Happy Father's Day! Although my bank account may not reflect it, I consider myself the richest man in the world, in part because of my dad and in part because of my own good fortune being a father. I was fortunate to have one of the greatest fathers (sadly, he passed away last year) and now I get to share that love with my two incredible children, Jack and Olivia. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!
😢 Trip to Europe canceled
As the saying goes, when it comes to your kids, the days are long, but the years are short, which is why I try to take my family on some amazing trips. I had a doozy planned for this past week; we were supposed to be coming to you from Europe today. But we had to cancel the trip because we all came down with hand, foot and mouth disease. It's a disappointment to be sure but I've cooked up a new plan so stay tuned to see where we're headed instead.
🗞️ Travel news, tips and videos
There was a lot of travel news again this week, which you can find below, along with my travel tips and some funny, heartwarming and nightmarish videos.
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
If you subscribe to my Daily Travel Tip newsletter then you already know this week's trivia question: Which country has the most UNESCO World Heritage sites? Scroll down to the bottom to find the answer. |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 4:25pm PT, there have been 158 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 4,837 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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🧳 Monday 
The surprising reason baggage handlers warn passengers not to tie a ribbon to their suitcases
We all know that traveling with carry-on only is so much easier (and cheaper) than checking bags. But sometimes, it’s just not possible. If you do have to check bags when you travel, there are lots of tips to help you have the best experience. I’ve written dozens of articles about traveling with checked bags and here are some of my top tips including a new one I just learned thanks to an Irish baggage handler.
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⚠️ Tuesday 
Woman’s beach stroll turns into nightmare after suddenly sinking into quicksand on Maine beach
According to a recent AP article, "Jamie Acord was walking at the water’s edge at Popham Beach State Park over the weekend when she sunk to her hips in a split second, letting out a stunned scream. She told her husband, “I can’t get out!” She later said, “I couldn’t feel the bottom. I couldn’t find my footing.” This scenario is terrifying. Here's what you need to know about quicksand, how to avoid it and what to do if you get stuck.
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🛂 Wednesday 
U.S. State Department re-launches pilot program to renew passports online
Great news for Americans with an expired or soon-to-be expired passport. The U.S. State Department just re-launched their pilot program, which allows U.S. citizens to renew their passports online. Here's what you need to know.
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🧑🚒 Thursday 
Happy Days star Henry Winkler evacuated from one of the best hotels in Dublin. Here are some takeaways.
Henry Winkler, arguably the nicest man in Hollywood, had quite a morning yesterday in Dublin. Fortunately, the fire at his hotel wasn't devastating. It reminded me of when I was 16 years old and was woken in the middle of the night by mom. She smelled smoke in our San Juan, Puerto Rico hotel. Running down 20+ flights of smoke-filled stairs at 2am is an experience I will never forget. To this day, I still take certain precautions when staying at a hotel, which I share at the bottom of this post.
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😬 Friday 
California newlyweds flying Delta Air Lines make rookie mistakes on Caribbean honeymoon
My mother-in-law recently sent me an article that I thought was worth sharing to help other travelers avoid making the same mistakes reported within. Here are the mistakes and how to avoid them.
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
United Airlines honors father-daughter duo in emotional video just in time for Father’s Day
Father’s Day is on Sunday here in the U.S. and ABC News ran a fantastic and emotional travel story last night about a father and daughter duo. Here’s the story and video.
How to get a date with a flight attendant … according to a Delta flight attendant
Tyra is a Delta flight attendant who documents her world travels on her TikTok account. She has some great advice for single men who want to score a date with a flight attendant.
Nightmare flight: Athens passengers stuck on hot plane for 3+ hours with no air conditioning or water
Time often seems to fly … except when you’re actually flying, especially if you’re in a middle seat of economy. Heck, these days, anywhere in economy can make time stop, depending on the airline, the capacity and your seatmates. Well, time stopped yesterday for Qatar Airways passengers in all classes on a flight from Athens to Doha. Here’s the story and video.
Purr-fect passenger: Cat strolls down the aisle of Spirit Airlines plane and passengers love it
A viral video caught my attention because it’s something you don’t see every day. In fact, I’ve flown millions of miles and have never seen a cat just walking down the airplane aisle … like he owns the joint, no less. Here’s the video and story.
 Stingray surprises cameraman
While scrolling on Instagram, I came across this video, which is scary and funny at the same time ... if that's even possible. I showed the video to my seven-year-old son (he's our resident animal expert), and he said it's a leopard stingray. I've never heard of them but I don't doubt him. Here’s the surprising video. |
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you’d be better staying at home.” ~ James Michener |
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🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 1 Doctors on vacation help save 15-year-old shark attack victim
2 Gov. Hochul considering a face mask ban on New York City subways, citing antisemitic acts
3 Hiker falls 300 feet down steep snow slope to his death in Colorado
4 Horror as 28 people left trapped upside down on ‘extreme' ride at Oregon amusement park
5 It’s heat wave season. That’s bad news for your flights.
6 Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 9 injured, including children
7 Chase Sapphire lounge at LAX: What cardholders should know
8 This major U.S. airport just opened a plane-spotting area complete with a playground and food trucks
9 Instant ramen ‘fire noodles’ are too spicy for this country
10 Ski Portillo in Chile, blanketed by 45 inches of snow overnight
11 Delta Air Lines announces winter ski season schedule
12 Aer Lingus pilot strike could put US expansion at risk
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 @dadsaysjokes: I hate hotel bath towels. So thick and fluffy.
I can't even close my suitcase. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.06 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.26 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.72 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.66 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.054 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🎆 18 days until 4th of July
🛠 78 days until Labor Day
🎃 137 days until Halloween
🦃 165 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 192 day until Christmas |
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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.
💳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
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✈️ Travel Trivia Tuesday Answer |
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|  Which country has the most UNESCO World Heritage sites?
Answer: Italy with 59 sites. Here's the full list of sites from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention website.
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