Consumer affairs

by Robert McGarvey

This time of year is when we see an avalanche of articles, blogs, and Instagram stories about how to hurry up and get airline elite status.

Word of advice: don’t bother.

There’s just not enough there to justify taking a long flight to Santiago Chile and back the next day just to qualify for low level elite status.

Now, if you really want to see Santiago Chile, go for it. I’ve been, it’s a delightful place. You’ll get over 11,000 miles for the round trip. But go because it’s a great destination.

Not if you just want to get low level elite status. If that’s the only prize I wouldn’t fly from Colorado Springs to Denver which is the shortest regularly scheduled route I can find that is still operating. (The SFO to STS flight apparently is no more and I wouldn’t bother flying it either.)

The reality is that it is easy – and cheap – to get the perks of a low level elite without the bother of flying.

At the other extreme, If you are very close to high level elite status – 1K on United, Diamond on Delta, Executive Platinum on American – it might be worth your time and money to take a fast flight to nowhere just to qualify for that bigger basket of perks. No one but you can decide if the prize warrants the bother. But if I were that close to the highest level elite, I’d probably take a flight from PHX to whichever of my favorite east coast cities with a qualifying distance was cheapest. Because with high level elite status there are genuine perks such as a legitimate chance at upgrades, free Sky Club access, and much more for Diamond Delta flyers, for instance. United and American offer comparable for their highest elites.

I would not cross the street to get lower access.

At the top rung there are real benefits. Not so much at lower levels, at least not by my measure.

For instance, Delta silver brings complimentary upgrades (if available and they won’t be with planes flying full and three levels of elite getting upgraded first), priority boarding and free baggage check.

American offers its entry tier elites – here they are gold- the same illusory upgrades, priority boarding and one free checked bag.

I can match that with no status on AA. With my Barclays Aviator Red Mastercard ($99 annual fee) I get 1 mile for every dollar put on the card (2 miles for AA purchases), free bag check, priority boarding, $25 in statement credits against purchases of inflight WiFi, no foreign transaction fees, and more.

If I want – and I probably will in 2023 – I can designate AA for the $200 fee reimbursement provided for Amex Plat cardholders on an airline of their choice.

I don’t see that qualifying for entry level elite on AA gives me anything I don’t already have and my preference always has to been to fly the carrier with the best flight for me, not to fly a carrier where I am trying to build up loyalty.

The priority boarding is the real bonus, especially in an era when the overhead bins are frequently maxed out long before the last passengers have boarded. And I get that.

So I want the credit card perks. And I like the price.

Until a month ago I had a Chase United Explorer card which gave me about the same benefits of an entry level elite, plus two passes to the United Club, for under $100 annually. (I canceled that card because in Phoenix where I live there is scant reason to fly United and Chase made an error that took me hours to sort out and the bank never apologized, so I closed accounts.)

Delta offers the American Express Sky Miles gold card – $99/year – that, you guessed it, provides priority boarding, a free checked bag, and 30% back on inflight purchases.

If your ordinary flying brings you entry level elite status, by all means, take it.

But don’t break a sweat or even think about taking unnecessary flights to get entry level status. It just isn’t worth the bother.

In an age of global warming – and counting carbon – it plainly is wrong to book a mileage run flight and, beyond wrong, it is simply silly to do it to claim a low level elite status because you can get similar while spending less money and basically no time getting an airline branded credit card.

Pick a card, any card and you’ll create your own elite status.

by Robert McGarvey

Maybe it’s this year’s Zeitgeist but in 2021 when I returned from walking 150 miles of the ancient Camino de Santiago (from Leon to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain) pretty much no one asked me how to do it themselves.

This year, when I returned from walking a similar distance on the Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago, suddenly a lot of people have asked me how to do it. Probably it’s because Covid fears have receded, but now it seems everyone wants to hit the Camino trails and they all want to know how.

This is my answer.

For starters: if you can walk a mile in your hometown you can walk the Camino aka The Way. That is fact. There is no timekeeper, take as many days as you want and, especially on the Camino Frances – the most popular route – there are plenty of places to sleep between, say, Leon and Santiago. No one is forced to walk a 20 mile stage daily. In fact, in our most recent Camino, one day’s stage was 5.9 miles (mainly because I discovered all accommodations were booked in the next logical stopping point which was another six miles distant). You don’t lose points for walking five miles in a day, you don’t score points for logging 20+. Your Camino is your Camino.

