Bowman’s Travel Brief: Team Carry-on Only

Last year a record number of Americans visited Turkey (or Türkiye, the new official national name). This was no coincidence.

Airfares have gotten more expensive in recent years. Yet, more Americans are traveling than ever before, with over 54 million traveling abroad in 2022, per the International Trade Administration.

It's incredible to think that a little over a century ago, Beijing was a kind of low-rise walled fortress, its nine humongous gates locked shut every night. 

When I first left the hospital after my spinal injury and began adapting to life with a disability, air travel was one of the most intimidating barriers I went up against. In my former life as a non-disabled person, I had never thought about the challenges of navigating narrow aisles or accessing facilities on board an aircraft. As a paraplegic and manual wheelchair user, that privilege had been revoked.

Shortly after having my first child, with a trip on the books, I remember messaging a mom friend and asking: What do you do about a bag? After all, there was a day not too long ago when the diaper bag was an eyesore. An item on a baby registry, it was clunky and baby-centered, and it marked a short life stage, retiring to a closet a mere matter of years later.

Let’s face it: the combination of crowds and chaos that await at every airport curb is the easiest way to put a dent in that pre-vacation elation. But what many travelers don't realize is that you don't need to be a frequent flyer with elite status or a top-tier credit card to be treated like a VIP at the airport.

An American Airlines flight descended into chaos on Tuesday when a traveler tried to open an emergency exit door mid-air, forcing other passengers to restrain him before he was duct-taped and zip-tied, witnesses said.

Amtrak announced a new flash sale to help travelers looking to book a rail trip save money on their adventure this spring.

Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast! 

Florida’s high-speed rail company, Brightline, is running a promotional sale for President’s Day weekend only, with an enticing deal for group travelers aiming to explore the Sunshine State.

Could the city of Las Vegas get a basketball franchise?

In 1958, when Mary Pat Laffey Inman became a stewardess — as they were then called — for Northwest Airlines, she was 20 years old and the clock was already ticking. At 32, she would be forced to retire. That is, if she didn’t marry, get pregnant or even gain too much weight before that: All were grounds for termination. It was the golden age of aviation for everyone except, perhaps, the women serving in-flight meals to the nattily dressed passengers.