Yes, staying healthy at home feels challenging enough, now add in travel, and it’s even harder. You’re coming into contact with tons of new people and food sources you’re unfamiliar with. Tons of people have come home from a trip sick. But, I promise you, all is not lost.

Airports are so full of people it makes it hard to stay healthy when you travel. They’re a common hotspot where a lot of airborne illnesses can spread. It pays to be careful!

As you might imagine, I’m traveling more than the average person. I write about travel and that means that I need to, ya know… travel. I research destinations, cruise lines, resorts, hotels, but to do that, I need to be there. I also can’t afford to get sick when I’m on the road, so I take precautions to make sure that I stay healthy and, since I started doing these things, I’ve never gotten sick when I’m traveling.

I’m not doing anything special either, I’m just taking easy, reasonable steps to keep myself safe from other people’s… less sanitary habits and there’s no reason you can’t do the same if you want.

Wash Your Hands

Yes, that’s really the first thing I do and it’s also the easiest thing I do. Using simple soap and water, along with about twenty seconds of scrubbing, goes a long way to keeping you healthy. There’s all sorts of nasty stuff that your hands come into contact with while you’re out and about and keeping your little fingies clean keeps the grossness out of you.

Aside from all the usual prodding by doctors and such to wash your hands, here’s one particularly good reason to grab the soap and water – norovirus. That little bug is one of the most unpleasant illnesses you can contract and each year, millions of people around the world experience all the fun there is to have with it, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Best of all, the disease is spread through human feces and vomit! That means that if you have the disease, it’s because you put those things in your mouth.

Airport lounges are great, just make sure to wash your hands before you eat!

Guess what hand washing does! It cleans your hands and kills norovirus!

Just keep that in mind when you do things like, handle a serving spoon at a buffet, hold onto the rail at the escalator, or tap on the seatback screen on a plane.

Now, you can still contract norovirus even if you wash your hands because it can also be spread through food or beverages prepared by someone who has norovirus and hasn’t cleaned their hands of their… poop or vomit. It can also be spread through places like pools because norovirus can live just fine in your standard chlorinated pool water.

Sanitizing Wipes and Such

This is why things like hand sanitizers and wipes have their place, but it isn’t at the top of my list. The cleaning agents deployed in these wipes are typically an alcohol and they often cannot kill norovirus, which is why hand washing is still the champ. Still, there’s lots of other nastiness that these things do clean up that protects you. Some strains of common viruses are killed by sanitizing wipes and gels, but they need to be used properly and contain high levels of alcohol to be effective. The figure that I see commonly quoted for minimal effectiveness requirements is to make sure that your sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol.

Touchscreens literally have “touch” in the name, Who knows how many fingers have been there.

The best time to use these products is when you cannot wash your hands or clean a surface with soap and water. Yes, that means that when I get on a plane, bus, train, etc., I wipe the seat down with a sanitizing wipe. I also hit any surface that I touch, like the tray table, and armrests with it. Take a close look at the usage instructions for whatever product you have because some sanitizers need several minutes to be effective, especially the wipes.

Also, as a courtesy for your fellow travelers, try to get unscented products. Some people are very sensitive to scented products and you are all about to share an often cramped and closed space. Don’t get me wrong, I love my vanilla scented stuff, but not everyone does. Being courteous costs nothing so it’s what I try to do.

Avoidance

The phrase “discretion is the better part of valor” comes to mind here. Sometimes my strongest defense to illness is to simply avoid things that make you sick.

Hear someone coughing? Move away from them. Is someone sniffling repeatedly? I’ll go the other way. Just looking sick in general? Just back up.

Again, this is not complicated. Put some distance between you and whoever is showing signs of illness.

Sometimes some space is better than… flocking… together!

That’s not the only thing to avoid though. You can also avoid interacting with common surfaces. One of the most notorious places for spreading disease are buffets. Tons of shared serving utensils and lots of people. When I’m traveling, buffets are everywhere. Cruise ships, hotel breakfasts, even the precious airport lounges. Obviously, you’ve got to eat, but do everything you can to wash your hands both before and after you touch the serving utensils.

Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Why before and after? Isn’t after enough?” Well, yes, but you don’t know what you’ve been touching and what’s on those surfaces. Again, it’s a bit of courtesy to others to clean your own hands before handling a common surface. If you need to rebel against something though, just rebel against the washing before and please, please, please, wash your hands after you touch it.

Masks

Yes, I use a mask when I travel. The moment that I hear coughing on the plane or bus, which is usually all winter long, I throw my mask on. When you’re on a moving vehicle, there’s no option to leave or get some distance and masks are a line of defense from breathing in the floating particles of mucus that someone else just hacked up into the air. Even if they aren’t sick, I don’t want to breathe in someone else’s snot! Yeah, humans are kinda disgusting!

This is an N95 mask I use for yardwork, though I often use a lighter surgical mask to ensure I don’t get sick when I travel.

To be crystal clear, the mask isn’t something that I bother with in places other than small and enclosed spaces. Airplanes, buses, trains, that’s when I think about it. This is doubly true if the coughing or sneezing culprit is the person next to you.

Sleep

Alright, not everything on this list is easy to do, I admit. Getting good or enough sleep is the hardest on the list to do, but it might actually be the best. Being well rested when you travel earns dividends for your immune system.

Again, I understand, this one is hard. Flights are early, last-minute packing keeps you up, travel anxiety is commonplace. Oh… and children. Every parent I’ve ever known has some amount of sleep deprivation. The point is, there’s lots of reasons you might not get great rest, before and during a trip. So, here’s a few ideas that might help with that:

1. If you have an early flight, falling asleep early often doesn’t work for folks. Just because you need to be awake at 4AM doesn’t mean your body starts getting sleepy at 7PM. Instead, try to make sure that you get enough sleep the two nights before you fly. It’s not perfect, but it’ll help and it’s easier to achieve.
   
2. Make your hotel rooms as dark as possible. Humans typically sleep better in dark rooms. Close the curtains (using a chip clip can help keep the drapes together), use a sleep mask, and turn off or hide bright blue LED charging lights on devices.
   
3. Keep your room cool. If you can get your room temperature below 70 F (19 C), there’s evidence showing that cooler environments improve your overall sleep. Hotel rooms are often quite easy to get to these temps but, your home bedroom might be harder.

What Are the Dangers on a Cruise?

I’ve given you my advice on how to stay healthy while traveling, but there’s one last topic I want to touch on – cruises.

A lot of the most head turning, attention grabbing news in the world of health have come from cruises lately. The hantavirus scare back in April was enough to make the world freak out about another pandemic. Just a little while back, there was this video from a cruise of a woman scratching her foot with a fork in the dining area. It’s enough to make you swear off sailing.

Those incidents are actually why I wanted to update this article, because we’re shown a lot of reasons to be scared of cruises specifically. Headlines are rarely reflective of the whole story, though, and it’s worth diving into what the reality is.

Right away, there’s no denying that cruise ships can have a slightly increased risk of things like norovirus and some respiratory diseases, like the flu, because of the large number of people in communal spaces. However, this is true of any similar situation. Conventions, concerts, amusement parks, all are large gatherings of people for extended periods. Using communal spaces in places like that brings similar risks.

Cruise ship buffet areas can be a hotbed for transmissible diseases, so make sure to take percautions when you go.