You also are not obliged to carry a heavy backpack as you walk. On the most popular routes – the Frances and the Portuguese from Porto – multiple companies (known as pack services) want to transport your bag for around 6 Euros per stage. You also can use a service some days, carry it yourself others which is what we did on this year’s Portuguese.

How big a pack should you bring? Go in the popular April through October timeframe and a 40 liter sack will be big enough. That’s what I used last year and this year. Next year I plan to do a third Camino – the Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago, about 100 km – and will use a 35 liter Cotopaxi bag because, honestly, the 40 liter bag felt heavy on my back this year and I decided to trim down for the next walk. I picked the Cotopaxi because it is built to be rugged and it features lots of built-in organization. As a bonus it is unquestionably carryon luggage on any airline I would fly.

How can you get away with such a small pack? Because you only bring clothes and toiletries and of course a phone charger. You don’t need a sleeping bag, a cook stove, or a larder of dried and canned food for hikers. There are plenty of cafes along the main Camino routes. I don’t even bring a water bottle (although I do buy the occasional plastic bottle of water at a mercado along the way).

But you do need fast drying underwear, socks and shirts. You will be washing them out in sinks and you want them dry before heading off early the next morning. I have acquired a whole if small Camino wardrobe to accommodate this need. Word of advice: your socks are the most critical part of your wardrobe. Do not scrimp. I wear modestly priced walking shoes but $25 Darn Tough socks.

And you are not obligated to sleep at so-called albergues, which are usually akin to barracks where 20 to maybe 100 peregrinos are sleeping. We never slept in an albergue on our 2021 walk (lingering Covid concerns made that unwise). Nor did we this year – again because of Covid but also because there were so many pilgrims this year and so many albergues remained closed availability of beds was uncertain. I used Booking.com to find rooms at small, usually family owned hotels, at rates that never exceeded $121 per night and perhaps half the time included breakfast.

Here are the rates for other nights: $82, $72, $75, $68, $56, $48, $62, $60, $90, $66, $60. That’s for two people, private room, private bath. And, as I said, about half the time a breakfast was in the deal.

About now you are probably asking, but what about the walking? As I already indicated, walk at your own pace. The two most popular Camino routes do not involve technical skills. These literally are walks in the park with some city and town sidewalks thrown in. Many peregrinos use hiking poles – some use two, personally I prefer just one but it is especially useful going down steep hills and also when crossing shallow streams.

Definitely do walks at home before heading off to Spain. Maybe six months before the start date, certainly three months before, start walking ever longer distances six days a week, seven if you can. Why so many days? No day’s walk on the Camino is likely to undo a peregrino but the day in, day out grind for two weeks, maybe a month if one is walking the full 800km Frances route does thwart many. Get used to daily walking. If you can manage five miles a day probably you are good to go for the Camino especially if you will settle for a 10 mile per day quota.

Your goal is near 20 miles per day? I suggest getting up to at least 10 miles per day at home.

And do some of that walking, especially the last week or two, wearing the pack you plan to bring. Is it comfortable? If not, adjust the straps. If it’s still uncomfortable, buy a new pack. Pack comfort is critical especially if you don’t plan to use a pack service.

A rule of thumb is that walking shoes will last for around 500 miles so put in maybe 250 miles in them at home – and bring those shoes on the Camino. Do not bring new ones. That leads to blisters. Bring shoes that already suit your feet and walking style.

But do bring blister treatment – it’s probably the most common Camino ailment. I’ve used several, most seem to work okay, but do not have a favorite to recommend. Try several at home before going to Spain.

All that’s left for you to do now is book your flight and book accommodations at least for the first couple nights. Buen Camino.

By Robert McGarvey

Probably you thought – as I did – that the 2002 ruling by the IRS that it couldn’t figure the value of airline miles and therefore it wouldn’t tax them settled matters with a clear principle: Miles do not incur tax consequences.

My certainty vanished as I read the fine print associated with a 20,000 Membership Rewards points offer from American Express.  Deep in the document I read this: “The receipt of Membership Rewards® points through this offer may be considered taxable income to you and may be reported to the IRS on Form 1099. You are responsible for any federal or state taxes resulting from this offer.”

Now do we have your attention? It certainly got mine

I started by reading exactly what the IRS ruled: “Consistent with prior practice, the IRS will not assert that any taxpayer has understated his federal tax liability by reason of the receipt or personal use of frequent flyer miles or other in-kind promotional benefits attributable to the taxpayer’s business or official travel.”  

