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.

Sonder hotel properties were admired for their charm, history, and convenience. More than 1/3 of their hotels worldwide had earned Traveler’s Choice awards from TripAdvisor.

They’d hoped a partnership with Marriott would increase their bookings, but when it fell through last week, guests were informed they had to leave their rooms even if they were in the middle of their stay, even if they had prepaid!

Those caught up in this snafu can try to get money back. If you booked your trip on a credit card (rather than a debit card), you can ask for a refund using Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. The provisions of Section 75 are a good thing to remember for any problems you have with a retailer.

This Saturday the Studio Museum in Harlem, which is billed as “the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally,” reopens in a gorgeous new building. You just know the culture vultures from all over Manhattan will make the pilgrimage to pay their respects, as they should!

This 8-year project has been a public-private partnership between the city of New York and the museum’s members, donors, and trustees. Known for its robust artists-in-residence program supporting “contemporary artists of African descent,” the museum is a fine complement to the wonderful African American History Museum in Washington, DC.

Not flying in your pajamas. Who does that? 'I’m talking about flying in private jets. And who doesn’t love that? Buy a membership to Vaunt for $2k a year to put yourself on waitlists for an unlimited number of flights. You can fly solo or bring family, friends, or even pets along for the ride.

The catch? You can’t really plan ahead. Each waitlist or standby list closes 24 hours prior to departure. If you're selected, the company’s concierge reaches out to arrange the details. So this is strictly for spontaneous souls.

Yeah, flying business class is a move, but the ultimate baller move is just a click away!

I miss Anthony Bourdain every damn day, but this man, this chef, has stolen my heart. In 2010 Jose Andres went to Haiti after the earthquake and, with $150,000 of his own money, mobilized local and volunteer chefs to serve thousands of meals to starving people. When I met him last year on my way back from Vietnam, he told me that since then, he hasn’t had to put in any more of his own funds. World Central Kitchen is sustained through donations, and they are often the first to feed the masses in areas of natural disasters and conflict.

Now Delta Airlines has hired José to shush their pampered passengers who whine about the quality of their in-flight meals. On the menu: Spanish tortilla with pisto manchego and a wine pairing selected by the chef. If Bourdain taught us that food is about connecting with humanity, José Andrés is out there proving it—one meal at a time, whether you're displaced by disaster or just dissatisfied in seat 2B.

Pilots and flight attendants can check sites that aren’t available to the public. And you could download an app like Flighty, but if you want the skinny on real-time air traffic disruptions and delays, bookmark the FAA’s National Airspace System Status.

And if you’re traveling internationally, I suggest you bite the bullet and book a flight that gets in a day early. If the flight’s on time, you get an extra day to adjust to the time change. And if you miss a connection, you won’t miss an important event. Like the first day of a NextTribe trip!

If you’re an avid traveler, which I think you are if you’re reading this newsletter, you might already know about Travel Tuesday. But in case you don’t—mark your calendar for Dec. 2nd.

This is when many airlines, hotels, and travel companies reserve their most exclusive and compelling travel-focused promotions. Enjoy!

I’m still in Vietnam, where we’ve had some cloudy weather with moments of light rain. Yesterday a woman traveling with us, Patrice Powers, gave me a packing tip for today’s newsletter. “Always bring a baseball cap. I almost packed mine. I looked at it a few times and decided not to bring it, but today I thought it would really be helpful for both sun and a little rain,” she said. May we be so BOLD as to suggest a NextTribe cap??

Jeannie Edmunds
Chief Operating Officer

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