Travel Tips Tuesdays: It's About Time!

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.

After 19 Years, We Can Finally Stop Hopping Around

Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check are still worth it, in my opinion. And if you’re 75 this doesn’t apply to you since you’re already exempt! For everyone else, TSA’s new rule ending the “shoes off” policy is a welcome change. How many times have you worn flip flops and had to walk barefoot through the screening area? Even doing it in socks felt like a violation. Now apparently “cutting-edge technology” and “multi-layered security” will keep us safe and speed up the screening process at US airports. Don’t get too comfortable, though. Overseas airports with flights to the US may still require it on your return flight.

MythBusters: Airplane Cabins are Cold To Torture You

You can wear shorts if you want to, but you’ll probably want to bring a blanket. If you want it warmer, just ask, but flight attendants may not be able to do anything about it. “We can call the captain,” says NextTribe trip leader Jennifer Gongaware, a flight attendant for 43 years. “But it depends on the aircraft. Not all of them have separate temperature controls for the front and back of the plane. According to this article, there’s a medical event 3-9x per 1,000 passenger miles on long-haul flights. Does cabin temperature have anything to do with it? Sometimes the medical event is hypoxia, which is usually very temporary and harmless but can be frightening to the individual who passes out and the passengers around them. Jennifer says in all her years of flying she’s never seen that, though medical incidents do occur, even with 4-legged travelers. Did you read about the hero Delta pilot who diverted his plane because a dog had a health emergency?

Some flight safety issues seem excessive (like putting your phone in airplane mode…is that really necessary?), but a lower temperature in the cabin seems logical. And probably more comfortable for flight attendants who have to push those heavy carts up and down the aisles while trying not to sweat in their uniforms!

Why do Airplane Windows Have Rounded Corners?

Engineering. With no corners, the pressure outside and inside the cabin is more evenly distributed. Other design improvements include triple-pane acrylic (not glass) and the coolest feature on newer aircraft, a dimming capability for those over-the-ocean flights across many time zones. Very helpful if you’re trying to rest but you still want to see outside. Oh, and those tiny holes? They’re designed to equalize the air pressure between the acrylic panes.

Blue Mind Theory

In his book “Blue Mind,” Dr. Wallace J. Nichols extols the benefits of being on or near the water when you travel. The National Library of Medicine published a study in 2020 that showed that participating in “water-based activities” had a “positive impact” on the traveler’s quality of life.

And how convenient for two of you who want to test this theory: 2 last-minute spots just opened on our creativity retreat on the Greek island of Hydra this Fall. We also have spots open for our beach retreat on the Pacific Coast of Mexico next Spring!

Speaking of Mexico….

One of our first NextTribe trips (by popular demand) was to San Miguel de Allende for Day of the Dead in 2019. Now the readers of Travel & Leisure have named it the #1 city in the world. Our all inclusive trip to San Miguel this year (all single rooms) has just a few spots left, in case you’re looking for an escape to a beautiful place this Fall..

We also have trips to other T&L reader favorites on the list, including Tokyo and Kyoto (sold out, sorry!), Cusco and Porto (also sold out), plus Florence, Cape Town, and Santa Fe, which still have availability.

Scrub That Nasty Suitcase!

What’s 58x dirtier than a toilet seat? Can you believe…your suitcase! Hard-sided cases fare a little better than soft-sided, but it’s the wheels that are the worst offenders. Researchers recommend you not take your wheelie into the stall with you in the bathroom, but what are you going to do? Leave it with a stranger? Take your chances and just give your bags a good wipe when you come home.

Now excuse me while I go check my Away bag for hippo poop…after our wild Africa adventure!

Jeannie Edmunds
Chief Operating Officer

All times 6:30PM ET unless otherwise noted. 

July 17: Deluxe Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende 2 RSVP here

July 21: Slow Travel India RSVP here

July 23: Ecuador from the Andes to the Amazon (Galapagos Add-On). RSVP here

July 28: Morocco Immersion: Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, and Sahara RSVP here 3:30PM ET

July 28: Umbria, Italy RSVP here 4:30PM ET

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