There’s a twist in that statement: “attributable to the taxpayer’s business or official travel.”  Are miles earned in personal travel taxable?

Presently they aren’t.  In most cases. That’s because, to quote a CPA firm: “The IRS has stated that they will not tax miles that are earned through travel with an airline or by using a credit or debit card because those miles are deemed nontaxable rebates.” That’s as true for personal travel as business travel.

But there’s another twist: “This relief does not apply to travel or other promotional benefits that are converted to cash, to compensation that is paid in the form of travel or other promotional benefits….”

Another CPA firm notes this: “When you receive an offer that promises to give you 30,000 miles for opening a new checking account, pause. Realize that this may cost you tax before you jump at this tempting offer.

“Since you don’t have to spend any of your own money to earn the frequent flyer miles, they are considered a gift, not a reward.”

A third CPA firm elaborates: “in Shankar v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court sided with the IRS, finding that airline miles awarded in conjunction with opening a bank account were indeed taxable. Part of the evidence of taxability was the fact that the bank had issued Forms 1099 MISC to customers who’d redeemed the rewards points to purchase airline tickets.”

Which means that, yes, potentially the Amex 20,000 point bounty could be taxed. It seems clearly to be a gift for signing up for pay over time.

But why is Amex issuing a 1099 – which is required when amounts are $600 and more.  

20,000 Amex miles is a sizable clump – that’s why I was eyeing this pay over time offer even though I have no intention of actually paying over time. I just wanted the miles – so, yes, I value Amex miles. But, personally, I see no way that haul can be valued at $600. My calculation is $200. Even using The Points Guy’s generous calculations, it’d only be worth $400.

NerdWallet adds that if Amex miles are used to shop at Amazon the value dips to 0.7 cents which amounts to $140 for 20,000 miles.

There is no way to put a $600 value on 20,000 membership rewards points.

But the IRS does not prohibit issuing 1099s for amounts below $600. So Amex is well within its rights to issue a 1099. But why?

The value of the Amex points is uncertain and, besides, by some estimates, 90% of airline miles are never used. Other estimates say 40% of miles aren’t used.  Either way, lots of miles and points never get put to use and their value has to be put at zero.

My calculation is that – valued at $200 – my federal and state tax consequences of a 20,000 mile gift for signing up would amount to maybe $100.  Of course that is no big deal.

It is however opening a Pandora’s box. What else might be taxed?

So, for now, it has halted my signing up for pay over time. At least I won’t miss having that option.

But one thing is certain: I will always read the fine print with points and rewards offers.

by Robert McGarvey

Out with some old and in with what new?

When the $95 annual fee showed up on my Chase United Explorer card I immediately picked up the phone, called Chase, and cancelled the card. I could not remember the last time I flew United which is a non player at Sky Harbor in Phoenix where I live. American and Southwest dominate so it was easy to kiss the United card goodbye.

It was still easier because – after an annoying snafu at Chase where the big bank failed in customer service – I have closed a Chase checking account and a savings account and the United card was the next logical casualty. (I plan to keep a Chase issued Amazon card that returns 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. It’s free too. Scorching earth is fun but I don’t want to incinerate my own crops.)

Then I saw a tasty Delta offer in my postal mailbox – 80,000 miles after spending $4000 in the first six months. The card is Amex gold, $250 annual fee.

I was just about to apply when sanity prevailed. In my life I remember flying Delta only three trips, each time a “free” ticket bought with Amex miles. Delta also is a trivial player at PHX. The offer got binned.

And I decided my best move right now is to maximize the benefits of the cards already in my wallet. Sure, I am mulling getting a Southwest card – the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card at $99 is tempting. There’s a 50,000 point bonus too. But, although I flew SWA lots years ago, I remember flying SWA only once in the past five years. Why do I want to pay for a slice of plastic to sit unused in my wallet?

Especially when I already have plenty of useful credit cards and my goal is to get more out of them.

Eight, that is how many credit cards I have. Most I make very little use of. I want to change that.

I am keeping the AAdvantage Aviator card. $99 annual fee. Living in Phoenix it just makes sense to be able to get perks such as priority boarding on one of the leading carriers. The card also delivers 1 AAdvantage mile for every dollars (2 per dollar on AA purchases).The card otherwise has scant attractions but it’s in my wallet and will remain for now and I am planning to use it more to build up my AA miles stash.

