Sunday, February 16 I hope you're having a great long Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend! If you receive my Daily Travel Tip newsletter (this newsletter is a weekly summary of that one), then you already knew it was going to be a messy travel day today and probably tomorrow. You'll find detailed information a little farther down and don't forget to scroll all the way down to see all of this week's travel tips, travel videos, travel news and more.
❤️ 8 reasons couples should take their honeymoon before getting married
Traveling has always been a great litmus test for relationships and for years, I’ve told couples that they should take their honeymoon before tying the knot. Taking a honeymoon before getting married might seem unconventional, but it can be one of the most revealing and beneficial experiences for couples. As someone who has often traveled with my girlfriends, I’ve seen firsthand how travel brings out different sides of people, both the good and the … challenging. Here's my advice.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia is a must-visit experience you won’t want to miss
In late November and early December, my family and I took an epic trip to Fiji and Australia. We were rolling out our content on a weekly basis but paused because January was filled with news that took precedence. But we're back and here's a quick recap of where we left off:
Part One: Flight review: Our 11-hour flight on Fiji Airways from Los Angeles to Nadi
Part Two: Getting from Nadi International Airport to Castaway Island in Fiji
Part Three: Hotel review: Castaway Island Resort Fiji
Part Four: Hotel review: Nanuku Resort Fiji
Part Five: Flight review: Fiji Airways from Nadi, Fiji to Sydney, Australia
Part Six: Roar and Snore at the Taronga Zoo: Hands down the coolest place to stay in Sydney, Australia
Part Seven: Flight review: Flying Qantas between Sydney and Brisbane, Australia
Part Eight just happens to be one of my kids' (and my!) favorite parts of our trip: The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. Here's why.
❄️ Eastern U.S. Winter Weather
Travel dates: February 16, 2025
There are already over 956 canceled flights thanks to a winter storm in the east. Toronto and Boston are still leading the way. If you feel like staying home or extending your trip, take advantage of the airline waivers listed below. They allow for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through these airports. Akron/Canton, OH (CAK) Albany, NY (ALB) Allentown, PA (ABE) Bangor, ME (BGR) Boston, MA (BOS) Buffalo, NY (BUF) Burlington, VT (BTV) Cleveland, OH (CLE) Detroit, MI (DTW) Hartford, CT (BDL) Ithaca, NY (ITH) Johnstown, PA (JST) Manchester, NH (MHT) Montréal, QC, CA (YUL) New York/Newark, NJ (EWR) New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA) Philadelphia, PA (PHL) Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) Portland, ME (PWM) Providence, RI (PVD) Rochester, NY (ROC) State College, PA (SCE) Syracuse, NY (SYR) Toronto, ON, CA (YYZ) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (AVP) ❄️ Midwest Winter Weather
Travel dates: February 16, 2025 Appleton, WI (ATW) Chicago-O'Hare, IL (ORD) Grand Rapids, MI (GRR) Green Bay, WI (GRB) Madison, WI (MSN) Milwaukee, WI (MKE) South Bend, IN (SBN) |
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook
As of 10:55am PT, there have been 965 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 5,786 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 Products of the Week
$10.19: Phone mount for travel
Go hands-free the next time you're flying with this handy universal phone mount with 360 degree rotation. When you're not traveling, you can attach it to various surfaces around the house. The regular price is $13.99 but it's currently on sale for $11.99. Clip the 15% off coupon to take the price down to $10.19. Buy here.
Carry-on duffel bag
In today's Travel Video of the Day below, you'll see how some low-fare carriers try to get passengers to pay for bags that don't fit in their sizers (even when they do!) Avoid the headache, especially if you're flying Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant or Ryanair and EasyJet in the US, with a duffel bag like this one that meets their size requirements. Buy here.
Apple AirTags still at record-low price
Great news for travelers! Apple AirTags are still at a record-low price at just $69.99 for a four-pack. Apple AirTags were introduced in April of 2021 but they didn’t really take off until 2022 when the travel industry saw a huge increase in passengers. Airlines and airports weren’t ready for the post-pandemic surge as they were both short workers in practically every capacity. Here’s why they are the travel essential you can’t skip.
Other great deals
✅ Waterproof AirTag holders ($9.89)
✅ 50% off ($6.98) 10-pack lithium coin batteries
✅ 29% off ($11.99): 6-Foot Surge Protector Power Strip
✅ 53% off ($7.95) RFID blocking money belt |
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🏒 Monday
Did you know that you can go ice skating at the home of the L.A. Kings, just two miles from LAX?
If you ever find yourself at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on a long layover, there are plenty of things to do. While most people might hang out in the airport or at an airline lounge, some will venture farther afield and head to the famous In-N-Out right near the airport for some pretty epic plane spotting, while others might head to downtown Manhattan Beach, which is a great way to spend a long layover at LAX. Here’s my guide on what to do in Manhattan Beach while you’re there. But if you’ve done all that already or are looking for something truly unique, then check out ... Here's what you need to know.
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✈️ Tuesday
Airline cancels return tickets after mistakenly believing passengers didn’t board
I’ve been traveling professionally for 30 years and I’ve never heard of anything like what I’m about to share with you. But it’s definitely a problem for the airline, its passengers and possibly other airlines. Here's what you need to know.
