Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a great weekend. It's been a mostly smooth travel week, but it looks like that's about to end with a major storm making its way, yet again, into Florida.
⛈️ Tropical Storm Milton
United Airlines (and others) have just issued a travel waiver for some Florida airports for tomorrow through Thursday (October 7-10, 2024). This allows for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports listed:
• Ft. Myers, FL (RSW)
• Key West, FL (EYW)
• Orlando, FL (MCO)
• Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
• Tampa, FL (TPA)
🏨 Hotel review: The Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay
This summer, my family and I decided to do something we’d never done before: We drove down the beautiful California coast. From Sonoma County, we spent three nights at Cavallo Point in Sausalito and then drove 2.5 hours to Monterey. Besides the airport, I’d never been to Monterey before and I really wanted my kids to experience the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is regarded as one of the best aquariums in the world. One of my travel industry friends recommended we stay at the Portola Hotel & Spa and so we did. Here’s why we loved the hotel.
🇲🇽 These 3 hotels in Mexico’s Riviera Maya suit every vibe
Mexico’s Riviera Maya is more accessible than ever, with direct flights arriving into the new Tulum International Airport (TQO) from the US and Europe, a welcome alternative to the busier Cancun International Airport (CUN). A new Mayan train is set to expand across Mexico with 34 stops connecting dozens of must-see landscapes across the Yucatan Peninsula. Plus, a new protected nature reserve (Jaguar National Park) near Tulum Ruins is underway to preserve local wildlife and the environment. It’s never been a better time to visit where the jungle meets the sea. Read more.
🍸 Jennifer Aniston reveals the unusual thing she packs when she travels to Europe
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jennifer Aniston revealed the unusual thing she packs when she travels to Europe. She confirmed it again on Jimmy Kimmel Live and addressed some other rumors, too. Read the story
🍷 That's a lot of wine
According to United, the airline has served more than 20 million glasses of wine system-wide so far this year – that's 1.5 times the number of servings for beer or spirits – and more than 3.2 million glasses of wine in domestic economy alone.
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
Here’s this week's Travel Trivia Tuesday question: What is the world’s oldest desert? Scroll to the bottom to find the answer. |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 11:45am PT, there have been 63 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,116 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 
40% off = $17.99: INIU Portable Charger
It's not surprising a portable charger is one of the must-have items for flight attendants. With one of these, you don't have to worry about your plane not having working power ports or your phone running out of battery while sightseeing. Get the deal here before it's gone.
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⌚ Monday 
TV star loses Apple Watch on JetBlue flight and doxes person who has it
TV actor Joel McHale lost his Apple Watch on a JetBlue flight and shared the full address of its location, sparking privacy concerns. Here's why 'doxxing', which means to publicly publish or identify someone's private information, often as a form of punishment or revenge, is risky. Read the story here.
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💰 Tuesday 
Warning: Scammer impersonates United Airlines customer service agent, cancels passenger’s flights
Longtime readers of my newsletter already know this travel tip but it’s crucial for everyone to know. A post on Reddit is going viral after a user posted a thread with the headline: Fake United Number. Here's what you need to know so you don't fall victim to this same scam.
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🚗 Wednesday 
This road trip license plate game has taught my kids the 50 states, their capitals and U.S. geography
I can’t recommend getting a license plate game for kids more because it not only passes the time in the car but helps kids learn the names of the states, their capitals, and U.S. geography. My eight-year-old son now knows where every state in the country is, all thanks to this game. Check it out here. FYI: The photo above was taken this summer on our road trip from Toronto to upstate New York to stay at the beautiful Lake House on Canandaigua.
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💸Thursday 
How to extend expiring American Airlines credits by a year
One of the best things to come out of the pandemic is that the three major U.S. airlines (American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines) were so desperate for customers, they dropped change fees. This allowed those who were sick with Covid (or anything else) to stay home and not spread their illness. If you're like me, you probably took advantage of it and have a bunch of credits that are expiring. Instead of letting them go to waste, here's now to extend them by a year.
