Happy New Year!

I hope you had a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate. We had a memorable Christmas in Canada, except for the fact my wife was really sick.

It's hard to believe that 2024 is almost over. My family and I had quite the year traveling, including a doozy of a trip yesterday. Yesterday, we flew from Toronto to Philadelphia to L.A. on American Airlines (AA). It was a smooth trip ... until AA lost our bags.
After waiting around the carousel for over 90 minutes with dozens of other passengers, AA finally came to the conclusion that the bags weren't loaded despite their app showing that they were. I made the terrible mistake of relying on their app and not checking the location of our Apple AirTags (long story but I will write all about it later today). BTW: Apple AirTags are still on sale so if you haven't taken the plunge, I'd stock up now before they go back up in price, likely in the new year.
To make matters worse, my wife, who was sick over the holidays, is feeling worse, my daughter is now under the weather and we're supposed to be flying to Honolulu tomorrow. I bought the tickets for cheap back in September and was somehow able to use four, soon-to-be-expiring System Wide Upgrades on their seasonal 787 to score lie-flat seats ... but we're going to have to cancel.
We were on the fence about the trip now that Natalie and Olivia are sick and then I got into my first ever car accident this morning after returning home from the grocery store. A nice mother of two young children (who were home sick with the flu after a trip to Hawaii themselves), plowed into me while I was stopped at a red light. I didn't see it coming and it really shook me. I couldn't believe how loud the sound of the crash was. The cops came and she admitted that she was at fault (she was driving her husband's car, had flip flops on and said her foot slipped.) I'm pretty shaken up and already feel some pain, which the cops warned me could worsen by tomorrow.
It's a real bummer all the way around, especially canceling a dream trip. Hopefully, the week of rest will do everyone some good and we can go another time.
🦘 Fiji/Australia stories
This week, I plan to finish all of my stories about our epic trip to the Southern Hemisphere a few weeks ago. Below are all of the articles we've published so far. I have about four more to go:
Part One: Flight review: Our 11-hour flight on Fiji Airways from Los Angeles
Part Two: Getting from Nadi Int'l Airport to Castaway Island
Part Three: Hotel review: Castaway Island Resort
Part Four: Hotel review: Nanuku Resort Fiji
Part Five: Flight review: Fiji Airways from Nadi to Sydney
Part Six: Hands down the coolest place to stay in Sydney, Australia
Part Seven: The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo
Part Eight: Flight review: Flying Qantas between Sydney and Brisbane, Australia
📰 Travel news
There was a lot of travel news this week, so be sure to scroll down to read today's travel news and a round-up of the top 12 stories, as well as all of my other tips.
🌧️ Rough travel day
I just compared today's flight delays and cancellations with last Sunday's and today, they're a whopping five times worse. So I feel for those flying today. Pack your patience. My sister Carol was supposed to be on Avelo's flight from New Haven and her flight was canceled. She said there was almost a riot in the airport because the staff wouldn't update them. After five hours, they sent everyone home. No bueno.

In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 12:30pm PT, there have been 380 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 6,649 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.

🧭 Travel Product of the Week

Apple AirTags (4 Pack) at a low price
I was up early working and curating the travel news. One story that caught my eye is the Wall Street Journal's titled "If You’re Checking That Bag, It Had Better Have an AirTag" (subscription required). But by now you probably know all the benefits of having one in each checked and carryon bag. The better news is that Apple AirTags are at the second all-time low at just $72 (they were $69) for a 4 Pack!

🏕️ Monday

💰 The easiest way to save $70 on Southwest Airlines flights
Speaking of sales... if you fly Southwest Airlines, Costco has their $500 gift certificate for $70 off (expires 12/25/24). Easy way to save 14% on SWA flights.

🎄 Tuesday

2024 holiday travel airport survival guide
If you're traveling over the next few days, this holiday airport survival guide is full of helpful information that will hopefully make your holiday travels smoother and less stressful. Read the story here.

🐨 Wednesday

Wildlife Retreat at Taronga: This overnight zoo experience is Sydney’s best-kept secret
If you’re following along with our epic trip to Fiji and Australia, here is Part Seven of our grand adventure. If you read our story about the Roar and Snore overnight experience at the Taronga Zoo, then you have a sense of how special it is. If glamping isn’t your thing but you would still love the experience of sleeping at the zoo, there’s an alternative. The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga offers the same proximity to incredible wildlife, jaw-dropping views and all with the comforts of a luxury hotel.

🥶 Thursday

Airline pilot shares 6 tips for surviving the holiday travel rush
To most folks, the joy of the holiday season means spending quality time with family and friends. However, for many people, the holidays also mean trudging to the airport and flying to destinations near and far. Following these tips can make your holiday travels more bearable.

🚗 Friday

Here’s how you can really save money on your next car rental
Not long ago, a reader asked me about a website that was great for finding cheap car rentals, that I'd mentioned on-air with Leo Laporte. Here's the website along with some valuable information that will help you save money.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today

1 Fiery plane crash kills 179 in worst airline disaster in South Korea
2 Thousands of flights delayed across the US, one dead in deadly tornado as storms hit holiday travelers
3 Aviation security: Delta stowaway spotlights a lapse that still hasn’t been solved
4 Universal Orlando cancels drone shows after child seriously injured
5 NYC welcomes 65 million tourists in 2024, second-highest in city history
6 51-year-old man missing after going overboard during Caribbean cruise
7 California sees big population rebound after years of losses
8 Snowball Express brings families of fallen heroes to happiest place on earth
9 Toddler nearly falls from 400-foot cliff while family visits erupting Kīlauea
10 Azerbaijan Airlines crew member who survived plane crash speaks out from hospital
11 The paper passport is dying
12 'Crazy cheap' Teslas hit the market as Hertz fire sale intensifies after error buying 100,000 EVs

🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week

1 Fiery plane crash kills 179 in worst airline disaster in South Korea
2 Japan Airlines was hit by a cyberattack, delaying flights during the year-end holiday season
3 Passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan flying from Azerbaijan to Russia
4 Dead body found lodged in wheel well of United Airlines plane in Maui on Christmas Eve
5 Christmas shooting at Phoenix airport leaves 3 people wounded, 1 stabbed
6 Unticketed passenger caught on Delta Air Lines flight on Christmas Eve
7 American Airlines grounds all flights in the United States after a ‘technical issue’
8 Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is erupting — again
9 Amsterdam residents stage protests against ‘unliveable’ conditions due to overtourism as new hotels pop up
10 Woman dies attempting to jump off cruise ship returning to Florida
11 Alaska Republicans reject Trump plan to rename mountain honoring Indigenous people who never visited Alaska
12 174 Colorado skiers and snowboarders rescued after a lift cracks
Read it all here as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week!

✅ Currency Exchange

✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points

💳 Our favorite credit card rewards to earn in 2024
💳What points transfer to American Airlines miles?
American Airlines is one of the world’s largest airlines that serves just about every destination across the world. As it’s easy to redeem travel miles for award flights, you may try to transfer points to American Airlines to put them to good use and to stop your travel miles from expiring. But what points transfer to American Airlines? Here's what you need to know.
💳 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.