Happy Mother's Day from San Diego!

🤱 I was very fortunate to have one of the best mothers in the world (here's my eulogy) and I'm equally fortunate to have a wife who is an even more remarkable mother to our two little kids. If you need a last-minute Mother's Day gift, check out our gift guide for travel-inspired gift ideas and Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible, loving, hard-working, irreplaceable moms out there.
It's been another busy week in the travel industry so be sure to read all of the headlines so you don't miss anything.
🛂 Americans traveling in record numbers
It was also a busy week in airports. In the most recent report from the TSA, there was a huge jump in travelers compared to last year and pre-pandemic. According to the TSA, their officers screened 2,786,520 people at airport checkpoints nationwide. One year ago on the same day: 2,598,784. In 2019: 2,555,342.
🎤 Why it's important to know Taylor Swifts concert dates
No doubt some of those people were heading to Europe to see Taylor Swift, who is kicking off the European leg of her Eras Tour. If you're wondering what that has to do with you, as I wrote earlier, if you're planning on traveling to Europe this summer, you will want to cross-reference her schedule with yours for this important reason.
😊 In addition to all of the travel tips and travel videos below, here are some of our recently published stories that didn't make the newsletter for your Sunday reading:
-Hotel review: The Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki
-Hotel review: The Halepuna Waikiki in Oahu
-5 reasons to see French Polynesia on a Windstar Cruise
-Discover Solvang, California’s thriving culinary scene

The Shore House gets it right
Speaking of stories ... Did you read my story last week about how irritating I find it when you can’t distinguish between shampoo, conditioner and body wash in hotel bathrooms? Well, I’m just about to check out of The Shore House at the Del (a Hilton property) in Coronado, CA and thought I’d share this example of a hotel that gets it right. The shampoo and conditioner are separate from the body wash, they’re all in transparent containers so you can see the difference between the shampoo and conditioner and most importantly, they’re in tamper-proof dispensers. Stay tuned for my full report on this historic hotel.
❓ Travel Trivia Tuesday
This week we brought back an old tradition: Travel Trivia Tuesdays! To get things rolling, I started off with this question: How many countries are there in the world? Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter!
🏆 This Week's Travel Contests:

In this issue:

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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 9:10am PT, there have been 113 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,799 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

Beach crime prevention tips: How to keep your stuff safe while you're enjoying the sun, sand and surf
A beach vacation is supposed to be nice and relaxing but unfortunately, thieves can (and do!) target unsuspecting beachgoers. The Manhattan Beach Police Department just released their crime report with some good tips for keeping your belongings safe when you head to the beach this summer. Read their beach crime prevention tips here.

☕ Tuesday

You probably won’t be drinking the water, coffee or tea on airplanes after reading this
If you've ever wondered whether the water was safe to drink on an aircraft, you may want to read what a flight attendant has to say on the topic. Here's her advice.

👛 Wednesday

Traveling to a tourist hotspot this summer? Here’s what to wear to keep your valuables safe
I’ve been receiving a lot of emails lately about an interview I did for AARP magazine, which just hit newsstands. In today's tip, I elaborate on the products I recommend in the article, that'll help safeguard your belongings this summer, especially if you're headed to a tourist hotspot. Read the article here.

⚠️ Thursday

Attention germophobes: This is the dirtiest thing on an airplane and here's how to avoid touching it
If you're a germophobe, you know just how dirty things are on an airplane. But the dirtiest thing might surprise you. Here's how to avoid touching it.

🏍️ Friday

Did you know that lane splitting is legal in California? Here's how to keep everyone safe on the roads
On our way home from San Diego, a guy on a loud Harley zoomed by and the person in front of me did not move to the left at all. What the motorcyclist (not the one pictured above), did was way out of line, which is why I’m sharing these tips.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today

1 US to hold auctions to sell airline warrants received during COVID bailouts
2 A Long Beach man started a petition to ban Airbnb in his neighborhood — and it worked
3 Man with cancer misses flight in airport queue
4 Chinese zoo under fire after dyeing dogs to resemble pandas
5 Hotel Marcel, New Haven: From neglected building to America’s greenest hotel
6 Five places to visit in Toronto, with Eugene Levy
7 World’s biggest construction project gets a reality check
8 Chaos at UK airports after Border Force gates fail causing long queues
9 Delta restarting Amsterdam flights from Tampa
10 Qantas passengers to receive up to $450 after major blunder
11 Man who set aviation milestone flying nonstop around the world dies at 85
12 Delta Air Lines drops Los Angeles-Shanghai route
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

✈️ Travel Trivia Tuesday Answer

How many countries are there in the world?
According to BBC Science Focus (published January 5, 2024), "The total number of countries in the world differs from source to source – just as the number of continents. Many point to the UN’s list of officially recognized nations as a definitive answer to the question, but this isn’t without its controversies.
The UN, for example, doesn’t recognize the territories of Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) or Palestine as fully-fledged countries, instead listing them as observer states (nations that can speak at the United Nations General Assembly meetings, but cannot vote on resolutions).
In the UN's list, too, are more controversial omissions. Taiwan isn’t recognized by the organization, nor is Kosovo or Hong Kong. Outside the UN, such territories are recognized by some, but not by others. It's complex and very political.
Depending on who you ask, the total number of countries on Earth ranges anywhere between 193 to 237. This is ultimately because there are a lot of disputed zones and nations that hold either full or partial sovereignty around the world.
There are 195 recognized countries in the world, according to the United Nations. 193 of these are member states of the UN, while two countries are non-member observer states: Vatican City and the State of Palestine.
Other organizations list a different number of countries on Earth, with US intelligence agency the CIA listing 237 countries in total."