying this was a deal that kind of kicked it off last year. Our son-in-law actually booked their airfare for the flight to Europe that we took back in the spring. We talked all about that in episode 70. It was really a lot about Europe family trip and Europe with kids and how they booked the deal and all the things that we did. So that might be something that you want to go listen to and kind of get some ideas and some things that we did with Europe with Kids. And he talked about that deal. So that was when he booked with points specifically. So let's go through a few of those. So Arrow Plan is having an 80% off bonus when you buy points. So you do have a little bit longer on this one, December 11th. So one thing to know is a lot of people are like, okay, you earn these credit card points and, you know, but sometimes you need to look at the fact that you can buy points. And if the cost of that flight is cheaper to buy the points, then that might be the way to go. Now, that's not always the case, but sometimes it is the case. So you have to just kind of look at that as an option. But this particular one is an 80% bonus. So especially like if there's a business class deal and it covers that, because you were saying that that is for Air Canada, right? Yep. And so Air Canada is what we use to book a couple of the legs of our Africa trip.
Yep. And
Even though they were on Egypt Air, we booked them through Air Canada for like 63,000 points in business class. So this may actually be a situation where you maybe have some points. Air Canada is also one where you could transfer some points from a card and then buy those. And it might actually be cheaper than the flight. So one thing to just kind of keep a watch out for.
Yeah. So think of whatever number of points you're going to buy. I think it starts at 50,000 points is the minimum. But multiply that times 1.8. And so that's how many points you'll end up with. So definitely a great thing to look at. But as Melissa said, you always have to think about is a point redemption good or is it better to use cash? And I probably wouldn't buy this unless you had something specific that you wanted to use it
wouldn't buy this unless you had something specific that you wanted to use it for. That's kind of the rule of thumb with buying points as well as making sure you have some. And then also checking, is that available? Like, is that available? Buy the points, you book it right away. Because even sometimes, you know, points can get caught up. But that's kind of the best way to do
that. One of our other favorite places to go to is Portugal. I've had to go there several times for work and Melissa came with me. And so TAP Air Portugal has a really good travel Tuesday deal going on as well. Yeah. So you found direct flights
direct flights from New York City to Lisbon for as low as $2.32 per person. So we have actually flown Air Portugal in Europe, like as we would get to, I think one time it was Madrid and one time it was Amsterdam and one time it was Frankfurt. So we've actually flown them several times and they were great.
Yeah. One thing to note about this, this is going to be an economy class fare. But if, you know, I think it's a, I looked it up. It's like a six and a half hour flight from New York City to Lisbon. So, you know, economy, probably if you're willing to do that, that's a really good price at $2.32.
Yeah, that is a great deal. And also we have an episode on Portugal as well. So I'll link all these episodes in the show notes as well. But Portugal is a great place to visit. The next one is American Airlines deals to Europe for $5.99 per person. So not quite as cheap, but you might find one from your home airport, which could save you a lot.
And Tokyo for as low as $6.89. Now, I think this was going out of California, so you would have to get to the West Coast first. But like Melissa said, if you've got some points that can get you to the West Coast and then you spend the $6.89 to get to Tokyo, that's not a bad fare.
Yeah, so that one was on American Airlines as well. And then Hawaiian Airlines was offering less than $120 for one way from California to Hawaii. So that is a really great deal because you could probably find a cheaper flight to get you there or use points or something like that. And that's a great deal. Yeah. And one more thing on the American
one more thing on the American Airlines, we just called out a couple of the deals. They've got deals to South America. They've got deals all over. And so you want to go on to American Airlines and check these deals
out. And then one-way flights from New York City to London from $244 on KLM and then on Virgin Atlantic as well. And that's a really cheap flight to
a really cheap flight to London. I mean, we've paid far more than that to get from, you know, either New York City or Atlanta to London before. Yeah, that's a great,
a great, and going from New York City, you know, you could do, if you're having to book a separate flight to New York City, I mean, that'd be a great way to have like a little stopover if you have time. But then it's not a bad flight either. That's the other thing from New York City. And that would be our tip that we shared in the episode with kids is that was really great for the kids because then it was like we waited till their bedtime. Right. And then left from New York City and it was just not a bad flight for
flight for them. And for all of our people out of Atlanta, you know, KLM and Virgin Atlantic are Delta partners. And so think of your Delta status and stuff like that transferring over here as well.
