The Sunday Round-Up | June 27, 2021 Greetings from Los Angeles! I had a rough night last night. I kept waking up and having trouble getting back to sleep. I should have used these ear plugs, which my wife loves for home and travel. (They're noise-reduction ear plugs that look like something Apple designed but without the sticker shock.)
This week, we went to Catalina Island, which felt like a world away but is just 22 miles off the Southern California coast. It’s really remarkable and I will have a full report in a matter of days; I'm still sifting through all of my photos and notes.
One thing that isn’t remarkable is FedEx. I used my last $50 Goldbelly credit from this premium credit card to order lobster rolls from Maine (my wife’s favorite). Let me tell you, FedEx might just have the worst customer service around. They’re fine to use when shipping ground but don’t use them for perishable items. I'll share more about this later.
Good To Know: This is one of the best travel credit cards in 2021 thanks to its incredible 100,000 point signup bonus, available for a limited time. Here is the credit score you'll need to get it.
Travel News
There were some tragic news this week like the condo collapse in Miami and the hot air balloon falling from the sky in Albuquerque (scroll down to 12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today). My heart goes out to all who were impacted by these terrible events.
Other travel news stories include one from AAA, which is predicting “more than 47.7 million Americans will take to the nation’s roadways and skies this Independence Day (July 1–5), as travel volumes are expected to nearly fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, this will be the second-highest Independence Day travel volume on record, trailing only 2019. Overall, just 2.5% fewer Americans are expected to travel this year compared to Independence Day in 2019. This represents an increase of nearly 40% compared to last year, when total travel fell to 34.2 million.” What a difference a year makes, eh? We're still debating if we will be traveling or not. How about you?
In addition to rounding up all of my stories from this past week, I just wrote a new travel tip to share with you today:
8 Ways To Make Sure An Airline Doesn’t Lose Your Bag … And That You Don’t Get Robbed or Stalked
I've been meaning to share these tips for a long time because they can really make a difference to your travels. Losing your luggage can really ruin a trip but there are some things you can do to prevent an airline from losing your bag for good or worse, getting robbed or stalked. Read the story.
12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
— Southwest cancels or delays over 1,000 flights so far this weekend, with more expected
— First cruise from a US port in more than 15 months has set sail
— AAA: More Than 47M Americans to Celebrate With an Independence Day Getaway
— 5 people dead after hot air balloon crash
— Amsterdam tells rowdy tourists to stay away
— 'Not fun': Northwest heat wave builds, all-time records fall
— One-third of Americans plan to go away this summer
— EE to reintroduce Europe roaming charges in January
— Yesterday's TSA Checkpoint Numbers
— Thinking of moving to Spain? You could find a rental for as little as $722 a month
— WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta Covid variant spreads
— Rattlesnakes everywhere: the odd consequences of California’s drought
— COVID lockdown implemented for Greater Sydney as coronavirus cases soar
— New COVID-19 Outbreaks Are Driving Some Places Back Under Lockdown And Behind Masks
Read it all here in today's travel news round-up as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week!
Travel Tips From This Week:
Monday:
-10 Tips For Your Trip to the Los Angeles Zoo
Tuesday:
-Renewing Global Entry Just Got Way Easier
Wednesday:
-How To Prevent Car Rental Companies From Ripping You Off
Thursday:
-Always Pack This For Summer Travel
Friday:
-Hawaii Drops Testing
Saturday:
-The Best Cell Phone Plans For International Travel
-This WestJet Video Will Bring You to Tears
-Here's my weekly travel segment on Leo Laporte's The Tech Guy! I go on at 1:19:00 or when the clock behind Leo strikes 12:30pm. How To Find Out If The TSA PreCheck Lane Will Be Open
COVID-19 did a number on the TSA and they laid off a lot of workers when hardly anyone was traveling. Now, the vaccines are working and travel is bouncing back. There have been four days of over two million people this month passing through security, including this past Thursday and Friday and I'm betting today's numbers (which will come out tomorrow morning), will make it five days. But the TSA can’t hire and train workers fast enough. So, before you book your tickets or at least head to the airport, I suggest logging on to this website.
The Most Important Thing For Travelers To Do According To A Safety Expert
I recently interviewed Kevin Coffey (you can listen to the interview on my podcast or watch it on YouTube). He’s a travel security expert, who’s been featured numerous times on Oprah because Kevin spent several decades as a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department and was responsible for the creation of the LAPD’s LAX Airport Crimes Investigation detail. There, he led the investigation of crimes committed against travelers at LAX airport, surrounding hotels and car rental agencies. In this interview, he taught me numerous tips but none greater than what he calls his “What If?” Kevin’s tip is for everyone to do two things.
