Travelers tips

Jul 26, 2024 • 6 min read

To visit Finland — named the happiest country for many years in a row — my husband and I traveled by ferry.

I've flown and loved Southwest Airlines since 1992 — yes, that long. Even as other travelers raved about their favorite airlines where frequent flyer programs could unlock lie-flat seats and fancy upgrades, I favored Southwest. I might have even been the only TPG staffer who ranked Southwest first on their airline preference list when I started in 2019.

They are scenes straight out of a travel nightmare: Airline passengers, including unaccompanied minors, stranded for days in strange cities amid a cascading wave of flight cancellations—with little hope of catching a plane home in a hurry.

Discount airlines are rolling out the deals to welcome passengers back on planes.Spirit Airlines recently released a variety of one way flight deals for under $40, including to popular locations such as Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, Orlando, and more.  The discounted rates are available on Spirit's Popular Flight Deals page, where passengers can enter in their home airport and maximum budget to see which flights are available from their city. For example, if a passenger searched with Atlanta as their home airport, they would see options for one way flights to Fort Lauderdale for $39, or flights to Houston for $29. The tool can be helpful when travelers know they want to get away, but aren’t exactly sure where. Travel + Leisure spotted a variety of deals including:

JetBlue is on the move with new flight routes, while saying goodbye to others. Ahead of the winter travel season, the airline will add a variety of new routes to popular destinations such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Phoenix. “These moves underscore JetBlue's commitment to refining its network while leveraging its award-winning experience,” the airline shared in a release announcing the news.  In the New York area, the airline will begin new service from Long Island’s MacArthur Airport (ISP), with a new daily flight to Orlando, and also service to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and West Palm Beach (VPS) four times a week. 

A popular international airline just announced a major upgrade for business class passengers.Turkish Airlines revealed its new Crystal Business Class Suite during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.  For the first time, the business class will have an adjustable sliding door which will offer more privacy in the cabin. The seat has a 22” television screen, and 23” of seat width, which make the suite comfortable for sitting or when extended into a bed for sleeping. 

Jul 26, 2024 • 8 min read

Remember extreme couponing? Avid couponers would pour over weekly ads and find ways to maximize their savings by stacking coupons on top of other offers.

Whether you are on a journey of self-discovery, or just need some vacation time to yourself, solo travel can afford the most rewarding adventures. If you've never traveled alone before, the thought can be intimidating. But once you hit the road, you might just find your own company to be the best.

As Paris gears up for the Summer Olympics, the city has been a study in contrasts. Typically busy quarters like the Marais seem quieter than usual, while others, such as the areas around the Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame, hum with activity.

If you're a high-tier JetBlue Mosaic traveler, your ability to use upgrade certificates is now a bit easier. As first noted by user lowkeyflyer on FlyerTalk (who shared a screenshot of an email sent from JetBlue), you can now see online availability when logged in to an eligible TrueBlue account.

Games wide open! The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are here—so, expect to hear the roar of that slogan in the weeks again. There’s simply no way to quantify, or perhaps, prepare for, the already-electrifying energy infiltrating the host city and the largest Olympic ceremony ever. Despite the Games’ 300,000 spectator capacity, Paris is expected to receive around 15 million visitors, including 2 million from abroad, in the coming weeks.

Meet your astrologer

With just hours to go until the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics, chaos has hit the country’s transport network. On the night of Thursday, July 25, a series of fires spread across France’s high-speed rail lines, causing delays, cancelations, and disruptions to the rail system.

Jul 25, 2024 • 7 min read

Tourism is an important part of life in Alaska. In fact, last year, tourism brought in nearly $158 million in revenue for the state.

France's rail network has been thrown into chaos today following a series of arson attacks, just hours before the nation officially opens the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As we were preparing to land at Orlando International Airport (MCO) during a recent Delta Air Lines flight, a friendly attendant handed me and a few other passengers a card with a handwritten thank-you note on the back. I had never received such a note, nor had I known they existed. I immediately texted my trusted co-worker and fellow frequent flyer Clint Henderson for some insight.

Sylvain Saudan, who was widely known as the “skier of the impossible” for his audacious and potentially life-ending descents down some of the steepest, most inaccessible slopes in the world, died on July 14 at his home in Les Houches, France. He was 87.

This summer has been tough for vacationing travelers, with overcrowding, heat, hurricanes, fires, you name it. But if you’re still looking to get away, there are places where the weather right now is great, the crowds palatable and the destination itself is at its best. Here, six off-the-beaten-track spots around the world for an end-of-summer vacation.