Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and caregivers. I'm so fortunate to have had one of the best and my kids can say the same. Unfortunately, my mom passed away 23 years ago but not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I created a tribute page for her and just yesterday, I made one for my dad, who joined her in Heaven six weeks ago.
On the travel front, this week was a momentous one for the travel industry as the World Health Organization officially ended the global emergency status for COVID-19 and the U.S. no longer requires a COVID vaccine for foreign arrivals. Here are my thoughts on how the pandemic changed the travel industry for the better.

Sponsor: Indus Travels' The Tuscan Dream

This incredible 8-day Italian self-drive vacation will let you drive around one of the most beautiful regions in Italy: Tuscany. It features the accommodation of your choice, roundtrip flights, car rental, and self-guided touring. This is a great way to see the best of Italy at your own pace. Get $200 off with the promo code ITALY200 when you book by May 26th.

In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 10:45am PST, there have been 288 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 2,256 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

Hilton Hotel Manager Accused of Breaking Into Guest’s Room and Sexually Assaulting Him. Here’s How to Protect Yourself
It's not difficult for bad guys to enter your room -- even when you have the safety latch locked. Here's how you can really protect yourself from unwanted guests.

🚗 Tuesday

California Road Trip: Los Angeles to San Francisco and Must-Visit Stops Along the Way
One of the best things about California is that the opportunities for epic road trips are endless. There’s something for everyone in California, from the surf and sand to the desert, the mountains and everything in between. If you're planning a California road trip this summer, take this scenic drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco with stops along the way in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Big Sur and Monterey. Check out our suggested itinerary.

🧳 Wednesday

Flying a Low-Cost Carrier? This is the Bag You Need So You Don’t Get Charged Extra
Spirit Airlines, Frontier and other low-fare carriers are notorious for their outrageous baggage fees. That’s how they’re able to offer fares that appear to be a third of their competitors’ but in reality, it ends up costing consumers more unless they’ve done their research. Here's the $12 bag you want.

⚡🎧 Thursday

The Small and Inexpensive Gadget Travelers Don’t Realize They Need Until It’s Too Late
If you love a great gadget that makes life simpler and easier, you’re really going to like this one. It’s a travel gadget that you usually don’t realize you need until it’s too late. That’s why I recommend getting one of these now and putting it in your travel accessories bag or tech organizer.

🏠 Friday

Deal Alert: Third Night Free on Some Santa Barbara Hotels, Inns and Rentals
We just returned from an amazing weekend in Santa Barbara and while on our trip, I learned that Visit Santa Barbara has brought back their Third Night Free promo. Terms vary by property but in general, some hotels throughout the Santa Barbara South Coast are offering a third night free when two or more nights are booked. Here are the details.

✈️ Saturday

I Just Flew in JetBlue’s New Mint Seats and It Was …
When I looked at the seat map for the 3:26pm flight, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was in one of their new A321NEO planes. These planes are normally on their European routes from New York or Boston to London, Paris and soon Amsterdam. What’s great, besides being brand new, is Mint is configured completely differently. Here's my trip report.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today

1 What to know about Biden’s compensation plan for flight delays and cancellations
2 IATA takes aim at US passenger compensation proposal
3 Southwest pilots vote to strike. Here's why your trip probably won't be affected
4 NYC converts hotels to shelters to accommodate asylum seekers
5 Airline passenger accused of assaulting flight attendant over menu
6 Unusual early heatwave set to sweep Pacific north-west of US
7 YouTuber Trevor Jacob admits to crashing plane for views
8 Video shows gun discharge at TSA checkpoint, ensuing chaos at Atlanta’s airport
9 The number of TSA screening complaints has nearly doubled in the last year
10 What travellers need to know ahead of a potential WestJet pilot strike
11 Mother's Day is usually the busiest day of the year for restaurants
12 Yesterday's TSA checkpoint numbers

⚡ Travel Product of the Week

✅ Currency Exchange ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points

📺 Travel Video of the Week