Greetings! I hope you're having a great weekend! If you're new here, this is our weekly round-up of the daily travel tips I shared throughout the week, plus a few new ones, like this piece from today: American Airlines Passenger Bumped From First Class—Turns Out It Was for President Biden.
We've had a whirlwind last few weeks as we traveled from L.A., to Chicago, Napoli, Ischia, Sicily, Crete, Istanbul, Mykonos, Athens, New York, Nantucket, Philadelphia and we just arrived at our next destination, which I will tell you about tomorrow in my Daily Travel Tip newsletter.
Athens to New York
On Monday, my family and I flew from Athens to New York on American Airlines. Looks like we got really lucky because the aging 777-200 they use on this route has had some engine problems. It had to divert twice to Bangor, Maine and it has canceled four times in the last three weeks. See Thursday's travel tip below for more information, including how much compensation passengers can get from significantly delayed or canceled flights from Europe.
After arriving at 7:30pm from our 10-hour flight, we checked into JFK's TWA Hotel (see photo above). I figured it was the smartest thing to do since it was 2:30am in Greece and everyone was going to be beat. It was a great choice; I will share more about our experience soon.
🏖️ Nantucket
The following morning, we flew 37 minutes to Nantucket which is a small island 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts and is a National Historic Landmark, thanks to its preserved whaling-era architecture. There are also over 80 miles of pristine coastline with dune-backed beaches. It was a whopping 90 degrees on Tuesday but the temperatures dropped considerably on Wednesday.
On Friday, we flew 54 minutes to Philadelphia and checked into the PHL Airport Marriott. We had an overnight connection, so I decided to book a room and spend the night. It was incredibly convenient, broke up the trip and made our travels more enjoyable. The rooms are dated but you can’t beat the location ... just a few hundred yards from baggage claim to the lobby.
This also allowed me the chance to check out American’s new Admirals Club at PHL (pictured above) and observe the stark contrast in security lines (pictured below). Multiple employees told me that Saturday is their busiest day, which I found surprising.
The regular security line was over 30 minutes long (top), while TSA PreCheck had no wait at all (bottom). Unfortunately, American lost one of our bags which was a great teaching moment. I plan to write about it this week so stay tuned.
🛫 Ridiculous Number of Canceled Flights
The last few days had an unusual number of canceled flights with Atlanta being the hotspot, followed by DCA, EWR, JFK, CLT, DFW and PHL. Looks like we got really lucky with our flights.
As always, there's a lot of travel news so scroll down for a weekly recap of the most important stories and my travel tips.
🍷 10 Reasons to Take a Dutch River Cruise Aboard Viva Enjoy
My sister Georgette recently went on a European river cruise aboard Viva Enjoy. I had never heard of the company so I was interested to learn what it's like. Here's her trip report, which involved navigating through the many waterways and rivers of the Netherlands with a sojourn into Belgium. |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 12:05pm ET, there have been 215 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,239 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 
Portable Fan That's Also a Phone Charger and Has a Flashlight
This is a 3-in-1 must-have. We just returned from Europe and it was hot, hot, hot! We were so glad we remembered to pack two of these portable fans, especially for the kids to use. Compact, lightweight and easy to throw in your bag when you go exploring for the day, these fans were a real life-saver and we won't be traveling anywhere hot without them. PLUS: It serves as a back-up phone charger and has a handy flashlight. Available in 6 different colors. Buy here.
Tide Laundry Stain Remover Spray with Oxi Comes to the Rescue
We usually travel with Tide To-Go sticks and they're handy for very small stains but fortunately, on this trip, my wife packed a bottle of this Tide Laundry Stain Remover and are we glad we had it. It saved three articles of clothing that otherwise would have been ruined. The first two times we needed it was to remove tomato sauce stains from my son's shirt and shorts. The third time was to remove an oil-based salad dressing stain from a new shirt I've only worn a handful of times. All three times, my wife soaked the stains for 2-3 minutes, then hand-washed the clothes in the sink. Each stain came out completely so we'll always have one of these in our suitcase when we travel from now on. Buy here.