Why do we hear about people getting sick on a cruise then? Well, the cruise industry has to report it. If you get sick on a cruise, the ship needs to report any outbreaks to the port. In the US, that means the Centers for Disease Control or CDC. They monitor cruise ship health, advise on and sometimes oversee cleaning of ships with reported illnesses, and publish when outbreaks happen. All that means that we hear about illnesses when they happen.

If there was a similar outbreak at a convention, we probably wouldn’t hear about it on the news because there are far fewer reporting standards for events on land.

Don’t be scared, though, because health experts don’t see cruising as a risk to public health. There are elevated risks to being on a cruise ship, but they are similar to risks you face at other large gatherings. If you are comfortable going to Comic-Con or seeing Taylor Swift in concert, you should feel comfortable on a cruise.

Is the Hantavirus scary? You bet it is! Did that have anything to do with cruising? No. Those people got sick before the cruise when they engaged in dangerous activities while not heeding safety warnings. They literally went to a place with known Hantavirus issues to try and see a bird. I love birds and go birding myself, but there’s nothing that could convince me to do what they did.

Concert venues and other public gatherings can be just as dangerous, They’re just underreported.

Cruise ships have fully trained and licensed doctors onboard, and on the larger lines, a surprising array of impressive medical equipment to help diagnose all sorts of issues. In more severe cases, they can even medevac patients off the ship with a helicopter onto the mainland. We’ve been on a cruise where that happened so I can verify they will do it. It wasn’t for anything infectious, by the way, the person had a heart attack and needed immediate, advanced medical care.

All of this is to say, that as long as you are taking responsibility for your health and being considerate of the health of others around you, you can easily have a safe, and enjoyable journey on a cruise anywhere around the world. If you follow the guidelines I’ve set out, you can effectively mitigate your risks of illness anywhere you go. Whether it’s a cruise or a concert, you’ll be safer.

The post How to Stay Healthy When You Travel appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

The Evil Twin Attack

This might be one of the most basic and easily executed digital attacks there is and knowing how it works can help protect you from it.

Step 1: Find a place with where people want to access Wi-Fi. This is any place that commonly has a Wi-Fi network available. Coffee shops, cafés, airports, libraries, anything like that will work. Wherever the place is, so long as it has a Wi-Fi network for people to access and a bunch of people wanting to use it, it’s an ideal target.

Step 2: Once the target place is determined, the hacker will physically set up at the location, and this is where the attack begins. The attacker makes their own Wi-Fi network that copies the name of the legitimate network; that means that if the real Wi-Fi network is called Dark Roast Wi-Fi, the hacker will create a second network also called Dark Roast Wi-Fi. This step can be done with almost any device these days, including cellphones, laptops, tablets, and portable routers. The point is, you cannot just look around for a suspicious device and be alerted.

These Evil Twin attacks are so easy to execute, there’s nothing that will look out of place. It’s a very simple Wi-Fi Scam

Step 3: The hacker will try to encourage people to connect to the fake Wi-Fi. This is often done by making the signal stronger by using a more powerful antenna or simply moving closer to someone. By having a stronger signal, people are more likely to connect to that network. It could also force devices to connect to the network automatically if that option is selected on the device (more on this later).

Step 4: Once the fake network is established, the attacker may even go so far as to create a fake credential page. Many Wi-Fi access points ask you to login or register in some way before you use them and people are primed to accept this. This part of the attack is not necessary, but is quite common.

Step 5: Now that the target individual has connected to the fake network and is having their traffic routed through the hacker’s device, everything is vulnerable. The attacker can now monitor all of your traffic, observing everything you do, and possibly injecting malicious software onto your device without you even knowing.

What an Evil Twin Attack Might Look Like

Let’s game out a quick example of how this might play out in the real world.

You’ve been on a Virgin Voyages cruise for that last week, but’s it’s time to head back home. You’ve got a 6PM departure from MIA and there’s nothing to do but wait. You wanted an earlier flight, but those were more expensive and you didn’t mind waiting too much. You settle in at the gate for a bit and figure that you may as well get some work done before you get back to the office, you just know that there’s a pile-up waiting for you.

After grabbing a coffee from the Starbucks and settle in near one of the few available power outlets. Opening up your laptop, you find the airport Wi-Fi, which was a little odd because there were two of them with identical names. You choose the one with the stronger signal and connect to it. It asks you for some basic information, like your email address, first and last name, and birthday.

Now you’re online and you start answering emails and taking care of work. You also check your bank account and make sure that there’s no suspicious charges on your card. You’ve been away after all and you went to some strange restaurants, who knows if someone stole your card number when you handed it to the server. Everything seems fine and you get a jump start on those Monday morning emails. Unfortunately, all that was done through a fake network and you’ve compromised all sorts of information.

How Dangerous is an Evil Twin Wi-Fi Scam?

The reason that I bothered to write up such a banal story as an example is to demonstrate just how simple it is to fall prey to this attack. It’s amazingly simple and it can happen anywhere that Wi-Fi exists as a public access point. I wrote about Carnival Cruise Lines and their associated companies as well as Royal Caribbean and the lines they own all banning routing devices, and this is the exact type of attack I think they fear.

Here’s the bad news, these attacks are potentially quite dangerous. You really need to be vigilant when using Wi-Fi in public.

The good news is that these attacks are fairly easy to avoid if you take a few simple precautions.

Use mobile networks or your own hotspot

If you can, just use the cell network on your phone. This could mean using your cell phone as a hotspot or having your own mobile hotspot device, often called a jetpack. Staying on your own mobile connection will be very secure.

Avoid Unsecure Hotspots

These days, many devices will warn you or make you double check if you connect to an unsecure network. These unsecure networks are very common as Evil Twin attacks. Don’t connect to them.

Yes, these warnings can be frustrating, but they are also actively protecting your computer. Pay attention to them!

Check any warnings

If your computer/phone/tablet/browser/etc. starts giving you warnings that something isn’t secure, listen to it! Quit dismissing those things and pay attention.

Use a VPN and Stick to HTTPS

Without going into all the technicalities of why and how a VPN protects you, suffice it to say that they do. However, they need to be a reliable VPN. We use Nord VPN, which is a very common and reliable VPN and something that many people are aware of. To be clear this is not an endorsement nor an advertisement. There are many trustworthy VPNs available and you should consider getting one.

Another more technical bit is making sure that you are browsing websites in “https”. This is the start of websites that you can see in your browser’s address bar. Safe sites should show https at the start of their web address like, https://farfarawaytravels.com/. This simply represents a more secure type of connection.

Avoid logging into your accounts on public Wi-Fi

One way to protect yourself is to just not access anything you have to log into. This means don’t log into your bank or other financial accounts. It also means don’t check email, social media sites, or anything else that you sign in to.

What Can You do if You’ve Been a Victim of an Evil Twin Attack?

If you suspect you’ve been a victim of one of these attacks, immediately contact your financial institution. Should you see any suspicious charges on your cards or transfers from your accounts, that’s a sign that you’ve had your information stolen.

You also absolutely must change your passwords if you suspect you’ve been the victim of any Evil Twin Wi-Fi scam.

I wish that there was better advice about reconstructing things that I could give, but that would just be fantasy. Right now, the best defense is good defense. Avoiding these types of Wi-Fi scams is the best thing you can do to keep yourself safe because coming back from them is a lot harder than falling into them.

