Travel Tips Tuesdays: These are safety videos you WANT to watch

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.

But first, a word about my weekend getaway to Bentonville, Arkansas.

Will Bentonville be the next Austin? It seems so strange since Austin’s brand is “woke and weird” and Bentonville is the global headquarters of Walmart! B’viille (as it’s known there) is a “company town” that employs 15,000 locals and requires their largest international suppliers to have a representative living there, too. Alice Walton, one of the wealthiest women in the US, has transformed this sleepy town into a mecca for creatives and art lovers. Crystal Bridges museum is touted as world class (and it really is). It houses her own art collection as well as many works on loan and the curation is spectacular.

I was there this weekend and I loved staying at Motto, just three blocks from the main square: it’s also walking distance to Music City and the Momentary, where we saw two great live shows.

Jeannie Ralston thinks I’m crazy, but I wonder if we should plan a NextTribe getaway here. What do you think? Let me know if you’re interested by replying to this email!

And the Oscar for Best Safety Video Goes To…

Remember when Virgin America hired the famed director John Chu to create a memorable safety video for their new airline? It was so entertaining you just had to stop what you were doing and watch it.

The more I fly, the more award-worthy safety videos I’ve seen. I love the one on Hawaiian Airlines. It features famous local musicians, hula dancers, and airline personnel giving an aloha vibe. When you’re headed to Hawaii it really gets you into the spirit of the islands. It also makes you really sad you’re leaving on a departing flight!

I just flew Brussels Airlines for the first time and was blown away by their safety video, a collaboration with the Belgian electronic band Hooverphonic. It’s rooted in Belgian art and culture, with a wink and a nod to artist René Magritte, among other famous locals. You can watch it here. I’m so inspired by their creativity. What’s your favorite from the airlines you have flown over the years?

Tipping Pointers

Canada and the US have similar rules on tipping: 18-20% at restaurants is pretty standard. But tipping overseas can be so confusing. Overtipping can be seen as boorish, yet some in some countries (like Japan) people can be offended by tips.

The Daily Passport offers some help for 5 popular destinations.

What Happens When You Flush an Airplane Toilet?

Quick story: When I was an embassy wife living in Korea, an adoption agency offered me a roundtrip ticket to the US in exchange for accompanying two children to meet their adoptive parents. The kids were a 4-month-old baby and a 2-year-old who had never been to a bathroom inside a house, much less an airplane. This poor little boy had to deal with me taking him into the cramped stall on the plane and show him how to use it, even though I didn’t speak Korean. That big whooshing sound was when we flushed must have terrified him.

I’ve always wondered if those stories of “blue ice” falling from the sky were as result of people flushing airplane toilets. Turns out, that’s not true. Read what really happens here.

Important Travel Updates from NextTribe HQ

We have updated some of our travel requirements and terms of service. Here are the key points:

1. We’re requiring insurance on all of our international trips; it is recommended it for domestic trips.

2. The cutoff for full refunds will now be 90 days before departure on international trips and 60 days before departure on domestic trips. Many hotels and transportation companies have changed to a 90-day cut off, so we must as well.

3. If you want to switch from one trip to another, there is no charge the first time you do it. If you switch another time, it’s a $250 administrative fee per trip change, which will be added to your final bill. So sorry we have to do this but changes like this take up a lot of time for Marcy and Bren. Thank you for understanding.

You can read the the Cliff’s notes here or if you’re having trouble sleeping, you can look at the whole document here. ZZZZ

Tally ho!

Jeannie Edmunds
Chief Operating Officer

August 4: Venice Unmasked. 6:30PM ET RSVP here

August 11: Trekking the Himalayas 8PM ET RSVP here. 

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