December 24, 2023  •   View this email in your browser

🎄 Merry Christmas!

Can you believe it's Christmas Eve ... or Christmas Day for those readers in Asia and Australia and New Zealand?! I most likely won't be sending out a daily travel tip tomorrow unless there's some breaking news or an incredible deal that I want to share.

Track Santa
🎅 If you celebrate, I wish you and your family the best Christmas ever and smooth, safe travels. We're in Toronto with my in-laws and it's unseasonably warm (throughout the country) so no white Christmas for us 😢 If you have little ones, then be sure to have them check out NORAD's Santa Tracker -- they've been doing it for 68 years and we just checked it out for the third time today (Santa was in Broome, Australia!)

✈️ LAX-YYZ
It's been another busy week in the travel industry and so far everything has been fairly smooth, including our LAX-YYZ flight on Air Canada (here's my detailed trip report). 

🛂 Return to Pre-Pandemic Passport Processing Times
More good news: The U.S. State Department this week announced: "Passport processing times have returned to our pre-pandemic norm. As of December 18, 2023, passport applications will be processed within 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60."

👍 How Many Americans Have a Passport?
What might be even more amazing is the number Americans who now have passports. According to the State Department in 1990, "only five percent of Americans had a passport. Today, that number is 48%." 48 percent is huge! Well done, Americans!

Sponsor: Indus Travels

Uncover the magic of Sicily on this exclusive tour, starting at $899 pp! 
Immerse in sun-drenched landscapes, explore Taormina's charm, discover ancient marvels in Agrigento, savor Palermo's cuisine, and traverse from Mount Etna to the Tyrrhenian Sea. All-inclusive with accommodation, flights, and daily breakfast, reserve your spot for a stress-free and unforgettable Sicilian celebration of life! Here's more info.
 

In this issue:

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

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 

As of 11:25am ET, there have been 105 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,391 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

Should You Ship Your Luggage or Check It? Here are 5 Companies to Use
Hauling your bags through the airport is no fun, especially when the airports are packed during the peak holiday season. So, should you ship them to your destination ahead of time? Four Washington Post reporters shipped bags with four different companies and reported on the results. This information should help you decide if it's worth it. 

💺 Tuesday

Sorry, Travel + Leisure, You've Got It Wrong: Here's How You Can Really Get Upgraded to First Class
Back in 2021, Travel & Leisure posted the most ridiculous article I’d seen in a long time on Instagram. Their caption read, “Sometimes getting an upgrade isn’t about the right timing or knowing the right people. Sometimes, it’s all about having the right outfit." I would have thought they’d pull the article after the backlash to the blatantly bad advice, but the story was just updated and it's even worse than before. Here's how you can really get upgraded to first class.

🅿️ Wednesday

4 Ways to Avoid Airport Parking Chaos This Holiday Season
AAA is predicting that airports will be the busiest they’ve ever been over the Christmas and New Year’s travel period with 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season. This will surpass 2019’s record of 7.3 million passengers. With that many travelers, passengers need to be prepared. Here are four ways to avoid the inevitable airport parking chaos this holiday season.

🌧️ Thursday

What to Do in Weather Delays and Flight Cancellations 
Flight delays and worse, cancellations, can really throw a wrench into your travel plans, especially over the holidays when airports are chaotic and flights are going out full. Here are my go-to tips, websites and apps to help you deal with weather delays and flight cancellations.

🎁 Friday

I Traveled on One of the Busiest Travel Days of 2023: Here’s What it Was Like
As I mentioned in the intro my family and I flew to Toronto to spend the holidays with my wife's family. Here's what it was like to fly on one of the busiest travel days of the year. 

👨‍✈️ Saturday

Brilliant Travel Hack: Why You Should Pack a European Plug Adapter Even When You’re Not Traveling to Europe
Yesterday, I wrote about my Los Angeles to Toronto flight on Air Canada from the day before. Like many, we’re spending Christmas with our family, in my case, my in-laws, since my wife is a Canuck. While my wife and kids were watching movies on the plane, I was working on my laptop thanks to the in-flight WiFi and power ports. While I was checking emails, I came across an eye-catching headline, which inspired today's tip. Here's why you should pack a European plug adapter, even when you're not hopping the pond.

📺 Travel Video of the Week

The Mind-Blowing 1990s Airplane Phones That Would Stun Gen Z
Those who have been flying for three decades or more will no doubt remember Airfone. I was in college back then and tried it once and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Now, I hope they don't ever allow people to make phone calls since it's so annoying. But you will no doubt find this blast from the past fascinating. Here's the video. 

🎅 Travel Product of the Week

Buffway Slim Minimalist Front Pocket RFID Blocking Leather Wallet
Last week, I wrote about how I'd had a number of credit cards hacked. Well, my wife just gave me an early Christmas present - an RFID-blocking wallet, which gives my credit cards and personal information an extra layer of protection. It's currently 25% off and makes a great gift, as well. Check it out here.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel This Week

1 Travelers shocked, relieved with easy wait times during airport ‘busiest’ holiday weekend
2 On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town. Celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas war.
3 The newest pain point in air travel is slowing down travelers who paid for convenience
4 Record-high temperatures, cross-country storm forecast this holiday weekend
5 Where has the snow gone? Most Canadians will wake up to a green Christmas
6 United Airlines is being sued by a first-class flier who says she was sexually assaulted by a 'highly intoxicated' passenger given 9 servings of alcohol
7 FAA opens military airspace to accommodate holiday travel rush
8 DOT puts airline loyalty programs under the microscope after lawmakers raise concerns
9 YouTuber says Qatar Airways banned him from flying with them ever again because he left a bad review
10 Americans charged with taking Glocks, AK-47s to Mexico
11 Some Mexican pharmacies are selling full bottles of Adderall. But it's actually meth.
12 Budget airlines Spirit, Ryanair: How they make money

✅ Currency Exchange            ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points