June 9, 2024  •   View this email in your browser

Greetings

🌡️ Home sick
It's been kind of a miserable week in our house since all four of us have been sick. First my son, then my wife, now my daughter and me. The timing couldn't be worse since we're supposed to fly to Europe tomorrow and I have to cancel our flight. Fortunately, I used miles for almost all of the flights so I shouldn't lose any money or mileage. But it's a real bummer because we've been preparing for this big trip for months. We've been packing, purchasing lots of travel products, and arranging hotels, vacation rentals, car services and house sitters ... If we get better, I should be able to find alternate flights since mileage tickets are surprisingly inexpensive. To give you an idea how frequently we've been going to the kid's doctor ... when we rolled in to our kids' pediatrician's office on Tuesday, I joked to the receptionist that we should get an apartment in the building. She said, "That's true. Sometimes I see you more than I see my own family."

🛳️ Our kids had their last day of school on Friday, which means summer vacation is officially here. If you or anyone you know is going on a cruise this summer, don't set sail without these cruising essentials. And speaking of cruising, did you see the story about the teenager whose cruise was ruined when his parents missed the boat (literally)? Read that story here: Parents literally miss the boat: Teen’s dream cruise turns into nightmare when he leaves entitled parents behind on Caribbean island

📆 Can you believe that Father’s Day is just one week from today?! That means it’s more than time to start thinking about gifts for Dad. And if you think you’re just going to get him another pair of socks this year, well … we can actually suggest a cool pair he’ll like! Check out our top Father’s Day gift picks and find something that special dad in your life will love. Or, since Dads love practical gifts, get him (and yourself!) an Apple AirTag, which continues to be the hottest travel gadget of the summer. Plus, the four-pack is, at the time of this newsletter distribution, 20% off. Get them here.  

🇫🇯 Fiji Airways becomes oneworld’s 15th full member airline
If you’ve ever been to Fiji, then you know how special a place it is. I always tell people that Fiji has the friendliest people in the world -- especially on the outer islands. Here's great news for American Airlines frequent fliers.

🇪🇺 Europe is going to be busy and expensive
The Olympics aren't the only major sporting event taking place this summer (Friday, July 26 – Sunday, August 11). The Euro Cup (locals just say 'Euro'), is taking place in Germany from Friday, June 14 – Sunday, July 14. Combine these events with Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, and it's no wonder hotels are so expensive. And speaking of Europe, if you're headed to the Continent this summer, be sure to read Tuesday's Travel Tip below.
 
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
We had Travel Trivia Tuesday again this week! Tuesday’s question was: The euro is the official currency of what South American country? Scroll down to find the answer.

⚖️ Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards
I’m excited to announce that I will be a judge in Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards again this year! I have had the honor of reviewing the travel industry’s most creative and innovative work, and determining which are worthy of the prestigious Magellan Awards for the past decade. You can enter now at travelweeklyawards.com. 

📻 Top 40 Countdown with Casey Kasem
Last Sunday, I thought I was in a time machine. I was driving, flipping through radio stations (on my steering wheel) and came across the Top 40 Countdown with Casey Kasem. Casey Kasem?! It took me a moment to figure out it was just a replay of an old broadcast. It's a brilliant idea. One of our local stations (99.9 Lite FM) and others across the country, bring back Kasem's how every Sunday morning from 8am to noon. If you grew up listening to Casey Kasem in the 80s like I did, hearing the countdown will take you right back to the good ol' days! Although the legendary radio host died 10 years ago, his legacy lives on. 

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… 

📱 SPONSORED

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 

As of 1:45pm PT, there have been 72 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 3,168 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

What Donald Trump’s guilty conviction can teach travelers
No doubt the biggest story of the week, and arguably of the year, is that Donald J. Trump, the former president of the United States, was found guilty of 34 felony counts in a criminal trial in New York City on Thursday. This is not a political post in any way as I do my best to make JohnnyJet.com a safe place to escape from the ugliness of politics. But I would be remiss if I didn’t use his conviction as a teaching moment for travelers. Here's what you need to know.

