Good morning from L.A.! ⛈️ If you're flying to the Hawaiian Islands today, United Airlines (and others) issued a travel waiver on Friday for Tropical Storm Hone, which looks like it's just passing over Hawaii now. This travel waiver allows for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through these airports: Honolulu, Oahu, HI (HNL); Kahului, Maui, HI (OGG); Kailua-Kona, HI (KOA) and Lihue, HI (LIH). The travel dates are for today (August 25, 2024):
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority sent an email out to reporters on Friday stating they are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Hone and their team is in close communication with state and county emergency management officials. They wrote, "It is still safe to travel to the Hawaiian Islands at this time. We are not advising visitors to cancel their trips. We do advise visitors to remain vigilant and stay informed, and offer the following tips: Even distant tropical storms and hurricanes can bring heavy rain and strong winds. If you are planning to engage in outdoor activities this weekend, consider postponing these activities while advisories are in effect. Heed beach, park, and trail closures - they are for your safety. If you have reservations for a land or ocean activity, contact your provider to inquire about any cancellations due to the weather. Tropical storms and hurricanes affect the tides. Always swim at lifeguarded beaches and heed beach closures and other advisories. While beach parks may be open as conditions subside, exercise caution, consult the lifeguards on duty, and refer to hawaiibeachsafety.com for the most up-to-date information. If in doubt, don’t go out." ☀️ Smooth travel day
Good news! Hawaiian Airlines has only canceled 5 flights so far today and the rest of the country is looking like it's another smooth travel day. The past several days, there have been very few delays and cancelations, which is a nice change. 🏨 New Hilton promotion
As fewer people are traveling this time of year, hotels are getting creative with their efforts to attract new business. Hilton recently announced they're "hoping to inspire your wanderlust by providing members with new opportunities to earn Points on their next unforgettable journey." With the new Power Up Promotion, Hilton Honors members can earn 2,500 Bonus Points on all Hilton stays between September 3 and December 31, 2024. Pre-registration for the global promotion is required and it takes about 30 seconds. Global Entry
If you're applying for Global Entry, one of my friends just sent me this interesting nugget: "By the way, in case anybody asks, here’s another data point. My three-year-old got approved for Global Entry in three days. My six-year-old took 11 months! It took 11 months also for my renewal to go through." My family experienced something similar with my wife and daughter. RELATED: How to Quickly Find Global Entry, Nexus and Sentri Appointments
🌎 Travel Trivia Question of the Week
This week's Travel Trivia question is: Which country has the most pyramids in the world? If you think the answer is obvious (Egypt) like me, you're wrong! Scroll down to find the answer. |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook
As of 9:15am PT, there have been 83 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,399 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.
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🧭 Travel Product of the Week
7 Day Travel Pill Case Organizer
This seven-day pill box organizer can store up to 5 large supplements or 10-12 oval vitamins in each internal compartment. Check it out here.
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💰 Monday
More details emerge about pro golfer being robbed in London: Here’s how to prevent it from happening to you
Last week, we learned that professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama, his coach and caddie were robbed in London. They were on their way back from the Paris Olympics and headed to a tournament in Memphis. At the time, not many details had been released and I speculated that it had happened in London’s Heathrow and showed a couple of videos from CCT cameras of previous robberies in London. We've just learned that Hideki and his team decided to break up the trip and spend one night in London and were robbed in a restaurant. Here are some tips from a California police department to keep your belongings safe.
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💊 Tuesday
Former NFL player urinates on 78-year-old woman on Delta Air Lines flight; Aircraft diverted
Here's a prime example of why you should never take medication for the first time on airplane.
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🛂 Wednesday
Last chance: Time is running out to get a European stamp in your passport
I don’t know about you but I love collecting passport stamps, especially from countries I’ve dreamt about visiting since I was a kid. I vividly remember the first stamp I received. Unfortunately, as the world goes digital, it looks like time is running out to get European stamps in your passport. Here's what you need to know.
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⚠️ Thursday
Flight attendant assaulted by homeless man with clothes hanger in room of popular London airport hotel: Here's how to stay safe
It wasn’t until relatively recently that I learned just how unsafe some hotel rooms can be and how the safety locks often give a false sense of security. Here's the story and how to stay safe.
