How I am Planning & Booking the Rest of My 2026 Travel
About this episode
Megan Lanford shares her trip planning process for 2026, focusing on points redemption and budgeting for travel experiences.
Ever since I shared that we booked Hotel Xcaret — a luxury all-inclusive on the Riviera Maya, my inbox has been full of one question: how? So, in this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my full trip planning process for the rest of 2026. Not just the Xcaret booking itself, but the thinking that happens before I ever search for award space — because that's what really happens. I'm walking you through: The thought process behind the Hotel Xcaret redemption, from spotting the opportunity to confirming the booking at zero out of pocket How I map out a full year of travel around the points and business spend we already have — instead of chasing whatever's trendy Why I decide on the experience first and work backward to the currency (Capital One, Chase, Amex, hotel programs) that gets me there What's actually on our 2026 travel calendar and how each trip is getting funded Ready to plan trips like this with me looking over your shoulder? Inside the Travel Points Lounge , you get direct access to me for exactly this kind of booking strategy.
People in this episode
Host: Megan Lanford
Topics covered
- travel planning
- points redemption
- luxury travel
- trip budgeting
- travel experiences
Keywords
- travel planning
- Hotel Xcaret
- points redemption
- 2026 travel
- luxury all-inclusive
- trip budgeting
- travel experiences
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Capital One, Chase, Amex, Hotel Xcaret
Places: Riviera Maya
More episodes of Points Too Paradise
- Deep Dive into Chase Points
- Deep Dive on World of Hyatt Credit Card
- My Top 5 Credit Card Perks (Besides the Points)
- Sneak Peek Inside the Travel Points Lounge
- Chase Sapphire Preferred 2026 Updates & Elevated Sign-Up Offers
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