Flights cancelled in Middle East. After the U.S. attacked Iran this morning, many flights across the Middle East have been cancelled, and airspace has been shut down. If you’re planning any trips to the area, check with your airline before going to the airport.
Unrest in Mexico. After the Mexican army killed the leader of the New Generation Cartel in Jalisco, Mexico, violence broke out, and more than 20 inmates escaped from prison. To date, tourists in Puerto Vallarta and nearby towns have been advised to shelter in place.
Flights to Cuba suspended. After the U.S. instituted a blockade against oil shipments to Cuba from Venezuela, the island began to suffer a fuel shortage. Several international airlines have stopped flying there, and Canada and the UK have advised their citizens not to travel there. Planes can no longer refuel in the country, which means international flights are precarious.
California avalanche. On February 17, 2026, an avalanche in the town of Truckee, California killed 9 skiers. It’s the deadliest avalanche in California in many years.
Protester loses TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Minnesota resident Nicole Cleland was stripped of her PreCheck and Global Entry privileges after an encounter with an ICE agent.
Speaking of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry… The U.S. suspended both briefly because of the government shutdown and then quickly reversed on PreCheck. But to date, Global Entry remains suspended.
UK ETA program finally in place. After several delays, U.S. passengers and those of 84 other countries will need to apply using the UK ETA app for 16 British pounds. You can’t enter the UK without it. But it covers you for two years or until your passport expires.
Don’t use your hotel’s coffeemaker. An influencer on TikTok went viral for suggesting that travelers wash their underwear in their hotel’s coffeemaker, evoking a lot of “ewww” comments in response. She apparently learned it from a flight attendant, but experts say boiling water isn’t enough to disinfect a coffeemaker. So I recommend never using these things again! Holy moly.
Split has had enough of drinking. Split, Croatia will enforce a nightly alcohol sales ban in its most touristed areas from 8pm to 6am starting in September of this year. They’ve had enough of bad behavior from their tourists. Can’t say I blame them.
Beware AI scams. Christopher Elliott reports that travel scams using AI are becoming more sophisticated. They might use deep fake voices, pretend to be your hotel contacting you on WhatsApp about a problem, or create websites that look exactly like the real thing. ALWAYS make sure you go to the correct website (don’t even trust Google) – check the URL – and never give your information to someone on WhatsApp. If you receive a call, always verify it by calling the hotel or airline back yourself, double-checking that you have the right phone number. Be careful out there!
Airline and hotel pricing. Christopher Elliott also reports that airlines and hotels are tracking our browsing habits and creating profiles on us as individuals to help them determine the highest price we’d be willing to pay for flights and rooms. Currently, there are no U.S. regulations to prevent this practice. Yikes!
No more free breakfast? Meanwhile, it looks like a lot of hotels are deciding to stop serving complimentary breakfast. This is true of Hyatt Place and Holiday Inn already, so check carefully if you expect that buffet in the morning without having to shell out more bucks.
Hyatt Hotels news. Thomas J. Pritzer, Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, is retiring under duress due to his presence in the Epstein files.
Plane passenger arrested. A 40-year-old woman on a 15-hour Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Washington D.C. on February 13th was arrested after she kicked, pushed, and slapped flight attendants. Officials say she could serve 20 years in prison.
New lounge at LaGuardia. Capital One has opened a new lounge at LaGuardia Airport, which features Spanish-inspired tapas by famed Chef José Andrés. If you try it out, please report back!
The Louvre again? The Louvre has discovered that a long-term ticket scam has cost them $12 million over the course of a decade. Nine people were arrested recently. What next?
Want to rent the Heated Rivalry cottage? Well, now you can. The Canadian home is on Airbnb: https://news.airbnb.com/barlochancottage/,
Airport sleep rooms. I stayed in an airport sleep room during a layover in Tokyo, but these types of rooms are also now available in Toronto, Miami, and Bogota. Check them out: https://www.waitnrest.com/en/.
Yosemite National Park. Yosemite no longer requires reservations, which might at first sound like a good thing. But the word is that it’s made the park very crowded and has created traffic jams. If you go, give yourself extra time, and try to go during the week.
Private jet issues. Frommers reports that private jets are causing congestion at busy airports, and they also produce about 45 times the carbon footprint of the average airliner. Grrr…
The World’s Riskiest Country for Solo Travelers. According to data analyzed by Squaremouth travel insurance company, Venezuela is the most dangerous country for solo travelers. Peru ranks #2, and Gabon ranks #3. Others in the top 10 are Colombia, Bolivia, Jamaica, Guyana, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Africa. Incidentally, Mexico is #16 on the list, and the U.S. is #37.
Power bank issues. Many of us have traveled with extra power banks to make sure our phones always have juice, but lithium batteries have been catching fire on airplanes and causing problems. This has led to power bank restrictions in some countries. Japan is banning power bank use on board planes starting in April, and the U.S. no longer allows them in checked bags. The advice I’m seeing is to pack no more than two power banks with batteries that don’t exceed 160Wh each.
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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