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🏰 Friday 
Disneyland announces $50 kids tickets and 7 more ways to save money at their resort
Attention all parents and grandparents: Disneyland Resort just announced a limited-time kids’ special ticket offer for 1-Day, 1-Park tickets, along with new hotel offers that go on sale on October 22, 2024. Here's what you need to know.
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🥾 Saturday 
Expedia's Fall Travel Cheat Sheet: 5 tips for saving money and beating the crowds
Expedia's Fall Travel Outlook reveals the season's trending destinations, the cheapest days of the week to fly and tips for saving money and avoiding crowds as we head into the busiest travel season of the year. Check it all out here.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car” ~ Kenneth Tynan |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
‘Epic’: New York Mets honor Pete Alonso and Howie Rose’s homer call on Delta flight to Philly
Did you see that comeback from the New York Mets in Milwaukee? It was amazing and what was even cooler for aviation fans, is how the team honored both Pete Alonso and the Mets' longtime announcer once on the plane. Here's the video.
Preview of Southwest Airlines’ new extra legroom seats and more
Last week, Southwest Airlines made the huge announcement that they would be discontinuing their open seat policy and doing away with their quirky boarding process. They’re switching to the assigned seating model and will now offer extra legroom options with up to five additional inches of pitch (legroom) for approximately a third of its seats. Here's a video preview of the new seats, bins and aircraft.
‘Above and beyond’: United Airlines pilot orders pizza for 150 passengers after emergency landing
A United Airlines pilot went above and beyond when he bought pizza for 150 passengers after their aircraft had to make an emergency landing. Read the story here.
Again? Seriously? Catering truck crashes into Alaska Airlines 737 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, causing significant damage
In yet another incident, an LSG Sky Chefs catering truck slammed into an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, causing significant damage to the aircraft. Watch the video here.
Furious airline passenger aggressively shakes the seat in front of him to stop reclining; flight attendant intervenes
A video is going viral for showing an irate airline passenger shaking the seat in front of him to stop reclining. The initial exchange must have taken place shortly before the video recording begins but the person who filmed it did a great job capturing the absurdity of the irate passenger’s actions. Watch the video here.
Safety violation or smart move? Video shows pilot pushing back while passengers still standing
A pilot pushed the aircraft back while plenty of passengers were still standing, drinks were being served and the cabin was unsecured. Is this illegal or an FAA violation? Watch the video and share your thoughts. |
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🌎 Top 10 Travel Stories of the Week 1 Spirit Airlines sees bankruptcy on the radar
2 US says 40 foreign operators may be using Boeing 737s with suspect rudder control parts
3 FAA gives United Airlines safety sign off as oversight program ends
4 U.S. port workers agree to end their strike
5 Shooting near Cancun hotel leaves Mexican man dead, suspects flee on jet skis
6 Airlines avoid Iranian airspace, hiking up flight times and fuel costs
7 French plans to raise taxes
8 Nearly 1,000 tourists fall ill while visiting Cape Verde in Africa
9 JetBlue ditches transatlantic hot meals for a ‘chilled’ menu in economy class
10 American Airlines loyalty members donate for Hurricane Helen recovery
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 @yupshetravels: FYI if you buy a basic economy on United, they make you add a credit card and agree to a $65 charge if your bag doesn’t meet the personal item requirements. Being forced to add a card just to get a boarding pass is insane. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.09 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.31 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.73 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.68 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.051 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🎃 25 days until Halloween
🦃 53 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 80 days until Christmas
🎊 86 days until New Year's Eve
❤️ 131 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: What is the world’s oldest desert?
Answer: According to CNN, it's in Namibia. "Sossusvlei in Namib-Naukluft National Park in the middle of what researchers consider the world’s oldest desert — formed between 55 and 80 million years ago when dinosaurs still walked the Earth."
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