The post The Evil Twin Wi-Fi Scam Could Ruin Your Life appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Not only does healthy skin keep you looking younger, longer, but it also helps avoid melanoma and other health conditions later in life. I have multiple people, close to me in my life, who have had to undergo surgery, sometimes major surgery, to stop the spread of skin cancer. Sun safety isn’t the most fun thing to think about when you’re out on the beach, or even spending the day in your garden, but you’ll thank yourself later.

Stick with me and read the rest of the article. I know it’s a bit boring and these days you may have some preconceptions about what I’m going to say, but please have a little faith and give me a chance.

Why Do We Need Protection?

The sun, the bright glowing ball in the sky that you shouldn’t look at, throws off a lot of energy. It gives us heat, which is what allows for liquid water to exist on Earth and is why any of us exist. The sun gives us light, which is the basis for almost all plant life on Earth and how we humans see things. The big old orb also gives us some things that we need to be careful about, and for this article, that means UV light.

Ultraviolet light exists just beyond our visible spectrum, and the UV wavelength contains enough energy that, when it interacts with our skin’s cells, these rays actually cause a burn. Calling it sunburn isn’t just wordplay either, it is a burn just like you get from a heat source. In severe cases, there can be blistering, peeling, even nausea, fever, or chills. If you’ve never been burned that badly, count your lucky stars.

Some people are more sensitive to being burned than others. We all know someone who needs to cake on the goop lest they turn into a human tomato. I am one of these people and although looking like a Scooby-Doo ghost isn’t flattering, I’ll take that over the alternative. Just because you don’t burn easily, though, doesn’t mean that your skin isn’t impacted by UV light. Everyone should take care of their skin to stay healthy.

What’s Should I Do to Stay Safe?

The biggest, simplest, mostiest, hopefully not toastiest thing that you can do to stay safe is sunscreen. Yes, sunscreen, the thing that screens the sun. The effectiveness of sunscreen is measured by SPF, which stands for Sun Protection Factor. This widely known term is simply a quick way to represent how protective the sunscreen is. Essentially, the higher the SPF, the more UV light it blocks.

The lowest recommendation for adequate protection is 30 SPF, but many people, including myself, go with 50 or higher. Which SPF you reach for can be based on your skin’s need and how much UV there is on that day. The level of UV light at any given time is impacted by many variabilities. The strongest variables are location, time of day, and atmospheric elements.

Being closer to the equator, where the sun’s rays hit the atmosphere more directly, increases how much UV light makes it through our planet’s protective layer. During the hours of 12 PM to 3 PM (or 1200 to 1500 hours for our 24-hour clock enhanced friends), the sun’s light strikes most directly and further enhances how much UV reaches the surface. Clearer days allow the most light to reach us, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of safety by clouds because they do not block UV light and you can still be burned on cloudy days.

Anecdotally, several doctors and nurses I know have told me that they see more cases of severe sunburn on cloudy days than sunny ones because people don’t realize they aren’t fully safe.

There are also two types of UV light, UVA and UVB. UVB protection is very important to have because it is 1,000-2,000 times more damaging than UVA. Make sure your sunscreen protects against UVB as well.

What Kind of Sunscreens Are There?

There are two types of sunscreens on the market, traditional sunscreen, which is a chemical based protection, and mineral, which is a mineral based protection. Both types of products have their pros and cons, but both provide protection from UV.v

The more widely known and familiar sunscreen is the chemical-based products. These use chemicals that are absorbed by your skin and then provide protection from UV light. The protection is caused by the chemicals absorbing the energy from UV rays instead of your skin’s cells. Some common active ingredients are: avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate.

Chemical sunscreens are lighter to wear, transparent, and often more water-resistant, meaning they stay on your skin longer when exposed to water. However, their drawbacks can be that some people may experience an allergic reaction, and they take time to become effective, typically about 20 minutes.

Your typical chemical based sunscreen. This is the type that the FDA approved the new sunscreen ingredient for.

Over the years, concerns have also grown about the safety of sunscreens using those chemicals. By design, those chemicals are absorbed into the skin and, inevitably, some of them make their way to your blood stream. While long the term safety or danger of those chemicals has not been conclusively determined many people, including health professionals, advocate for better alternatives.

To the end of safer sunscreens, last week, the FDA approved a new ingredient for sunscreen, bemotrizinol. It’s the first new ingredient to be added to US sunscreen in more than 25 years, but it’s been in use in Europe and Asia for decades. I’m not going to dive into the regulatory hurdles that had stood in the way of this ingredient being used in US sunscreen, but this is widely regarded as a step in the right direction.

The good news is this ingredient will replace the older chemicals and there are significantly fewer concerns over the safety of bemotrizinol than the compounds it replaces. The bad news is that it will likely be a year or more before we see this ingredient hit the shelves of our supermarkets.

This is one of many mineral sunscreens available. These products will not have the new sunscreen ingredient in them.

Mineral sunscreens, which are widely available right now, are the other option. Just like the chemical-based products, these too have pros and cons. Among the pros are being less likely to cause allergic reactions, meaning they are good for sensitive skin, and immediate protection. Since mineral sunscreens work by reflecting UV light, rather than absorbing it, they work as soon as they are put on. The cons are that these products are often thicker, leaving a visible white cast on your skin, and can be harder to apply and feel heavier to wear.

Notably, there are no medical concerns with mineral sunscreens but, on the other hand, they also often are less water resistant than chemical sunscreens. That means that you’ll have to reapply more frequently if you’re in the water.

Most importantly, both types of sunscreens will keep your skin safe in the sun as long as you follow the directions for use.

Reef Safe

Another thing you might see when shopping for sunscreen is “reef-safe”. One thing we know about our sunscreens is that have the potential to damage coral reefs. That damage is principally caused by the chemicals in them. The idea behind “reef-safe” products is that the sunscreen does not contain chemicals that damage reefs and other sea life when it inevitably washes off you.

Be cautious, though, because “reef-safe” or “reef-friendly” are terms that are thrown on a lot of products but are they not regulated. That means that when you are shopping you can’t necessarily trust the label.

Look for titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredients to make sure your sunscreen is as reef safe as possible.

To be sure that any product you use is safe for our aquatic life, you need to look for sunscreen with either of these two active mineral ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Avoiding chemical sunscreens when you go in the water is an important part of keeping all our waterways healthy.

There are quite a few health and environmental organizations that have guides on finding reef safe sunscreen. The Surfrider Foundation recently published their guide on reef friendly sunscreens and it includes links to the scientific studies they reference and I’m always for showing your work.  

What Are Sunscreen Alternatives?

What if you can’t use or don’t want to use sunscreen? Perhaps you have sensitive skin, sensation issues, or something else? What’s the best way to protect yourself from the sun?

The most straightforward answer is to cover up. Umbrellas, parasols, long-sleeves, and big, silly, floppy, hats. That’s the answer.

Now, not all fabrics are equal when it comes to sun protection. You want something tightly woven, and materials that are good at absorbing UV light, which are typically blended or synthetic fabrics. If you want the best protection, you also want a darker, heavier fabric and a loose fit.

If you’re going swimming, you can also consider a water shirt to give you protection that won’t slough off in the waves. I have one and I love it. Mine even has a hood on it to help keep the top of your head safe. There is also clothing that is specifically rated and marketed with UPF, which stands for ultraviolet protection factor.

