Remembering Zakynthos, Oman Air to join Oneworld, and no more Costco cards at TSA (Saturday Selection)

This Saturday I thought I’d rummage through my old travel memories to highlight a random destination which I think deserves more attention, especially from US travelers. Then, we’ll talk about Oman Air joining Oneworld and how TSA is cracking down on the attempted use of Costco cards at TSA!

Random destination highlight: A first-time guide to Zakynthos

Nick’s recent trip to Greece got me nostalgically recalling a Greek island we visited about a decade ago that still sticks out in my mind as one that should be more talked about than it is. This isn’t to say that it’s “undiscovered” – on the contrary, there were plenty of European tourists milling about when we visited a decade ago, and it’s sure to be even more crowded now. After all, the popular “Navagio beach” (or “Shipwreck beach”) gained some recognizability when it served as the background image on the Trip Advisor website for awhile. (Does anyone else remember that?) But in my mind, crowds are just the reality of Europe in the summer.

So if you’ve already decided you’re going to endure some crowds with a trip to Europe this summer or fall, this island is a delightful alternative to the more famous Santorini. It doesn’t have those iconic cliff sides dotted with blue rooftops, but it does have delicious seafood, beautiful clear blue water, and that charming old-world feel.

One of our favorite experiences was staying with the owner of the historic “Malanos Restaurant” on the edge of Zante town. The owner, Nico, happened to be the only “couchsurfing” host in the area at the time, and while we were nervous about the lack of reviews on his profile, he ended up being the most generous host you could imagine. He had pastries waiting for us in the morning and insisted on letting us eat at his restaurant for free. To this day, we reference his octopus in tomato sauce as a favorite meal in all of our travels. I truly have no idea when Nico slept. We would watch him and his family pick vegetables for the day’s food preparation from the garden right across the street in the mornings and each night he would stay up late to close up the restaurant, then attempt to talk us into late night raki at the nearby bar. If you visit, say hello to Nico from his long ago couchsurfers Carrie and Drew.

Finally: Oman Air Joining Oneworld Alliance On June 30, 2025

On Monday, June 30 (about 3 years after the original announcement), Oman Air’s transition to joining the Oneworld Alliance should finally be complete. In the past few years, Oneworld has also added Alaska Airlines, Fiji Airways, and Royal Air Maroc as well, with Hawaiian Airlines likely to join in a year or so as well.

TSA Just Banned Costco Cards at Airport Security

In May, TSA started enforcing the “REAL ID” requirement for domestic flights (which was a long time coming). For most of us, this just means we have to either present our passport or a new, “REAL ID” compliant driver’s license. But apparently some people were trying to use their Costco membership cards as a “REAL ID” instead. I had a hard time believing this was a prevalent problem but it must have been enough of an issue to inspire TSA to post this message on Facebook:

“We love hotdogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not.”

Got that folks? Do not try and use your Costco card as an ID for a domestic flight. 😛

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