When the federal government shuts down, as it did over the weekend, the resulting uncertainty and confusion impinge on many areas of life, including travel. With hundreds of thousands of government workers thrown out of work, how will essential services be affected?
As we go to press on Monday morning, a Senate vote is imminent on a short-term spending package that would keep government services funded through February 8. If passed by the Senate, the House would also have to approve the measure before the government can resume operating normally. But that’s just a temporary fix, that may or may not be extended, leaving open the possibility of yet another shutdown.
On a positive note, workers whose jobs are considered “essential” will not be furloughed, although they won’t receive paychecks until the government is back in operation.
Related:Should Airlines Get Rid of Reclining Seats? This One Is
In the travel sphere, essential workers include air traffic controllers, Customs and Border Protection agents, and Transportation Security Administration personnel. That means that commercial air travel should remain mostly unaffected.
On the other hand, such non-essential services as passport and visa processing will only continue until the money runs out, according to the State Department.
National parks and historic monuments are a mixed bag. While most parks remain open, rangers and other federal employees won’t be working, and visitor centers and full-service restrooms will be closed.
Many landmarks, like Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, are closed, but New York has committed to underwriting the costs to keep the Statue of Liberty open to the public, and the state of Arizona is doing the same for the Grand Canyon.
Amtrak, the government-subsidized train service, will operate normally.
The last government shutdown, in 2013, lasted more than two weeks, during which more than 800,000 federal workers were furloughed. The economic impact of that event has been estimated at a $24 billion loss to the economy. That’s a big number, but in the context of a $20 trillion national economy, it’s not much more than a rounding error.
Reader Reality Check
Has the government shutdown affected you?
More from SmarterTravel: 2017 Was the Safest-Ever Year to Fly New Disney Policy Puts Security Over Privacy Wallet Watch: The Latest Nasty Fee for Basic Economy Fares
After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
When I got into the points and miles world a decade ago, it was a niche “hobby,” and there were few resources to help newbies get started. I had to dig through countless blogs, forums and read loyalty program terms and conditions obsessively to learn all the tips and tricks. Nowadays, social media is swarming with travel hackers leveraging points and miles for exotic vacations that would otherwise cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Hanoi has always been a city of tales and legends. Its ancient name, Thang Long, which means “the Rising Dragon,” comes from a tale about Emperor Ly Thai To witnessing a golden dragon ascending when he moved the capital here in 1010. The city is now the heartland of Vietnamese literature — home to many of our finest writers, literary festivals and book fairs.
I love wearing linen. When the heat index rises, there really is no better fabric to put on than linen, a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Breathable and strong, linen is great at helping regulate your body temperature. Plus, it dries quickly and gets softer over time. When the sun is blazing, I can’t imagine wearing anything else.
Nestled in the north-west corner of Ireland, the city of Derry-Londonderry (Northern Ireland) and the county of Donegal (Republic of Ireland) sit snugly side by side. Taken together, this pair have every ingredient you could want from a short break: a dollop of history, a splash of culture and immeasurable quantities of nature and adventure. Better yet, it’s a combination that few have yet to put together.
With every terror attack that grips the world, we all pause to reflect. World travelers and frequent flyers, however, likely react a little differently: People with upcoming adventures abroad tend to follow the news more closely, start researching travel insurance, and keep tabs on safety alerts.
Long lines, full flights, niggling fees for everything: Welcome to the new normal when it comes to air travel. While the flights can’t get much fuller, and there are few new opportunities to charge extra for non-basic services, those long lines are going to get longer before they get shorter.
The Zika virus continues to spread and is drastically affecting countries throughout Central and South America, as well as Mexico. At a press conference today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that there is now a “public health emergency of international concern” over the clusters of microcephaly in Brazil and the suspected (although not scientifically proven) link to microcephaly and birth defects. It’s important to note that this is not a declaration for the actual Zika virus. WHO also stated that “there should be no restrictions on travel or trade with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission.”
If you closely followed the debate leading up to the American-US Airways merger, you’ll recall a period during which it seemed a safe bet that the Department of Justice would nix the tie-up on antitrust grounds. DOJ officials signaled that, after signing off on mergers between United and Continental, Delta and Northwest, and Southwest and AirTran, further consolidation was likely to impede competition and give the airlines outsize pricing power. And it was their duty to forestall just such an outcome.
With Delta and United’s transition to spend-based loyalty programs last year, and American’s upcoming later this year, there’s no longer room for debate as to the industry standard. Travelers should now expect to be rewarded according to their spend, not according to the number of miles they fly.
Bike sharing has become a way of life for many Americans—a quintessentially Northern European trend that took hold of our hearts and wallets in recent years, and that grows each time someone moves to a city and opts for a two-wheel commute. Trendy and sustainable, bike sharing is now a major presence in every major U.S. city.
Food pics on Instagram feeds can sate even the biggest visual appetite. Search a hashtag such as #food or #restaurant and you’ll find the world represented through its dishes. A sweet bun served up in a village tea house in Myanmar, a high-concept amuse bouche straight from Paris, a mile-high roadhouse burger from somewhere along Route 66—there’s something for every taste.