Greetings from Palm Desert!

🌴 I hope you had a wonderful week. My family and I are just wrapping up a weekend getaway to the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa where we were checking out the new Wellness Lounge (stay tuned for our review of the hotel and lounge!) It's amazing what a difference 130 miles can make. It's 77F (15 degrees warmer than the beach), which is perfect this time of year.
✈️ There's a lot of travel news this week, which you can find below as well some great travel tips and a heartwarming video of the week, thanks to Southwest Airlines flight attendants.
🥳 I've also updated our Travel Contests of the Week with some fun ones like this chance to win a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood.

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In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 8:45am PT, there have been only 20 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,013 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

3 Easy Ways to Score Cheap Flights to Europe
Reader Tony F. from Southern California wrote in with a question about how to find the best airfares to Europe. It's a great question that I'm sure many of you have so I'm sharing my best tips to help save you some money. Read the story here.

⚠️ Tuesday

Travel Writer Exposes New Scam Involving European Subways and Trains
There are so many scams out there involving travelers that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. I’m a seasoned traveler and consider myself pretty savvy but the bad guys are getting so good it's getting harder and harder to distinguish between what's a scam and what isn't. My buddy and fellow American travel writer just emailed me about another new scam, which will probably pop up in popular tourist hotspots around the world as well. Read the story here.

📱Wednesday

Stop Putting Your iPhone in a Bag of Rice When it Gets Wet – Here’s What Apple Says to Do Instead
Traveling with a smartphone has become a necessity for most travelers. We use it to stay in touch, find out how to get from Point A to Point B (and Z), to buy all sorts of things and of course, document every step of the way with the phone’s camera. So what happens when you get it wet? Turns out, putting it in rice is not what you're supposed to do. Read the tip here.

💤️ Thursday

Quality Sleep on a Plane? It’s Possible With These 10 Tips
I've traveled so much it's safe to say I’ve seen all kinds of methods and gadgets that passengers use to try and sleep better on airplanes. Everyone is different but flying as much as I do, I know what works. Here are 10 ways to help you sleep better on a plane. Read the tip here.

🤪 Friday

The Craziest Things People Ask Flight Attendants
I know this isn't a travel tip but it's Friday so I thought we could have some fun. Besides, after reading this post, it should make you appreciate flight attendants even more than you already do since the things people ask them is crazy.

📺 Travel Video of the Week

Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants and Passengers Make Birthday Unforgettable For Little Boy Flying Alone
Southwest Airlines has a loyal following and for good reason (with the exception of their 2022 Christmas meltdown). Southwest doesn’t charge for baggage, ticket fees and their flight attendants are super friendly and funny. Customers can now add another attribute … they celebrate birthdays better than any other airline. In fact, the way they celebrate them is super unique and fun, which I just learned about yesterday thanks to a viral video. Here's the video.

🎁 Travel Product of the Week

Lint Remover and Fabric Shaver
At the time of this newsletter distribution, this handy little device is just $9.99 and can be used to remove lint and pilling from sweaters, sweatpants, coats, scarves, blankets, sheets, mattresses, fabric chairs and more. Check out the reviews and watch the video demo on Amazon to see how it works. It's a handy little device to keep at home and to throw in your suitcase. Check it out here.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel This Week

1 United Airlines raises checked bag fee $5, following American
2 American couple missing in Caribbean after fugitives allegedly steal their yacht: Police
3 Spain’s plan to ban domestic flights where you can take a train in under two and half hours
4 The ultimate product placement: Thailand on ‘The White Lotus’
5 Series of recent DOJ cases show foreign operatives plotting assassinations in U.S.
6 How Israel’s war on Gaza is bleeding Egypt’s economy
7 There’s always more in store at Hollywood’s hottest Thai night market
8 Japan’s millennia-old ‘naked man festival’ ending because of population decline
9 Terrifying moment plane fills with smoke after power bank explodes
10 Worried about how safe it is to fly? Here’s what the experts have to say
11 Delta Air Lines launches new route between Brisbane and Los Angeles in move that could slash ticket...
12 Alaska Airlines adds exclusively brewed beer in unique can to premium beverage line-up

✅ Currency Exchange ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points