Budget Travel Deals July 2025: Cruise Hacks and Train Savings Guide

This Week's Journey

We're home-based right now, deep in planning mode for all our 2025 travels! Currently mapping out the rest of our year and preparing for our upcoming Star of the Seas cruise for POTG. There's something magical about the planning phase - when everything feels possible and your wallet hasn't felt the damage yet! 😄

🌟 Creator Spotlight: Yolonda Kilmasewski - On The Go With Yolo

If you're not following Yolonda yet, you're missing out on some seriously inspiring travel content! What I absolutely love about her approach is how she focuses on those once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bucket list destinations that actually matter.

Must-Watch: Her recent Athens vlog is travel content at its finest - she perfectly captures the food and drink experiences, explores the UNESCO World Heritage Acropolis, and shows you why Athens deserves a spot on your bucket list.

Why we love her: Yolonda stays true to her personality and interests, creating content that feels authentic rather than just chasing trends. Her focus on bucket list travel and lifetime experiences reminds us why we fell in love with exploring the world in the first place.

Find her: "On The Go With Yolo" on YouTube

💰 Wallet-Friendly Finds

This month's budget travel gems:

🎒 Bagail Compression Packing Cubes - $16
These are game-changers! Literally doubled our suitcase space and kept everything organized during our last cruise. No more digging through chaos to find formal night outfits.
[Get them here: https://amzn.to/3I3ZPm6]

🚂 Amtrak Credit Card Bonus - 40,000 Points FREE
Holy budget travel hack! Apply for the Amtrak credit card right now and earn 40K points - that's equivalent to $1,000 in Amtrak travel across 500+ destinations. This is basically free train travel, people!

📱 Google Flights Price Tracking
Stop paying full price for flights! Set up price alerts for your dream destinations and watch Google Flights do the work. We've saved hundreds just by being patient and letting the app tell us when prices drop.

✍️ Mrs Parker's Travel Chronicles

Latest Blog Post: "Presidential Suite Surprise: How Secrets Wild Orchid Turned a 50th Birthday into a Fairy Tale Experience"
Published June 17, 2025

Discover how my clients' 50th birthday celebration at Secrets Wild Orchid became even more magical with a FREE presidential suite upgrade! This post breaks down exactly how these amazing upgrades happen, plus I'm sharing current deals and booking tips from my perspective as a travel professional.

The best part? These upgrade strategies work for cruise bookings too!

Read the full story on MrsParkersTravelChronicles

📺 What We're Watching

Latest from our channels:

🎬 POTG: "Poop Cruise Watch Along - The Carnival Triumph"
Yes, we're really doing a watch-along of one of cruising's most infamous disasters. Sometimes you learn the most from what goes wrong!

🎬 2P1W: "Brightline Train Mistakes Video"
We made some rookie errors on our Brightline experience, and we're sharing every single one so you don't have to. Learn from our travel fails!

Behind the scenes: Our members got exclusive access to a day-in-the-life video of us working as travel agents during a Virgin Voyages meet and greet. The stuff that happens behind the camera is always the most interesting!

📚 2P1W Travel Guides Showcase

Our most popular guides that'll save you money and stress:

🚂 "Trains to Disney" Guide
How we took Amtrak to Disney over 14 hours and how you can do the same. Spoiler: it's actually pretty magical and way cheaper than you think!

🛳️ "First Time Cruiser Guide"
Everything you need to know as a first-time cruiser. From what to pack to hidden costs, we've got you covered so you don't make expensive rookie mistakes.

🌊 "Guide to Virgin Voyages"
How to cruise on Virgin Voyages like a pro. This adults-only cruise line does things differently, and our guide helps you maximize every dollar spent.

All guides available on our 2P1W channel - link in bio!

🤔 Fun Travel Fact Challenge

This edition's brain teaser:

What's the only U.S. state capital that you cannot reach by car?

Bonus question: Name the cruise line that offers the most UNESCO World Heritage site ports in a single itinerary.

Think you know? Hit reply with your answers! First correct response gets a shoutout in our next newsletter.

🗺️ Next Adventure

POTG Confirmed: We're sailing on Star of the Seas! Get ready for behind-the-scenes content from Royal Caribbean's newest ship. We'll be sharing real costs, hidden fees, and whether this mega-ship is worth the hype.

2P1W Special Project: We're planning something incredible based on YOUR subscriber recommendations! The votes are in, and we're working on bringing you the travel experience you've been asking for most. Can't spill all the details yet, but it involves trains, multiple countries, and a budget that'll shock you.

Stay tuned - announcements coming in our July 15th newsletter!

🗓️ Save the Date

Next Newsletter: July 15th - "Cruise Upgrade Secrets That Actually Work"

Quick question: What's your biggest budget travel challenge this summer? Reply and let us know - we read every email, and your questions help shape our content!

Safe travels and smart spending,
The Parkers 🚢

P.S. This newsletter launches twice monthly (1st & 15th) - just enough to keep you inspired without overwhelming your inbox!

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📺 POTG Channel | 📺 2P1W Channel | 📖 MrsParkersTravelChronicles
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