The turkey leftovers are long gone, the holiday gifts are secured and now, it’s time to ride out the final weeks of the year. For many, that means go time on holiday travel.
This season is already projected to exceed 119.3 million U.S. travelers and beat 2024’s record for the busiest holiday travel period ever, with Christmas week bookings already trending up. If you’ve read one too many headlines about crowded airports or delayed flights, it may be tempting to cancel it all and hide under a weighted blanket.
But before you bail on your end-of-year YOLO, check your feed. Social media is full of travelers showing how they’ve hacked holiday travel, and T-Mobile is a recurring co-star.
T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan is built for modern connectivity with everything you could hope for already baked in, plus a bevy of perks that come with your T-Mobile Membership. We asked two travel-savvy content creators to put those perks to the test to show how travel is truly better with T-Mobile one flight, layover and memory at a time.
Find out their favorite secrets to hacking holiday travel and how you can switch to T-Mobile in 15 minutes or less to grab the best gift of saving money and staying connected on America’s Best Network.
Home for the Holidays: Tech Tips from a Seasoned Traveler
Meet Adrienne Finch. She’s been a full-time social media content creator for a decade, sharing videos around technology, productivity and lifestyle. She says her content aims to inspire and help people get the most out of their tech to better their lives. She booked a flight from her current home in California for some family time in her native Seattle and says while her work has given her the chance to experience so many places, she’s all too familiar with the challenges of traveling this time of year.
“My family loves to gift each other travel,” she explains. “Last year for Christmas, my mom and I visited Hawaii. This year I’m so excited to go back to Seattle because it’s so nostalgic and brings back all the amazing holiday memories I have from childhood. When done right, taking trips creates core memories that stick with me much longer than any material gift has.”
Pack Like a Pro
Finch says the first thing she wants to tell her followers is how she experienced the major benefits of free Wi-Fi. T-Mobile members enjoy free in-flight Wi-Fi on domestic travel with major airlines like Alaska, American, United, Delta and Southwest to keep them connected to what matters at 30,000 feet. And even if you’re not a T-Mobile member, you can take advantage of free Wi-Fi on most Delta and Southwest flights thanks to America’s Best Network powering connectivity for everyone.
“This has been my favorite perk so far,” she says. “The ability to stream, work and stay connected while flying just makes travel so much more enjoyable. Every time I connect, I am surprised because of the immense value it brings.”
Finch says having unlimited mobile hotspot data with her Experience Beyond plan was also super helpful on her recent trip.
“My return flight got delayed multiple times for a total of 24 hours! I had a lot of down time at the airport and being able to keep in contact with people or pass the time on my computer or iPad really came in handy!”
And with Experience Beyond, you can add a tablet or watch line for just $5 per month, making it easier than ever to stay connected across all your devices.
All in One App: T-Life
For Finch, travel is all about a simplified experience which is exactly what members get with T-Life, the one place for all things T-Mobile. Making wireless feel effortless is always the goal, and members clearly like that as T-Life quickly became one of the top lifestyle apps on both the Apple App Store and Google Play following its launch in early 2024. Having one central hub to explore plans, upgrade devices and claim membership travel perks is the kind of digital companion that makes the T-Mobile experience the right one for travelers, and there’s never been a better time to switch.
“I live on the T-Life app and love seeing all the benefits and perks all in one place,” says Finch. “Specifically, savings on travel. I was looking through my plan recently and the perk I am most surprised and excited to use next is the free high-speed data around the world. It’ll be so nice to land on my next international trip and not have to worry about connection or spending an arm and a leg on roaming.”
Moments Made More Memorable
Finch is all about feeling supported every step of the way. It’s not just one perk, it’s the whole experience that makes holiday travel more doable, more joyful and a lot less stressful as a member with all the benefits you get just for choosing T-Mobile.
“I’m always looking at T-Mobile Tuesdays, both when I travel and when I’m at home,” says Finch. “I’ve redeemed my $5 movie tickets and plan to save money on some gifts. Also my team is the Mariners, and I’m hoping next time I’m home it will be during baseball season so I can check out Club Magenta at T-Mobile Park. I’ve heard it’s amazing.”
And don’t forget, the holidays are also a great time to check out the latest offers from T-Mobile. Finch says she knows she has followers who will be looking to upgrade their iPhone and would love T-Mobile’s trade-in promotions for the latest iPhone 17, but she’s especially excited about the Apple Watch BOGO deal. With $300 off a second watch, she can grab a Apple Watch SE 3 for a loved one without adding anything extra to her budget.
“This would make an amazing holiday gift with unreal savings! I used to think I didn’t want the Apple Watch, because I was looking for ways to unplug, but what I realized is the Apple Watch lets me do exactly that: step away from my phone and enjoy time with the family, while not missing any important notifications or messages. I also like the Apple Watch for tracking New Year’s fitness goals!”
Solo in Paris: A Travel Expert’s Take on Staying Connected Abroad
Meet Raimee Iacofano, a New York City-based travel content creator who shares her adventures with more than 700,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Her goal is to help people travel smarter no matter how busy they are or what their budget looks like. This season, she gave herself the gift of a solo trip to her favorite city of Paris, trading in her NYC bagels for fresh baguettes.
“I love seeing my family, but gifting myself a trip around the holidays feels like giving myself space to reset after a long year,” says Iacofano. “Travel comes with highs and lows, but the little comforts make a huge difference. I didn’t realize how many actual travel perks T-Mobile includes until I started using them and once you see everything that’s included, it really does make things easier, especially internationally.”
Stream On
Iacofano says the first thing she wants her followers to know is that T-Mobile members get access to exclusive savings on streaming bundles. Having streaming support during long layovers and delays set the tone for what she calls a holiday gift of self-care. With Netflix On Us, season-long subscriptions to MLB.TV and even Hulu On Us with T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan, members get the streaming perks that give them zero reason to ever be bored while camped at their gate.
“Having my favorite streaming platforms included meant I had endless things to watch during delays,” she says. “It took the stress out of long travel days. And thanks to the Experience Beyond plan’s unlimited texting abroad, I was able to text friends and family the moment I landed to let them know that I was safe without needing to hunt down or connect to Wi-Fi. It all just took layers of stress off!”
You’re So Checked In
Iacofano says another piece of advice she thinks is most important to share with her followers is to take advantage of the massive travel savings available as a T-Mobile member. She says the 15% off Hilton’s 22 leading hotel brands worldwide made a huge impact on her travel budget plans.
“Saving on any of Hilton’s brands made my stay feel like a win from the start and the savings added up fast,” says Iacofano. “I used the extra money on one of my fancier dinners and a little shopping moment which felt very holiday-self-gift vibes.”
The benefits don’t stop when you’ve checked out and collected your baggage back home. T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond customers are upgrade-ready every year and enjoy a five-year price guarantee on talk, text and data. Plus, with more than 650 satellites overhead, T-Satellite with Starlink now keeps T-Life and other popular apps working, even in places where carrier cell towers can’t reach. That means it’s easy to manage your account or get support from virtually anywhere you can see the sky. It’s all available through Experience Beyond on most smartphones made in the last four years.
So whether you’re chasing one last adventure or heading home for a season of warmth and Wi-Fi, T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan and member benefits help make every mile smoother. T-Mobile members stay connected in the air, overseas and even off the beaten path, all while scoring some of the best benefits in wireless and America’s Best Network, making holiday travel better with T-Mobile.
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