Wearing clothing for UV protection is my usual approach, because it’s simple and effective. I burn very easily and by wearing a lightweight, long sleeve, UPF rated top, I stay safe, grease free, and cool. But UV rays can be reflected off of surfaces, especially water, glass, and snow. That means that I’ll still use sunscreen on my face and other exposed skin to make sure I’m protected when I’m near those conditions, like when I’m on a boat.

Stay Safe and Get Outside

As I’ve been writing this, I’ve kept in the back of my mind the fact that we humans need the sun. Not just to grow plants or keep us warm, we need to be in sunlight for our health. Being outside in sunlight is what promotes vitamin D production. Somewhat ironically for this article’s focus on health, we specifically need the UVB, the most intense UV light, to make Vitamin D.

While it is absolutely true that we need that sunlight on our skin, the reality is you really don’t need much of that UV. To maintain a healthy level of vitamin D, humans only need about 4-15 minutes a few times a week at midday. That length of time will vary greatly depending on all the factors I mentioned earlier in this article, but it still isn’t very much.

I’m not endorsing any of these products, they are just what I had in my home. Whether you use these or something else, the important thing is that you’re protecting yourself.

Once you’ve got that exposure, which you can get quite easily with a short stroll at lunchtime, you’re good. After that length of time, the important health factor is to take care of your skin. Wearing sunscreen or covering up with clothes is still the best thing to do for your health once you’ve gotten the necessary UV exposure for vitamin D. Even SPF 15 sunscreen protects against skin cancers and precancers. Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma can be reduced by up to 50% through regular use of sunscreen.

In addition to this, it protects against skin aging. Wrinkles, sagging, spots, and “leathery” skin can all come from not protecting yourself. Those undesirable effects can all be reduced through regular, thorough use of sunscreen.

In the end, after you get your dose of vitamin D, it is always advisable to use sunscreen or cover your skin, regardless of age, skin type, or location, anytime that you are out and about in the sun.

The post Safety in The Sun – New Sunscreen Ingredient appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Importantly, EES is a different program than ETIAS, which is a separate program that we’ve covered previously. Because these two programs are being implemented around the same time, let’s highlight some of the details and differences.

EES:

• You don’t need to do anything before traveling.
• Biometric data will be collected at entry. Children under 12 years of age will not be fingerprinted.
• It does not require paying an entry fee.
• Applies to all non-EU and non-Schengen passport holders.

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System)

• You do need to complete a digital application form before you travel.
• Basic traveler information will be collected at application, but this program does not capture biometric data.
• There is a €20 fee due at time of application. The fee can be waived for people under 18 and over 70.
• Applies to any visa-free nationals that are traveling to these European countries.

The EES should become faster over time, but it’s quite slow right now.

These two programs have different aims. Going through the EES happens every time a traveler enters or leaves any of these countries and it is intended to track the movements of travelers through them. ETIAS is intended to raise money and control entry before travel. Additionally, the EES is active now and ETIAS is being rolled out in the last quarter of 2026.

Right now, the EES seems to be slowing down entry to Europe. Just a matter of two weeks ago, we had personal experience entering the travel zone at the Lisbon cruise terminal. Disembarkation took several hours to clear customs. That’s not great news for upcoming travels but, in the long run, European officials hope that EES will speed up the process.

For the moment, make sure that you plan for extra time to enter Europe.

Also, please note that these changes do not apply to the UK which, rather famously, is not part of Europe, I mean the EU. Indeed, The United Kingdom has it’s own travel fees coming online.

Princess Pours Program, What Is It?

The next update that might interest our readers is a major one from Princess Cruises. Just over a week ago, Princess announced that they are launching a new POURS collection, which will be arriving this summer.

As the name implies, this program is Princess looking to step up their game in the cocktail and mocktail experience. This collection isn’t another beverage package, it’s more of a marketing stunt. Princess wants to capture people’s attention by showing off nice drinks, and they’ve pulled in celebrities to help with that.

The announcement includes promotional images with Matthew and Camila McConaughey, Liev Schreiber​, Jason Momoa, Blaine Halvorson, Jon Bon Jovi and Jesse Bongiovi, and more besides. These stars aren’t just there for pictures, they all have their own alcohols that will now be served on Princess Cruises’ ships. From the McConaughey’s Pantalones Tequila to Kylie Minogue’s no alcohol sparkling rosé.

With the POURS program, you’ll be saying, “Alright, alright, alright…”

As I said, this isn’t a new drinks package so these new beverages will be included in Princess Plus and Premier. Which is nice to hear, since those programs got a price hike a while back.

My favorite thing about this is that as part of this revamp, Princess Cruises is markedly increasing the number of mocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks on offer. This is wonderful news for any sailor that doesn’t drink alcohol, like Nichole. These new offerings include drinks like the Hibiscus Zenberry Crush and Golden Orchard, which bring a level of sophistication without the hangover.

Given the shifting trends in alcohol consumption by the youngest generations, Princess is likely reading the room and looking to enhance their options. With Gen Z consuming far less alcohol than previous generations, increasing NA offerings will appeal to a larger portion of that market. Older generations still consume alcohol at pretty much the same rate between them, but over the years consumers of all ages have trended toward higher quality and more sophisticated drinks. The POURS program hits both of those desires and will step up Princess’ game at the bar, which is something I’m quite glad to see them do.

United Airline Changes: The Good and the Bad

United Airlines has announced several changes recently which are being met with both joy and annoyance.

First, United announced that they will begin kicking people off flights should they be listening to music or shows without headphones. In other words, if someone is broadcasting whatever they are watching to the whole cabin, you may be removed from the plane. While I haven’t personally encountered behavior like this before, it was apparently happening enough that they felt the need to create a rule for it.

Let it be known that if you fly United, you should bring some headphones. Or maybe a book. I really loved A Gentleman In Moscow, so I would pick that up.

In slightly less welcome news, United recently announced Fare Options, separating each seat type into three new forms, Base, Standard, and Flexible. These fare options will have different costs and different rules associated with them.

New fares from United means that you’ll be paying more for miles.

For example, a Base fare ticket will be charged extra if you want to choose your seat location, while a Standard and Flexible fare will let you choose the seat. Similarly, the Base fare will get one checked bag, while the others will have 2 bags. Flexible operates much more like Standard, but can get a refund, while the other two typically do not.

Finally Base Fare, even in business class, doesn’t earn miles when flying or give lounge access. This means you could pay top dollar for a Polaris seat and not get to stay at their special lounge or get a single mile for the flight if you choose the Base Fare option.

This puts United much more in line with how Delta has operated since they announced their fare options around this time last year. All of this comes on the heels of United cutting back their milage program to make it much harder to earn miles outside of the higher-cost seats.

I’ve included a chart from United so you can see some of the restrictions placed on the base fare. The chart you see is specific to Polaris, which is United’s top tier long haul flight cabin. As you can see, the base fare has plenty of restrictions on it.

I wrote an article last year that asked if airline status is worth it. These changes give me one more reason to say, no. I say, fly the best rate in the best seat you care to pay for, and whichever airline that’s with is who you fly on – diamond be damned.

The post You Need To Plan For Long Wait Times With EES appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Oh… You’re still here. You want an explanation, you say? Well then, I guess I’ll explain.

