Greetings from Toronto!

I hope you're having a great holiday weekend! If you're new here, this is our weekly round-up of the daily travel tips I shared throughout the week.

👟🛂 DHS Confirms TSA Has Ended Its ‘Shoes Off’ Policy
This week's big travel news story: The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday that travelers would no longer have to take their shoes off at U.S. security checkpoints. I was the first to write about a credible rumor but here's what you need to know.
⛈️ Severe Travel Weather
Another huge travel story this week has been all the flight cancellations and delays. Every single day, including today, I've been sharing an airline's travel waiver. United Airlines sent one out last night for today (July 13) which allows for voluntary changes for flights to, from or through the following airports due to severe weather in the DC area: Baltimore, MD (BWI), Washington, DC – Dulles (IAD), and Washington-National, DC (DCA). But so far, these airports aren't in the top two. DFW and ORD have that dubious honor.
🔌Deals on Travel Gadgets
If you receive my daily travel tip newsletter then hopefully you were able to take advantage of our top Amazon Prime Day picks; the sale lasted four days this year. It's technically over but many of the deals are still active. As of the time of this newsletter distribution, the deals were still in place but I don't know how long they will last so please don't email me if the prices change. Here are some of our favorite travel deals.
🧳 Apple AirTags Hit Record-Low Price
Apple AirTags are still at a record low price of $64.99 for a four-pack. A single AirTag is down to $19.99. If you've read any of my travel tips or trip reports (including last week's on our journey from L.A. to Naples, Italy), you know how valuable they are. We put them in all of our luggage, including our carry-on bags, for additional peace of mind. They came in particularly handy just two weeks ago when our bags didn't join us on our flight from PHL to YYZ.
☑️ Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Hearing Aid Feature
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 40% off | Now: $149
☑️ Handheld Rechargeable Mini Fan
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 5% off | Now: $17.09
☑️ Apple iPad Mini
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 17% off | Now: $499.99
☑️ INIU Portable Charger
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 27% off | Now: $21.99
💁 Frontier Flight Attendants Now Requesting Tips: Is This the Future of Air Travel?
Speaking of money... There’s no doubt that tipping is getting out of hand in the United States and beyond. I was in Greece a couple of weeks ago and went to a restaurant to get takeout. After paying with my credit card, the bartender showed me the automatic prompts and asked me if I wanted to tip. I said, “You tip on takeout here?” He said, “Sure, why not, everyone loves a tip!” That might be true but not many people like to tip, especially for services that never required it … like takeout or self-service kiosks in airports, which are now asking customers if they want to leave a tip. Now it appears that flight attendants on Frontier Airlines are requesting tips on food and drink orders. Here’s what you need to know.
🪳 Roaches On Red-Eye: American Airlines Passenger Describes ‘Absolute Horror’ at Finding Two Cockroaches on Flight
A disturbing in-flight discovery left one passenger sleepless on a recent American Airlines red-eye: cockroaches (two of them!) were spotted crawling near their seat in first class. Here's the crazy story.
🖊️ We Now Know What Former President Joe Biden Wrote in Birthday Card on American Airlines Flight (And It Will Bring You to Tears)
There's an update from this popular post I wrote last week: American Airlines Passenger Bumped From First Class—Turns Out It Was for President Biden. We now know exactly what the former President wrote and the touching message brought my wife to tears. Here's the heartwarming story.

In this issue:

✈️ Today's Travel Outlook

🕰️ As of 10:20am ET:

499 flights have been canceled and 1,862 delayed within, into, or out of the U.S.

Check live flight stats

FAA National Airspace System Status

🗺️ Weather & Travel Resources

National Forecast Maps

Airline Travel Waivers: American | Delta | United

What to do during weather delays and cancellations

🧭 Travel Product of the Week

🏨 Monday

TWA Hotel Review: Step Inside This Iconic Hotel at JFK Airport
The TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK Airport opened in 2019 and I’ve been meaning to stay there ever since. I finally had the chance when I booked a flight from Athens to Nantucket via JFK. Here's my review, which is filled with tips and photos.

💰 Tuesday

10 Pro Tips for Scoring the Best Amazon Prime Day Deals
Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest online shopping events of the year, and in 2025, it’s bigger than ever, spanning four full days from July 8 to 11. With thousands of lightning deals, limited-time offers and deep discounts across categories like tech, home, beauty and fashion, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But with a little planning, you can shop smarter and save big. Here are 10 tips to make the most of Amazon Prime Day this year and here are our top picks for travelers.

👀 Wednesday

Don't Fall For It: The Restaurant Tipping Scam That Makes You Tip Extra Without Knowing
Tipping has become a real point of contention for many people in the United States. In my humble opinion, tipping is frankly out of control and I’ve written numerous posts on the subject, like this one that asks: Should you tip on takeout? There also seems to be a rise in the number of tipping scams as well as strategies that waitstaff have tried on diners. Here's what you need to know.

