January 6, 2022 Good afternoon from mild L.A. The photo above is from yesterday, a perfect beach day! This is my first weekly newsletter of the new year, so I hope you had a great New Year's Eve and more importantly, a better 2022. Unfortunately, so far, travelers aren't, thanks to bad weather and Omicron running rampant through travel industry staff.
If you're traveling, here are my tips to help with delays and cancelations.
Several friends of mine who are pilots and flight attendants have been sidelined by COVID and some of them are already back at work so hopefully things will start improving on the staffing issues.
Omicron is Milder
Fortunately, all of my friends, family and neighbors who have been sick have had mild symptoms, if any at all, but they were all fully vaccinated. In the New York Times newsletter today, they say omicron is milder than earlier versions of the virus and that "Covid now appears to present less threat to most vaccinated elderly people than the annual flu does."
We Postponed Our Hawaii Trip
My family's big worry is our unvaccinated two-year-old since pediatric hospitalizations have jumped and worse, long haul Covid in kids "has doubled in 3 months & tripled in 6 months in kids 2-16 in Great Britain." This is one of the reasons we just postponed our Hawaii trip, which we were supposed to be departing for in 44 hours.
Traveling? Doctor Recommends These Face Masks
One of today's news stories (scroll down to see them all) is about a passenger flying with Covid ... and you know there are tons of others purposely doing the same. In fact, one of my friend's friends did as well. This is one of the reasons you really need to upgrade your mask. So if you're traveling, a doctor we interviewed recommends these face masks for better protection against Omicron.
RELATED: The Only Face Mask Travelers Should Be Wearing, According to Experts
10 Items to Have in Case of an Emergency
After seeing the horrific images of people being stuck in their cars after a massive winter storm stopped traffic along I-95 in Virginia, I realized that it never hurts to be reminded about things to have in case of emergency, whether you're flying or taking a road trip. Here are 10 emergency items I highly recommend.
12 Passport Tips that Will Save You Time, Money and Headaches
The first week of January is always a great time to track down your passport and find out when it expires. I know what you're thinking: But I'm not traveling internationally until the summer so it can wait. Well, according to the U.S. State Department, you need to apply for renewal at least 4-6 months before planned travel. Here are 11 other passport tips that will save you time, money and headaches. | 