Here’s our roundup of the stories that caught our eye this past week. . .
A lot of talk, but not many changes in the countries we can visit. The US and UK are talking about a travel corridor https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/us-uk-travel-corridor-vacations-2021/index.html, Italy wants to make some islands Covid-free and visitor friendly https://www.forbes.com/sites/irenedominioni/2021/04/10/italy-on-the-lookout-to-save-summer-tourismby-launching-covid-free-islands/?sh=4345009576bd and, best of all, Malta wants to pay us up to about $240 to come and stay at least three nights https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malta-tourism-handout-idUSKBN2BW2KX.
For the latest look at where we can go, check out Axios’ new Covid-19 travel restriction graphic https://www.axios.com/international-travel-vaccinated-coronavirus-restrictions-c84a571a-7199-4221-86ad-3446ccf5ca7a.html. By the way, if you aren’t reading one of Axios’ daily newsletters (like this one https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwLtQRHglZPVWlvMzTGDHdZWWpm), you’re missing out on a great impartial and concise resource.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
The nation’s first vaccine passport program is up and ready to go in New York state. It’s called the Excelsior Pass, and it appears that it’s targeted more for sporting events, performances, attractions and events rather than flights. Here are the details.
In the ever-evolving Points & Miles Game, American Express has been at the forefront of working to make their cards more attractive and enticing over the last several months. This week, they went the other way, by announcing that only Platinum and Centurion cardholders will be allowed into their upscale airport Centurion lounges for free. The policy doesn’t take effect until February 2023, but it’s intended to avoid some overcrowding problems. In addition, rumors are rampant that they will soon be announcing a big restructuring of the Amex Platinum card, including a hefty increase in its annual fee (from the current $550 to $695). Our friends at The Frequent Miler have their educated guesses on the details here (https://frequentmiler.com/the-revised-platinum-card-details-and-review/), along with a great way to analyze if the rumored restructured benefits outweigh the rumored increased fee. We still think this is a great card to have in your wallet for it’s Membership Rewards earning potential, so get it now before the price goes up.
Here’s your credit card sign-up bonus of the week: a new card from Chase, the United Quest card, where you can earn up to 100,000 miles after meeting the (rather high) spend requirements. If your travel plans are taking you to a place where United is the airline of choice, this card is worthy of your consideration.
Vernazza, Italy. Photo by Anders Jildén on Unsplash
For a little inspiration, here are a few ways to use those points and miles:
- Seven amazing awards The Points Guy staff are booking with Ultimate Rewards points this year https://thepointsguy.com/news/tpg-staff-ultimate-rewards-redemptions/
- Seven dream destinations for family trips https://www.vogue.com/article/family-trip-ideas-dream-destinations
- Seven attainable goals for your summer travel bucket list https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/summer-travel-ideas-covid-vaccinated/
I guess seven must be a lucky number!
Even more inspiring is this list of best island beaches around the world, as voted upon by Conde Nast Traveler’s readers: https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-02-24/top-10-most-beautiful-island-beaches-hawaii-australia?utm_campaign=falcon&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&mbid=social_twitter&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=cnt. Mrs. Exceptional and yours truly are partial to #18.
If you’re partial to one of the Hawaiian beaches, you may still be able to get there on American for only 75,000 miles in business class. Here are the details https://thepointsguy.com/deals/american-miles-hawaii-deal/. We alerted our Instagram followers to this immediately; this is very important, as these kind of deals don’t last long. If you’re not following us on Instagram or Facebook, please do. . .we’re @TheExceptionalTraveler on both (https://www.instagram.com/theexceptionaltraveler/ and https://www.facebook.com/theexceptionaltraveler).
Recommended Reading: Anthony Bourdain has a new (posthumous) travel book coming out on April 20, “World Travel, An Irreverent Guide”. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-09/anthony-bourdain-world-travel-review-coloring-a-destination-s-edges We’ve been fans of Bourdain’s on the food side for years, and many of his TV episodes focused on travel as well as great food experiences.
What is going on with all the volcanoes erupting all over the world? St. Vincent’s La Soufriere (French for “sulfur outlet”) blew its top on Friday (twice) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56693406, joining Mount Etna in Sicily and Hekla in Iceland, both of which are still spewing lava. I don’t know where I’m a-gonna go when the volcano blow! (Song lyric credit to J. Buffett, of course)
Have a great weekend, everyone. Check back next week for more from The Exceptional Traveler.
Mt. Etna, Sicily. Photo by Piermanuele Sberni on Unsplash
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