How to elevate your vacation

As a journalist covering luxury travel for magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, TripSavvy and Brides, I know the meaning of the term “road warrior.” I’ve visited more than 50 countries on six continents, spending up to 180 days per year on the road. And while the thrill of visiting a new place or returning to an old favorite never wears off, actually getting to those places doesn’t always go smoothly.

To help you keep the stress out of your plans to relax, I’m sharing my hard-earned tips on how to elevate your travel experience.

When I have a long layover, having lounge access makes the wait much more pleasant. Capital One Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders have access to participating airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and Priority Pass partner lounges.

Being able to enjoy a healthy and locally sourced meal between a long flight and a layover feels amazing. And after hours in the air, it’s nice to break a sweat with a bit of cycling or yoga or spend some time in a relaxation room.

There are plenty of power outlets and spaces to stretch out, with private areas to get work done or grab a table and indulge in locally sourced food offerings.

Booking through Capital One Travel takes the guesswork out of travel planning and gives me the added confidence that I’m getting a great deal. How? It analyzes billions of data points to predict flight prices and alerts customers when to book.

When you book your flight through Capital One Travel, it’ll either recommend that you purchase your flight then or wait for a better price. If you go with the latter, Capital One Travel will notify you when it predicts the best time to book. This easy tool saves cardholders an average of 15 percent on flights.

And just in case: If you book your flight at the time Capital One Travel recommends and the price drops within 10 days, the free price drop protection kicks in. You’ll get a travel credit of up to $50 to help cover the difference.

Travel can be uncertain. Capital One cardholders can take comfort in knowing they can add flexibility when booking flights.

As a cardholder, I can freeze the price of eligible flights for a fee. I can also purchase the option to cancel an eligible flight up to three hours before the first scheduled departure. If I do, I can still receive most of the ticket cost back.

Capital One Travel has tons of hotel options, which is great if a pitch-perfect hotel stay is high on your travel wish list like it is on mine.

One of my favorite Venture X card benefits is access to luxury hotels and resorts from the Premier Collection, which includes some of the most beautiful properties around the world. In addition to receiving 10X miles per dollar spent on Premier Collection bookings, I get a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for two and complimentary Wi-Fi. Eligible cardholders can also take advantage of room upgrades and early check-in and late checkout when available.

You wouldn’t believe the length of some of the security lines I’ve seen. So it goes without saying that whenever I can fast-track the security experience, I do. TSA PreCheck® grants expedited security screening when traveling through participating U.S. airports. Global Entry is similar, but it features expedited customs screening for international travelers when they return to the U.S., and it includes TSA PreCheck®.

Good news: Venture X and Venture cardholders can receive up to a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry after approval.

It’s good to have Global Entry to expedite the reentry process when returning from abroad, but here’s another tip: Download the Mobile Passport Control app. This app from U.S. Customs and Border Protection lets me breeze through customs even faster than travelers using Global Entry alone.

Because I travel to so many different countries, it’s crucial for me to have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, a benefit that comes with being a Capital One rewards cardholder. View important rates and disclosures.

I use my Venture X card for every purchase to help maximize rewards. When I’m home, I use my credit card for all the purchases I can—even at the supermarket—knowing I earn rewards that I can redeem for flights, hotels and much more.

Depending on where I go, credit cards may not always be an option. I may need to take out some cash in the local currency at an ATM.

If the card reader in a foreign country asks me to choose between the local currency and U.S. dollars, I always choose the local currency to get a better rate. And I never go to currency exchange counters. The exchange rate at an ATM is almost always better.

Research and download local rideshare apps before you reach your destination. I’ve found these apps to be incredibly useful in countries where I don’t speak the local language. I just plug in the destination and it’s geolocated for the driver.

Plus, I don’t need cash because the apps are linked to my credit card. Another thing to keep in mind: Venture X, Venture and VentureOne cardholders can redeem rewards miles for travel purchases, including rideshare apps.

Capital One offers travel rewards credit cards with exclusive benefits and elevated rewards that can help make your travel experience more enjoyable. View important rates and disclosures. 

• Explore travel rewards cards with unlimited miles you can actually use. 

• Earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus when you spend 3,000 within three months of opening the account and receive an additional 10,000 bonus miles every year, starting on your first anniversary, with the Venture X card.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day, with the Venture card and earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus when you spend 3,000 within three months of opening the account. 

• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day, with no annual fee with the VentureOne card.