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🏨Wednesday
Hotel review: Motto by Hilton New York City Times Square
If you’re looking to save money and don’t need a lot of space, then Motto by Hilton New York City Times Square is really a no-brainer. You can’t beat the location (if you don't mind Times Square), the comfortable bed and most of all, the budget-friendly price point. Here's my review.
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🍶 Thursday
Airline charges passenger $62 for water bottle on flight: ‘I couldn’t board without paying’
I recently wrote about an airline charging $68 to print a boarding pass at the airport. Well, guess what? That same airline just charged a passenger $62 to take a water bottle on a flight. Crazy, right? Here’s what happened.
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😮 Friday
Heads up: Uber may overcharge you when traveling internationally unless you do this
One of my regular travel tips that I share with readers is that when you’re traveling internationally, to always pay in local currency. It makes my blood boil when I encounter ATMs or stores that prompt you to pay in U.S. dollars instead of the local currency when using a U.S. credit card. While they may seem like they’re offering convenience, they’re actually costing you more. Here’s what Uber is about to do.
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🛫 Saturday
10 genius airport security hacks every traveler needs to know
Without a doubt, one of the most tedious parts of traveling is dealing with the airport and security, in particular. You just never know how long the line will be, which is nerve-racking and can make it difficult to plan your time. Here are 10 airport security hacks to help make your airport experience smoother.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE WEEK “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” – Wallace Stegner |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week
Airline employee tells passenger his bag doesn’t fit in sizer and to delete footage showing that it does
A passenger captured an employee on video trying to tell him his bag doesn't fit in the bag sizer ... and telling him to delete the video footage showing that it does. Watch the video here.
The most-watched Super Bowl commercial in 2025, according to YouTube, is travel-related
Even if you’re not a football fan, chances are you probably watched the game, the halftime show or the commercials just to see what the hype was all about. I was at a party so it was hard to hear everything but there were a lot of commercials that caught my attention – especially the travel-related ones. Here are the top ten.
Alaska Airlines flight attendant praised for repeatedly punching a drunk passenger in the face
Here’s something you don’t see every day: An Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air flight attendant repeatedly punching a drugged and drunk passenger multiple times in the face to get him to let go of a female passenger’s hair in front of him. Here's the story and video.
How to quickly change the battery in your Apple AirTag
If you have Apple AirTags, here's what you need to know about how long the CR-2032 coin batteries last, how to check how much charge they have left and how to change them if they need to be replaced. Because the last thing you want is to be relying on dead Apple AirTags when you travel. Here's what you need to know.
Insane: Whale swallows kayaker and spits him out (and his father caught it on video)
A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. Watch the video here. |
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🌎 Top 12 Travel Stories of the Week 1 United Regional Jet slides off taxiway at an icy St. Louis Lambert Airport
2 Car rams into Munich crowd injuring at least 28 in suspected attack
3 FAA wants permanent helicopter restrictions at Reagan Airport
4 Venice doubles daytripper entry fees for 2025
5 Norovirus outbreak sickens nearly 120 guests, crew on Holland America cruise ship
6 FAA reopens DCA runways, increases arrivals rate as crash investigation continues
7 Frontier makes another takeover bid for Spirit Airlines and it is rejected, again
8 Yosemite National Park is in trouble
9 Big storm possible in Mid-Atlantic next week. How much snow could D.C. get?
10 Air Canada to trim USA flights: WestJet says US demand down 25%
11 Plane carrying Secretary of State Rubio to Europe turned around because of a mechanical issue
12 Minnesota man wins free Norwegian cruise vacation -- then catches the flu onboard and gets hit with $47K medical bill
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 @Beth Pratt: BEYOND FURIOUS: Our beloved national parks and park rangers are under attack. Hearing today about mass layoffs of people--people who have dedicated their lives to protecting these special places.
Most of my career has been spent in National Parks--and I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the best people on the planet--National Park Rangers. No-one gets rich working for national parks--these are immensely dedicated people who sacrifice much to care for these public lands.
These people are losing everything. A job. A place to live. This will impact our local communities economies as well. And then there is the park and the wildlife that live there. How can we protect them with such limited resources? Wildlife will die. Fragile landscapes will be damaged and destroyed.
Call your elected officials and demand that this absolutely shameful attack on public lands and the dedicated people who protect them has to STOP! |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.04 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.25 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.70 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.63 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.049 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🐰 63 days until Easter
🎖️ 96 days until Memorial Day Weekend
🗽 138 days until 4th of July
🛠 197 days until Labor Day
🎃 257 days until Halloween |
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Attention Android users: You can now enjoy Apple TV+ content even if you don’t use Apple hardware
My wife has been deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem for years—using an iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and Apple Watch—and she's always appreciated Apple TV+ for its high-quality content. When she travels, she relies on my Apple devices to download my favorite Apple TV+ shows and movies for offline viewing (some of my favorite Apple TV+ shows are Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters and Presumed Innocent) and she does the same for our kids’ iPads to keep them entertained during long flights or road trips. Here's what you need to know.
5 reasons (besides skiing!) to visit Jackson Hole this winter
This guide to Jackson Hole, Wyoming will offer travelers lots of options of things to do there in the winter besides skiing. Here's the story.
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