Thursday, April 1, 2021 Aloha from Hawaii! Just kidding - Happy April Fools' Day! I love playing April Fools jokes on my friends and family but it's not always cool when companies do it so there's no fooling in this newsletter except for the photo above, which was taken almost two years ago on my second to last visit of the islands.
I love Hawaii and just the name alone makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I've been fortunate to have traveled to all of the major Hawaiian islands multiple times. I've been over two dozen times and we started a family tradition of going every New Year's. Can't wait to resume that annual trip.
Last April, we were supposed to spend Easter on Maui and it was going to be my now 19-month-old daughter's first flight. But we all know what prevented that from happening. She still hasn't been on a plane, which is a far cry different from her four-year-old brother's experience; he has been on close to 70 flights.
Hawaii Travel Tips
Since Hawaii seems to be where almost everyone wants to go and, for better or worse, is now back with a vengeance, this week's newsletter features all kinds of helpful travel tips for those planning their visits. The most important post is the first one below; it's full of tips that can seriously make or break your trip.
-10 Tips for Traveling to Hawaii (Oahu) During COVID
-The App Every Traveler to Hawaii Needs to Download
-Live Hawaii Webcams
 Potty Shields: A Must-Have for Traveling with Kids
Great news! We have a sponsor for this month's newsletters and it's a travel product that Natalie and I absolutely love. They're called Potty Shields and parents and grandparents of young children should seriously consider buying them because they're a game-changer for travel, whether you're taking a flight, a road trip or even a day excursion. Read why they're such a travel essential here.
The Trick To Getting A COVID-19 Vaccination Appointment
This week, the CDC said that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are proving highly effective. Every traveler, and almost every person I know, is itching to get a shot of one of the three American-approved COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson). Where you live, what job you have and any health problems you may have, determines when you qualify for the vaccine and how difficult it is to get an appointment. Here's how to make sure you get an appointment quickly when it's your turn.
How To Protect Your CDC Vaccination Card
Last week, I wrote a post about how to get your vaccine card laminated for free (since then, more stores besides Staples have begun offering this service). We have a new post addressing the concerns of readers warning not to laminate it and a great alternative for protecting your vaccine card. Read the story here or buy protective covers here.
The Pocket Thermometer You Should Never Leave Home Without
Since we're not out of the woods yet and since temperature checks are going to continue being a thing, especially for travelers, here's a handy item to always have in your bag. This super-small pocket thermometer plugs right into your phone's USB port, making it easy to check your temperature anytime, anywhere. Check it out here.
Credit Card Deal of the Week
Incredible Limited Time Offer! This top credit card just got an 80,000-point bonus boost (worth $1000), $50 for groceries, plus Lyft, Peloton, & DoorDash perks that can save you money.
Watch MLB Baseball For Free
If you're a baseball fan and a T-Mobile customer like me, then you may be interested to know that in just a couple of clicks, you can get a free subscription to MLB.tv ($129 value). Here are the details.
How To Find Cheap Flights
On Tuesday I interviewed Scott Keyes, founder of Scott's Cheap Flights, for my YouTube/Podcast channels. The topic? You guessed it: How to find cheap flights but we also talked about much more, including how he got started after a career as a political journalist in Washington. Watch or listen to the interview here.
Incredible Livestream of Iceland Volcano Erupting
I’ve been fortunate to visit Iceland a couple of times, once in 2006 and again in 2011, and I learned firsthand just how remarkable this island nation is. I wasn’t expecting it to be so green and beautiful in parts. If it seems odd that Iceland is so green and that Greenland is so icy, it’s not a coincidence – think of it as the result of a medieval marketing scheme, according to National Geographic. Well, there’s another volcano erupting and thanks to this live webcam from Iceland, now you can view this livestream. It’s exciting to see oozing molten lava especially when you’re not in harm’s way.
84 Things in Travel You Need to Know This Week
As seems to be the norm lately, there’s been a ton of travel news this week and it’s mixed. I've listed it all in this week’s 12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today (below), which I round-up each day and keep for seven days before deleting ... that's why there's 84! Click the link below to get all these stories.
12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
— Yesterday's TSA Checkpoint Numbers
— Need a rental car for your trip to Hawaii? Be prepared for high prices
— Puerto Rico imposes $100 mask fines, heightens police efforts
— Outdoor mask decree met with dismay by Spain's tourism industry
— Royal Caribbean adds months of more Singapore cruises
— France Bans Domestic Travel as COVID Surge Strains Hospitals
— Tourist from Pittsburgh charged in fatal Hawaii vacation rental fight
— Puerto Rico Will Open 2 International Airports After More Than a Year
— Alitalia Is Running Out of Cash and Italy Can’t Help This Time
— Icelandair Flight & Package Sale to Iceland & Europe! Starting at $349*
— Hollywood stars hunker down in Australia’s Byron Bay
— Possibly the most incredible travel pic of all time Read all 84 stories here in today's travel news round-up.
39 Travel Questions with Laura Davidson
Laura Davidson is the founder of LDPR, a leading travel and lifestyle PR agency based in NYC with staff in CHI, LA, SFO and was named one of the top PR agencies for 2021 by Forbes magazine. Laura’s traveled to 100 countries so I asked her all kinds of questions including her best travel tips. Watch, listen or read my interview with Laura.
In Case You Missed It
Get Your Favorite Food Indulgences Delivered Straight To Your Door
I just recently used this website for the first time and during a pandemic especially, it's brilliant since we can't travel and visit our go-to restaurants. You can get your favorite food indulgences from restaurants, delis and bakeries across the country shipped overnight to your door. It also makes a great gift. Check it out here and get a $15 credit towards your order.
How To Get A Krispy Kreme Doughnut Every Day For Free in 2021
Here’s a promotion that gives people even more reason to get vaccinated! Krispy Kreme is offering anyone who has gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson a free Original Glazed doughnut per day for the rest of 2021. No purchase is required but you do have to show proof of your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card to receive the offer (stickers don’t count). Here are the deets.
The Map App Every Traveler Needs To Download
I don’t know about you but whenever I use Google Maps for walking directions, I never seem to be able to figure out which way to go at the start. That’s why I recently whipped out my favorite walking map app, which I've neglected for over a year since I haven't really been going anywhere. With this simple map, you will never be confused about which way to go. Here’s how and why.
Genius iPhone Hack for Travelers (Updated)
When traveling, you may often find yourself taking a screenshot of important information that you want to make sure you can access quickly, especially if your phone doesn’t have service or you're offline … things like news stories, travel itineraries, directions, admission tickets with QR codes and digital boarding passes. Well, thanks to a reader, I've learned an even easier, quicker and better way to take screenshots on your iPhone than the one I had suggested. Check out this genius iPhone hack!
Brilliant Reader Tip: How to Protect Your Belongings on a Road Trip
We recently ran a few tips last week about road trip safety (Tip 1, Tip 2 and Tip 3). One of them prompted a reader to write in with his genius tip that had never crossed my mind before. Bill P. shares what he and his family do when taking a road trip. He says: I’d previously spent a year in Europe before our marriage and have been many times so my family has generally profited from my past mistakes. Here is a tip that works for us. With six of us traveling, typically from point to point with tourist stops on the way, we have a lot of luggage. So, we bring a ... Read Bill's tip here.
Hands Down the Best Beach Toy for Kids
After one toss, my son was hooked. He seriously would not stop asking for one and he’s never done that before and since then, I've had countless readers email or tweet me to say how much their kids love it. Here's where to get it ... and it's inexpensive, too.
This Week’s Travel Contests |
