Happy Sunday and Birthday to my wife! It's been a long and stressful week for many due to Hurricane Helene. My wife and I were stressed too because our son has been sick since last weekend with a high temperature. We took him to the doctor twice and on Wednesday, we found out he had pneumonia. He's now on antibiotics and doing much better and today's my wife's birthday, so we're going to have a fun family night at home.
🌀 Hurricane Helene
Now that Hurricane Helene has dissipated, it's a much smoother travel day than it's been the last few days. Today's U.S. problem airports are again mostly in the southeast: Asheville, (AVL), Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT) and Chicago (ORD). 
🆘 How to Help
Families affected by Hurricane Helene urgently need support. Your donation can help the American Red Cross provide meals, shelter, and hope to these families. Please donate today. Go to redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to donate to Hurricane Helene. Your support is critical.
🎳 Brussels Industrial Action
If you're heading across the pond to where The Smurfs were created, there's a travel waiver for Brussels, Belgium (BRU) for the next several days (travel dates: September 30 - October 1, 2024).
🍂 Time to buy your holiday flights
Now that it's officially autumn, I hope you're finalizing your Thanksgiving and holiday travel plans. If you're flying, the time to buy is now to save money, according to multiple analysts and travel sites. Here's some recent data and advice:
-This is the date you need to book 2024 Thanksgiving and Christmas flights by (and other holiday travel tips)
-It’s not too early to start booking your holiday travel: 10 tips for finding cheap flights in 2024
-Google releases top travel tips, tricks and insights to help travelers get the lowest price possible
🎃 Pumpkin patches, hayrides, apple orchards and more: The 10 best farms to visit this fall
Fall is for farms! Our favorite farm to visit, which we go to every October is Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, CA. If you’re looking for a great family-friendly activity to do with your kids or even a great date idea, here are some of the best farms across the country to check out: Here's the story.
🦥 The funniest animal photos of 2024: The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards releases list of competition finalists
The annual competition is back and the finalists for the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have been released. The talented photographers who have been shortlisted capture animals in unique and hilarious moments, made all the funnier by their body language and facial expressions. Here are the photos.
🦘 Qantas party and new commercial
I went to a fun Qantas party Thursday night at LAX and bumped into the CEOs of both Qantas and American Airlines. See the Travel Video of the Week below for photos from the party and the Australian airline's new commercial.
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
Here’s this week's Travel Trivia Tuesday question: Can you name the only country in the world that begins with the letter "O"? It took me a while to figure it out and I've been there! Scroll to the bottom to find the answer.
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 11:30am PT, there have been only 156 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,109 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 cancelations.
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🧭 Travel Product of the Week 
6 Pack Reading Glasses for $12
If you wear glasses, then you know it's wise to pack extra pairs when traveling. I buy these inexpensive readers and put them in multiple pockets of my carry-on and suitcase (when checking a bag) just to make sure I'm not scrambling to find a pair. Check them out here.
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🥾 Monday 
Two hikers swept to their deaths by flash flooding caused by surprise storm
While this popular spot in Spain is extremely beautiful, it does, unfortunately, come with dangers that visitors should be aware of before going. Here's what you need to know about this hiking spot in particular as well as smart hiking tips in general.
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💰 Tuesday 
Shocking burglary in Manhattan Beach: $1 million stolen from cardboard box inside parked vehicle
To say I was shocked to read a recent Manhattan Beach, California police report would be an understatement. The sleepy beachside community, just a few miles from LAX, is famous for being the Beach Volleyball Capital of the World and its gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean from the Strand. There’s not a lot of shocking news that takes place … except what happened last week according to the city’s crime report. Here’s how to reduce the risk of falling victim to a street robbery (and find out if a tracker has been placed on your car) with these effective crime prevention tips.
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⚠️ Wednesday 
California man killed on sidewalk by woman on electric scooter who fled the scene of the accident
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that there have been at least 233 deaths associated with micromobility devices from 2017 through 2022. These devices include e-bikes and e-scooters and they can be dangerous on roads and sidewalks. Here's what you need to know.
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💸 Thursday 
Southwest Airlines appoints former Spirit Airlines executive and makes HUGE changes to long-standing policies
Southwest Airlines dropped some major news today. And whether you're a loyal Southwest customer or not, you'll want to read up on the changes they're making to see how they may affect your travel plans. Read the story here.
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❄️ Friday 
The surprising reason to always book vacation rentals that have air conditioning
First time American visitors to Europe are often surprised by how few hotels and vacation rentals have air conditioning. However, once you experience Southern Europe’s heat in the middle of the summer, you won’t make the mistake of not double checking whether or not your lodging has air conditioning. Read the tip here.
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🏞️ Saturday 
You can visit a National Park for free
Planning on visiting any of the U.S. National Parks soon? Or simply looking for a good, cheap adventure? Then take note of the last day left in 2024 on which all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. On the flip side, these dates are also good to know if you want to avoid the crowds. Get all the details here.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “The journey not the arrival matters." ~ T.S. Eliot |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
Mother arrested at Disneyland, handcuffed and taken away in front of her small children crying for help
A mother was handcuffed, arrested and led away by police officers at Disneyland while her two young children cried for help. Read the full story here.
🚫 Illegal border crossing attempt foiled by CBP and border patrol in Buffalo
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Buffalo and U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Buffalo Station through a collaborative effort, apprehended two Italian citizens who attempted to unlawfully enter the United States. Here's the story.
San Francisco police use inflatable chicken costume to nab careless drivers
The San Francisco Police Department is taking a creative approach to addressing traffic safety. Just in time for Halloween, one of their officers took to the streets in an inflatable chicken costume. Here's why.
'Australia starts with Qantas': Chris Hemsworth voices new commercial
Last night, I went to a party at Qantas’ hangar at LAX for the launch of their new commercial. It was my first time in their hangar and hopefully not the last since it’s an epic space and surprisingly, a great place to host a party – especially when there’s a widebody aircraft inside. See the new commercial here. |
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🌎 Top 10 Travel Stories of the Week 1 Southwest Airlines appoints Spirit Airlines executive and makes HUGE changes to long-standing policies
2 Boeing 737 Max problem requires ‘urgent’ action
3 US southeast faces daunting task cleaning up from Helene; death toll rises
4 United flight approaching SFO has near miss with another aircraft; 2 passengers hospitalized
5 Southwest to cut service to Atlanta, reduce city's crew base
6 Southwest Airlines' turnaround plan insufficient, activist investor Elliott says
7 Boeing and union negotiators set to meet for contract talks 2 weeks into worker strike
8 More airlines cancel Beirut, Lebanon flights as Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates
9 Over 1,800 workers at Waikiki's largest hotel on indefinite strike
10 World's largest ski resort operator announces layoffs ahead of winter season
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 @Whereintheworldisnina: “Priority Pass Airport lounges SUCK!” When I hear people say this I know for a fact they are mostly going to the lounges in the US! PP lounges abroad are often pretty damn good. And as long as you’re getting your lounge pass free with your credit card — it’s 1000% worth it. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.11 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.33 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.73 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.68 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.050 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🎃 32 days until Halloween
🦃 60 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 87 days until Christmas
🎊 93 days until New Year's Eve
❤️ 138 days until Valentine's Day |
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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: Can you name the only country in the world that begins with the letter "O"?
Answer: Oman! I visited the Middle Eastern country in 2010. Here's my trip report.
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