Can cruise ships really just change your itinerary?

Once again, yes, cruise ships can just change your itinerary with, basically, no notice. The cruise lines reserve the right to amend, alter, and cancel any part of the cruise, including any ports, and even cancel the entire sailing. To show you what I mean, let’s take a look at a contract from Princess Cruises. It’s a typical representation of a passage contract, which is what you agree to when you book a cruise.

Here is an excerpt from Princess Cruises passage contract:

Except as otherwise provided, Carrier may, for any reason, without prior notice, cancel the cruise; deviate from the scheduled ports of call, route and timetable; call or omit to call at any port or place or cancel or modify any activity on or off the vessel; comply with all governmental laws and orders given by governmental authorities; render assistance to preserve life and property; or change the date or time of sailing or arrival, change the port of embarkation or disembarkation, shorten the Cruise or substitute vessels, aircraft or other transportation or lodging.

Since most people are not versed in legalese, the “Carrier”, in this case, means the cruise line and that wall of text means they can change itinerary plans with no prior notification and they can do so for any reason. The passage contract continues:

Accordingly, You should not make any important arrangements or meetings based on the scheduled Cruise, which may change without liability to Carrier.  Furthermore, the Captain of the vessel as well as the operator of any other means of transportation may, in his/her sole discretion, take any action deemed necessary for the safety, security, comfort, or well-being of any person or to prevent damage to or loss of the vessel.

In other words, this is the cruise line advising you, the passenger, not to make important plans around the cruise ship arriving at where or when its scheduled to arrive. “Important plans” is open to some interpretation, but that could be something like a wedding, a business meeting, a funeral, even a medical appointment. The contract goes on to give notice that the Captain of the ship has the power to, at their sole discretion, change plans and take actions to keep people safe, secure, and comfortable and do the same for the ship itself.

This is just the first paragraph of Section 8, which covers schedule deviations, of 18 sections in the contract. There are three more paragraphs in Section 8 alone.

Lawyers be thorough.

To be clear, I am not one and this is not professional legal interpretation. Additionally, just to be doubly clear, Princess is not being singled out here. That language is similar to other lines, and I chose it because Princess is one of the largest cruise companies in the world so many people have taken a cruise under that exact language.

Should This Make Me Nervous?

Let’s step back and have a reality check about this for a second. When legal structure comes into play it starts to feel intimidating to many folks, which I get. However, this is not the time to hit the panic button.

The reason that this language exists is to protect the cruise companies from lawsuits because they didn’t go to a specific port on the itinerary and ensure that the captain of the cruise ship can make the call to keep a ship safe and undamaged even if it means that the passengers don’t get to go to The Bahamas.

It’s good to ask, can a cruise just change the itinerary, but it’s not a common occurrence.

In practice, this doesn’t really impact your typical cruise all that much. It’s not like cruise lines are out here just taking people’s money and telling them to get bent every time they leave port. It’s in the cruise line’s interest to give the passengers a good time so they want to come back and, broadly speaking, people want more cruises. The cruise industry has grown consistently over the decades to be one of the most popular ways to vacation, especially for families.

Customers often don’t go back to companies when they have a bad time and given the growth of the industry it’s reasonable to conclude that most people are having a good time on cruises.

That’s not to say that bad times don’t happen, though. What you need to know is what to prepare for.

Why do these changes happen?

To understand why the cruise lines reserve the power to change the cruise without prior notice, we need to discuss the realities of sailing.

The moment you step onto a cruise ship, you are embarking on one of the largest vehicles and most complex systems ever created. Take a moment to think about all the things that a cruise ship is, what it contains, and the tasks it performs. It contains hundred or even thousands of hotel rooms for guests, hundreds more rooms for the staff, not to mention the commons spaces like bars or theaters for people to spend time in. There are desalination plants to provide fresh water, there is an engine to propel the ship and provide power to every inch of the vessel. There is a brig, medical facilities, food preparation and storage to feed thousands of people every day. Most have at least one pool, many have two or more, there are hot tubs, gyms, spas, and shops. All of it needs to be cleaned, daily, and the ship is ten stories tall, or more, above the water.

Oh, the water. I almost forgot. The entire thing floats on the ocean and needs to navigate, safely, waters that can experience 100+ mph winds and waves that crest 40 feet or more.

Careful consideration needs to be given to the safety of all the people on board and all the equipment. That’s not something to be taken lightly and cruise lines will do what they need to keep you out of harm’s way. The reason you so rarely hear stories of ships navigating weather like that is because they take pains to avoid it, even if it means skipping ports or changing destinations.

The weather doesn’t even need to be that extreme to cause a problem. Some ports have narrow channels or shallows that could wreak havoc on a massive ship being piloted through tight spaces. If the waves and currents are too strong, ships might not be able to safely dock.

Besides the weather, another reason that needs to be considered is medical emergencies. Sometimes this means that a person needs to be evacuated from the ship and that means changes to schedules or experiences. I’ve taken several cruises that diverted for medical emergencies where we stopped at ports that weren’t planned on so someone could get lifesaving care.

Other considerations are widespread violence or war. We’ve seen companies scuttle destinations or pull out of entire regions because of both of those. Earlier this year, Mexican cartel violence exploded and some lines skipped Mexican ports. On the other side of the world, cruise ships no longer go through the Red Sea because of war in Yemen and ships being threatened.

I’ve given examples of just a few things, but once you consider the complexity of everything at play you start to understand the caution needed. Ships don’t like to change plans because they pick up fuel and supplies at some stops and sourcing all their various needs becomes more challenging the more itineraries are altered. They also, let’s not forget, want you to have a good time and changing plans makes that harder to do in many cases.

While all that is true, the bottom line for a cruise ship is that none of that comes before safety and security.

What recourse do you have?

If the plans change and your entire cruise is altered, there are still obligations that the cruise line has to you but, there are also things they are not obligated to do. Let’s start with what they are obligated to do.

Should the cruise line not stop at a port, they do need to refund you the port fee that you paid. Most of the time these fees are between $5 – $15 per person for each port. They also need to refund you any excursions that were booked at that port, if, and this is critical,you booked it through the cruise line. If youbooked thatexcursion on your own, outside of the cruise company, that loss is on you.

Additionally, if a cruise is shorter in length than what you paid for, you are likely entitled to compensation. As an example, if you paid for a 10 night cruise and the sailing only lasted 5 nights, then there is likely a refund of your fare that you are owed, prorated by the portion of the length of the voyage that was completed. In our example that would be a 50% refund. That may even be true in the case of weather causing the shortening.

You also may have paid attention to the phrase, “Except as otherwise provided”, in the passenger contract above. That clause is, really, about mechanical issues. Should a ship suffer mechanical problems, like an engine failure, those are, typically, considered to be the responsibility of the cruise line and, should they occur, the cruise line then becomes liable for some form of compensation to passengers. The specifics of the compensation will vary by situation, but there will be some form of remedy.

There’s another important document that passengers, at least North American ones, should know about when it comes to their rights, the International Cruise Line Passenger Bill of Rights, the PBOR. This document is not a law, but rather a set of rules that has been adopted by oceangoing members of CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association. The PBOR outlines certain rights that these companies guarantee for passengers sailing on their ships. Take a few minutes and read it over, it isn’t dense legalese or complex, but it is important.

