Travel News & Advice – August 31, 2024

New international air routes: There are new routes internationally from the U.S.: Newark to Marrakech on United; Dallas to Brisbane on American; Portland, Oregon to Amsterdam on KLM; Minneapolis to St. Maarten on Delta; Providence to San Juan on JetBlue; Dallas to Nadi, Fiji on Fiji Airways; Los Angeles to Mazatlan on Delta; and New York to Bonaire and St. Vincent on JetBlue. Happy traveling!

Airplane in airport. Photo by cegoh.

Where in the U.S. will you have the worst TSA experience? According to a study by Upgraded Points, it’s Newark Liberty International Airport. I’ve never noticed anything out of the ordinary there, but it has received the most passenger complaints for nine full years!

Are you too close to that buffalo? After so many people have gotten too close to wildlife in national parks and been injured, Jackson Hole has created a filter on Instagram to help you determine if you should back up while trying to take that photo of an animal. I hope this works and that all national parks adopt it!

Buffalo. Photo by GidonPico.

Want to see North Korea? It’s reopening to international tourism in December, but the U.S. State Department has issued a “do not travel” warning to American citizens. I think I’ll steer clear, thank you very much.

Global Entry isn’t just for Americans! Did you know this? I didn’t. Several other countries have an agreement with our Global Entry, and Australia has just been added to the list to help some foreign travelers get through customs in the U.S. faster.

Free visas to Sri Lanka: As of April 2025, Sri Lanka is temporarily waiving its $50 30-day visa fee for 35 countries, including the U.S. and the UK.

Will Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merge? Maybe. The Justice Department has given them the okay, but now, the Department of Transportation has to say yes.

A volcano in Iceland. Photo by Gilfi.

Iceland volcanic eruption: Watch footage of it here: https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c624qv48l33o.

Horrible accident at Atlanta Airport: Two Delta employees were killed and another injured when an airplane tire exploded on August 27th. I didn’t know this could happen. I hope they investigate and give us more information on what caused it. Is it another Boeing problem? Whatever the cause, our condolences to the families of the victims.

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Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.

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