Greetings from Northern California! 
🍷 Earlier this week, I was in Sonoma County on a work trip with Wells Fargo and Expedia to learn about their new OneKey credit card. Wells Fargo put me up in the swanky Montage Healdsburg and it was so nice, I had to share it with my family, especially after seeing my kids on FaceTime, who kept saying they wished I was home with them or that they could join me.
✈️ By day two of my trip, with the kids still begging to be with me, I asked my wife if she and the kids wanted to fly up to meet me for the last night. I cashed in some American miles so they could fly nonstop from LAX on Alaska Airlines (a Oneworld partner) to Santa Rosa (STS), which is just 13 miles from the hotel.
🧳 Believe it or not, this was a watershed day for our family because it was the first time our kids had ever flown without both parents. It was an bigger day for Natalie because it was the first time she'd flown solo with the kids and had to wrangle them on her own. Everyone did great and to my surprise, they traveled with carry-on for the first time and Jack and Olivia each had their own suitcase (which they were thrilled about!) However, the trip wasn't without some drama, which Natalie says she was responsible for and is the topic of yesterday's travel tip so scroll down to Saturday's tip below to read all about it.
🚗 After a great stay at the Montage, we rented a car and drove 67 miles south to one of our favorite places on earth ... Cavallo Point. Here's the review we wrote last year but will share more about the hotel soon.
☀️ Airline schedules back on track
What a difference a week makes! Delta has only canceled a single flight so far today, which is quite remarkable. Other U.S. airlines are doing well too, with United canceling just 10 and American, a respectable four.
🛫 Southwest Airlines ends longstanding open seating policy and now selling seats for red-eye flights
The other big travel news story of the week was Southwest Airlines (SWA). The unique airline announced a few days ago that they're about to make some BIG changes. Here's what you need to know.
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
Our Travel Trivia Question of the Week is: What city is the only one in the world to straddle two continents? Scroll down to the bottom to find the answer!
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 8:45am PT, there have been 59 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,617 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.
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🧭 Travel Product of the Week 
The ultimate sleep mask: Why I’ll never go back to my old one
From reader Toni: "On your recommendation, bought this mask for my husband and myself. Wholeheartedly agree, best mask ever! We’ve also used Lewis&Clark, Manta, and others but this is more comfortable and totally seals out light. Just ordered 2 more for Dopp kit and living room for naps. Thanks for recommending." Here's what makes it so good.
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🪂 Monday 
How I avoid the chaos at LAX and a review my Alaska Airlines flight to STS
After I sent yesterday's newsletter, I hopped on an Alaska Airlines flight from LAX to STS (Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport). Today, I'm writing about how I avoided the madness at LAX and what it was like flying to STS. Read the story here.
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😲 Tuesday 
Guess the airline: Passenger charged $100 for bag being one pound over the weight limit
A recent Reddit thread read: “I was charged $100 for an extra 1 pound and was forced to pay it.” Before I even read the thread, I had a feeling I knew who the culprit was and I was right. Can you guess? Here's the story and how to avoid this situation.
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🧳 Wednesday 
Delta Air Lines’ summer meltdown is exactly why you need to do these 8 things when you travel
Microsoft CrowdStrike's global IT outage, coupled with Delta’s complete meltdown, has left travelers stranded for days and out thousands of dollars. Many travelers have missed important events like doctor appointments, surgeries, weddings, funerals, family reunions and are left with non-refundable expenses, including cruises, hotels and car rentals. And many have likely contracted Covid thanks to a resurgence of the virus. Have you seen the mass crowds in airports? Here’s what I recommend to minimize the impact of travel and tech meltdowns on you and your family when you travel.
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💰 Thursday 
This $30 device saved me hundreds of dollars to keep my car battery charged while I was traveling for a month
If you ever travel for a long period of time and have trouble keeping your car battery charged, then this device is for you. It just saved me a few hundred dollars. Here's today's travel tip.
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💸 Friday 
When your flight is severely delayed or canceled, make sure you don’t forget to do this
A couple of days ago, I wrote this story: Delta Air Lines’ summer meltdown is exactly why you need to do these 8 things when you travel. My last point deserves its own separate article because it’s an especially important tip. Here it is and why you should always do it.