The Gadget Every Flight Attendant and Frequent Traveler Packs
I'm working on a Father's Day gift guide, which will be ready by next week but one of the items that will be included is something that every flight attendant and frequent traveler keeps in their carry-on bag: A portable charger because you never know if your plane will have a power port that works and who wants to sit around in an airport anymore? I mentioned Nimble on Leo Laporte's show The Tech Guy and he says he approves of it because it's eco-friendly and is made with all the best parts. However, it's kind of expensive even with my $10 off promo code so here's another one that's more reasonably priced by Anker.
Miles, Points & Credit Card Posts
-These cards earn points toward a Companion Pass (essentially a BOGO flight deal). This card has a 100k bonus and several transfer partners. Which one is better?
-On top of perks like free checked bags and lounge access, several cards have bonuses of up to 90,000 miles and $200 credits, 0% APR for a year, & more.
-Enjoy up to 7x rewards at restaurants, $100+ in dining credits, exclusive perks, 100k bonuses, and more with the best credit cards to use on dining, takeout, & delivery. -Don’t Make This Rookie Mistake When Using Miles
-The Trick to Getting Cheap American Airlines First Class Tickets -New Airline By Founder of JetBlue Launches $39 Flights To 16 Destinations
-The Carry-On Essential You Never Thought of Packing
-Can You Bring Frozen Liquids Through Security?
-10 Air Travel Pet Peeves and What You Can Do About Them
-10 Tips For Better Sleep On a Plane
-How To Avoid Long Security Lines
-What To Do With Expiring Travel Vouchers
-17 Ways to Find Cheap Flights
-What to Do: Weather Delays and Flight Cancellations
-7 Dirtiest Things on an Airplane According to a Flight Attendant
-How to Track Airfares by Signing Up For Fare Alerts
-The App All Travelers Need to Download
-How to Match Elite Status with US Airlines
-15 Tips for Surviving a Long Flight
-United Just Ordered Supersonic Jets
-How to Get Upgraded to First Class
-Econophobia: Fear of Flying Coach
-JohnnyJet.com Booking Tool
Road Trips/Car Rentals -15 Tips To Renting A Car in 2021
-The Car Rental Tip You've Never Heard Before + It Can Also Save You Money and Jail Time
-Always Do This Before Renting a Car
-An Ex-Cop Has Pulled Over Vehicles For This Reason
-How To Not Have Your Road Trip Ruined
-Road Trip Safety: Open Your Trunk Before Arriving
-5 Ways to Prevent Motion Sickness on a Road Trip
-How To Find Cheap Parking
-A Brilliant Reader Travel Tip
-Life-Saving Car Emergency Tips
Lodging -Book with Expedia
-Priceline
-How to Make Sure You Get the Lowest Room Rate at Your Hotel
-Latest Lodging News
Cruising
-Latest Cruise News
Hawaii
-The Secret Trick to Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program for Inter-Island Travelers
-10 Tips for Traveling to Hawaii (Oahu) During COVID
-The App Every Traveler to Hawaii Needs to Download
-Maui Travel Tips
-Live Hawaii Webcams
Iceland
-Part 1: Travel Tips for American Travelers to Iceland
-Part 2: Travel Tips for American Travelers to Iceland
Vaccinated Travel -How Families Can Avoid Getting Kicked Off A Plane
Popular Stories -How To Bring Your Office With You Wherever You Go
-Can You Guess the Airline By Its Flight Attendants' Uniforms? -Must-Have Product For Traveling With Little Kids
-Tips For Traveling To Europe's Hidden Gem, Which Is Open to All Americans
-5 Reasons To Hold Off on Booking Europe Travel For This Summer
-Video: Southwest Crew Dance In Viral Video
-The Site Every Int'l Traveler Needs To Bookmark
-European Union To Allow Fully Vaccinated Americans This Summer
-What’s It Like To Travel To And Quarantine In Thailand During COVID-19?
-Great News for International Travelers
-Avoid This Major US Airport During These Times
-3 Websites To Cross-Reference Before Traveling Internationally
-First look at Avelo Airlines’ Inaugural Flight
-The Map App Every Traveler Needs To Download Now
-Genius iPhone Hack
-Travel Hack: Never Get Your Valuables Stolen On The Beach
-Why People Eat at McDonald's When They Travel
-10 Things You Don’t Need to Pack
-10 Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Airplane Habits: Are YOU Guilty?
