The Traveling Teacher

08/10/2024

No travel Tuesday tip this week because it's my wedding anniversary! Two years ago we said I do in the most special destination wedding in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Two years of adventures, fun, and love. 💕👩‍❤️‍👨

This man is so encouraging of what I do.

✨ He reacts and engages to my all social media posts (although he’s seen or helped me take the photos beforehand).

✨ He patiently listens to me talk about email funnel strategies and let’s me walk him through all my spreadsheets (guys… there are a lot of spreadsheets).

✨ He restocks my snack supply when I’m hours into working on something and forget to feed myself. (Thanks, baby x)

✨ He celebrates every little thing, like every win is my biggest achievement (although I’m always shooting for more).

Here’s to partners, family and friends who stand behind us as we chase our goals, even tho they might seem like pipe dreams from time to time 👏❤️.

06/10/2024

Travel credit cards, we all know about them, but sometimes they can be a mystery. There’s a lot of posts on social media about free trips and earning luxury stays – but how is it actually done?

Here is a beginners guide to travel credit cards from someone who was scared to start using them and who is now a huge fan of them!

https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/beginners-guide-to-travel-credit-cards/

03/10/2024

Destination highlight: Arizona!

Arizona is an amazing destination in November. The weather is crisp, but warm, you skip out on the crowds, and the Grand Canyon looks stunning in the fall.

Start planning your Arizona trip with my posts: https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/category/north-america/united-states/arizona/

02/10/2024

Travel Tuesday Tip: HOW TRYING NEW THINGS MAKES US HAPPIER

I love the data behind things and when I say travel it can be near home or afar. Trying new things locally, in another city, or abroad is good for you. Literally!

Trying new things is good for our emotional health, according to UW Medicine, the University of Washington’s medical school.

Juan Pablo Zapata, a clinical psychology resident in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UW School of Medicine explains what happens to your brain when you branch out and try new things.

“Studies suggest that people who engage in a variety of new experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones,” says Zapata.

When we do or see something new, the novelty center of the brain is activated, triggering the release of dopamine, a chemical rush that makes us feel good and rewarded.

“We have all experienced this at some point or another. Each time you take a leap of faith and try something new, you’re training your brain to remember the positive rewards associated with a new and exciting experience,” says Zapata. “The adrenaline rush, the endorphins, the sense of pride; they’re all stored in your memory banks.”

So travel more and experience new things 💕

01/10/2024

29/09/2024

"Happy travels" 🤗❤️ I use this every time I sign off an email and on my website often. But what does it really mean 🤔?

One of the ways I hope you find happiness is by have an amazing trip while keeping costs as reasonable as possible ⭐ 🙌 ❤️ In every piece of content, every post, every resource - I hope it brings you a little happiness too and will help you learn a thing or two 🤓.

What makes your travels happy? Drop a ❤️ in the comments and share!

26/09/2024

Desination Highlight: Italy

This might surprise you, but I think Italy is the perfect fall destination - especially Southern Italy!

You'll miss the crowds, get the opportunity to explore the beautiful places still, and enjoy great weather.

Start planning a fall trip to Italy with my Italy archives: https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/category/europe/italy/

24/09/2024

When I'm not traveling, I'm cuddling on the couch with my dog, Oakley, and cat, June!

Today's Travel Tuesday Tip is about choosing the right pet sitter.

I love my pets and think it's really important to choose the right sitter for them while you're on a trip. So, how do you find someone you can trust?

1. I love Rover and have had good luck there. My big suggestion though is to pick someone with a lot of great reviews and make sure you do a meet and greet. You want to get to know them and see where your pet will be staying. Consider how many dogs they take at once too.

2. Find a friend with pets and exchange. They can watch your pet while you are gone, you can watch theirs! Often this means you're exchanging and won't have to pay each other and also if it's a good friend, you know it's someone you can trust.

3. Find first hand recommendations. Ask around in local Facebook groups or to other pet owners you know who they have found that is reliable and a great sitter.

Hope these tips help and happy travels!

22/09/2024

Funny thing about me: I love trying chips from different places around the world! Early on during a trip to a new place, I'm going to find a new flavor of potato chips to try!

I also love trying fast food in different countries, not because I'm a silly tourist, but because it always tastes different depending on where you are!

I do eat most of my meals at local restaurants, but trying chips is fun! Do you ever try things like this on trips?