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🧳 Saturday 
Why traveling with my old smart suitcase was a really dumb idea
My wife and kids hopped on an Alaska Airlines flight to meet me in Sonoma earlier this week but before boarding, they ran into an unforeseen issue with Natalie's carry-on suitcase. Here's what happened, how it was resolved and what you need to know so this doesn't happen to you.
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
Incredible video captures whale capsize boat; teenagers rescue fishermen thrown into Atlantic Ocean
There’s a video going viral on social media for good reason: It’s quite shocking. Two people were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean after a humpback whale landed on their fishing boat yesterday, and the entire incident was caught on video. Here's the video and backstory.
Black bear destroys minivan on family camping trip to Yosemite
Last night, I was doomscrolling on Instagram when I came across a video of a park ranger and a California Highway Patrol officer smashing the window of a minivan because a black bear was somehow trapped in there. Here's the video and backstory.
Delta Air Lines shares how much compensation customers will get from their epic meltdown – and passengers aren’t likely to be happy
Delta Air Lines has just shared details about how they will be compensating passengers affected by Friday's global IT outage ... and many will not be happy. Get the details here.
Emirates A380 pilot reveals what it's like to fly from Dubai to Sydney
In this cool video, a pilot shares what her day is like, from hugging her daughter goodbye to landing in Australia after piloting a 15-hour flight. Here's the video.
What in the world? Man captured on video shaving his legs at the beach
There’s a video making the rounds on social media, of a man at the beach shaving his legs. That’s right. Shaving his legs at the beach. The account that posted the video captioned it what we’re all thinking: “I have so many questions😅”. Here's the video. |
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau |
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🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 1 83-year-old man missing since CrowdStrike outage canceled his flight home
2 Rapper gets 20 months in jail for trying to bring loaded gun in carry-on at LAX
3 Lithium-ion fire strands drivers on California-Las Vegas freeway
4 California wildfire explodes, becomes largest in US
5 Greece's Santorini bursts with tourists as locals call for a cap
6 A man missing for 14 days in Kentucky’s wilderness was found on the last day of the search for him
7 A Silicon Valley executive had $400,000 stolen by cybercriminals while buying a home. Here’s her warning
8 Squatter gets 40 years for illegally taking over Panama City Beach condo in Florida
9 Body of American climber buried in avalanche 22 years ago in Peru is recovered from the ice
10 Outrigger’s Castaway Island, Fiji opens new water park
11 China’s most iconic waterfall is found to be a FAKE after embarrassing discovery is made at 1,000ft-tall tourist hotspot
12 I grew up in Athens. Here are 8 things I wish tourists would stop doing when they come here.
Read it all here as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week! |
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🧵 TRAVEL THREAD OF THE DAY @kpottermn: Jason K. spent five days and $2K out of pocket trying to get home as Delta melted down. He missed his wedding anniversary, mother’s birthday, and his last chance to see his daughter before camp. Delta’s response? A $100 voucher or 10K SkyMiles. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.08 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.28 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.72 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.65 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.054 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🛠 36 days until Labor Day
🎃 95 days until Halloween
🦃 123 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 150 day until Christmas
🎊 156 day until New Year's Eve |
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💳 Our favorite credit card rewards to earn in 2024
💳 5 reasons why the Bilt Card is worth it
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard continues to be the best way to pay rent with a card as you can earn 1 point per dollar in rent payments without fees. However, if you have a high monthly payment, you can reach the previous $50,000 annual earning cap before year-end. Thankfully, the annual Bilt points cap is being lifted so you can earn more points on rent. Here are 5 of the best reasons the Bilt Card is worth it.
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✅ Travel Trivia Answer 
QUESTION: What city is the only one in the world to straddle two continents?
ANSWER: Istanbul, Turkey is the only city in the world that straddles two continents, Europe and Asia, which are separated by the Bosphorus Strait. This unique location has influenced the city's culture and heritage, with the European side featuring historic sites, markets, and neighborhoods, and the Asian side offering parks, seaside districts, and historic mosques.
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