Episode 2: Travel News, Opportunities & Giveaways: Part 1
Welcome travel besties to another episode of the Just Book It Podcast! What did you think of the intro? Do we stan the antics??? I hope so because it’s only going to be better from here on out. In this episode we are talking all about travel news & opportunities That’s right, what is going on in the travel world. Before we do that, you know we gotta take it a few steps back because I always have something to say hahaha.
So basically my entire FB is travel-related content. My FBI agent and the Facebook algorithm probably have the easiest job with me because I’m just too on brand. Lucky for you, I scroll for 10 minutes and have amazing travel news to share with you guys How it’s going to go is that I am going to say the title and a short summary, and if you’re interested in learning more, head over to the show notes and click on the link! Ready to get started travel besties?? Let’s do this!!
Travel News, Opportunities & Giveaways: Part 1
1. 91 Different Remote Jobs to Get Inspired (1:41-2:09)
So the first is actually an opportunity! Are you looking to travel the world full time without giving up on your career? Well, Beach Commute has a list of 91 remote jobs that allow you to travel the world without worrying about limited PTO! Some jobs include Data entry, transcriber, google ads quality rater, a Netflix tagger, and wayyyy more! Click the link in the show notes for the entire list!
2. Lawmakers call for more seating in the $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall (2:10-2:49)
If you have ever been to the Moynihan Train Hall you know that there is NOWHERE to sit! Unless you have tickets already with special access to lounges, anyone else is subject to sit on the floor in the main hall. Well, that is going to change real soon. “A spokesperson for the project said last year that under phase two of the Moynihan Train Hall, which is expected to include more eateries and a bathroom, there might be more seating, although it’s not clear whether there would be seating for the general public, or just paying customers.” Stay tuned for more updates on this!
3. Eurail Giveaway: 2 Eurail Passes (2:50-3:15)
Enter to win 2 Eurail Passes for the incredible opportunity to travel throughout Europe with your bestie! All you have to do is sign up for the Eurail newsletter and Bam you’re entered into the giveaway- we love a quick and easy process!
4. Get $100 Off Your Next Flight (3:17-3:51)
Looking to get $100 off your flight to UNITED? Sign up for Clear by TOMORROW February 9th and get that travel credit boo!!
5. Delta CEO Asks Merrick Garland To Create A Federal No-Fly List (3:52-4:54)
Typically each airline has its own internal list of no-flying passengers; however, Delta CEO Ed Bastian proposed a “federal no-fly list” to the Department of Justice. Due to the number of disrespectful passengers not following COVID-19 requirements on airlines, to be specific 5,981 reports according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). What is the most alarming is that many airline workers have gotten into serious altercations and sometimes physical ones with passengers refusing to wear face masks on the plane. The Delta CEO is advocating for its employees in an effort to make the work environment more peaceful.
6. Flight attendants outraged at Southwest’s decision to resume alcohol sales (4:55-5:39)
In two weeks’ time, Southwest is planning to resume on-board alcohol sales and flight attendants are outraged. Unruly passengers are the main cause of this outrage as flight attendants have gotten their teeth knocked out by disrespectful passengers. They believe that this is an “unsafe and irresponsible decision” and the FAA had even urged airport bars and restaurants to not serve alcohol in an effort to mitigate these altercations. As of right now, AA is the only airline to continue with the alcohol sales ban.
7. This New York Airport Could Have You Landing 60 Miles Out Of The City (5:40-6:40)
One of the more lowkey airports, Stewart International airport is looking to resume its international flights THIS SUMMER! After suspending their international flights for the past two years, you can get a chance to score amazing deals at your favorite European destinations.
For anyone living near the Hudson Valley, this is HUGE news because you don’t have to travel 60 miles to NYC to get on that flight! Even if you are from NYC and you score a crazy deal JUST BOOK IT! Public transportation takes you from NYC to Stewart airport here: https://www.swfny.com/to-from-airport/public-transportation It’s probably the NYC elitist in me, but we have three international airports at our disposal so it’s going to have to take a crazy deal out of Stewart Airport to get me to travel further North but if you’re from the Hudson Valley or surrounding regions, def wait to book your flights to see if any from this airport open up!
8.US CBP Opens An Expanded Facility At Tijuana Airport In Mexico (6:41-7:40)
The million-dollar expansion is completed as now it’s easier than ever to get to Tijuana from San Diego. Tijuana International Airport is one of few airports where you can enter two countries quickly as they even have a pedestrian sky bridge to connect the USA and Mexico, how cool! Given the increases in tourism, they are planning to, “increase the capacity of the sky bridge” an additional 6,945 to be exact which is projected to “double the airport’s footprint. The first phase is completed in March of 2022 and the second and final phase by December 2022. Something else really cool is that they are working on introducing a Simplified Arrival System that uses “biometric facial comparison technology” to process and issue I-94s which are travel records!
9. These are your rights when stuck waiting on an airport tarmac (7:41-8:50)
So I actually saw this crazy TikTok about a flight attendant talking about if she liked her trip to Portugal and it was pretty impossible to NOT talk about the crazy flight she and the rest of the passengers had to go through coming from Dubai. To sum it up, they had to change planes twice and waited so long to get to Portugal- talk about a nightmare! If that has ever happened to you, then here is what you are entitled to from the airline! According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. airlines must follow tarmac delay rules.
After two hours, passengers are entitled to a snack and water during a tarmac delay, which occurs when an airplane on the ground is either awaiting takeoff or has just landed and passengers do not have the opportunity to get off the plane. For all flights landing at or departing from U.S. airports, airlines can not keep passengers on planes longer than three hours for a domestic flight and four hours for international, unless there’s a specific safety issue.
10. Greece Eases COVID Travel Restrictions for Vaccinated EU Citizens (8:51-11:03)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Greek minister Thanos Pelvris said that there are no longer any travel restrictions for vaccinated European citizens and travelers with a valid EU vaccination certificate. The previous policy was to show a negative PCR or rapid test upon arrival and now that there is a decline in Greece’s covid numbers, they hope that this is a greater incentive for travelers to visit Greece! So who can get the EU Digital Certificate https://www.visitorscoverage.com/eu-digital-covid-certificate-what-travelers-need-to-know/
There are specific countries that the EU classified as “green” where travelers from these countries can visit the EU without showing vaccination certificates and are updated on a weekly basis. For my USA people, WE ARE ON THE LIST!! If you click the link you’ll see the full list of countries along with a suggestion to get travel insurance for Europe if you are going to plan a trip there soon!
“Right now if you’re an American, not living in the EU, you could get the certificate if you ask the national authorities of a member state to give you that certificate-based on some proof that you’ve been vaccinated, or had a recent Covid test,” Source
11. Frontier and Spirit to merge, creating America’s fifth-largest airline (11:04-12:52)
“The budget carriers said the merger was focused on “creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor.”
First off have you guys ever flown on these airlines I only see the Spirit airline memes and they are just too funny. Anywhooo, “the deal, valued at $6.6 billion, is structured with Frontier Airlines controlling 51.5 percent of the merged airline while Spirit will hold the remaining 48.5 percent.”
It looks like they are going after Southwest airlines since they have expanded its route network to new destinations where Southwest has a strong presence, Denver. I mean it makes total sense since Southwest has the option to get two free checked bags so skiers and snowboarders take advantage of those flights to prevent paying for a checked bag!
There You Have It
What did you think of the first of many travel news podcasts where I do all of the work for you so that you don’t have to!! This just saved you so much time and more importantly I hope it’s inspiring you to get out there and, wait for it…. JUST BOOK IT!! Bye travel besties!
what do you think?