After submitting your application, you can complete your required interview at an Enrollment on Arrival kiosk at an eligible airport after returning from an international trip. Washington Dulles airport also has the only Enrollment on Departure office, so take advantage if you’re leaving on a flight abroad from that hub. (There are also other enrollment centers around the country where you can interview, but sometimes it’s difficult to get an appointment.)
If you’re already a member, check your expiration date. Members are eligible to start the renewal process one year before their membership expires. Renewing early is well worth the effort: Travelers who renew before their membership expires are allowed to keep using Global Entry benefits for 24 months after the expiration date.
Start a savings routine for big trips
In 2024, the average cost of a one-week vacation in the US clocked in at $1,991 for one person, according to data from banking app Chime. For a couple traveling, that number rose to $3,982.
Those numbers can certainly sound daunting, but if you start a savings plan at the right time, you’ll be able to hit those benchmarks in 2025 with relative ease. The key is to start saving early and putting away small chunks of money in a separate account that acts as your dedicated travel fund, according to Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate. Rossman recommends naming the travel savings account something fun, like “Paris 2025”—it will help you stay motivated and make you less likely to raid that account for other purchases, he says.
Even putting away small chunks of change—say $40 a week—will add up if you are able to do it regularly. “It’s easier to save in bits and pieces as opposed to all at once,” Rossman says, noting that putting aside just $38 a week will add up to $2,000 by the end of the year. To help yourself stay consistent, automate the contributions to your savings account. “Setting up automatic transfers ensures you’ll stick with your goal, and you’re less likely to miss what you don’t see,” Rossman says.
Set price alerts to dream destinations
Most of us are already fantasizing about where we want to go in 2025. If you have a few dream destinations in mind, consider using an airfare tracking feature to monitor flight prices. The tools—available on sites like Hopper, Kayak, Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Going—offer to send email alerts or push notifications when prices drop on a flight route you’re interested in. With most of the sites, you simply input the dates of your trip, departure airport, and destination and sign up to receive price alerts. Most sites allow travelers to set multiple alerts across different flight routes, so you can input several journeys you’re interested in booking.
