Happy Long Weekend!

🇺🇸 It's the Presidents' Day long weekend here in the U.S.A. and Family Day (Monday) in my wife's native Canada. We were going to go away but opted not to for a number of reasons. It's a good thing because we would have had to cancel since my wife and I caught our four-year-old's cold.
📺 I didn't have the energy to work yesterday so I just watched TV most of the day, a rare treat. I watched the new Netflix documentary about the making of the 1985 famine relief anthem We Are The World, which was fascinating. A Lionel Richie quote from the film really hit me; scroll down to today's quote to read it.
🇩🇪 German Airport Strike Set For Tuesday
Because of the long weekend, it's a slow travel news day and I'm thankful for it. The big travel news for today is German airport ground staff are calling for another strike from 4am Tuesday to 7:10 am Wednesday. All major German airports will be impacted; United Airlines just sent out a travel waiver for their customers.

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In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

As of 2:10pm PT, there have been only 71 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 3,521 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

4 Hotel Room Hacks For Getting a Better Night’s Sleep
Like many people, when I travel (and when I’m home), I like to sleep in a completely dark room. Here are some of the unique ways I achieve total darkness.

⚠️ Tuesday

Warning: Don’t Fall For the Clear Cup Scam in Europe
It's truly shocking how many scams we have to constantly be on the lookout for. It's a terrible feeling when you get suckered (trust me, I know!) but it's even worse when it happens when you're traveling. Here's a new scam I just learned about that you should know about too. Read the story here.

📱Wednesday

The Map App That Beats Google Maps and Apple Maps Because of This Simple Feature
If you like to walk when you travel and you get confused or irritated by step-by-step directions, then this map app is for you. It's my favorite for walking.

✈️️ Thursday

No Matter How Excited You Are For Your Trip, Don't Ever Do This With Your Boarding Pass
We all know the excitement that comes with taking a trip but don't get so excited that you make this mistake. It could cost you in more ways than one. Read the story.

🛂 Friday

Your Boarding Pass is Much More Than Just a Piece of Paper: Here's How to Protect Yourself, Your Data and Your Flight
Yesterday I wrote a tip about a huge mistake one of my friends made on Facebook. In case you missed it, that story was titled No Matter How Excited You Are For Your Trip Don't Ever Do This With Your Boarding Pass. The story generated a good number of comments and emails from readers who wanted to add to the tip. They’re all important so I've gathered them all in an article. Here's what they had to say.

🐻 Travel Video of the Week

Travel Video of the Day: Jogger’s Heart-Stopping Encounter With Black Bear
A jogger had a heart-stopping encounter with a black bear and two cubs on a narrow hiking trail in Sierra Madre. Check out the short video here.

🎁 Travel Product of the Week

4-Pack Travel Pill Organizer
These travel pill organizers are lightweight and compact, perfect for organizing your medications, your vitamins or other small items like jewelry. You could turn it into a small sewing kit or a pocket-sized emergency first aid kit with Bandaids, antibiotics, ibuprofen, etc. Best of all, at the time of this newsletter distribution, it's 56% off and the four-pack is just $6.97. Check it out here.

🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel This Week

1 German labor union calls on Lufthansa ground staff to strike at 7 airports on Tuesday
2 Planes top 800 mph as near-record winds sweep high over Mid-Atlantic
3 LAX receives $31M grant from the federal government to improve surrounding roadways
4 American Airlines details its largest schedule to Italy this summer
5 The best times to visit the world’s most popular destinations
6 UK holidaymakers warned NEVER to use this type of suitcase
7 Australia's rental crisis is so bad this family quit their beach-loving Gold Coast lifestyle to move to Canada
8 Fury as US porn star videos herself walking through streets of Tehran
9 There's one word you shouldn't say on a cruise ship — I found out the hard way
10 Couple sues Google Maps for taking them to 'deadly' neighborhood while on vacation
11 Princess Cruise Line cancels 'controversial' cruise stop in Yorktown after receiving backlash from community
12 Couple discovers they’re all alone at five-star resort: ‘Entire kingdom just for us’

✅ Currency Exchange ✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ Miles and Points