If a deal feels too good to be true, it probably is — but that doesn't mean you're the problem.

Travel scams are getting more sophisticated — fake booking sites, phishing texts posing as your airline, phony "too good to be true" vacation rental listings, and scammers who now use AI to clone voices and mimic real travel agencies.

In this episode, Jennifer, Mallory, and Kim break down the most common travel scams they're seeing right now, the red flags to watch for before you book, and — most importantly — exactly what to do if you think you've already been scammed: who to contact first, how to try to recover your money, and how to protect yourself going forward. Plus, why booking through a real travel advisor is one of the best safeguards you have.

It's a practical, no-judgment conversation for anyone who's ever second-guessed a "deal" online — because it can happen to the savviest traveler, too.

All three of us have almost gotten scammed. Today we're telling those stories — including one that was unfolding as we recorded this episode

All three of us have almost gotten scammed — and honestly, none of us are careless people. This week, we're getting real about it: our own near-misses, a hiking destination in Peru that ChatGPT completely made up (two tourists paid $160 to be dropped at a random rural road chasing it), and a phone "ransom" scam happening in Paris that came to us fresh, mid-recording, from someone in our own network.

We also break down just how big this problem has actually gotten — travel fraud losses hit a record $16 billion in 2025 — and why AI is quietly making fake sites and scam messages harder to catch than ever.

This isn't a lecture. It's the stuff nobody tells you until it almost happens to you.

Part 2 next week: what to actually do about all of it, including exactly what to do if you've already been scammed.

🧳 New episodes every week — subscribe so you don't miss Part 2.
✈️ Want a trip planned by people who already know what to watch for? Links to book with each of us are in the description.

#TravelPodcast #TravelScams #TravelSafety #TravelTips #TravelAgent

EPCOT is basically two parks in one, so we split the conversation the same way the park splits itself — the longest lines, whether they're actually worth the wait, and how to beat them, plus every free air-conditioned hideout in the park (yes, even the one most people don't know about). Then we cross into World Showcase for Kidcot and the passport program, before special guest Ryan Joy joins us for a rapid-fire "best of" round: best restaurant, best drink, best snack, best festival, best show. If you've ever left EPCOT overwhelmed, this is the episode that fixes that.

You've got a 3-day school weekend and a drivable cruise port nearby — is it actually worth the packing, the drive, and the four-day turnaround, or does it cancel itself out? Jennifer, Kim, and Mallory each make the real case for their own home port (Galveston, New Orleans, and New York/New Jersey), with real ships, real drive times, and real costs. Then we get into the actual debate: is a 4-day cruise genuinely restful, or is it more work than just staying home? Spoiler — we don't all agree. Whoever's right, the answer depends more on your drive time than you'd think.

Everyone covers what to expect at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Almost nobody covers what happens the next morning — and that's the part parents actually ask about most. We dug through parent forums and reviews to find the real questions, and the answer surprised us: overtired kids don't just crash, they get more wound up before bed. This week, we break down what the party's actually like (the good, the long lines, and the best time to arrive), why the recovery day matters as much as the party itself, and the low-stimulation moves that save both the kids and the parents. Because the real planning doesn't stop when the fireworks end.

Our episode recorded before departure was the excited "we're about to go" preview. This one's recorded live from the AmaSintra, sailing the Douro — the practical guide to everything you'd actually want to know before booking a Portugal trip yourself. City vs. river, what a river cruise even is, and who this trip is genuinely right for (hint: not everyone). If Portugal's on your radar, start here.

By the time you hear this, two of us are actually in Portugal. Jennifer and Mallory are on a river cruise through the Douro Valley, and Kim's sending them off with the real reasons why — what makes a river cruise different from the ocean cruises we usually cover, and what each of them is hoping this trip gives them. Kim's not convinced Mallory's "no itinerary" plan will actually survive contact with a real vacation. Find out if she's right in a future episode.

Not every trip starts with an anniversary or a milestone. Sometimes the real reason is quieter — "it's just been a while since we've all traveled together" — and it's the hardest thing for people to say out loud. This week: how we listen for the real why behind a trip, how it changes what we actually build, and the one question that gets someone to say the quiet thing. Plus our Final Boarding Call — one small, practical takeaway from each of us.