Diners Club also is in my wallet – $95 per year. It’s also often very useful as I discovered in my recent trip to Portugal and Spain where a lot of establishments do not take Amex. But they take Diners because it is a Mastercard in fancy clothes. Besides, Diners offers many perks – I have a stash of rewards points and it also offers another way to access airport lounges, not that they are appealing these days. It also offers primary collision damage waiver coverage for vehicle rentals and lots more perks. It’s good value.

The Venmo Visa card is a newer addition to my wallet and this no fee card offers cashback rewards tiered at 3% down to 1%. Your largest spending category wins 3% – for me that’s groceries. The next biggest category gets 2%. Everything else gets 1% cashback. I take mine in crypto and, don’t laugh, my account is down 30%. Hey, at least I have a crypto play and in many respects the loss is costing me nothing anyway.

New in my wallet is an REI card via Capital One. It’s a rewards card – 5% on REI purchases, 1.5% on everything else. But when in Europe recently I used the card a lot because it has no foreign transaction fees. The card is fee free (although it needs an REI membership which is a onetime fee of $30 – and members usually get 10% back on eligible REI purchases so it pays for itself very quickly).

That leaves the heavyweight in my wallet – Amex Plat which just dinged me $695 for renewal but it pays for itself. I’ve documented how Plat pays for itself but of course you have to play the Amex game and make the right moves. None of that is hard however.

On the Portugal-Spain trip I got a $200 hotel credit (for booking a Hotel Collection property), $85 refunded on miscellaneous Delta charges, and 5X points on airline flights and hotels booked via Amex tools. And that’s just in one two month span.

What’s key is that to make the Plat card work for you you have to use it. Do that and the annual fee literally is paid for with the perks you get.

What’s in your wallet? Is there dead weight you can throw overboard?

By Robert McGarvey

First this: do the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route in Spain and Portugal where all paths lead to Santiago de Compostela.  Multiple routes exist where even a slow walker can complete a Camino in maybe 10 days.  Go. Spending day after day where the only agenda item is walking liberates the mind. If you can walk you can do this. Personally, I like it so much I’ve done it twice in two years and already have started planning a third.

Now for some specifics from my recent trip which involved a 13 day walk from Porto to Santiago through rural Portugal and Spain (Galicia), but started with six days split between Lisbon and Porto and ended with six nights split between Santiago and Madrid. There are highlights and lowlights.  What went better than I had a right to expect and what went worse.

Let’s get the losing moments out of the way.

*Delta checked baggage.  No surprise of course but, yes, I am still waiting for three hiking poles that had been checked because they have to be. There no obvious reason for this policy but it’s the policy so we first checked the poles with Iberia when flying from Santiago to Madrid – they showed up fine. We then checked them on a Delta Madrid to Atlanta flight, continuing with an Atlanta to Phoenix flight.  They showed up in Atlanta where we claimed them, as required, and then put them back into Delta’s hands for transport to Phoenix. Four days later there still is no sign of them and Delta’s customer service is simply terrible.  Just don’t check luggage with Delta.  We used carryon backpacks – Osprey 40 liter bags – so had no problems with that. But the hiking poles have vanished.

*TAP’s bag hustle.  I thought I’d seen every airline hustle but in Madrid airport TAP did something I’d never seen. As passengers waited to board a flight to Lisbon a TAP employee circulated among us with a cardboard bag sizer and put just about every bag to the test – and, guess what, many were “too big.” Rejected bags had to be checked and many passengers – with discounted airfares – had to pony up Euros to check their bags. Literally dozens of bags failed the sizer test in the minutes I watched.  Mine were not even sized so I have no personal gripe.  But flier beware with TAP.

*Delta Club. After depositing the hiking poles in the about to be lost forever bin and walking to my gate for the flight from Atlanta to Phoenix I saw a Sky Club literally feet from the gate. Might as well go in, right, since I have Amex Plat. Uh no. That’s because a noticed a line of about 10 people waiting outside the club and this was a line that wasn’t moving. It of course meant that inside the club was jammed as well. Airport clubs really do suck now.

Now for the best moments from a month in Iberia.

*The weak Euro. The last time the dollar was at parity with the Euro was 2002.  On this trip I kept celebrating the reality that a 100 Euro meal was actually costing me only $100, maybe even a little less.   A year ago when I did a similar trip to Spain the Euro was worth $1.15. If you need another reason to go to Europe, you have it: the dollar is just so powerful.

