Hi all,

Thank you for all the interest in the AI travel community. We're a few weeks out from opening 25 founding spots, and newsletter readers get first dibs. I will keep you updated!

→ GLOBERIDER 35L carry-on backpack. Head-to-head against my Tomtoc T-66 LiteWay this month. Better organization, slightly heavier shell. This is the bag I reached for during our last trip.

→ Apple AirTags, 4-pack. With airlines cancelling thousands of flights this month and bags going to all the wrong cities, one of these now goes in every checked item. Easy purchase to put you a little more at ease.

If your only reference for 7-Eleven is the one off the highway with the questionable hotdogs, this video is going to ruin you. Japanese 7-Eleven replaced nine things in my carry-on.

▶️ 7-Eleven Replaced 9 Things in My Suitcase

Via ferrata in Kotor, Montenegro. It's a hiking trail bolted directly into a cliff face — you clip into a steel cable with a harness and traverse sections that would normally need full climbing gear. Strapped in, double-checked, statistically very safe. I hate heights and did it anyway. Rule I keep proving to myself: if a trip doesn't include at least one moment where I'm slightly panicked and pretty sure I've made a poor decision, I'm not doing it right. The discomfort is the souvenir.

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The Strait of Hormuz blockaded, choking jet fuel supply globally. The IATA global jet fuel benchmark is now sitting around $181/barrel, nearly double last year's range. Airlines have slashed close to 2 million seats from May schedules in just the back half of April, with around 13,000 flights cancelled.

Then, Spirit Airlines collapsed Saturday. All flights cancelled, 17,000 jobs gone, no rebooking help — the first major US airline to fold in 25 years. If you have a Spirit ticket, the DOT's guidance is here.

What it means for your screen:

👉 Book direct. When things break, you want the airline's app — not Expedia's support maze.

👉 Set flight alerts. Flighty is an amazing app. Not a sponsor just a great application.

👉 Cash, not credit. When the airline cancels, you're owed a refund on the original payment method. Not a voucher. Under the 2024 DOT rule, it's supposed to land automatically within 7 business days (credit card) or 20 days (other payment). Airlines often still don't. If your refund doesn't show, that link is what you point at when you complain.

👉 CFAR insurance is back in fashion. "Cancel for any reason" coverage is suddenly worth the premium. Standard policies don't cover fuel-shortage cancellations because airlines classify them as outside their control. Be aware!

Summer might be messy. Plan accordingly.

That's it for this week. Heading back up the mountain in the morning. Have a great week.

Geo