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Epoch Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Travel Trends and Hacks for the Summer of 2025
Americans are feeling upbeat about summer travel, with 92 percent of them planning to fly or hit the road in 2025, according to Fidelity National Financial Company's While airlines lament a decline in passengers, road trips are the No. 1 choice. According to As the economy remains tenuous and funds are tight, these travel tips and hacks may save you money and time. Airlines May Cut Prices on Domestic Flights With air travel still projected to be popular, airlines are seeing a mixed bag of travelers. International flights are holding strong, but domestic flights have weakened. A couple of factors weighing on airlines are a drop in government travel. Government layoffs have diminished domestic ticket sales for many airlines. Business travel is also down. Business travelers are key to major carriers as they are less price-conscious and book at the last minute when ticket prices are high. As regular domestic travelers are boycotting airlines as well, this could result in lower ticket prices. According to the Related Stories 5/5/2025 4/24/2025 With lower ticket prices, flying might be a viable option for travelers. Average Cost of a Road Trip Road trips are generally less expensive than flying. But expenses like gas, food, and motels can add up quickly. It also depends on whether you are traveling to one state or five states. However, according to Tips for Trips There are many ways to save time and money—from planning your trip by day to using travel apps. Here are some tips that will come in handy. AirHelp App for Canceled or Delayed Flights AirHelp analyzes flight details to determine eligibility for compensation and handles the entire claim process. It files the claim and will even take potential legal action if you want. The app is free, but it charges a fee if it successfully recovers compensation for you. Track and Use Points With Daily Drop App The app has features like tracking points—so you don't have to—deal alerts, and a community forum. Overall, Daily Drop helps people maximize their miles and points. Travel App That Tracks Spending The Log expenses Split costs with fellow travelers Track budgets Manage multiple currencies It automatically converts expenses into your home currency and allows you to tally the costs in different currencies. Viator for Booking Attractions and Activities Input your destination and travel dates, and the site shows all available activities, tours, etc. It also gives you ratings and prices, making it a good way to plan your itinerary and budget. Stay Connected With Inexpensive eSIMs An eSIM or embedded subscriber identity module is a chip built into your phone that stores your cellular service profile. When you travel internationally, your local carrier, like AT&T or Verizon, doesn't go with you unless you pay a hefty fee or pay expensive roaming charges. An eSIM for travel is a digital SIM card embedded in your phone that allows you to connect to a local cellular network without needing to swap physical SIM cards. It lets you stay connected while traveling without paying roaming charges. Use Gasbuddy for Best Gas Prices Although many on the West Coast would disagree, that the average price for regular gas in the United States was $3.15 in April. According to the gas prices in California were $4.77 at the same time. Regardless of where you travel, if you're driving, try using As an added benefit, it has GasBack Rewards, where you earn points for purchases through GasBuddy partners. Rewards can be redeemed for future gas purchases. It also has a fuel card that allows you to save money at participating stations. The Epoch Times copyright © 2025. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
30 Hours in the World's Best Economy Airline Seat
Kara and I have flown a lot since launching our YouTube channel — like, hundreds of flights. We've slept on airport floors, flown in more economy seats than we can count, and yes, we've even been lucky enough to sip champagne in business and first class at 35,000 feet. I would be lying if I didn't say that flying business or first class is the best thing ever, but sometimes, we'll still opt for an economy seat if it's a better deal. And if you're going to fly in economy, you might as well fly in the best one. Curious? I'm talking about the award-winning Qatar Airways. For all you miles and points fans out there, our team at Daily Drop took on the challenge of finding out if Qatar Airways economy is really as good as the hype suggests. To do that, they spent 30 hours straight flying in economy and documented the whole experience on YouTube so you don't have to. Thirty hours? You read that right. Our brave content creator, Brendan, and his wife recently completed a whopping 30-hour journey from Washington D.C. to Bali with Qatar Airways — all in economy. And they filmed the whole thing. Not only did they test out the full Qatar experience over two long-haul flights, but they also pulled it off for just a few hundred bucks instead of the usual $2,500 price tag. The journey began at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), where they kicked things off in style at the Capital One Lounge. Just because you're flying economy doesn't mean you can't enjoy a little pre-flight luxury, right? They got in thanks to their Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. If you're looking for free breakfast, coffee, and a few snacks to save for later, then consider applying for a premium card like this that comes with airport lounge access. Once onboard the Qatar Airways A350, Brendan immediately noticed that this wasn't your typical cramped economy seat. No, it's not business class, but the seat was comfy and came with a modest pillow, a decent blanket, and a pair of headphones that, while functional, could certainly be improved. The entertainment system, however, was a different story. It was loaded with movies and TV shows, making the 12-hour flight much more bearable. The only minor setback was the lack of a standard headphone jack. This meant he couldn't use his AirPods and had to rely on the old-school headphones provided by the airline — I've been there before, and it's not fun. The in-flight dining? Surprisingly great. Qatar offered a choice of vegetarian pasta or chicken with vegetables. While not Michelin-star material, the food was much better than expected for economy and beat the mystery meat you sometimes get on planes. They even threw in some Biscoff cookies — a personal favorite of ours. It's the little things. Now, let's talk about how Brendan and his wife managed to secure those $2,500 tickets for only a couple hundred dollars. Qatar Airways is part of the oneworld alliance which allows for several options when booking flights using miles and points. The key here is knowing which miles program will give you the best deal. Qatar Airways uses Avios (the same frequent flyer miles used by British Airways), which made booking the tickets much easier. Brendan transferred 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards from The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card to Qatar Airways. They paid just $270 in taxes and fees total, so this redemption gave them a pretty solid value of about 2.27 cents per point. After a quick layover in Doha, it was time for round two — a 9-hour flight to Bali on an older Boeing 787. If there's one thing to note about flying economy on Qatar Airways, though, it's that the airline excels at providing a consistent experience across different aircraft. While the A350 was a bit newer and flashier, the Boeing 787 still offered a comfortable economy seat with decent amenities. So, does Qatar Airways offer the best economy seat in the world? While it's definitely up there, Brendan is not entirely convinced it deserves the title of 'best in the world.' The seats were comfortable, the food was decent, and the overall experience felt more premium than your typical economy flight. It wasn't life-changing, but it was absolutely one of the better economy experiences he's had. So, would Brendan fly Qatar Airways economy again? Absolutely! If you want to learn more about how you can use miles and points to fly for (nearly) free, check out Daily Drop. We send out a daily newsletter and create other helpful resources that teach you how to maximize credit card rewards get access to fancy lounges, and book bucket-list experiences.