*The AMEX Hotel Collection. For a stay in Madrid I booked three nights at ME by Melia, on Plaza de Santa Ana in centro Madrid.  I had never stayed at a Melia hotel – hadn’t heard of the company to be honest – but the location sold me.  I paid $1020.81. But I got a $200 credit from Amex plus Melia gave me a $100 onsite credit – which paid for breakfast for two for two mornings.  I also got 5105 Amex miles (a 5X haul).  I hadn’t made much use of this Amex perk but count me a convert.  I also am a fan of ME by Melia.  A lovely hotel at a great price.  

*Luzeiro Suites Lisbon. Joe Brancatelli is a fanboy and he is right. The hotel is in a great location – convenient to many restaurants, the subway and wonderful streets for walking.  Rooms are clean, reasonably sized and the staff are helpful. But it’s the price that hooked me. 440 Euros for three nights – in a nice hotel in a European capital in the middle of plenty of action.  If you are going to Lisbon – and these days just about everybody seems to have a jones for Portugal – just stay at this hotel.  

*Don Quixote Restaurant, Santiago de Compostela. It was a Sunday, mid-day, many restaurants weren’t open but this one – which specializes in Galician food and is a short distance from the Cathedral – had an available table.  And a remarkable thing happened. For our main we ordered a lobster and rice dish and a bottle of good Spanish wine. But then the sommelier came by and urged me to change the wine order.  The wine I wanted was too good, he said. He talked me into a wine that cost half as much. “It’s not as good a wine but better for the lobster,” he said.  His wine choice proved a great complement to the lobster – and the meal for two cost $116. 

*T-Mobile international data.  Free data, that says it.  T-Mo covers hundreds of countries and the data may be slow but it is free.  Don’t you remember the trips you took maybe in 2010 and data bills for hundreds of dollars inevitably rolled in? Not for me today. Not with T-Mo. Yes, T-Mo offers higher speed data for a price but I never enrolled.  Wasn’t necessary.   Also included gratis is inflight WiFi on at least some flights.  

By Robert McGarvey

You believe – we all believe – that it is our network of airport lounges that keep us sane as we travel. Outside, in the airport public areas, there is a madding crowd and its vulgar din. Inside, in our lounges, there is tranquility and civility. We take all that as fact.

But now our beliefs are under attack. Mainly due to overcrowding of lounges.  A recent Travel Weekly headline offered up this verdict: “Airplanes are packed, and the lounges also seem to be crowded.”

You’ve had this experience: enduring a long line and wait to enter a lounge and, once inside, there’s nowhere to sit and who wants to stand in a crowded room and slurp cheap wine?

That is why I am now doing something I don’t believe I ever have done before: mapping out my lounge experiences pre-trip and I am thinking beyond the Centurion which had been my go-to – but its deserved popularity is undermining the guest experience at many airports. If there is one and it doesn’t look to be bursting, I’ll of course check it out and Amex even makes that easy to do in the mobile app. One Mile at a Time tells how here.

And when I just checked the Centurion at PHX, the app warned me: “almost full.”

That’s why nowadays I want alternatives.

Incidentally, there is a belief that the overcrowded lounge is something of a myth.  That Travel Weekly story reported this: “Priority Pass network includes more than 100 U.S. lounges and pass-affiliated restaurants, said visits in July remained 7% below July 2019.”  American Airlines told the publication overcrowding hasn’t been an issue at its clubs. United said that where it has seen overcrowding it’s due to club closures (e.g., at EWR).  So maybe the worries about overcrowded lounges are exaggerated.

Even so I am doing a pre trip think that I have never before bothered with.

Understand however: planning in advance is no guarantee of success. Just now I clicked on Priority Pass, looked up lounges at SCQ in Spain, and my pleasure when one popped up on my screen receded when I noticed this: “Note: The lounge is temporarily closed until further notice.”

Uh, okay.  I’ve made a mental note to just grab a coffee at that airport which, in my past experience, is neither crowded nor hectic so doing without a lounge is not a big deal.

When there aren’t lounges – or they are overcrowded – do the smart thing and step into an airport restaurant.  Sure, you have to pay for that glass of red but usually the free wine at an airport lounge is worth what you paid for it.  Open the wallet and that is a way to buy a piece of quiet refuge in many airports.

Understand too, sometimes there’s no reason to think about lounges. On Day 1 of an upcoming trip there is a tight connection in Atlanta and, much as I have liked Delta’s lounges, there won’t be time for a visit so that’s out of mind.  Ditto for the return flight through Atlanta. 

On Day 2, in Madrid, I have better luck. After landing I journey to Terminal 2 for a TAP flight to Lisbon and there’s a Priority Pass lounge there, Puerta De Alcala.  

