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Your Last Chance to Fix 4 Things Before Summer - Travel Tip Tuesday · Travel Mug Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey everyone and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast.
• 0:03
  It is Travel Tip Tuesday, and believe it or not, it is already May, 2026.
• 0:08
  We complained about winter, but my goodness, it certainly went by what seems like quickly now, don't you think Jenn?
• 0:15
  Yeah.
• 0:15
  You know, while you're in it, it's like this will never end and then, then it's gone and you're like, wow, here we are.
• 0:21
  May.
• 0:22
  Ex. Exactly, exactly.
• 0:24
  So as one month quickly bleeds into the next, I wanted to take a few moments and talk about May being the decision month for summer travel.
• 0:33
  Really I started in the fall.
• 0:35
  But you do you, I mean if you're still haven't decided, now is your time and this is your sign.
• 0:41
  So these days, the earlier, the better.
• 0:43
  But if your summer plans are, uh, already solidified, which we'll talk about ours in a bit, uh, good for you, but if not, here are four things you can still do before availability truly tightens and waiting can cost you real money, especially with all that is going on.
• 0:59
  The world around us.
• 1:01
  My first tip is check your passport expiry now.
• 1:05
  Many countries require six months validity past your return date and May is often when people discover it is too late for summer travel and have to cancel plans or pay rush fees.
• 1:16
  I know here in Canada, uh, passport fees recently went up.
• 1:19
  I think it was 2%, but there is now a policy in place that if you don't have it back within 30 days, you're actually eligible for a refund.
• 1:29
  Yeah, that's nice.
• 1:29
  I mean, sort of, I mean, I, yes, I guess so.
• 1:35
  Um, number two, book Rental cars immediately.
• 1:38
  Rental inventory tightens sharply going into summer weekends, especially in Canada and smaller airports.
• 1:45
  Prices rarely drop after mid-May, so if you know you will be traveling and have yet to book your rental car, there's no time like the present.
• 1:53
  You will already be paying enough in fuel as we know when you're out on the road.
• 1:58
  So you might as well not overpay on the rental itself.
• 2:01
  Number three, lock-in accommodations.
• 2:04
  So whether you are flying or just want to plan a weekend getaway, the time to book accommodations is now for price lock-ins, but also for availability, hotel and other accommodations with free cancellation, act as a placeholder and smart travelers secure rooms now and adjust later as needed.
• 2:23
  And then number four, my tip is to buy travel insurance before wildfire and hurricane season ramps up.
• 2:31
  Sadly, we now have to plan for natural disasters nearly every year with the climate changing.
• 2:36
  And policies only cover events that happen after your purchase.
• 2:40
  So may can be a really strategic window.
• 2:44
  The year is flying by and summer is upon us.
• 2:47
  So now is the time to start making plans and solidifying what is needed for your summer travel before everybody else does the exact same thing and prices go even higher than they are now.
• 2:59
  So, Jenn, do you already have plans in place for summertime Fun.
• 3:04
  Yeah, so we are headed to Copenhagen in late June and most of those plans are ready to go.
• 3:11
  Accommodations, flights, et cetera, have been booked for quite a while.
• 3:14
  And, uh, the my passport is valid.
• 3:18
  And so is my husband.
• 3:19
  So we're good.
• 3:20
  Um, we don't have a lot planned for July and August, which is exactly the way I like it because I want to enjoy the summer months at home.
• 3:28
  'cause we only get like nine or 10 weeks of really good weather here and I don't want to leave during them.
• 3:35
  Uh, and then in September we are headed to Calgary and doing a bit of a road trip.
• 3:40
  We already have our car rental booked, but I actually think we are missing a hotel.
• 3:46
  we hadn't decided on exactly our um, road tripping plan, so I must check on that.
• 3:52
  Very good reminder.
• 3:54
  Indeed.
• 3:54
  Indeed, yes.
• 3:55
  We don't actually have a lot planned for the summer too.
• 3:57
  You and I are doing a gal's weekend and then Peter and I have a couple of things booked, but nothing too crazy over the summer for ourselves.
• 4:04
  No car rentals needed that I know of and stuff, so we should be good.
• 4:08
  Um, and that is it for this week's Travel Tip Tuesday.
• 4:11
  Fast and Furious, but now's the time people.
• 4:14
  And let us know what your fun summer plans are.
• 4:17
  You know, we love to talk travel, so do drop us a line.
• 4:19
  And if you want to do that, you can find us on social media, on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at Travel Mug Podcast, our website, travel mug podcast.com.
• 4:28
  And if you like what we're doing here, you can leave us a review on Apple or Spotify, share the show with a travel loving pal, or buy us a coffee through the link in our show notes to help keep the lights on.
• 4:39
  And until next time, bye everyone.