Summertime is officially upon us which means millions of Americans will be hitting the roads and taking to the skies to enjoy their summer vacations. Whether you want to hit the beach, blaze a trail off the beaten path or explore one of the major tourist destinations, there’s a smart way to do it.  That’s where Peter Greenberg, this week’s guest on Better Off, enters the picture.

Peter, the Travel Editor for CBS News, is full of tips and suggestions to help you get the most bang for your buck as you plan and book your trip.  

Where to go? Where not to go? Drive, train or fly? From South Africa to Chile to Tokyo and Thailand, as well as hidden gems here in the States, we circle the globe with Peter and provide you with useful tips to easily reach your destination, with a few bucks left in your pocket.  

Give recent attacks in London, Paris and Istanbul, is there any reason to think twice before booking vacations to those cities? How should we think about places where the Zika virus remains prevalent? What’s on Peter’s “Do Not Visit List?”

This one may be hard to believe, but despite all the travel related websites out there, Peter insists that even in 2017, the best thing to do is to pick up the phone and have an actual conversation with the airline or hotel.  But it’s not just a conversation for the sake of having one.  There’s a way to do it and certain questions to ask.  It’s a process.  So much so, that we did a little role playing to help guide you guys through it!

If you’re a frequent traveler, Peter is definitely someone to follow on Twitter.

Let us know where you’re vacationing this summer...send a picture to askjill@betteroffpodcast.com.

Me? Well, I don’t have anything extravagant planned other than some weekends at the local beach.

Mark on the other hand was just in Paris for the French Open and is now in London for Wimbledon.  

Somehow this equation seems out of whack!

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

We love feedback so please leave us a rating or review in iTunes.

"Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/

Connect with me at these places for all my content:

http://www.jillonmoney.com/ 

https://twitter.com/jillonmoney 

https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney 

https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/ 

https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/ 

https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger 

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money 

http://betteroffpodcast.com/ 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/better-off-jill-schlesinger/id431167790?mt=2