Beyond what I’ve stated above, there is nothing that a cruise line is obligated to do should they change your itinerary. They owe you no refund, explanation, or apology.

That, and this is true, does not mean that it doesn’t suck if they do that.

What can you do?

Well, there’s really only one thing that you can do should a cruise line decide to change all the plans and not tell you until it’s happening – complain.

There isn’t a better answer than that, truly. Complaining about the way that you were treated or how much the situation sucks is the only thing you can, realistically, do. With that in mind, I’m going to share my advice on how to complain most effectively.

Here are my bona fides on complaining.

• Manager of customer service call center that served 100,000+ customers.
• Food service employee, supervisor, and restaurant manager for 5+ years.
• Twenty years working in customer service and customer engagement and retention.

Believe me when I tell you, I know how to effectively complain.

Here’s the strategy:

1. Do not be rude. Personal insults, hostility, name calling, etc., will always get you little or nothing. The company has more money, PR, and lawyers than you do and the employees are often cogs in a machine given little ability to override policy or compensate people. What abilities, and mental/emotional bandwidth, they do have will not be used on a person who belittles them.
2. Know your rights. Understanding exactly what your rights are gives you grounding in the conversation. Not all employees fully understand the rights of the consumer, not out of maliciousness, but because most call centers suck at providing training to their staff and that’s something that’s only getting worse in my opinion. If you have firm ground to stand on with your argument, you are in a much better position should you need to escalate it.
3. Be firm and consistent. Know what you are looking to get before you complain. If you are looking for an amount, state that amount and don’t change it. It doesn’t mean you are going to get it, but being consistent in what you ask for makes you seem more reasonable.
4. Contact your travel agent. We travel agents have some pull with these companies. I don’t want to overstate our influence, but we do have a different relationship with them than you do as a consumer. If you book through a travel agent, we can help take up the fight with you and coordinate our efforts. There’s also the advantage that we can help advise you on the first three points.
5. As a last resort, publicly air your grievance. Sometimes shaming a company can get results. They want to control their image as much as possible and a public display of your bad interaction can bring about actions. However, you still need to follow the first three rules when you do this. If you post something publicly and you just make yourself look bad, it won’t help your case. Being courteous, professional, informed, and consistent are absolutely key to this working.

This is not a huge problem

I’ve just put more than two thousand words down, explaining the legal structure of passenger contracts and what your rights are under them. That’s a lot of information but it really isn’t that big of deal most of the time.

I’ve sailed on cruises more than most people; it’s part of my job. Changing or cancelling ports has only happened to me once. Yes, we missed some ports we wanted to see because bad weather made it unsafe to stop. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small problem. The line gave our port fees back and we got some onboard credit for the trouble. I wish we could have stopped there, but sometimes things can’t be helped.

I’ve said this before, many times, but sometimes your job as a traveler is to roll with the punches. No one can control everything in life, and it can get messed up. Keep a level head, try to have a positive attitude and, if something goes wrong, follow the advice I gave above.

The post Can A Cruise Just Change The Itinerary Last Minute? appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Late last week, an executive order was signed that commanded TSA agents to be paid. This should not be confused with Congress passing a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, far from it. Disfunction still remains within the halls of Capitol Hill and no bill to fund DHS has been passed by both chambers. However, airport wait times dropped on Monday to normal levels.

Where does that leave all of us?

What Was Going On?

The partial government shutdown that’s been going on for more than a month is over Department of Homeland Security funding. DHS includes the Coast Guard, TSA, and Customs and Border Protection, which houses ICE. That last agency is what the impasse revolves around, with Democrats refusing to fund ICE further and Republicans wanting to continue funding ICE as normal.

As the shutdown has dragged on, the funding to pay employees in DHS evaporated. ICE, however, was given a massive funding increase in the reconciliation process last year in Congress and they continue to be paid out of those funds. The relevant impacts for travelers is that ICE has now been deployed to airports and the TSA was working without pay.

I covered this previously and it remains true that it is unclear what ICE agents are doing or can do to support TSA operations. The lack of pay was driving callouts and resignations by TSA agents, leading to huge wait time increases at security screening checkpoints around the nation. Many commented, around the internet, that TSA agents working without pay while watching ICE agents get paid, further embittering them to the entire situation. I cannot say how true that is, but the sentiment is understandable.

TSA Gets Paid

Over the weekend, an executive order was issued that charged DHS to pay TSA employees. Monday, payments hit employee bank accounts and wait times at major airports seem to be down. How is that possible without funding from Congress?

Typically, the answer is, it’s not. However, the reconciliation bill passed last year, which contained the large funding increase for ICE, and is apparently being used to pay TSA agents. It remains unclear whether the move is legal or not. The impacts of the move are clear, though, as callouts at major airports have dropped so have the wait times at security checkpoints.

In the meantime, Congress failed to agree on a measure to restore DHS funding. The Senate passed a resolution to fund DHS, except for ICE, but the House rejected that and responded with their own measure that funded ICE and the rest of the DHS. In turn, the Senate rejected the House measure.

What Does This Mean For Travel?

While TSA agents have been paid, the measure is a temporary one at best. Congress holds the power of the purse and has been unable to agree on how to fund DHS. That means that no more funding is flowing to the agency, which is to say zero, than it was before the executive order to pay TSA agents.

Without an agreement from Congress, the root of the problem remains, and funding for the TSA will hang over every traveler’s head like the Sword of Damocles. It’s possible that someone challenges the legality of the payments, which could put us back at square one. It’s possible that this won’t last for long and we may find ourselves back here within a few weeks. The only remedy is passage of a funding bill, which the two chambers seem to be unable to agree on and the White House has indicated they may not sign even if they do pass legislation.

This funding failure by the U.S. elected representatives has put us all in a quagmire of uncertainty. In February, TSA PreCheck and Global Entrty were shut down. Then PreCheck was almost immediately reinstated following intense backlash from the public. Some days later, Global Entry resumed, although that bit of news was under reported by comparison because we were then dealing with the effects of war with Iran.

It’s good news that TSA agents are getting paid. When people do work, they must be paid for it. It would be better if they were paid in a way that didn’t raise questions of legality. For now, though, the crisis of wait times and paying TSA agents has been mitigated and the wait times at airports have gone back to normal.

The post Airport Wait Times Reduced to Normal as TSA is Paid appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

What Is Impacted

Over the weekend, airspace over large parts of the Middle East was closed. How long those closures will last is unknown but if past is any indication, it is likely to last for longer than a week. In June of 2025, when the last joint U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran was launched, the airspace disruption lasted for 12 days.

The only clarity to be found regarding travel disruptions is that they are happening. Airspace has already been closed in the region and passengers have already been stranded. To give a sense of scale to the disruption, the airports in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE were just some of the countries that experienced flight cancellations.

Airlines have already advised passengers to keep a close eye on their flight status. A number of airlines have issued waivers to impacted passengers allowing rebooking their flight without paying additional fees or higher fares.

What To Expect

This is our take on the situation. If you are traveling to the region soon, definitely in the next two weeks, your flight will almost certainly be delayed or cancelled. Be ready to adjust your plans with no notice.

Travelers who are not traveling to the Middle East may not be directly impacted by the disruptions, but it is likely some knock-on effects will be felt. What those effects are remains unknown but there are a few things that could be easily imagined.