20/09/2024

Destination Highlight: Shenandoah National Park

The perfect spot for a day trip from DC in the fall is Shenandoah National Park. The fall colors are stunning here and you can choose to spend the day driving, hiking, or enjoying fall activities along the way like apple picking and pumpkin patches.

Peak fall colors will be coming soon so it's the perfect time to plan your getaway. Check out my archives for more.

https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/category/north-america/united-states/virginia/

18/09/2024

I made a big (rookie) travel mistake earlier this year 🙈

I booked a hotel with a new (to me) website. It had 4 stars for the reviews and was in a good location so I booked a non-refundable room.

I arrived and it was HORRIBLE. I’m talking floors caked with dirt, see through curtains, stained sheets… and the noise 😭😭

Of course I complained saying I needed a clean room. Their answer? If they replaced the sheets every time there was a stain they’d go out of business. This was the going rate for a hotel in the area. This hotel was $220 a night!!! I was livid but really had no choice unless I wanted to pay another $250 to stay somewhere else.

Well I learned the hard way to vet websites and hotels better. The 4 star rating? WAS OUT OF 10. The reviews were horrible. Never again will I just take the star rating as good to book.

I also avoid booking with that website (agoda) ever again because they refused to help even after I sent pictures of how horrible it was. Should have read the refund policy more closely.

I got about 4 hours of sleep and thankfully it was just a one night stay. Never again.

15/09/2024

It’s never been just about traveling. ​​It’s about the feeling that you get when you arrive in a place you've always dreamed of and you start to slightly grin. It's about the people who can finally go on a trip, because they learned about a new way to save on travel. ​​I want to help people create memories, try new things, learn something about the world. There's so much value in travel beyond a fancy dinner or checking something off your bucket list.

What does travel mean to you?

It’s been a real journey and I'm still here, learning and sharing ways to travel. Because it matters.

12/09/2024

Destination Highlight: Florida ☀️🌊

Hear me out...

Florida is actually an amazing fall destination. It's still very warm, you'll miss the summer crowds, and the prices are lower. Shoulder season is the way to go on this one, trust me! There's so many great places to visit in Florida, check out my archives for itinerary ideas.

https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/category/north-america/united-states/florida/

10/09/2024

TRAVEL TUESDAY TIP: Using 3rd party travel sites vs booking direct. Which is better?

There are pros and cons for using 3rd party travel sites (like Expedia or Hopper), but it can be worth it to book if you find an extremely good deal.

Generally, I recommend booking direct whenever you can because you can earn points, get direct customer service, and it's easier to make changes if needed.

I generally find 3rd party sites better for hotels than flights because they are usually good deals and there's less that could go wrong.

Do you ever use 3rd party sites? What do you think?

08/09/2024

Sundays are for trip planning, right?

I'm putting the final touches on my trip to Yosemite coming next weekend!

I have this travel planning checklist that really keeps me organized and prepped for any trip I might take.

Leave a comment if you missed the newsletter and would like it too 😉.

05/09/2024

Destination highlight: Vermont!

Is there anywhere prettier than New England in the fall? Vermont is the perfect place to experience it with over 70% of the state being covered in forest.

Plan your fall escape to Vermont with my archives and resources below.

https://meghanthetravelingteacher.com/category/north-america/united-states/vermont/

01/09/2024

I’ve been to over 35 countries but the most life changing trip for me wasn’t international - it was across the US to a city I’d never stepped foot in that changed me forever. Travel does that to you whether it’s near or far. So just remember it doesn’t have to be a completely different country or culture for you to learn something about yourself. ❤️

27/08/2024

Flying myth: buying a ticket on Tuesday or whatever day of the week is cheaper but here’s the real statistics.

There is no cheapest day to buy a ticket there are cheaper days to fly.

For domestic, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are about 24% lower than peak prices on Sundays, which translates to savings of about $85 per ticket.

Saturdays and Mondays are the next cheapest days to fly after midweek flights. The average airfare is about 13%-15% lower on these days. That means if you move your trip just one day forward or one day back from Sunday, you can usually save about $50 per ticket.

Now for international, leaving on a Wednesday, you’ll only be saving about 12% compared to the most expensive day (Sunday) — and compared to the 24% difference between the cheapest and most expensive days to fly domestically.

(Data from Hopper and Nerd Wallet)

As a data nerd I love learning these things about travel and hope you do too! I often leave or come home on Tuesdays and it’s good to know it’s saving me some money!