Greetings, Travel Tip-Seekers!

Here are this week’s tips curated for you from our reliable sources in the travel industry and from general interest newsletters, websites, and publications.

New year, new ways for the airlines to pick your pockets. Example: You think you have a carryon bag that will not get gate-checked? You’d better measure it. On most airlines, carry-on dimensions now include wheels and handles. Some airlines are also considering weighing your carryon.

Maybe it’s time to buy one of these. As always, check your carrier’s rules because, as we used to say in the weight-loss informercial business “results will vary.”

Some airlines (ahem DELTA) are telling basic economy fliers to “go fly a kite” if they think they’ll be earning miles on their cheapest flights. Actually what they’re said is “hand over your wallet.”

Gel inserts for your shoes, peanut butter, sunscreen/makeup/bug spray if the container is larger than 3.4 oz. Even if you have a 4 oz bottle with only 3.4 oz in it they can reject if if they’re sticklers. To avoid any delays, TSA asks that you place liquid items in a quart-sized Ziplock bag.I I never do,, but that’s what they’d prefer. For the latest TSA updates, check here. Oh and don’t forget when making a connection after an international flight you’ll have to go through TSA again, so get rid of that water! They just nailed me in Houston on my return from Mexico last month. You can’t take me anywhere!

Honestly, the last few times I’ve tried checking in for an American flight online it sent me to an error page no matter how many times I tried it. Then I did it on the app and it worked fine. I really, really don’t like having to add apps to my phone. But I’ve found airline apps are helpful. First, if you set a reminder to check in as soon as the clock strikes 24 hours before your flight you might get into an earlier boarding group. Depends on the airlines, but American is one of them.

I always shop for airfares by price, not by airline. So my miles are spread out among a few different carriers. I use the miles for domestic flights and that works pretty well. For example, I got a business class ticket to Tokyo from LA $1400 cheaper than it would have been from Austin, so I’ll use miles (on other airlines) to get to and from LA next April.

The darned algorithms. “They” know what you’re interested in, and if you search for flights on particular days, then check your email, then come back and search some more, then check Facebook, then search some more…even if you’re using a new browser, “they” can see your IP address. So the price for your flight may keep going up. I have had this happen to me. And I have searched flights on my Mac and then searched the same flight on Dave’s PC and he gets offered a lower price.

And heaven forbid you should search for a flight using a brand-new iPhone. Cha-Ching! The only answer is a VPN. Virtual Private Network. You can download one, or do what I do, use a private window in Firefox. Or go to the library and use one of their old computers. OK, that’s extreme, but my point is, if you’re shopping for the best airfares, use a VPN. ChatGPT can sometimes find the good fares, but they’re better at spotting trends than real-time airfares which can change 20+ times a day depending on actual flight bookings.

We left our Mexican tin Christmas tree plugged in while we were in San Miguel de Allende for Christmas. Also the toaster. Guess we won’t be doing that again! NextTribe Goddess of Memberships Jennifer Miller gave us this tip. She had a friend whose house caught fire due to a plugged in toaster oven.

Remember when Michelin ratings were all Ooh La La and you had to make reservations a year in advance at Ell Bulli (Buh-Bye!) and NOMA (See Ya!)? There are so many “Michelin” restaurants in Hanoi I’ve been wondering what the heck is going on with these people. Are they just licensing their name now to anyone willing to pay them?

Turns out a local tourism board can invite Michelin into a city and pay them to rate their restaurants and hotels. There are companies that sell the signs and that’s why they seem so ubiquitous, but you’re not supposed to post a sign unless you’re in the star rating system, you’re a “Bib Gourmand” (good quality and value) or “Selected” (good cooking: consider this place).

So….caveat emptor.

As for hotels, Michelin now owns Tablet hotels, a soft brand that includes lots of small, boutique properties, so they’re probably all be listed. As for their rating system, they go by “keys”:

Hotels can be listed in the Michelin Guide without having any of these rankings, but they’re listed there because they’re considered “curated” by Michelin as a quality hotel, such as the Grand Period Luxury Hotel and Spa where we stay on our vietnam trips.

Let us help you pack.Starting today, we’ll offer you packing and travel tips for your destination, even if you’re not on one of our trips.

You’re welcome! :)

First up: Southern India, where Jeannie Ralston is headed this Friday. Her advice: “Stay out of the big cities as much as possible. India can be overwhelming: so many colors, sounds, aromas. We’re spending time on the rivers described in the book “Covenant of Water” and taking our time. We won’t see very temple, but that’s OK. We’ll immerse ourselves in other ways.”

Have you ever used this vacuum packing system for travel? How did you like it? Let me know. I’m thinking of buying one before I go to Morocco at the end of the month.

And as always, if you have any tips you’d like me to share with our community, please reply to this email.

Thank you, and enjoy the journey!

Jeannie Edmunds
Chief Operating Officer

All times: 6:30 pm ET.

Remember: Someone on each Trip Preview will win a $400 discount on the trip.

TOMORROW, January 7: Paris. RSVP here.

Tuesday, January 27: Portugal: RSVP here.

Thursday, January 29: Umbria: RSVP here.

Tuesday, February 10: Himalayas RSVP here.

Thursday, February 12: Iceland RSVP here.

Tuesday, February 17: Turkey RSVP here.

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