⚠️ Thursday

Caught on Camera: Real Travel Scams and How to Protect Yourself
I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world and thankfully, have never had my wallet, phone or bag stolen. I think it’s a mix of knowing the tricks, being hyper-aware of my surroundings and being lucky. As you will see in the videos below, it only takes a second for a thief to make your trip miserable, so I’m sharing different scenarios that happened recently in major tourist destinations. Here's what you need to know to avoid falling victim to these scams.
TIP: Wear an RFID anti-theft crossbody bag or a money belt to keep your belongings safe.

🛑 Friday

Portable Carbon Monoxide Detectors for Travel on Sale
While we were planning our summer vacation to Europe, I got an email from Airbnb, recommending we bring a carbon monoxide detector since our vacation rental did not have one installed. It was the first time I'd gotten an email like that but was happy for the reminder. Following numerous hotel and vacation rental deaths due to CO poisonings, I bought one and it gives me peace of mind when I'm traveling.
Since a portable carbon monoxide detector is now one of my top travel essentials, here are a few recommendations (on sale for Prime Day), if you're interested in picking one up, too:

X-Sense Carbon Monoxide Detector Alarm with Digital LCD Display
This CO detector features flexible wall-mounted or freestanding installation for travel, a high-accuracy Figaro sensor with a 5-year battery, a loud 85dB alarm for instant alerts, a tri-color LED for status indication, and an LCD that displays current and peak CO levels for reliable, real-time monitoring.
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 41% off | Now: $19.99

3-in-1 Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector, Professional Rechargeable Real-Time Travel CO Monitor
According to tech expert Rich DeMuro: "I like this model because it has a digital display that shows carbon monoxide levels in real time — not just an alarm. It’s rechargeable via USB-C and also gives you air quality, temperature, and humidity readings. Compact, accurate, and easy to toss in a bag for peace of mind wherever you stay."
Amazon Prime Day Deal: 17% off | Now: $37.99

🏛️ Saturday

Sage Advice If You’re Traveling to Europe This Summer
Eric Stoen is a friend and a well-traveled writer who has been to over 100 countries and all seven continents. He took to social media last year to share some sage advice, especially for those who are traveling to popular European destinations during peak times —and especially this summer. Here's what you need to know.

📺 Travel Videos of the Week

🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week

1 TSA Ends 'Shoes Off' Rule, DHS Secretary Confirms
2 Fuel Cutoff Blamed in Deadly Air India Crash
3 Delta Tests AI-Powered Dynamic Pricing for Airfares
4 SFO Fights Oakland Airport Name Change
5 State Department Axes 1,300 Employees in Shakeup
6 Senate Confirms Republic CEO as New FAA Chief
7 European Heatwave Linked to 2,300 Deaths
8 NCL Cruise Port Swap Triggers Dozens of Cancellations
9 Delta Passengers Stranded on Azores Island for 29 Hours
10 United Will Resume U.S.–Tel Aviv Flights Earlier Than Planned
11 Volcanic Eruption Grounds Bali Flights
12 U.S. National Parks Suffer from Layoffs, Budget Cuts
Read them here!

✅ Currency Exchange

✅ Calendar Countdown

✈️ More Featured Products

Portable Fan That's Also a Phone Charger and Has a Flashlight
This is a 3-in-1 must-have. We just returned from Europe and it was hot, hot, hot! We were so glad we remembered to pack two of these portable fans, especially for the kids to use. Compact, lightweight and easy to throw in your bag when you go exploring for the day, these fans were a real life-saver and we won't be traveling anywhere hot without them. PLUS: It serves as a back-up phone charger and has a handy flashlight. Available in 6 different colors. Buy here.

EverSnug Travel Blanket
Planes can be cold but there's no reason to suffer for your entire flight. This travel blanket is soft, cozy and warm (not to mention cleaner than airline blankets ... if you even get one), and packs up quickly and easily in its own carrying case. This is one accessory my wife and I use all the time when we fly and made us wonder what took us so long to buy travel blankets. Read why we love it here and buy here.

34% off Anker 5-in-1 hub
A hub like this is an essential when I travel. It streamlines my chargers and is an excellent travel companion. It's got a 4K HDMI port, USB-C and USB-A data ports and a 100W PD-IN port for pass-through charging. Regularly $34.99, it's currently 34% off for $22.99 for a limited time. Buy here.

Travel Umbrellas
Spring has most definitely sprung! I have written in the past about how a travel umbrella can make or break your trip and earlier this week, WIRED released their picks for the top travel umbrellas. After testing a range of options, they declared the Weatherman Travel Umbrella (pictured left) the overall winner and the Prostorm Windproof Vented Travel Umbrella (pictured right), the best budget umbrella.

This mini pocket umbrella is also a great, compact option and is currently just $11.99 (37% off).