Greetings! There was a lot of travel news this week, including the mass flight cancellations thanks to multiple winter storms. Hopefully you took advantage of the airlines' travel waivers that I had been highlighting in advance in my Daily Travel Tip newsletter (this one is my weekly recap) and that you were able to switch your flight quickly and not get stuck for days. If you'd like to receive my daily travel tips, you can subscribe here.
On Tuesday morning, I flew to New York to attend a Hilton event and the International Media Marketplace (pictured above). It's an amazing conference and this year, they had their largest crowd yet of over 1,300 travel journalists and PR folks from around the world. I'm honored to be on their advisory board.
Unfortunately, it was freezing in the Big Apple ... and I mean freezing. However, I was fortunate to not only have an on-time flight after there were over 2,300 flights canceled that day, but I got upgraded to a lie-flat seat. It's going to be difficult to lose my Executive Platinum status on American Airlines but I need about 45,000 more loyalty points by the end of February. Don't think it's going to happen.
On Thursday, TSA officers screened 2,158,117 people at airport checkpoints nationwide and I was one of them. I flew from JFK to LAX and multiple things happened along the way, including seeing how passenger behavior in the airport lounges has really gone downhill and it was prevalent in the American Airlines Greenwich Lounge at JFK. There were multiple people watching videos or talking on FaceTime without headphones. This drives me nuts and I really wish AA would enforce common courtesy rules to avoid potential conflicts.
The other two things that happened, I decided to write about, including a mystery noise on my flight that nearly caused us to turn around and my new way to save money on Uber and Lyft from LAX.
🛂 Australia joins Global Entry program: Here’s what it means for travelers
In December, my family and I returned from an amazing trip to Australia and entering the USA couldn’t have been any quicker, thanks to Global Entry. And now, our Aussie friends can become Global Entry members, too. Here's what you need to know.
💙 Bluey’s World is a fun immersive experience the whole family will love
Speaking of Australia ... If you have little kids in your life, then no doubt you know all about Bluey. Bluey is an Australian animated series about Blue Heeler dogs that you probably don’t need me to tell you has taken the world by storm. My wife and I would still watch this show even if we didn’t have kids because it makes us laugh and cry. When we learned that Bluey’s World was opening in Brisbane a couple of weeks after we would be arriving Down Under, we decided to make the journey (just a one-hour flight) north from Sydney to check it out. Check out our trip report. |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 9:22am PT, there have been only 37 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,249 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 Products of the Week 
53% off ($7.95) RFID Blocking Money Belt
According to Rick Steves, the main reason he got pickpocketed in Paris (read the full story about what happened here) was because he wasn't wearing a money belt. Avoid all the stress and hassle that comes with losing your valuables when you're traveling by wearing a concealed money belt that will keep your stuff safe. This one is currently 53% off and is just $7.95. A great deal for you and your travel companions. Buy here.
50% off ($6.98) 10-pack lithium coin batteries
At 50% off, this is a great price so now's a good time to stock up on these lithium coin batteries that your Apple AirTags need, as well as dozens of other household devices. Buy here.
Other great deals
-AirTags $69.99 for a pack of four
-Waterproof AirTag Holders ($9.89)
-Jackery Solar Generator (45% off) |
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❄️ Monday 
How to deal with weather-related flight delays and cancellations
Over the last two days, we've seen a huge increase in the number of flight cancellations and delays. Tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday are going to be even worse thanks to a huge storm in the south. Here's how to deal with weather-related flight delays and cancellations.
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✈️ Tuesday 
The difference between these two popular and similar American Airlines planes is significant. And that's according to AA.
An American Airlines (AA) passenger took to social media to ask a great question and AA’s response was surprisingly honest. This information could help you be more comfortable on your next flight. Here's what you need to know.
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️🚢 Wednesday 
Going on a cruise? Don’t sail without these essentials
I'm in freezing cold NYC and just drove by an advertisement for a tropical Caribbean beach. Boy, did it look good and reminded me of our Caribbean cruise last year. Since it's wave season and I know a lot of readers are booking cruises for 2025 (we booked two), it seems like a great time to share this post about what gadgets and essentials you should bring, to help with your planning. These are the cruise essentials I recommend.