Yeah. And so I want to give one other tip as you're looking at some of the deals that we have mentioned to Europe. So let's say, OK, well, I don't want to go to Portugal and I don't want to go to But keep in mind that one London. thing that we have said several So let's times. I don't want to go say, to Portugal okay, well, and I don't want to go to London. But keep in mind that one thing that we have said several times is that when you see a flight deal to Europe, jump on it because then you can usually find a really great deal on one of the local airlines to get you from that location to like your final destination. And the other thing that you can do is if you have time, since you're booking those separately and you want to say, okay, well, I don't really want to go, let's say to London, or I don't really plan to go to Amsterdam or Madrid or something like that, but you could have a day or so to explore a new city, like create your own little layover. And then you can fly. Like I said, we've flown to Madrid before. I booked a ticket to Madrid and then for $100 or so flew to Lisbon. It just ended up being so much cheaper that way. So don't ever discount that because there's tons of one that we used on our other trip was Aegean. Aegean flies not just in Greece, but all over Europe. And there's just a whole lot of them like that.
Yeah, one thing that I would just say, though, is realize that if you're one of those people that travel with large bags or with luggage, you know, when you're booking flights on different airlines, it's impossible to say, I just want to check this all the way through to my destination.
Yeah, that's
true. Well, let's talk a little bit about hotels, because you got some great airfare now, and you're going to need a place to stay once you get there.
Yeah, so booking.com. So you hear us talk about booking.com a lot. And so we're gonna give some specific examples in a second. But they are offering 50% off when purchased by December 4, in a second. But they are offering 50% off when purchased by December 4th for dates through the end of 2025. And so one thing that I love about Booking.com is that you can find things for a larger party. So when we traveled to Europe earlier this year, we had six people and thinking, okay, we really don't want like hotel rooms in London. So looking at booking.com, it gave us options for a flat in London, it gave us really nice apartments in Greece, and in Germany, when we had a couple of stopovers that worked out great for us. And the great thing about it is that it's still like booking a hotel. It's not like, okay, we have to have a two night minimum, and then you're having to pay the cleaning fee and all that. It works all of that in. So think about that if you're traveling with a family, is looking at that as an option, because we found some really great things on Booking.com.
Yeah, another one that popped up is until December 6th, members of Bonvoy, or the Marriott chain, you can get 25,000 Bonvoy bonus points for any five night or greater stay at a Marriott vacations property. And so that is a huge bonus right there. And I would definitely say look into that, especially if you're looking for more of a resort kind of style, go on to Marriott.com and look at those deals. I think that they're good through, I want to say the end of this week maybe, and jump on those if there's any of them that interest you.
And then Hilton is offering sales on stays up to 50% off for various states and various locations. And one you found, for example, was 40% off the Hilton and Los Cabos. So just taking a look at some of those. And one other tip that we would have is as you are booking the flights, but then also the hotels, like go ahead and join these programs. So as you're looking at the Marriott, join the Marriott Bonvoy or the Hilton or even the booking one, because you've gotten by joining that and booking things, like you've gotten more of a discount off of some of those as we have booked more. Same thing with the airlines, because a lot of times that you're then able to eligible for like these special rates, they'll just be like, oh, this is the Bonvoy rate. Well, I mean, you have never stayed at a Marriott or a Bonvoy, but they still offer you that Bonvoy rate for, you know, having your information and stuff like that. So go ahead and join those programs. And you're definitely going to want to do that if you ever want to use the airline points, because a lot of times until you join those programs, you can't even really see what the best redemptions are and stuff like that.
