Hey Reader!

Happy Travel Tuesday! How is October over already?! I’m wrapping up my time in Toronto and savoring these last days.

What’s something awesome that happened to you in October? I’d love to hear about it!
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Remember back in 2020 when the pandemic hit and we had to cancel all our travel plans? 😭

I know, none of us are likely to forget that. Ever. Besides all the uncertainty and health concerns, many of us also watched travel dreams slip away.

Personally, I canceled nearly three months worth of travel plans through Spain, Bosnia, Paris, and the UK in 2020. Ugh. That was rough!

I’d never canceled an international trip before. Once I booked those tickets, I was determined to go! I was totally unprepared.
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Maybe you fared better, but I lost well over a thousand dollars because I didn’t make flexible travel plans! 😖

Most of my cancellations were flights and accommodations. I’d booked non-refundable rooms for plenty of my stays because they were a few dollars cheaper per night.

A few places were generous and split the refund with me. Others never even responded. I can’t be mad -- I did book the non-refundable option.

Airlines refunded a bit of my money, but also kept plenty because I’d booked non-refundable tickets with whichever airline had the best option for my needs.
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​Making travel plans that are easy to change or cancel without losing money is actually pretty simple! 💰

You may remember that I was originally going to Peru for a month instead of staying in Canada. When I started making those plans, I purposely planned for possible changes.

Though I wasn’t worried about the pandemic derailing my plans, I knew that I had big life things happening that could impact the trip.
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When I decided to cancel my trip to Peru and stay in Toronto, I didn’t lose a penny! 🎉

Because I’d purposely planned for the potential changes, my plans were super easy to change and I didn’t have to worry about losing a bunch of money.

This was a total change from how I usually plan trips, but it was simple to do!
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​In the latest blog article, I’m sharing all the details of how I did it so you can do it too! 🙌

As always, I want to share what I learn through my travel experiences to help you make the most of yours too!
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What other topics would you like to read about? 📚

Over the coming year, I want to create more resources for you on the blog! I’d love to know what would be most helpful for you!

You can hit reply, or simply click on the link to vote -- it will take you to those types of articles.

• ​Travel stories - real life adventures and impactful moments
• ​Destination guides - the info you need to plan your own trip to epic places. I’m thinking about Scotland, Iceland, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Albania, and Romania. Any of those you’re curious about?
• ​Travel Planning - what are the biggest questions you have about planning your own trips?

Indie Travel Inspiration

With winter just around the corner for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought I’d share a few spots you can get away from the cold!

Indie Travel Tips

Here are a couple articles that can help you make the most of your airline rewards!

• ​NerdWallet’s Airline Point Transfers and Partner Award Bookings Tool - this might be a super useful tool for maximizing your airline points! I’m definitely going to check it out.
• ​12 Mistakes to Avoid When Redeeming Airline Miles - these are good tips for making sure you’re maximizing those rewards!

That’s all for this week, my friend!

Now that we’re nearing the end of 2022 (so crazy), it’s time to start thinking about next year’s adventures! If there’s anything I can do to help make your big travel dreams come true, just say the word. 😊

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See you next time!

Cheers,

Annie

P.S. Don’t forget to let me know what other topics you’d like to see on the blog! I’m all ears!