Greetings!

It's a mess out there and as you probably gathered from the headline, you know that I am too (I'll get to that in a minute). If you receive my Daily Travel Tip newsletter, then you won't be surprised to learn that there are already over 1,200 canceled flights today, since I've been warning readers for a couple of days now, thanks to the airlines' proactive approach. I imagine this number is going to grow since it's relatively early and that it will be the norm for the next couple of days as the wicked winter storm moves east. So, if you're traveling and don't want to deal with rolling delays, you might want to take advantage of airline waivers.

❄️ Winter Weather Travel Waivers
So far, airlines have issued waivers for the Central U.S. and the Mid Atlantic. Here's United Airlines':
Central U.S. Airports (Travel dates: January 4 - 6, 2025)
• Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
• Columbus, OH (CMH)
• Dayton, OH (DAY)
• Decatur, IL (DEC)
• Dodge City, KS (DDC)
• Fort Wayne, IN (FWA)
• Hays, KS (HYS)
• Indianapolis, IN (IND)
• Kansas City, MO (MCI)
• Lexington, KY (LEX)
• Liberal, KS (LBL)
• Lincoln, NE (LNK)
• Louisville, KY (SDF)
• Peoria, IL (PIA)
• Salina, KS (SLN)
• Springfield, MO (SGF)
• St. Louis, MO (STL)
• Wichita, KS (ICT)
Mid Atlantic Winter Weather (Travel dates: January 5 - 6, 2025)
• Baltimore, MD (BWI)
• Charleston, WV (CRW)
• Charlottesville, VA (CHO)
• Knoxville, TN (TYS)
• Morgantown, WV (MGW)
• Nashville, TN (BNA)
• Norfolk, VA (ORF)
• Richmond, VA (RIC)
• Roanoke, VA (ROA)
• Washington, DC - Dulles (IAD)
• Washington-National, DC (DCA)
These travel waivers allow for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports listed above.
From Our Sponsor: Ship&Play

🧳 Luggage-free travel is here: Meet Ship&Play
Travel has long been my passion but if there’s one aspect of travel that I could do without, it would be lugging baggage around. Before kids, my wife and I could travel for a month with carry-on only. But with two little ones in tow, everything’s different. Now, we’re like a traveling circus, juggling bags through crowded airports and waiting at baggage claim for the suitcases to (hopefully!) appear. But there is a solution: Luggage shipping services like Ship&Play. Find out how Ship&Play can transform your travels. Plus, we've got a code for 20% off any order if you'd like to try it out for yourself. Here are all the details.

My year of travel
As you can see from the map above (generated by the Great Circle Mapper), last year my family and I had a very good year of travel ... and this doesn't include the multi-country Caribbean cruise that we kicked 2024 off with.
We would have had one more flight to add to the list if we'd flown to Hawaii on Monday like we were supposed to but, in the end, I'm very glad we didn't. My immense disappointment for canceling quickly turned to relief since a couple days later, I went to bed with chills and a fever, and later tested positive for Covid. It was rough. So rough in fact, that I watched two Hallmark Christmas movies in bed. Even my wife said, "Yikes!" 😂
Fortunately, I'm feeling much better now. Like everyone else, I hate getting sick but it's ten times worse when you're traveling, in a hotel room with little kids and have a packed itinerary. That's one big reason I always travel with travel insurance, and this is long before I became a brand ambassador for Allianz.

Hotel review: The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and the American Girl Experience
When we were invited for a weekend staycation at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills in mid-December to check out their exclusive American Girl personal shopping experience, we just couldn’t turn the opportunity down. Especially since it was such a wonderful experience for our five-year-old daughter, who’d had a rough few months with a broken arm and a hospitalization due to pneumonia. So, we packed up our bags again and headed to Beverly Hills! Here’s what it was like.

In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 11:20am PT, there have been 1,227 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 4,000 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

AirTag holders
Apple AirTags are at the low price of just $72 for a four-pack so now is a great time to pick some up before the deal ends. If you want to securely fasten them to your belongings by using a holder like this with a flexible metal wire cable. It's so much easier than throwing a loose AirTag into your bag or suitcase. Buy here.

CR2032 Lithium Batteries
Keep your AirTags powered up and ready to go. Always have some CR2032 coin batteries on hand. They're currently 50% off so it's a good time to buy. Buy here.

🧳Monday

I made a huge travel mistake: I trusted the American Airlines app and it cost me dearly
My family and I flew from Toronto to Philadelphia to L.A. on American Airlines (AA) on Saturday. It was a surprisingly smooth trip … until AA lost our bags and worst of all, wasted my time and that of dozens of other passengers. Here’s what went down.

🔊 Tuesday

Why you should consider traveling with a portable carbon monoxide detector
On Christmas Day, tragedy struck the Goldstein family of Newton, Massachusetts; they lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning in their vacation home in Wakefield, New Hampshire. This heartbreaking incident has brought renewed attention to the silent and often overlooked dangers of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that claims lives every year. Travelers can reduce their risk of carbon monoxide poisoning by bringing a portable carbon monoxide detector. The Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector plugs into the wall but comes with a AA battery back-up in the event of a power outage. Here's the story. Note: The image above was created by OpenAI’s DALL-E, used with permission.

💵 Wednesday

Lock down your personal data: How RFID-blocking wallets keep you safe
Does it seem like there’s a proliferation of scams these days? Everywhere you turn, there seems to be yet another mention, yet another warning, yet another scam that innocent citizens need to be concerned about. It feels like the Wild, Wild West out there and it feels increasingly more difficult to keep ourselves, our private, personal information, even our identities safe. An RFID-blocking wallet is an obvious place to start. Here's what you need to know.

🛂 Thursday

12 passport tips for 2025 that will save you time, money, and headaches
Every new year, I share these passport tips. You would be shocked how often I get emails from distraught readers and family members because an airline denied them boarding for their dream trip due to a simple mistake. For example, some countries require you to have at least six months validity on your passport, even if you're just going for a day. Here are the important tips. Please feel free to share them with friends and family who plan to travel this year.

📝 Friday

Traveling to or through the United Kingdom in 2025? You will now need an ETA
According to the New York Times, “travelers from the United States, Canada and dozens of other countries who do not require visas to enter the United Kingdom will soon need to apply for digital authorization in order to visit or transit through the country.” Here's what you need to know.

🧳 Saturday

Stop overpacking: 10 things you don't need to pack
I just read a study which revealed that "female travelers overpack by nearly double, taking 60 clothing items for a week-long trip despite needing only 34.” Of course, this isn't true for everyone but if you tend to overpack, you may find these tips helpful. I know most travel sites will tell you what to pack before you take a trip but we’re going to do the opposite. Ready to pack smarter? Here are 10 things you don’t need to pack and should leave at home to make your suitcase lighter and more manageable. Here's what you need to know.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week

1 New Orleans attack: Airlines offering travel waivers for changing flights
2 Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas
3 JetBlue fined $2 million for ‘unrealistic scheduling’ and chronic delays
4 Silver Airways files Chapter 11, continues operations
5 Power has been restored to nearly all of Puerto Rico after massive outage
6 Man goes overboard on Norwegian Cruise Line ship out of Port Canaveral during Christmas vacation
7 Emirates plane crash video is fake, airline says
8 These airlines were the most on time in 2024
9 Swiss cabin crew member dies after flight with smoke problems
10 British teenager begins Dubai jail sentence over holiday romance
11 United Airlines employees get sick in Colorado after eating company-provided Christmas meal
12 'Heaviest snowfall in over a decade': Mega winter storm bears down on millions
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

💳 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.