Latest Travel News tips

It’s looking like it’s going to be a busy summer for America’s airports in 2021, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is preparing accordingly.

The 2020 coronavirus, or COVID-19 pandemic, has been a moving target when it comes to travel. Nobody knows how long it will continue, whether and which areas it might hit next, when and where it will plateau and start to ease off, or when the travel world might return to something like normal. The time frame for cases to begin diminishing is unknown. And even once a decrease occurs, it’s worth considering that the virus could return.

In this time of isolation, businesses and individuals around the world are sending out messages of hope. Discover, in photos, how we’re keeping our spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Planning a trip to visit a national park is now easier than ever, thanks to the National Parks Service’s (NPS) new app. This free app can be downloaded from the Apple or Google store and is full of helpful information and tips for exploring the national parks.

It’s well-known that air travel is a major source of carbon emissions. For travelers who want to do something about their flight’s carbon footprint, the options are limited: Invent a more fuel-efficient jet engine (not easy); travel by other means, or not at all (not always feasible); or offset carbon emissions in some way.

Fall is a tricky time of year for packing since it’s hard to know if you should pack for summer temperatures or wintery weather. The best solve is to choose items that will work whether it’s pouring rain or hot and sunny.

If you’re out of hand sanitizer, cleaning sprays, and even the household products you can make your own sanitizers with (read: rubbing alcohol), there’s another option to consider: UVC light, a little-known, relatively new way to reduce the number of germs on surfaces in your home. But if you’ve ever seen those travel-sized disinfecting wands and felt skeptical about their efficacy, you’re not alone. There’s only one type of UV light that’s actually effective when it comes to killing germs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has closed all Trusted Traveler Program enrollment centers nationwide until at least May 1. Closure applies to enrollment centers for all four trusted-traveler programs: Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST. Mobile enrollment events are also suspended. Obviously, this is yet another casualty of the ongoing coronavirus onslaught against travel.

The current coronavirus outbreak in China highlights a longstanding problem in travel: What to do when a contagious disease breaks out in an area you’d like to visit. A significant amount of travelers are concerned; a January poll by Airfarewatchdog (SmarterTravel’s sister site) found that 50 percent of travelers said the virus becoming more widespread would impact their travel plans, and the virus has spread around globe. But how do you know if you should actually cancel or adjust a trip based on a viral outbreak abroad?

For decades, airlines just about everywhere have been resisting government-mandated passenger rights regulations. Despite the fact that the airlines brought on themselves many of the regulations they hate; they’ve had a remarkably deaf ear for customer pain points. That struggle has been ongoing for years both in the U.S. and abroad.

As COVID-19 vaccines become more available nationwide and more people are able to receive a shot, travelers are having to decide what they’ll be comfortable doing after they are fully vaccinated.

Plane seat manufacturers have released some crazy iterations of new cabin designs in the past, typically aiming at increasing the number of already-cramped seats on board. You might remember the standing Skyrider 2.0 “seats” conceptualized for short flights, or these stacked lie-flat beds from hell for longer flights—both of which saw hypothetical designs that never materialized.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most states have issued shelter-in-place orders and instructed residents to stay put in their homes to help flatten the curve. However, some people are still required to drive to reach jobs that have been deemed essential (or who work in states that have relaxed shelter-at-home ordinances). Others have driven to be with family or to hunker down at second homes. But is driving between states safe—or even allowed? There is some uncertainty as to whether Americans can drive domestically. Here’s what you need to know.

Whenever you travel to a destination where the primary language is not English, it’s a good idea to learn a few phrases and key words in the local language. This can not only help to locate the nearest baño, salle de bain, or badezimmer when nature calls, it can help save your life.

Financial site WalletHub analyzed safety data for all 50 states to determine a list of the safest states for Thanksgiving travel this year. The survey is based on COVID-19 data as well as other general safety factors (like crime rates and DUI statistics for November).

You’ve been booking hotels through travel search site Kayak.com for years, but soon you’ll be able to stay in an actual KAYAK hotel. The search engine brand is opening its first hotel (in partnership with hospitality company Life House) in Miami, Florida this April.

Ever wish you could Amazon Prime yourself to an exciting new destination? You can’t ship yourself around the world for free (yet) but Amazon is betting that you’ll pay to travel virtually via their new Explore service.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pushed its REAL ID deadline back once again, this time to October 1, 2021, due to complications created by the coronavirus pandemic. This may seem like a long way off, as most people procrastinate going to the DMV for as long as possible, but the months can fly by quickly. And if put off, you might not be able to fly domestically with your ID.

Amazon is helping us celebrate World Book Day (Thursday, April 23) in quarantine with nine free Kindle downloads. Take a look at the free books you can download … we’re especially excited because many of the downloads are travel related.

Were you planning to apply for, or renew, a passport this spring? With the rolling governmental measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to do so. The State Department is limiting in-person service at passport offices to emergencies in which travelers need a passport for an international trip within 72 hours because of a “qualified life-or-death emergency.” And mail-in renewals are being discouraged due to “significant delays.”

I sometimes get so used to bashing travel suppliers—especially airlines—for the many ways they abuse travelers’ rights, that I often overlook the good they do. Especially during this global pandemic, travel suppliers are doing a lot of good.