This week saw some chaos as usual with reports of bedbugs on 3 separate Turkish Airlines flights, new travel requirements we’ll see in 2025, a fire in Chicago O’Hare, and then on a lighter note, a recommended hike for each month of the year.
Turkish Airlines Passengers Report Bedbugs on Multiple Flights
Ok, none of us want to be the unruly passenger who demands to move seats mid-flight…but imagine finding bed bugs crawling around in your seat cushions??? Turkish Airlines is in hot water with the public as it’s coming to light that they had 3 separate bed bug complaints last year from 3 separate flights. Not a good look. I had the pleasure of doing freelance infographic work for a bed bug extermination expert a few years back, so I have way too many bed bug facts readily in my mind, such as the fact that bed bugs do not correlate as closely to cleanliness and hygiene as people think, but rather to volume of exposure to human vehicles. And the bad press we hear from one hospitality brand or another apparently has more to do with inadequate legal/PR handling of these unfortunately inevitable cases than inadequate hygiene, since probability demands that any hotel with significant occupancy likely deals with bedbugs at some point. I couldn’t help but think of that when reading the following quote from the article: “Aviation hygiene experts say regular deep cleaning and quick responses to complaints are key to keeping passenger trust.” My (perhaps over-paranoid and cynical) reading is that this isn’t a story of Turkish Airlines dropping the ball on hygiene so much as a story of them dropping the ball on handling complaints.
New travel requirements taking effect in 2025 for domestic and international destinations
Something that’s come up every time I’ve gone to the DMV to renew or update my driver’s license the last handful of visits has been this “Real ID” thing (which I have not yet gotten because I’ve only recently found long-term housing where I can finally provide proof of address.) This is something that was intended to roll out much sooner but the Pandemic delayed things. Starting in May of 2025, any flyer over 18 will need a “Real ID” to fly domestically. (I believe a passport counts as a Real ID, but it’s probably still a good idea to finally get that driver’s license updated to a “Real ID” version.) Also, in 2025 travel to Europe and the UK will require just a little more planning for US travelers than it traditionally has. Starting next week (Jan 8), US travelers to UK will need to apply for an ETA and pay ~$13 for this authorization, and for Europe, they’ll need to apply for authorization through the ETIAS program. Anytime I travel anywhere, I start my travel research by just googling the country name and “travel.state.gov” for the most up-to-date entry requirements.
Emergency response, sprinkler system triggered by restaurant fire at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
I don’t know about you, but I do not want to smell smoke when I’m in an airport – it can only mean bad news of some kind. Monday morning at Chicago O’Hare a fire inside one of the terminal restaurants caused a ruckus that triggered the sprinkler system, sent one person to the hospital, and a partial evacuation. Quite a way to end 2024. Were any of you flying through Chicago O’Hare on Monday to experience this first hand?
The Best Hiking Destinations for Every Month in 2025
On a brighter note, let’s talk hiking goals! I love that this hiking list is almost entirely made up of hikes I’ve never experienced before, the two exceptions being Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio (which is a lovely spot if you’re in the area) and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland (which is features a geological phenomenon that’s definitely worth a visit.) My dad has hiked a significant portion of the Maah Daah Hey Trail in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, also featured on this list, which he recommends as being a fascinating way to experience the Badlands topography. The one that especially caught my eye was Bryce Canyon. It’s not the most exotic spot on the list, but I have always been curious about what a winter hike in this region would be like. This list suggests February as a great time to experience Bryce Canyon.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Yes. I was on a United flight last Monday and we were not able to exit the plane due to the situation. We were stuck on the plane for nearly 2hrs! We were rerouted to another terminal. It was complete chaos. I’m glad no one was seriously injured.
I can vouch for Bryce Canyon. Hiked there and up the Narrows in Zion (with a rented wetsuit) during February. Can’t go wrong in Utah basically any time of the year in my opinion. A unique and beautiful state.
Yeah, I would not worry about the Real ID thing. The legislation was passed in 2005, and the original rollout date was 2008…so most of the delays had nothing to do with the pandemic. This was passed by congress but multiple administrations from both sides of the aisle have kicked the can down the road, and I highly doubt the incoming team will want to take ownership of this. As it stands, the current administration is proposing a 2 year transition period; if your ID does not meet criteria, you would get slip of paper saying you need a real ID. The horror!
Look at it this way–if an administration were to ever enact this, there would definitely be people who show up to the airport and cannot get on their plane. No administration wants to be the one responsible for that. And think of it from an airline perspective–you can just imagine that the Venn diagram of people who showed up without a Real ID and people who bought basic economy has a huge overlap. So suddenly the airlines will have a bunch of angry customers in line who cannot fly or get their money back? Congress passed this, and the executive branch has not wanted to enforce it, and will continue to do so.
Great hiking links.
Thanks for the hiking links!
That’s my idea of aspirational travel 🙂
Yes, a passport meets the REAL ID requirements, as do passport cards, Global Entry/NEXUS cards, and most other IDs issued by the federal government. The new rules only affect US state issued IDs.
This is a great list of trails. I’ve hiked in Bryce in late October when it was quite cold and snowing and it was indeed beautiful. However, even then it was reasonably crowded, so I can see an argument for February.
The images from North Dakota are beautiful. Now that I’m retired I am considering a trip to Dakotas to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park and do some rock climbing in the Black Hills.