April 7, 2024  •   View this email in your browser

🌈 Aloha from our 50th State!

🌺 If you follow me on Instagram, then you know we’re back in Hawaii, though getting here was quite the adventure as our first two American Airlines planes had mechanical problems and we had to grab our carry-ons and deplane twice. The most remarkable thing is that the second time, the pilot refused the aircraft and instead of getting upset, almost everyone clapped ... including me. Here’s the unique story and video.
 
🌑🌕  Tomorrow’s the big day for at least 32 million people who live in North America along the rare solar eclipse's path of totality. This number doesn’t include all the people who are traveling from all over the world to witness it. My sister is one of them as she traveled to Western Pennsylvania for an afternoon party. Here’s my post on the NASA website where you can look up the exact time it will travel over a specific area. Just input the city or zip code.

⏰ Since we’re in Hawaii, it’s going to begin early (6:49am). I’m okay with that, thanks to the three-hour time change from L.A. Actually, I was in Philadelphia the day before this trip so I’m really jet-lagged. I was in the City of Brotherly Love for the launch of Wells Fargo’s new Autograph Journey Visa card. Here’s a review of it.
 
🦘 Speaking of travel: Qantas is having an LAX 40^th Anniversary Sale that ends tomorrow (April 8) across all cabins for varying travel periods in 2024 and 2025, unless sold out prior. Fares are available for sale at qantas.com and through travel agents. Fares include checked baggage, food and beverages, and in-flight entertainment with every booking.  Sample fares: Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane from $940 round trip.

📰 Be sure to scroll down to read this week's travel news and all of my tips and videos.

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In this issue:

• Today's Travel Outlook ✈️
• Travel Tips This Week ✅
• Travel Quote of the Day 💬
• Travel Thread of the Day 
• 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 🌎
• Travel Video of the Day 📺
• and more… 

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 

As of 1:00pm PT, there have been 60 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,094 delayed. Here's a link to the up-to-date stats and a live look at the FAA's National Airspace System Status. Here's what to do during weather delays and flight cancellations.

🍔 Monday

One Writer’s Best Travel Tip is One You’ve Never Heard Before
One of my wife’s good friends and former colleague at a Canadian magazine recently shared some unique travel tips in her free Substack newsletter. Helen Racanelli, who has written travel pieces for JohnnyJet.com in the past, started her article with something many people can relate to: “So I’m not the world’s most frequent traveler nor do I ever find myself in far-flung places, but you know what I am? Thrifty AF! I love a discount, and I love researching trips AND saving money.” One of her top tips is one you probably haven't done before but it's a good one. Check it out here. 

💵 Tuesday

How to Save a Lot of Money on Groceries at Home and When You Travel
Yesterday, I featured a tip I came across that was written by my wife's good friend Helen. She had a lot of great travel tips in her post but one that I really love and have also written about a decade ago is this.

⚠️ Wednesday

Authorities Warn of a New Scam at Grocery Store Self Checkouts
Yesterday’s tip was about how I save a lot of money on groceries when I’m home and when I’m traveling. Well, keeping with that theme, I thought I would share some advice that I just came across in a NY Post article titled: “Romanian mob is coming for your debit cards, with ATM-style skimmers now at self-checkouts: authorities warn.” Here's what you need to know. 

💰️ Thursday

How Travelers Can Beat The Global Entry and NEXUS Price Hike
The cost of the Global Entry and Nexus trusted traveler programs is slated to go up. Here's how much the price is increasing and what you need to know.

📅 Friday

How To Quickly Find Global Entry, Nexus and Sentri Appointments
Yesterday's, travel tip was about how to beat the Global Entry and NEXUS price increase. I had so many readers ask me how then can actually get an appointment before the deadline. Instead of replying to everyone, I'm re-running this tip on how to quickly find Global Entry, Nexus and Sentri appointments.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

JetBlue Passenger Sitting In Exit Row Kicked Off Airplane For Making This Costly Mistake
Every frequent traveler knows that the best seat on a plane (besides first class) is the exit row. There, you get over five inches of legroom, which can make or break a flight. However, sitting in this highly sought after row comes with restrictions and responsibilities as one JetBlue passenger learned the hard way on yesterday. Watch the video here.


“Eliminate Those Buttons!” Larry David Rants About Reclining Seats on an Airplane
Larry David shares his thoughts on reclining your seat on an airplane while on The Rich Eisen Show. Watch the funny video here. 


‘I’m Not Really Feeling It’: American Airlines Pilot Cancels Plane to Hawaii (Twice!) and Passengers Applaud
I’ve flown over three million miles and have had my fair share of delayed flights. But this week, something happened that I’ve never experienced before … my family and I had to deplane three times, our American Airlines pilot refused an aircraft and … passengers applauded. And it wasn’t like we we’re going to a dreary place that no one really wanted to go to. We were flying to Hawaii! Here's the video and story.

🎁 Travel Product of the Week

Amazon's Best Gadgets and Gear For Travelers
Check out some of the best gadgets and gears from Amazon here.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel This Weekend

1 Two passenger jets collide on the ground at Heathrow Airport 
2 'Drunk' 20-year-old man missing after jumping off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship  
3 French pilot union calls for work stoppage over proposed strike-ban bill 
4 "Burglary tourists" use visa waivers to target U.S. luxury homes 
5 Airplane passenger fined for urinating in a cup and then spilling it on a flight attendant 
6 Exclusive-Frontier's flight attendants oppose operations overhaul, demand negotiations 
7 Hundreds of people bypassed airport security in last year, TSA says 
8 Copenhagen residents dismantle Christiania's drug market 
9 Emilio Estevez: For my family, travel has always been a mission 
10 Dozens of flights cancelled as Storm Kathleen hits UK 
11 Airline pilots at Delta, American, and United can make more than $500k a year — here's how their pay compares 
12 Terrified of flying? British Airways says it can help. 
Read it all here as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week!

✅ Currency Exchange           ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points

💳  Chase has just introduced an exciting new bonus for the “no annual fee" Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. You can still earn up to 75,000 points, but the monthly spending required to earn that bonus has been slashed in half! This adjustment makes the offer much more attainable for the average small business. You can combine these points with the Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, and Ink Preferred for Ultimate Rewards travel redemptions or transfers.

Moreover, for those with substantial business expenses, there's an opportunity to earn even more points. By holding the Ink Cash and a Chase Business Checking account (which has a $400 bonus) at the end of your first year, you'll receive a one-time 10% bonus on all the points earned during that initial year.

Be sure to check out our latest post for comprehensive details on this new offer from Chase!

-Our Favorite Credit Card Rewards to Earn in 2024