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🔏 Friday
Why seasoned travelers recommend putting one shoe in the hotel room safe
If you’re a seasoned traveler or have been a subscriber to my newsletter for over a decade, you may already know this tip. The last time I wrote about it was in 2014 but since the idea seems to be having a moment in the spotlight on social media, it seemed like a good idea to remind readers about it again. Here's the tip.
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📸 Saturday
Maui wildfire lessons: Why digital memories matter more than ever
It’s been just over a year since the devastating Maui fires and an interview I watched on my local news station just after it happened really stuck with me. The person being interviewed said, “I once asked a firefighter what do people really do when they have to run for it? What do they take with them? And he answered instantly: People, pets and pictures. The first two are obvious but pictures? Here's why and what it means for you.
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week
American man missed flight, kicked and punched parked aircraft, now faces deportation
An American man is reportedly facing deportation from Colombia after assaulting a LATAM aircraft he missed in Bogotá. Here's the shocking video.
Wild: Hotel guests get up at 1:30am to battle pool chair hogs
Without a doubt, one of my biggest pet peeves when staying at a hotel or going on a cruise, is not being able to find a pool chair, especially when most of them don’t have anyone sitting in them, just a towel and maybe a book thrown on top. In this video, people get up at 1:30am to reserve their chair, which is absolutely insane. Here's the story and video.
Caught on camera: Baggage handler grins as he slams checked guitar onto conveyor belt
It's not easy being a baggage handler but slamming a customer's guitar down with malice is indefensible. In this day and age, you would think they know they're most likely being filmed. It's like they're begging to get fired. Here's the video.
In-N-Out Burger just opened up pop-up shop in Paris and people waited over an hour to get a Double Double
If you’ve ever been to California, then chances are you stopped at an In-N-Out to grab a burger. They’re especially popular in Los Angeles where they were founded and where 161 of their 417 stores are located. This past week, the popular chain opened up a surprise pop-up in Paris. Here's the video.
The coolest webcam ever lets you see bears hunt salmon in Alaska
During the pandemic, I satisfied my travel fix by watching travel videos and live webcams. Without a doubt, one of the coolest is this one of brown bears feasting on salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. Here's the video.
Appalling: This luxury food influencer has been banned from every buffet in Las Vegas and it’s not hard to see why
I’ve seen a lot of outrageous things on social media but this self-proclaimed ‘luxury influencer’ might take the cake (or in this case, the lobster) … and for all of the wrong reasons. Warning: Watching this video may make you shake your head in disbelief, make your blood boil and make you lose your faith in humanity. Here's the video. |
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “There should be sympathy cards for having to go back to work after vacation.” ~ Unknown |
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🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 1 L.A. Chargers stuck in Dallas hotel elevator for 2 hours
2 Telegram founder arrested in France
3 A New York man died while on a solo trip to Colombia. It took his grieving mother 5 months to learn what happened
4 Syrian man confesses to stabbing to death 3 at German festival
5 Singer says she returned pandemic puppy after it ate her family's passports and 'ruined my life'
6 How to (successfully) travel with a friend
7 Letters to the Editor: Laguna Beach learns the truth about tourism: It kills quality of life
8 It's normal to feel tired on travel days: Why it happens, what you can do about it
9 How to cope with fall anxiety
10 How to Get a Free Spa Treatment for Picking up Trash in Yosemite
11 Driving through New England in L.L. Bean’s Bootmobile
12 Travel isn’t dead. It’s just taking a vacation
Read it all here as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week! |
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🧵 TRAVEL THREAD OF THE DAY @paulbradleycarr: If Boeing cancels your return space flight do you at least get a meal voucher? |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.11 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.32 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.74 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.67 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.052 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🛠 8 days until Labor Day
🎃 67 days until Halloween
🦃 95 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 122 day until Christmas
🎊 128 day until New Year's Eve |
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💳 Our favorite credit card rewards to earn in 2024
💳 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.
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✅ Travel Trivia Answer
Which country is known for having the most pyramids in the world?
Answer: According to Wikipedia, "While pyramids are commonly associated with Egypt, Sudan has 220 extant pyramids, the most in the world. Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 240 of them) at three sites in Sudan to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë.
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