Thursday, May 20, 2021

Greetings from Los Angeles! Last week, I was coming to you from South Florida, as I had just arrived for the day to surprise my 92-year-old dad who's been lonely and depressed after a very long year in lockdown. 

Not only did I surprise him with a visit but I offered to fly him back with me to California so he could hug his grandkids, He jumped at the chance and that was before I told him he was flying First Class (the best use of miles). 

As you can from the photo above, he couldn't be any happier. It was like turning on a light switch. If you missed it, you can read a play-by-play of my trip and see the video of me surprising him below:
-Part 1: My First Class Flight on American Airlines 777-300 for 34,000 miles
-Part 2: The morning on the beach and video of surprising my dad
-Part 3: Traveling back to L.A. with my dad, almost getting a fight in MIA and their wheelchair service

Now, the problem is getting him out of the house! He doesn't want to leave and I can't blame him since my wife makes him fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast and home-cooked meals every day. 

But, he does want to see his other grandkids as well and they live in our home state of Connecticut, just outside of New York City. I realized once we got on the plane to LAX that I was going to have to escort him back east because he's really slowing down. 


The Trick to Getting Cheap American Airlines First Class Tickets
Now, I'm trying to find us cheap first class tickets to New York using miles and it's not easy like it was a few months ago. But I think I just cracked the code. Find out the trick for getting cheap American Airlines first class tickets here.


5 Reasons To Hold Off on Booking Europe Travel For This Summer
The big travel news this week is that the EU took another step toward relaxing travel for those who are vaccinated. However, I still think this is the year for domestic travel and here are 5 reasons why I'm not going to Europe this summer. FYI: The photo above is a Throwback Thursday pic for you of my first trip to Europe in 1996. I went with my brother (second from the left) and my cousin (below me). We went to multiple destinations, including Ibiza.  


The Secret Trick to Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program for Inter-Island Travelers
My Ibiza days are long gone but one of the trips I would like to book for a tropical getaway is Hawaii, especially an inter-island jaunt. You too? After reading this tip from a reader, you may want to wait until they figure out all the red tape. If you're heading to the islands, be sure to read this to avoid headaches and wasting valuable relaxation time.

JetBlue Announces London Airport - Tickets On Sale Now
If you do want to go to Ibiza or Europe, there's some great news from yesterday. JetBlue’s inaugural transatlantic flight to London will take place on August 11, with tickets on sale today. Fares start at just $599 in economy and $1,979, in Mint (First Class) making it one of the lowest comparable price points for transatlantic flights. Here are the details.

10 Air Travel Pet Peeves and What You Can Do About Them
After my flights last week, I was reminded of some of my top pet peeves while flying. Here they are, plus what you can do about them. What are yours? Leave a comment and let me know!


How To Avoid Sore Ears From Wearing A Mask
What I didn't include as one of my pet peeves is how wearing a mask for a long period of time hurts my ears. Thanks to a reader, that problem has been solved. Here's how.

World Map Mask
P.S. If you like the World Map mask that I'm wearing above, it's an inexpensive find available on Amazon. My buddy Harvey turned me onto it. 

12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
There's lots of news in the travel industry this week so scroll down to read it all.

DEALS OF THE DAY
10% off Anker PowerStrip Pad with 5ft Extension Cord
This portable power pad offers high-speed charging and its compact design makes it ideal for travelers. Don't you hate when there aren't enough outlets in your hotel room, especially bedside? 

25% off 2-Pack Tempered Glass Screen Protector
When you spend hundreds of dollars on a phone, why not spend a couple of bucks protecting its fragile screen?

40% off Amazon Smart Plug
In case you missed it last week, this is a great deal that's still 40% off. Save $10 on Amazon Smart Plugs, which are amazing for travelers since you can schedule lights, fans, and appliances to turn on and off automatically, or control them remotely when you’re away.

Anker Slim Portable Charger (save with coupon)
Flight attendants say they never travel without this gadget and neither should you. This portable charger is slim and lightweight and will ensure your phone never runs out of juice when you're on the go. (I use the Nimble!)

12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
— Travel restrictions are changing. See which countries are open to Americans
— U.S. weighs changes to COVID-19 travel restrictions
— Dr. Fauci reveals why you can’t fly without a mask yet
— Hotel industry eases mask guidance for vaccinated guests
— The top reason why Americans abroad want to dump their U.S. citizenship
— Disney World fan reaction is complicated after the theme park changes its mask rule overnight
— Frontier leaves LAX for good
— Travel is back. But how can we do it safely — & ethically?
— China building full-sized Titanic replica as tourist attraction
— Viking announces July 2021 restart of European river sailings
— Vaccinated parents with kids that aren’t: How to navigate 2 sets of travel rules
— Yesterday's TSA checkpoint numbers
(Read it all here in today's travel news round-up as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week!)

Travel Credit Card of the Week
New LTOs! Earn up to 180,000 points to use at these hotels, plus free weekend nights, Diamond elite status, and more with these new hotel credit card offers.

In Case You Missed It  
The Carry-On Essential You Never Thought of Packing
One of my favorite parts about interviewing frequent travelers for my podcast and YouTube channel is learning how they travel and discovering their best travel tips. The latter is usually my last question in any given interview and it always provides readers, viewers and myself with valuable travel information. I recently interviewed Laura Davidson, a New York City-based PR maven and her best travel tip really surprised me; it's something I'd never thought of before. But it's brilliant, cheap and effective. Find out what she says she always carries in her carry-on bag.

How to Avoid Paying Baggage Fees For Your Surfboard
I have countless friends who surf often, including when they travel. However, one thing they don’t like is trekking their board to and from airports and most of all, paying extra baggage fees. Airlines differ in price depending on the length and weight of the board and the destination but typically, checking a surfboard costs $150 each way. Here's how to avoid that steep fee.

Good News For UA Passengers and All International Travelers
United and Abbott recently announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration to use Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Home Test to help make the international travel experience more seamless. These tests can be used by all travelers not just United passengers. This is all thanks to the CDC recently updating its guidelines to permit travelers to self-administer a rapid antigen test under the real-time supervision of a telehealth service and use the verified negative test result to board an international flight to the U.S. if they test negative. The tests take 15 minutes and can be completed anytime, anywhere. Read the story here and find out where you can buy the tests for under $25.

Can You Bring Frozen Liquids Through Security? 
Question from a reader: “Question on water bottles: I’ve heard that one can freeze a bottle of water and then it is eligible to go through TSA. Is it true?” It’s a great question and here’s the answer.

15 Tips For Renting A Car in 2021
This post is chock-full of rental car tips since there's a shortage and prices are through the roof. Here are my 15 tips for renting a car.

Avelo Airlines Inaugural Flight
I flew on Avelo Airlines' inaugural flight! Here’s what it was like and where we went.

Avoid SFO During These Times
There are runway closures at this major US airport that will cause some delays for the next several months so it's best to avoid it if possible, during these times. Here's the story.

3 Websites To Cross-Reference Before Traveling Internationally
In light of the European Union now saying that they’ll welcome vaccinated Americans this summer, I recommend that before you travel internationally, you also consult these three websites. 

How I'm Protecting My CDC Vaccination Card
Last week, I wrote about using a protective sleeve to protect your vaccination card and so many of you were interested but they were sold out. Update:Amazon has them back in stock and ready to ship in a couple of days. 

Tips for Traveling to Hawaii During COVID