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👃 Thursday 
One move to clear a stuffy nose instantly
Our whole family was sick over the holidays but my wife got hit with a double whammy. She was sick over Christmas in Toronto and then got sick again when we returned home and had to cancel our plans to go to Hawaii. She was so stuffed up, she was grateful she had packed Afrin for our trip to Toronto (she never travels without it ... just in case). But after the three-day usage limit was up, she had to find an alternative method for dealing with her severe congestion. She stumbled upon a viral video posted by a doctor in Michigan and to her great surprise, it worked like a charm. This is one trick you're going to want to save for when you need it and share with friends and family.
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🚕 Friday 
How to save money on Uber, Lyft and other rideshares from LAX
I flew from New York City (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) last night and Uber and Lyft were so expensive in both cities that I decided to try an alternate way of getting home to save some money. Here's what I did and how I saved both time and money.
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🐈 Saturday 
Animals on airplanes: Is it time for airlines to offer pet-free flights?
Today's story comes from a Johnny Jet contributor, who writes: "As progressive as the airline industry has been about nut allergies, it is surprising that it is so behind the times when it comes to respecting passengers with pet allergies. It is a given that service dogs have long been allowed on planes (and trains and hotels), but the incidence of clearly sighted people with small—often ill-behaved—dogs on planes is clearly on the rise." Here's the story, where you can share your thoughts on the subject.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.” ~ Betty Smith |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
👨✈️ Mystery noise on American Airlines flight from JFK to LAX nearly causes mid-flight turnaround
I've flown millions of miles so I usually know if something sounds off and on my flight last night, something was definitely off. Here's the story. Listen for yourself and tell me where you think the strange sound was coming from.
🔊 What do those chimes on your flight mean? Airline captain reveals their meaning
Have you ever wondered what those chimes on an airplane mean? A commercial airline pilot explains their purpose. Watch the video here.
👀 Flight crew restrain and tape mouth shut of intoxicated and racist passenger mid-flight
A disturbing video is going viral on social media, showing a drunk woman flying between San Francisco to Nadi on Fiji Airways. I find it shocking because I just flew on Fiji Airways four times in November and December (here are a couple of those flight reviews) and their flight crew couldn't have been any nicer. So without even knowing what started it, I’m backing the flight crew, just like pilots do 99.9% of the time. Here's the video and the most popular comments from viewers.
❄️ Live New Orleans webcam from Bourbon Street amid historic winter storm
There are over 2,100 flights canceled today and the majority of them are to or from New Orleans and Houston, thanks to Winter Storm Enzo. Check out this live webcam from Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
🔥 Time-lapse of Nest camera on neighbor's house during Pacific Palisades fires
We all know how quickly the fires raced through the Pacific Palisades but to see a time-lapse video makes it even more shocking. If you ever get an evacuation alert on your phone, quickly grab your essentials and flee. Here's the video. |
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🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week 1 Interior Department says Gulf of Mexico is now ‘Gulf of America’
2 TSA officer arrested after firearm brought behind security checkpoint
3 6 injured after 'unexpected movement' forces United flight to turn back
4 Storm Éowyn: ‘Bomb’ cyclone approaches Ireland and parts of UK as schools and public transport shut
5 Paris' Louvre museum, in dire state, cries for help
6 Wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles wants visitors to help the area recover and rebuild
7 Historic snow falls in Florida, New Orleans with freezing conditions expected for days across South
8 UK plans price hike for ETA travel permit just days after launch: What it costs and how to apply
9 American Airlines fined $50 million for wheelchair damage
10 Atlantis resort coming to Hawaii after $216M land deal
11 JetBlue starts offering Venmo as a payment option
12 Turkey ski hotel fire: 66 killed in resort in northwest
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 @bruceleroytravels: Please stop telling folks that the following works when booking flights:
Booking flights on Tuesdays is cheaper
Booking in an incognito window is key to getting cheap flights
Clearing your cache/cookies
All of which are false, ESPECIALLY since most airlines use dynamic pricing.
Stop |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.05 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.24 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.69 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.63 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.049 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown ❤️ 19 days until Valentine's Day
🐰 84 days until Easter
🎖️ 117 days until Memorial Day Weekend
🗽 159 days until 4th of July
✊ 218 days until Labor Day |
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💳 What points transfer to American Airlines miles?
American Airlines is one of the world’s largest airlines that serves just about every destination across the world. As it’s easy to redeem travel miles for award flights, you may try to transfer points to American Airlines to put them to good use and to stop your travel miles from expiring. But what points transfer to American Airlines? Here's what you need to know.
💳 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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