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Summer's here, and this year the smart move is less about where you go and more about how you move. The borders changed, the fuel got expensive, and the tools to outmaneuver both got a lot better. Here's what's worth your attention this week.
✈️ Gear I am Testing
→ Aer Travel Pack 4. I've been living out of the 35L for the last few weeks, and it's the most refined one-bag carry-on Aer has made in my opinion. Classic clamshell opening, stretch water bottle pocket, and a new vertical luggage passthrough that's the real upgrade over the V3. However, it is heavy, around 3.8 lbs empty, so on a 7kg airline it eats into your weight allowance. Really not meant for budget flights. Full breakdown in this week's film below. Along with stunning views of Montenegro! ▶️ The Aer Travel Pack 4: The Honest Review
→ 🌎 Saily eSIM. The thing I stopped thinking about the second it started working. It's a data-only travel eSIM. You can buy a plan in the app, install it before you fly, and you land with working data instead of hunting for a SIM kiosk or bleeding roaming fees. 200+ destinations, set up in minutes. Save this one: just booked it Subscribers get 15% off with code justbookedit at saily.com/justbookedit. One rule to keep in mind. Install it before you leave home, not at baggage claim. 😉
→ Merino wool base layer. Merino is the closest thing to a cheat code in a carry-on: it regulates temperature, resists odor, and you can wear it for days between washes. I'm testing one now. The shirts usually run around $90 and I found one for $44, which is the cheapest way I've seen to try the fiber before you commit to a full merino wardrobe. → Check it here
Eight new trips designed for families in search of adventure
Intrepid's new Premium Family trips are the kind you'll reminisce about for years to come. The eight new trips across Borneo, Morocco, India, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand and Egypt put small groups of families in the hands of Intrepid's most experienced local guides — with feature stays, cultural immersion, and kid-focused activities woven throughout. Stay in an overwater villa in Borneo and plant coral with your kids. Spend a night at a desert camp in Morocco under live Gnaoua music. See the Taj Mahal at sunrise as a family. Intrepid handles all the logistics so you can stay present for the moments that matter, while travelling in small groups of three to five like-minded families.
🤖 Thing I'm trying
Stop Re-Introducting You Travel Self to AI
A Gem is a custom mini-AI assistant you build inside Gemini. 💎 Instead of re-typing your budget, pacing, airline preferences, and dietary restrictions for every single trip, you write them into a Gem once. It locks that context in permanently.
To make your Travel Gem genuinely brilliant, add this exact instruction to its system prompt:
"Always apply the Anti-Algorithm Rule: When sourcing restaurants, hotels, or neighborhoods, skip the top 5 results on TripAdvisor or TikTok. Instead, scan the Google Maps extension for highly rated spots buried on pages 3 or 4 that locals actually frequent. Before finalizing, act as a hyper-skeptic and point out three logistical flaws or closing-time conflicts in the route."
✈️ Gemini bypasses the generic tourist traps, cross-references live flight and map data, and hands you a personalized, stress-tested itinerary in five seconds flat.
The catch: it's confident even when it's wrong. Cross-check hours, prices, and closures against the official source before you book anything. Treat it as a fast first draft, not a travel agent.
🌍 Travel news I'm tracking
Europe quietly changed how you get in. As of April 10, the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) is live at all 29 Schengen borders. Instead of a passport stamp, non-EU travelers from US, UK, Canada, Australia now get a digital record: a facial scan and four fingerprints on entry. Long term it means faster, smoother crossings. This summer it means queues, because everyone's first registration takes time.
What it means for your trip:
👉 Add an hour to your first Schengen arrival, especially at big hubs.
👉 You're processed at your first point of entry. Fly New York → Frankfurt → Rome and you clear EES in Frankfurt. Tight connections are riskier than they used to be.
👉 Kids under 12 skip fingerprints (facial image only).
👉 Check for a pre-registration app. Some countries let you load your passport and photo into a "Travel to Europe" app before you fly. Official info is here.
And the fuel story isn't over. Jet fuel has roughly doubled since the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz disruption began. IATA's chief has called fare increases "inevitable," and summer airfare is already up around 18% domestic and 7.5% international. The playbook holds: book direct, set price alerts (Google now tracks hotel prices too, not just flights), and price out "cancel for any reason" coverage before you commit.
It's summer. Soak up every minute you can.
— Geo
