Aloha! As you can tell from my social media handles (
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter, and/or Periscope), my wife and I are in the 50th state celebrating our first babymoon! I believe 'babymoon' is defined as the last peaceful trip couples go on before their world is turned upside down. At least that’s how I define it LOL.
We arrived
on Saturday to check out the brand spanking new
Four Seasons O'ahu at Ko O'lina. It’s the
old JW Ihilani, next to
Disney’s Aulani Resort located in Ko O’lina, which is on Oahu’s western shore. It’s a 25-minute drive (without traffic) from HNL airport and as soon as we leave, I'll be posting about our experience there so stay tuned!
Our hearts go out to everyone affected by last night’s attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Three assailants opened fire with automatic rifles before splitting up in the international terminal. According to
UnitedHealthcare Global: “The first suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the arrivals entrance on the ground floor of the terminal, the second at the first floor entrance to the departures hall, and the third in the parking area across the street from the terminal. The latest casualty toll is 41 people killed and approximately 240 injured. There were 13 foreign nationals among the fatalities, including five Saudis, two Iraqis, as well as individuals from China, Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.”
I’ve been to this airport and to Turkey and both are beautiful, filled with some of the nicest people. One of my friends,
Josh Gates, just tweeted a photo from the Turkish Airlines lounge in IST saying, “Turkey is a beautiful & hospitable country. Don't let fear win. #keeptraveling.” I 100% agree with Josh except I personally would think twice about sending my loved ones to Turkey for the next couple weeks. Some of the cruise lines (
Celebrity and Seabourn) and tour operators (
Intrepid Tours) have canceled next week’s trips and the following week's are probably in jeopardy too, and that makes me cautious.
Related: Do I Have Travel Insurance and Which Policy Company Do I Use? How will the Brexit affect travel to Europe? A lot of people have been asking me how Brexit will affect their travels to Europe. I don’t believe it’s going to affect your travels except to make them cheaper in the short term. Right now, the British pound is about 10% cheaper than it was last week before the vote (up to date info
here). So if you prepaid for a trip, I would see if it’s possible to cancel and rebook (as long as the arrangements are the same) so you can take advantage of the currency drop. Other than that, the only things you might have to worry about are large political demonstrations and even unwanted political discussions. Here are a few good Brexit stories you may be interested in for further reading:
According to AAA, 43 million Americans will travel this weekend to celebrate our Independence Day (I can’t believe it’s already the Fourth of July)! If you’re one of them, I wish you smooth, safe and happy travels.
Time is running out: 50,000 SkyMiles!
Time is running out to take advantage of the relaunched Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express with its unusually large
SkyMiles sign-up bonus of 50,000 SkyMiles. If you fly Delta Air Lines, you’ll definitely want to check it out!
Scottevest: Great travel clothingBe sure to check out our sponsor’s clothing line! I’m sure you (or your favorite traveler) will love their multiple hidden pockets, which not only keep valuables safe but can also act as extra carry-ons! I'm a huge fan and use their products every time I travel. Here’s the link to their innovative website.