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So this brings us to the topic of travel experiences. And so one of our favorite experiences that we've ever done prior to going on the safari was traveling to the Galapagos. And we did this with some of our friends and we talked about this. There was a whole episode early on. I think, yeah, Melissa's telling me episode two, where we talk about going to the Galapagos. HX Cruises has a deal going on right now with up to 50% savings by December 9th on an HX Cruises trip to the Galapagos and Machu Picchu. So it's two of those in one trip. You can cross both of those things off your bucket list with a single trip. trip. And so I would definitely jump on that one because I think for about $10,000, you get to do both of those epic
of those epic adventures. Yeah, those are bucket lists for sure. We haven't done Machu Picchu yet, but it's definitely on our list. And that trip also included going to Quito, which I think we talked about in episode three. Absolutely love that. So we're going to put links to that just to make it easy for you to find and for all these things. There were also
some terrific Black Friday deals on cruises. So I can't help but to think that maybe there's going to be some additional deals coming out between now and the end of the year for cruise travel in 2025. But that's something you're just going to have to keep an eye on. And if we see anything, we'll make sure to call it
it out. And then speaking of cruises and travel and buying travel and spending money on travel instead of the things is that we want to tell you about our group trip to Antarctica that's going to take place in February of 2026. So hopefully within the next week, we're going to have all the details so we can share all the details with you. But we want you to be one of the first to get those details in your inbox and then say yes and sign up that if you want to do that. So it's going to be the very end of February in 2026. And so if you go to sunshowntravelers.com slash group trip, put your name and your email address in there, and then you will be one of the first ones to get all the details. And then we'll be announcing that again. So there will be a signup process and a deposit and then the balance will be due like way closer to the trip, but you'll be able to make payments along the way. And so ask for it, you know, the deposit for Christmas this year, and then for different gifts throughout the year, and have plenty of time to make payments on that. So we're super excited about that. And we want you to join us for that epic bucket list adventure cruise, it will be stepping on to the continent of Antarctica, it will be a smaller ship, polar plunge, lots of things like that. And so again, that is sunshinetravelers.com slash group trip.
Yeah. And that trip is going to start in Buenos Aires. So we'll all meet up in Buenos Aires. We'll travel down to Ushuaia. That's where we'll get on the boat. And then we'll head across the Drake Passage to the seventh continent. We'll spend some time there. And we'll have multiple opportunities to go on land, to go by the little Zodiac charters around and see wildlife and whales and everything. Penguins. Yeah. So you don't want to miss this trip. This is going to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime epic trips that you're going to want to be there with us on. So Yeah. you don't want to miss this This trip. is going to be one of those once in a lifetime epic trips that you're going to want to be there with us on. Yeah. And it's just going to be
going to be one of those things like if it's one of the where you have said, OK, I want to go to Antarctica at some point, but leave it to us. We're going to do all the planning and the organizing. And then all you have to do is sign up. And then, like I said, it's something that you'll have plenty of time to plan And for. so it's just going to be an epic trip for us and then for And you. then, like I said, it's something that you'll have plenty of time to plan And for. so it's just going to be an epic trip for us and for you. And so we're just excited. We want you to come along and join us on this adventure. One of
the other things I'd like to mention is out on our website, we've got a blog post that we just recently put out there. It's seven tips to make your holiday travel less stressful. And so as you're thinking about traveling over the next few weeks for, you know, to visit family or friends or just go on a great trip, you know, together and share some experiences, we would suggest you just go out and take a look at this blog post. It takes about 10 minutes to read through. And some of these tips will just help make your travels so much less stressful. Yeah, we want to put that
want to put that together. We're actually going to be traveling with family over the holiday season as well. So we'll put a link to that, but you can find it. So if you go to sunshinetravelers.com slash blog, the blog is linked at the top of the page, but there's lots of things for lots of destinations and tips as well that you'll find out there.
So any other thoughts you want to share today on Travel Tuesday?
Use it as an opportunity to book your travel. Go ahead and sign up for that daily drop that we mentioned. I think that's just a great way. You can get started for free, but I think you're just going to find it super valuable. It's a great way to just start getting those travel deals, learning how to book your points and keep up with all those. So sign up for that so that you can keep an eye out for it. But find something that's on your bucket list and go ahead and book it.
So one of the tips that we always recommend is to put your bucket list in writing. When deals like the ones we mentioned today come around, you'll be ready to jump on them immediately. If you're taking advantage of a Travel Tuesday deal, we'd love to hear about it. Send me an email, scott at sunshinetravelers.com, and let me know where you are going. We're always inspired by your travel stories. We hope you enjoyed this episode and found some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. If you could take a moment to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, it would be greatly appreciated. Your five-star reviews help us get discovered by others and possibly featured on your favorite platform. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our podcast to get notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember, that is Travelers with one L. Most importantly, please share it with your friends to help them catch the travel bug. You never know, they may become your greatest travel companion.
