June 18, 2023  •   View this email in your browser

Happy Father's Day!

I was so fortunate to have had such a loving father for five decades of my life. My dad passed away on March 16th and living without him has been surreal. I still reach for my phone to call him every day. I'm also equally fortunate to have two amazing kids to whom I can pass along his traditions and life lessons. My dad kissed us every morning and night and told us he loved us and that we could be anything we wanted to be in life as long as we worked hard.

I've worked hard, kept the kissing tradition alive and started creating my own traditions like traveling the world with my little ones. One thing my dad always wanted to do but wasn't able to was take his whole family to Europe (he had four kids and it was much more expensive back then and not as easy). I'm happy to report that we just arrived on our first family-of-four trip to Europe and I know my dad would be proud I made it happen. If you're a father, Happy Father's Day and if you have a father, please give him a hug and kiss today because you're lucky if you can. 

If you scroll down, you'll see some of my trip reports, and tips and tricks for getting ready for this epic trip, including popping summer''s hottest travel gadget, a tracking device, in our luggage. This way, we know if our bags were loaded onto the plane and when they're unloaded so we don't have to hover around the crowded baggage carousel. Tracking devices like Apple AirTags and Samsung SmartTags were the product of the summer last year but this summer, travel is even bigger and busier, making them a must-have.

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In this issue:

• Today's Travel Outlook ✈️
• Travel Tips This Week ✅
• Travel Quote of the Day 💬
• Travel Tweet of the Day 
• 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 🌎
• Travel Video of the Day 📺
• and more… 

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 

As of 12:20pm EST, there have been 262 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,060 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

U.S. Travel Association’s Popular Daily Getaways Program Offers Travelers Some Great Deals
U.S. Travel Association’s popular Daily Getaways program is back for 2023 and there are hundreds of deals available for folks looking to save money on travel (aren’t we all?) There’s something for everyone, including hotel gift cards, loyalty points, theme park admission discounts and luxurious city getaways. Read the story. 

🏊 Tuesday

Man on Hawaii Honeymoon Dies in Water and While Getting CPR Thief Steals Wife's Backpack
I’ve read a lot of heart-wrenching stories as well as stories that make my blood pressure go through the roof. Well, this story does both. But I’m writing about it for two reasons: To learn from it and to encourage donations to the GoFundMe if you so choose. Here's the story. 

🧳 Wednesday

12 Ways to Save Money on Baggage Fees
No one likes to get nickeled and dimed and the airlines, especially low-fare carriers, have made quite a business doing it. And nickels and dimes are an understatement. As reported by Business Insider, the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that “U.S. airlines collected $6.8 billion in baggage fees in 2022.” Savvy travelers know how to avoid them altogether. Here's how. 

 ⚠️ Thursday

Warning: Traveling Internationally with T-Mobile? Be Sure Not to Make the Same $500 Mistake I Made
I’ve been a T-Mobile subscriber and fan for over 16 years. I only know it’s been that long since I just got off the phone with a T-Mobile agent. I called them after receiving a text message about my international data roaming charges that left me confused. Here's what happened and how to prevent it from happening to you.

✈️ Friday

Trip Report: Los Angeles to Philadelphia on American Airlines A321neo
As I mentioned in Wednesday's newsletter, we flew from LAX to PHL on American Airlines. I took notes and my report is loaded with travel tips. 

🏨 Saturday

This Philadelphia Airport Hotel Makes a 10-Hour Layover Easy
As I mentioned in my Los Angeles to Philadelphia (PHL) trip report, fares weren’t cheap flying between L.A. and Toronto unless we were willing to make a long layover in PHL. We chose to save some money and felt it was safer than making a tight connection because these days, if you miss your flight, you could be stuck for a while or at the very least, get stuck in a middle seat, which is neither something we wanted nor something we could really do since my wife and I were traveling with our two little kids (ages six and three). So we did something we’ve never done before: We booked a 10-hour layover in Philadelphia and then booked an airport hotel for $325. It wasn’t cheap but we still ended up saving $200 and had a little adventure. Here's my trip report. 

📺 Travel Video of the Week

Turkish Ice Cream Vendors Prank Customers
This look says it all when you're jonesing for some ice cream and you go to one of the amazing and talented Turkish vendors. Watch the funny video here.

⚡ Travel Product of the Week

Summer's Hottest Travel Gadget ... and 11 Other Essential Items That Will Make Your Travels Smoother and Safer
Without a doubt, luggage tracking devices continue to be the hottest gadget for summer travel. I’m starting to get a lot of reader messages asking for tips to make their travels smoother, including which travel accessories and gadgets I bring on my trips. Along with a luggage tracker, here’s a round-up of other items that I love, all of which make travel easier and safer.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today

1 Damaged I-95 stretch to reopen within two weeks, Governor says
2 Delta crew member arrested at Edinburgh Airport before take-off & flight cancelled 
3 Several British Airways crew members at hospital after a plane plummeted 1,000 feet during turbulence
4 Mostly ‘smoke and soot’ damage after cruise ship catches fire in Alaska
5 Passenger claims 4 passports were stolen while boarding United flight
6 Travelers frustrated after DFW Airport evacuated due to 'technical error'
7 Air New Zealand’s longest-serving flight attendant retires
8 Ireland will pay you $90,000 to move to a beautiful island home
9 Airlines call for global alignment of airport slot regulations
10 Here's a teaser of Air Canada's new Disney World-themed safety video
11 Still standing: The Theme Building, Los Angeles International Airport 1961
12 Yesterday's TSA checkpoint numbers

✅ Currency Exchange            ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points