Latest Travel News tips

Good news and bad news from JetBlue on the carry-on bags front. The airline announced that for Basic Blue fares (JetBlue’s cheapest ticket category), they will be eliminating access to the overhead bins, and ticket-holders will only be allowed to bring on carry-on luggage that will fit underneath the seat in front of them.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the insane immigration lines at the screening 13 airports where passengers waited hours in cattle-like lines, which definitely didn’t follow today’s protocol of social distancing. If I was scheduled to fly home, I would probably wait a few days until airports worked this chaos out.

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Planning on traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic? Most airlines and hotels have stepped up their cleaning policies in an effort to help fight the virus. However, if you’re traveling, you should still be sure to do your part. Here’s how to disinfect your airplane seat and your hotel room.

For the last few months, Delta has been the lone U.S. airline holding out and leaving middle seats empty, but that’s about to change. Delta CEO Ed Bastian just announced that the airline will be unblocking the middle seat and booking flights to full capacity starting May 1.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended for one year the deadline after which TSA will accept only drivers licenses or state ID cards with REAL ID as valid to fly domestically. The former October 2020 deadline is now October 1, 2021.

Editor’s note: Since this story was published, an increasing number of state and national parks have closed to the public. Be sure to check the individual park’s website for the most up-to-date information before you visit.

Running out of things to read? Amazon is currently offering a free two-month trial of Kindle Unlimited.

Nearly a year has passed since the Boeing 737-MAX last flew in early 2019. The fate of the beleaguered aircraft remains very much in doubt, with no true sense of when the airline might return to the skies.

Laptop bags aren’t just for the business traveler anymore—and they’re no longer relegated to the humble padded messenger bag. Stylish laptop bags now range from trendy backpacks to designer tote bags, and the best ones will protect your hardware as much as they complement your style.

When you purchase travel from an airline or another operator, you enter into a contract for a service or goods. And if some unforeseen calamity prevents the seller from delivering the promised goods or services, the seller can claim “force majeure” as a basis for terminating the contract without incurring any liability for breach of contract.

Update: After a few iterations of policy changes in one week, United’s current policy on schedule changes is that if it can’t get you to your original destination within six hours of the original schedule, it will refund your fare—but with a catch. The refund is limited to a credit voucher good for a year rather than cash, and you can get cash only if you don’t use that voucher within a full year. The blogosphere is speculating that refusing a cash refund for a full year is illegal, but nobody has any great suggestions about how to avoid the problem.

You don’t need to be a nature expert to appreciate the seas of colorful flowers that mark the end of winter each year, or to get lost in photos of them. Some of the world’s biggest and best spring flower blooms turn travel-worthy spots like national parks and famous cities into a sea of color.

World responses to pandemics—like the U.S.’s to the COVID-19 outbreak—are always a moving target. When it comes to contagious diseases, there are going to be new developments occurring every day. Of late, the 30-day Europe travel ban means that all U.S. citizens returning home from many countries in Europe (plus China and Iran) will be sent to one of 13 U.S. airports designated for screenings and then directed to self quarantine for 14 days.

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Whether or not her title remains “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex,” Meghan Markle will always be the queen of stylish packing. Her whirlwind schedule—jetting off for an appearance on The Today Show one day, touring South Africa as part of a royal visit the next—would leave even the most frequent traveler fatigued and worn. But not Markle, who always looks pristine and put together with a collection of tasteful sheath dresses, belted coats, and darling hats ready to be called into service. (Who else can make a Philip Treacy fascinator look modern and fresh?)

2020 likely wasn’t anyone’s favorite year ever, but for citizens of one country, it was a little bit better, according to the United Nations.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has barred residents of New York State from enrolling in or renewing membership in several “trusted traveler” programs including Global Entry. Specifically, the order covers four programs that expedite the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) entry process:

The Department of Transportation (DOT) just reminded everyone that travelers are entitled to a refund (not airline credits) for canceled flights. Why? Because some airlines have recently parted from longstanding U.S. regulations that require those refunds.

Following months of apocalyptic images—billowing smoke, suffering animals, orange flames licking at a blood-red sky—the Australia fires that made headlines around the globe are finally under control. Though bushfires are a natural part of Australia’s ecosystem, this year’s summer fire season was particularly hot and dry, with grim consequences: More than 30 people died and some 27 million acres burned across the country.

In addition to your regular passport, will you soon need a vaccine passport proving that you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine for travel? In an interview with Newsweek, Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said that the scenario was “quite possible.”