Increased security screening could be seen at all airports. The State Department indicated that this was a caution for U.S. citizens worldwide, which means here at home as well. Additional delays in TSA screening and customs is, in my opinion, likely. These delays are on top of any delays from the Department of Homeland Security’s decision last week to suspend Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (they quickly reinstated PreCheck).

The U.S. State Department’s Worldwide Travel Caution Could Herald Many Headaches.

Beyond the security delays, airlines themselves are massive machines and disrupting travel in one region can make things harder in other regions. I guarantee that you’ve had a flight delayed because a flight was delayed from another region. That could be because flight crew was needed from the other flight or it is just causing a disruption in takeoff and landing schedules.

The worldwide travel caution may also mean more crowded airports with more passengers on edge. Last-minute cancellations and delays could mean people stuck at terminals waiting hours or days. Those frustrations compound on everyone in the airport and airplane. Flight crews then have to deal with the additional pressure.

In short, be ready for tension and stress when traveling.

What Can You Do?

I give this advice to every single person who travels, regardless of the circumstances, timing, or destination: “Be aware, be prepared, and be reasonable.”

When you plan for the possibility of delays, it’s less stressful when they happen. If you get travel insurance, it can protect you from losses from disruptions. If you stay reasonable and calm, especially when dealing with employees of companies like Delta (think of gate agents and flight attendants), it will pay dividends.

The post State Department Issues Worldwide Travel Caution For All Americans appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Climbing Number of Cruise Ship Outbreaks

2025 saw 23 recorded outbreaks on cruise ships. That number is up from 18 in 2024. That marks an increase of almost 27.8% year over year. This is a similar, but slightly slower, increase from the 2023-24, which was at a rate of around 28.6%. Both of these numbers are higher than the overall cruise passenger growth during that time, which is to say more people are cruising and they are getting sick more frequently.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, norovirus is by far and away the most common cause of illness. Of the recorded outbreaks last year, almost 74% of them were norovirus. That percentage could be higher since there are unknown illnesses, which means that VSP could not determine what the illness was. Typically, this is done with bacterial cultures made from samples taken from spaces the impacted people all had in common, like a dining area or the pool. Those do not always create clear results, such as a large culture of one type of bacteria. That means that even the unknown illnesses could also have been norovirus.

The Good News

I’m a silver lining sort of person, much to the irritation of many people around me, so I will almost always find the nugget of hope, but there is one to find here. Thus far in 2026, the number of recorded cruise ship outbreaks is lower than previous years at a similar point. We’ve just passed the halfway point of February and there’s only one (1) recorded outbreak at this time.

That number can increase as reports are slightly delayed from initial detection and reporting to the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). The delay makes sense as it takes a bit of time to examine and culture problems areas and then log them in the system. As of writing (February 16^th), I could easily see an outbreak from the last two weeks not being entered, or even an ongoing outbreak that has yet to conclude from being reported.

However, if we can stick to an average of a single outbreak per month we’d be doing much better than 2025. Since January only had the one occurrence, we’re on track so far.

I can’t find anything specific from any cruise line regarding different approaches to maintenance, but after two years of increasing outbreak numbers it would strike me as sensible that at least some of them reassessed their protocols for cleaning.

What Does This Mean For You?

Putting this in perspective a bit, there were tens of millions of people taking cruises last year. Thousands of those cruises were in the US and were monitored by VSP. Only 23 recorded outbreaks. This is a small portion of the overall cruise industry, including its passengers and staff, that see this happen in a given year. The occurrence rate is trending in the right direction as well, so that portion of cruises that is impacted is getting smaller (for now).

Before we get too footloose and fancy-free regarding cruise ship outbreaks, let’s have a small reality check. We humans easily confuse the phrase, “small chance”, with the statement, “won’t happen.” Getting sick on a cruise can still happen, even if the chances are small. Protecting yourself is easy, though, and it’s mostly just washing your hands. You can read about how to stay healthy while traveling in this article, which I wrote just a few months ago.

The biggest takeaway for you, as a traveler, from this news is that if you wash your hands and cover your sneezes and coughs, you’ll be keeping yourself and everyone else safer.

The post Good And Bad News With Cruise Ship Outbreaks appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

You have booked and paid for your vacation that you planned for over a year. You are packing and know that nothing can go wrong. But things do happen more often than you realize. Flights are delayed because of weather or mechanical issues. Luggage is delayed or lost. A family member becomes ill and has to be hospitalized. There is a hurricane in the Caribbean. We read about these incidents every day. And the online forums are filled with the stories of people who did not buy travel insurance that would have protected them.

More travelers than ever are taking the extra step to make sure they are covered for costly issues before and during their vacation – by purchasing travel insurance, also known as travel protection. Planning a beach vacation should be an exciting time – not one filled with worry and stress. To help make sure you have a smooth journey, we have put together some essential tips to help you get the most out of your travel insurance.

Travel Insurance: What It Is and What It is Not

Travel insurance is not a substitute for major medical insurance. It covers emergency medical expenses you may incur while traveling, such as hospital stays and doctor visits.

Travel insurance will reimburse you for some or all expenses when you must cancel or interrupt a trip for certain reasons. Called “covered reasons” by the insurers, these include reasons such as a serious illness, accident, or death of you, or a traveling companion, or loved one.

Most policies cover you if you are called to jury duty. Many will reimburse a part of the costs for missing luggage or lengthy travel delays. Some have cancellation clauses for work related issues. 

Many policies have added benefits like an 800 number or concierge to help with issues like lost passports or documents or help in locating clinics or pharmacies. There are some policies with apps where you can file claims immediately on your phone. 

Tip: Always pay by credit card, not debit card, as it improves your chance of getting your money back.

Protect Yourself

When people think of Travel Insurance, they think about coverage for a medical emergency. This is just one benefit and especially important one. Here are a few examples of unexpected medical expenses while on vacation.

We had a family member on a cruise who became ill, but not seriously. The cost for simple tests and medications onboard medical services was over $2000.

Recently a woman became ill on vacation and needed fluids administered. The cost was $1600.

The cost to be medically evacuated can be $20,000 to over $100,000 depending upon the distance and mode of transportation. 

In most cases, a person will pay out of pocket for any medical services (even on a cruise ship). Their personal health insurance may or may not reimburse them. Or the service can be considered “out of network” in which case only a portion of the cost is reimbursed. 

A travel insurance policy can cover the out-of-pocket costs for these situations.

Seniors Take Note!! You Need Travel Insurance

Medicare does NOT cover most foreign medical expenses. Seniors should always buy travel protection that will cover them for medical emergencies when outside of the U.S. Also, look for policies that will cover those extremely expensive medical evacuations should it become necessary.

Some foreign hospitals will not treat you without an upfront payment. There are travel insurance policies that will cover this and pay the hospital directly.

Do You Have a Pre-existing Condition?

Are you planning a trip and have a pre-existing medical condition? If you are taking blood pressure medication or a cholesterol lowering drug, that can be considered a pre-existing condition. Don’t let that stop you from traveling! Many travel insurance policies offer coverage for pre-existing conditions, but you will need to buy the insurance within a certain period after booking your trip. It is usually within 2 to 3 weeks of paying the initial deposit for your trip. With the right policy, you can travel with peace of mind and enjoy your vacation with confidence!

We can help you find the plan that is right for you.