-Fallen Soldier on My Delta Flight
Good To Know
-'Do Not Travel' List: State Dept Adds Popular Countries
-Money and Time Saving Secrets From A Theme Park Expert
-The Rule You Need to Know for International Travel
-The Number One Travel Tip to Save You Money and Headaches in 2021
-How to Use Your Phone As a Remote Control
-How To Get A Global Entry Appointment Faster
-Consult This App Before Heading to the Beach
-I Got Hacked This Morning - Here's How to Prevent It
Safety/Health
-10 Items I Have in Case of Emergency
-How to Find a Doctor While Traveling
-How to Save Big On Prescription Drugs at Home and on the Road
-How to Measure Air Quality Where You Live or Where You’re Going
-5 Places an Infectious Diseases Doctor Begs You Not to Go
-My Somewhat Freakish Travel Habit Might Just Save Your Life
-10 Things to Have in Case of an Emergency
-How To Always Have Clean Water
-The Health Tool You Need at Home and On the Road
-A Tool I'd Never Heard of But Have Now added To My Travel Health Kit
Food/Shop
-The Neck Massager That's Perfect for Travelers
-The Blackout Sleep Mask Travelers Need
-Your Favorite Travel Foods Delivered & a $15 Promo Code
-A Slice of Hawaii With This Amazing Tool for Slicing Pineapple
Travel Gadgets/Products
-The Solution For Those Who Always Have No Storage Left iPhones
-A Brilliant New Travel Purse for Women
-3 Great Travel Gifts Under $20
-The Travel Gadget Flight Attendants Never Leave Home Without
-Why You Should Use Shoe Covers At Home and When You Travel
-The Best Luggage to Give and Get
Just For Fun
-Hands Down the Best Beach Toy for Kids
-How To Virtually Meet Your Favorite Celebrity
-The Best Airplane Toy For Any Kid
Face Masks
-How to Prevent Sore Ears Caused By Face Mask Straps
-Buy N95 & KN95 masks on Amazon
-I use Aiden Health’s N95, KN95 masks
-What to Know Before Wearing an N95 Mask
-Should You Be Double-Masking?
-Flight Attendant Shares Tips For a Comfortable Flight While Wearing a Mask
-Why You Might Want To Buy N95/KN95 Masks Now
-50-Pack of Kids Disposable Face Masks
-The Best Face Masks for Flying During COVID-19
-8 Accessories to Make Wearing Face Masks More Comfortable, More Hygienic and More Pleasant to Wear
Watch
-11 Great Travel Shows for Kids
-Live New York City Webcams
-Incredible Livestream of Iceland Volcano Erupting
Podcast/YouTube
-39 Travel Questions: Samantha Brown
-What’s it Like to Travel and Live in Anguilla
-What It’s Like To Live In and Travel Around Vietnam During COVID-19
-39 Travel Questions with Josh Gates
-39 Travel Questions with Andrew McCarthy
-39 Travel Questions with Leo Laporte
-What’s It Like to Live In New Zealand During COVID-19 |
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 | | Airline and Airport News: - American Airlines Is Cancelling Scores Of Flights Due To Lack Of Pilots
- United Airlines honors Juneteenth with historic all-Black flight crew from TX to Chicago
- TSA struggling to keep up as number of summer travelers increase
- Man sues 7 airlines including JetBlue, Southwest, and Delta, which he accuses of discriminating against travelers who can't wear masks because of medical conditions
- See all the airline and airport news that's got people talking this week...
Cruise News: - Unvaccinated on MSC's US cruises must buy insurance, 'bubble' tours
- First Cruise Ship Docks in Cozumel in Over a Year
- Viking Prepares to Resume River Cruises as Restrictions Are Lifted
- Cruise ships are sailing again, but you'll find some big differences
- See all the cruise news that's got people talking this week...
USA Travel News: - Burn in the U.S.A.: Canadians who got the AstraZeneca vaccine can’t see ‘Springsteen on Broadway’
- Disneyland reveals which COVID-era changes will stay, which will go
- Video shows gunman shoot man next to two children in the Bronx
- Disneyland reveals which COVID-era changes will stay, which will go
- See all the domestic travel news that's got people talking this week...
International Travel News: Hotel and Lodging Travel News: - Vacation rental costs are surging: ‘You better book something now’
- The 9 best hotels in Austin, from a historic stay right on Sixth Street to a creekside boutique in nearby Round Rock
- Downtown KC hotel is latest to reopen amid ‘pent up demand’ for travel, staycations
- New Resort World in Las Vegas Cost $4.3 Billion and Boasts 40 Restaurants
- See all the hotel and lodging news that's got people talking this week...
Miscellaneous Travel News:
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