🚢 Tuesday

Going to Europe or somewhere hot this summer? Pack a wearable or portable fan to beat the sweltering heat
Last summer, I wrote this post: 12 things I learned from traveling to Europe this summer. One of those tips, that I can’t stress enough, is to pack a portable fan. I saw so many people either walking around with a portable fan in their hand or wearing one around their neck. Man, were we jealous of the people we saw with them because Europe was HOT and they didn't look miserable like everyone else. Since Europe is expected to see record-breaking temperatures again this summer, you'll be so happy to have one. Here are the best ones to pack. 

📖 Wednesday

Minnesota tourists zip-tied and robbed at 4am in Los Angeles Airbnb
According to FOX 11, “Six tourists from Minnesota are thankful to be alive after terrifying moments unfolded at a vacation rental property in East Hollywood. Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, they became victims of a home-invasion at a rental home."  Here's the disturbing story and how you can protect yourself when staying in a vacation rental. 

👟 Thursday

Florida police rescue dog left in hot truck with no water while owners go to the beach
If you’ve watched the news lately, then you know that high heat is coming to much of the northern hemisphere. In South Florida, it’s almost always hot but especially this time of year, when high temperatures usually reach the high 80s/low 90s. That’s why this story is so disturbing. I realize everyone knows not to leave an animal or child in a hot car for even a minute but since it keeps happening, a reminder can't hurt. I, for one, didn't realize until recently just how hot cars can get and how fast it can happen. Last night, watching the local L.A. news, two different meteorologists on two different networks issued the same reminder about high temperatures. Read the story here.

🍔 Friday

Is it OK to take food from an airline lounge to-go? How much?  
This week, a post on Instagram went viral after someone posted photos of a man filling a giant Ziploc bag with cereal before putting it in his bag and walking out of the Admirals Club at Miami International Airport. The post stirred up quite a debate about whether or not it's okay to take food out of an airline lounge. What do you think? Here's what you need to know, including the airline's written rules regarding lounge food.

⚠️ Saturday

Kentucky family is out $15,000 after posting Carnival Cruise itinerary on social media
A family from Kentucky is going viral because their Carnival Cruise was cancelled last-minute two days before the sailing. Turns out they're not alone. Here's what you need to know.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

Woah! Giraffe lifts toddler out of vehicle during drive-thru safari in Texas

Is this Southwest Airlines flight attendant toilet paper game fun or ridiculous?

‘What’s Boeing on here?’ Ceiling panel falls off on Delta Air Lines flight from Honolulu

EasyJet passenger’s carry-on suitcase gets stuck in bag sizer

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today

1 United Airlines begins showing targeted ads on passenger's seat-back screens
2 Florida shark attacks: Three people injured in two separate shark attacks
3 American dad held in Turks and Caicos for having ammo in his luggage blasts State Department
4 Cathay Pacific trainee pilots banned from solo flights after damaging planes
5 A weaker dollar, skyrocketing prices and ‘record’ visitor numbers: Good luck in Europe this summer
6 Passengers break liquids rule daily - airport boss
7 American and Delta release fall routes to college towns around the U.S. 
8 United Airlines is still hiring, but it's not adding workers as fast as it did the last 2 years
9 Moment e-bike mugger is caught by London police after stealing phones from 24 people in day-long crime spree 
10 Washington, DC welcomed record tourist arrivals in 2023
11 Juneau sets daily cruise ship passenger limit
12 A sargassum invasion is fueling an economic and public health crisis in the Caribbean
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

💳 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.

💳For a limited time, you can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. The standard bonus offer is only 60,000 points with similar spending requirements. As a result, the extra points make this offer worth $938 with the Sapphire Preferred instead of $750 when using the 25% travel redemption bonus. New 75,000 Bonus Offer: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

✈️ Travel Trivia Tuesday Answer

The euro is the official currency of what South American country? 
Answer: French Guiana, although it's not actually a country but rather an Overseas Department of France and part of the European Union. As such, its currency is the euro.