Protection Against Terrorist Action

Are you planning a trip soon? While many travel insurance policies don’t include automatic coverage for terrorism, you can easily add it on for extra peace of mind. Let us help you get the protection you need, so you can relax and enjoy your trip.

Beware: Your Credit Card Coverage May Not Cover You

Many people assume the coverage from their credit card will take care of them. And sometimes it does. Other times, it might not provide the coverage you need. People often find that their credit card travel insurance was not enough to cover expenses. Take the time to read through the details and make sure you know what is and isn’t covered. You don’t want to be left without the protection you need!

Want To Cancel for Any Reason?

These plans exist. Insurance that lets you Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) typically needs to be paid within the first week or two after reservations are deposited. These policies tend to be expensive and often only cover only a percentage of your costs. If you want it, ask for a quote before you put down your initial deposit for your trip.

Should You Buy from the Cruise Line or Airline?

It is easier to buy travel protection from your cruise line, airline, etc. and they sometimes offer more than a travel insurance plan. However, it can be more costly. We are more than happy to provide you with a quote from one of our trusted providers so that you can compare this to the coverage offered by a cruise line, airline, or tour group. 

If a supplier provides the insurance, but then goes bankrupt, will you still have coverage? Will you have help getting home? Many travelers were left stranded when Crystal Cruises suddenly abandoned operations due to financial default. Some travelers were left to find their own way home.

To protect against this, look for policies that cover “financial default of supplier.” We do recommend insurance through the cruise lines at times, but only those we trust with a solid financial record. For many people, buying through a third party is the best choice.

Our Best Tip: Do you travel more than twice a year?

Buy a plan that covers you all year long. This is what we do. An annual plan that covers all your trips can be a great way to save money and reduce stress when it comes to traveling. They are surprisingly cost-effective, and you must only purchase it once a year. It covers all the trips you take in that year, including those within 100-200 miles from your home. 

We highly recommend this approach, as we often find that buying an annual multi-trip plan is cheaper than buying a single trip plan from a travel supplier. Of course, we work with only the most reliable and trustworthy insurance providers to ensure you get the best value for your money.

Learn more about the ins and outs of travel insurance in this excellent Washington Post article.

The post Why You Need Travel Insurance: 2026 Edition appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Banned Items

These are the big no-nos that you should not bring with you. The following are banned from cruise ships:

• Weapons – No weapons are allowed. That means you leave your knives, gun(s), and/or explosives at home. The cruise lines will not mess around. Do not FAFO with this.
  
  There are some very specific exceptions to this ban, all of which are line dependent (check before you leave). Things like scissors and shaving razors may be allowed. Some lines may also allow dive knives (for SCUBA and snorkel) so long as they are held by security or guest services.
• Drugs – Just don’t. Cruises frequently stop at different countries and they likely have different laws about which drugs are allowed. In Michigan, my home state, marijuana is legal but in, say, Curaçao it is not. If you bring illicit drugs to Curaçao, you are going to be in a pickle, so leave that party at home.
• Fire risks – Hair dryers, candles, kettles, cigarettes, basically anything that has the job of being hot or burning. This typically includes heating pads and electric blankets.
  
  Hair dryers will typically be supplied in your room by the cruise line, if you are worried about that. Perhaps oddly, curling irons and straighteners are a grey area. Some lines ban them completely, others allow them, some provide their own to use. You’ll need to check your specific line before you leave if you use any of those.

It brightens up the room, but live plants are a banned cruise item. If you want some flowers, talk to cruise line staff.

• Fresh flowers or plants – This is a less obvious category for most people but, once you think about it, it starts to make sense. Cruises stop are all sorts of ports and by bringing live plants from one place to another you may be spreading diseases. It’s a potential threat to local ecosystems to introduce something from another place. If you really want to have some flowers on the ship, there’s usually a way for the cruise line to provide it.
• Drones and other remote-controlled devices – In the last 20 years, remote controlled flying devices went from the sole domain of dedicated hobbyists to mainstream. In that transition, their use has become problematic and more regulations have come into place. The cruise lines have banned them entirely. From their perspective, there’s just too many potential problems from them. Further, many countries have limited their use to only licensed operators. Drones are quite cool, I want to get my license to use them commercially at some point, but we gotta leave them at home.
• Speakers – Most cruises ban all portable speakers, including Bluetooth or other wireless sound devices (this does not include earbuds/headphones). The lines state that this is because these devices could interfere with guest abilities to hear public announcements. That reasoning is sound (get it?!), but I imagine that there’s also a large amount of not wanting guests to be fighting over playing music too loudly and other tension points like that. In either case, leave these things at home.

My surge protectionless power cube. I never travel without it.

• Various tech – The cruise lines will not allow you to bring your satellite dishes, routers, and other similar equipment onboard. I wrote an article about why these are banned that you might want to read. Importantly, every cruise line prohibits surge protectors because the power network on the ship will not play nice with them and could cause them to explode. If you use an outlet expander, make sure that it does not have surge protection. Not all cruise lines are uniform on what tech you can and cannot bring, so this is something you will want to check your individual cruise line for.
• Perishable food – If you buy a packaged snack in port, like a bag of chips, that’s okay to bring back, but fish, for example, is not. Meat, homemade food, and fruits or veggies are not allowed on the ship. If you have special dietary needs be sure to contact the cruise line before (or have your travel advisor do it for you).
• Various sports equipment – Most lines ban sport sticks and bats (hockey, baseball, cricket, lacrosse, ski poles). They also prohibit things like canoes and surfboards and bicycles. The bats and sticks could easily be made threatening, so banning them is obvious. As for the canoe… I mean, yeah, just try to fit a canoe in your cabin.
• Tools and power tools – I… I uhhh… Really!?! They had to ban power tools. Who brought a drill? Why are you bringing tools on vacation? What were ya gonna do with it? Stop trying to remodel the bathroom on your cruise! I know they’re kinda small but this is NOT the right way to go about fixing that!

Partially Banned or Controlled Items

There are also some things that are not completely banned by cruise lines, but they are more controlled.

• Bringing alcohol onboard – Most lines allow you to bring a bottle or two of wine or champagne, but anything other than that is right out. That being said, tons of people buy alcohol on their excursions. I’ve purchased my fair share of rum, tequila, and wine on my travels. Once you bring it back to the ship, it will be confiscated and you will be given a claim check for it to be reclaimed when you are disembarking.

Only on Cunard can you bring your pet. Otherwise, they are a banned cruise item.

• Animals – You cannot bring pets on board most cruise ships. Service animals are allowed, but they typically exclude emotional support animals. There is one notable exception to this – the Queen Mary 2. That ship has a kennel onboard and people do bring their pets on their cruises and play with them while they sail along.
• Power cords – Royal Caribbean and all its subsidiaries ban any extension cords and power outlet expanders. This is separate from the prohibition of surge protectors.
• Door decorations – Almost every cruise goer has seen magnetic or paper door decorations. Many people like to decorate their cabin door to add their own personal touch to it. Some just like adding an identifying marker to their door to make it easier for them to find in a sea of identical doors.
  
  There’s one notable exception that makes this worth mentioning – Norwegian Cruise Lines. Yup, NCL bans all door decorations due to (checks notes) “their flammable nature.”
  
  Alright then. I want to know the story behind how they became the one line to make that decision.

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