✅ Apple AirTags: Snag a four-pack for $74.99 or a single one for $22.98
✅ Mini rolls of gaffer tape ($13.88)
✅ $7.14 for 10-pack lithium coin batteries
✅ 15% off ($8.49): 6-Foot Surge Protector Power Strip
✅ 38% off ($9.95) RFID blocking money belt
✅ $9.99 for portable digital luggage scale: Buy here |
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👀 Monday  Security Alert: U.S. State Department Just Issued a Worldwide Travel Advisory for American Travelers
Americans should always be alert when they travel but we need to be especially cautious right now, as the U.S. State Department just issued a worldwide travel advisory. Here's what you need to know.
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🛫 Tuesday 
The Travel Experience Needs an Upgrade - Here’s How You Can Help
In Partnership With the U.S. Travel Association
We all have a travel wish list. Sure, there are dream destinations and bucket-list adventures—but what about the wish list for how we experience travel itself? The one where airport lines aren’t endless, security checks are quick, and navigating customs doesn’t feel like a marathon. Read the story here and find out how you can help.
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🛂 Wednesday 
TSA Prepares for Record-Breaking Fourth of July Travel Surge With Tips for Families and Flyers
Over 18.5 million travelers are expected to take to the skies during the Fourth of July travel period, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The travel window runs from Tuesday, July 1, through Monday, July 7, with the busiest day forecasted for Sunday, July 6, when nearly 2.9 million passengers are expected to pass through U.S. airport security checkpoints. Here's what you need to know.
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😬 Thursday 
American Airlines’ Aging 777 Between Athens and New York Had a Mid-Flight Emergency; Flight Keeps Canceling
We just returned from a couple of weeks in Europe. I booked the trip around a Princess cruise, which started in Naples, Italy and ended in Athens, Greece. I used AA miles and surprisingly, I was able to find a great deal (28,000 miles per ticket each way). But it looks like we got really lucky with our return because American Airlines is flying an old 777-200 on this route and they’ve canceled it the last two days due to engine problems. Here's what you need to know.
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💤 Friday 
9 Tips For Smoother Travels This Holiday Weekend and Beyond
AAA is predicting a whopping 72.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home between this week (June 28 to July 6). Most will be by car but air travel is set to break records as well with 5.84 million people expected to fly. This is a 1.4% increase from last year’s record of 5.76 million, which means airports and roads will be busy. Here are my tips that will help you with your holiday travels.
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💻 Saturday 
How to Avoid Online Travel Booking Scams This Summer
Booking a dream vacation online is easier than ever but unfortunately, so is getting scammed. And as millions of Americans prepare for their much-anticipated summer vacations, cybercriminals are preparing to take advantage of them. Here are tips to keep in mind when booking travel online.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” – Jerry Seinfeld |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
United Airlines Flight Attendant Demonstrates How to Make Viral DIY Phone Stand Using Just a Paper Cup
A frequent traveler named Sam posted a video on TikTok about a super-friendly United Airlines flight attendant named Josh who made him a phone stand out of a paper cup on one of his flights. Well, Sam just posted a video of Josh that one of his followers came across showing Sam, and anyone else who needs a DIY phone stand on a flight, how to make it. Here's the video and how to make it. |
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🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week 1 Israel Reopens Skies For Air Travel, Returns International Airport To Full Operation
2 Boeing 737 Max Door Plug Incident: NTSB To Announce Investigation’s Findings
3 Hawaiian Airlines Hit By Cyber Attack
4 Americans To Set Fourth Of July Travel Record With 1.7M More Than Last Year
5 What Travelers Need To Know As Jeff Bezos’ Wedding Disrupts Venice
6 Southwest Airport Lounges? CEO Says Carrier Is Open To High-End Change
7 Entire Flight Crew Suspended After Search For Passenger’s Stolen Phone
8 Will I Make My Connecting Flight? United's App Will Tell You
9 US Hotels Lose Ground To Short-Term Rental Boom
10 Hawaii Tourism Is 'Significantly Down,' And Experts Are Worried
11 American Airlines Flights Resume After System Outage
12 Tourists And Residents Seek Shade As Temperatures Soar In Athens
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 @juliabeverly: Southwest Airlines will become a business school case study in how to destroy a brand. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.157 USD
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🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.65 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.053 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🗽 5 days until 4th of July
🛠 64 days until Labor Day
🎃 124 days until Halloween
🦃 151 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 179 days until Christmas |
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