And then there’s my return to the US and in Madrid Airport’s Terminal 1 where Delta is housed there’s also a Priority Pass lounge, Cibeles, so I am good.

Not surprising, when I check the lounge access that comes with my Diners Club card, it’s the same two at MAD.  Right there is part of the current problem. The reason so many lounges are overcrowded is that increasing numbers of credit cards dangle them as perks and we the traveling public have become convinced that without lounges life on the road would drive us insane.

But will it, really?

Here’s the funniest bit: when I take the time to drill into lounges and my needs probably I will in fact only twice make use of lounges on a trip that involves six flights, three countries, and five different airports.  That triggers an Alfred E. Neuman moment, what me worry.

Just maybe this is much ado about nothing.

What I am packing today is suddenly quite different from what I packed in years past. Historically, weight be damned, I’d stuff a bag and don’t recall ever being forced to gate check it.

That just won’t work in the hectic days of 2022 travel.

We now need new rules for packing in 2022.

Rule one for travel today is don’t even think of checking a bag. Especially not in Europe but, really, nowhere. Yes, I have Air Tags. And I still won’t check a bag.

Rule two is be very, very mindful of airlines and their requirements for carryons.

Understand, too, that airlines apparently are cracking down on oversized carryon. Christopher Elliott has reported that “airlines appear to be getting stricter about carry-on bags.”

He also thinks he knows why. He quotes Jeff Galak, who teaches marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business: “By being strict on what counts as a carry-on bag, they can move some free bags to paid ones.”

Rule three: European carriers often have different rules from US carriers. For instance: TAP, which I am flying later this month, has an 8 kilogram weight limit for carryon. That’s about 17.6 pounds. A personal item can weigh 2 kg (roughly 4.5 pounds). That’s around 22 pounds total.

Iberia, which I also am flying in Europe, has a 10 kg carryon limit – 22 pounds. That’s inclusive of the “personal item.”

So lightweight matters.

But for me, on this upcoming month-long trip where I will use only carryon (a 40 liter Osprey bag), there are competing universes that need to be satisfied. For instance, I will have six nights in European capital cities (Lisbon and Madrid) where prevailing wardrobes are on the dressy side. But much of the trip will be spent walking 150+ miles on the Portuguese Camino where sweat, rain and mud will be staples. I need clothing I can launder in a hotel room sink and – crucially – that will dry fast and be ready to wear or pack in the a.m.

That rules out the cotton I have historically preferred in everything from shirts to pants and underwear and socks. Last year, on a similar but shorter trip to Spain, I learned that cotton is not quick drying.

What am I packing – keeping in mind this is primarily a walking trip? Much of it is stuff I bought specifically because I am doing this trip.

But, first, a shout out to several readers who pointed me to SCOTTeVEST as a clever tool for, shall we say, augmenting what one can carryon. At first glance I snickered at this eccentric garment but then I weighed my backpack after filling it with a trial load and, well, I saw the brilliance of the SCOTTeVEST. Pockets are what this garment provides. I bought the entry level nine pocket model for $129 from Amazon but I see other styles with as many as 42 pockets. (Yes, it’s mainly cotton but I won’t be washing it on this trip.)

I will stuff the vest with a Bluetooth keyboard, an iPhone (one half pound with case), glasses, coins, keys, a few travel documents, an Apple pencil, a packable day pack and more. That’s probably 4 lbs of gear that rides on my back and every ounce counts. SCOTTeVEST says it builds in a weight management system so the wearer doesn’t look like an inartful shoplifter.

As for my clothing, for this year’s trip, nylon and polyester rule because they dry fast. The underpants are ex officio, nylon/spandex. Amazon Essentials tech t-shirts are in the bag – 100% polyester. One shirt is “mixed material” via Wrangler – 73% Nylon, 27% Polyester; Inner Shell: 88% Polyester, 12% Spandex. Another shirt, via Craghoppers, is 65% poly, 35% cotton and REI says it is “quick drying.” I’ll wear Prana pants that are 97% nylon, and I’ll pack Prana pants that are made of hemp, polyester and spandex.

I’ll also pack three pairs of Darn Tough hiking socks – merino wool but it dries reasonably fast, certainly overnight. And a well worn pair of Chaco sandals will go in the bag.

I believe this kit will work on all three levels – European carryon limitations, doing a long walk in conditions that may well be rainy many days, and yet also being fit to dine in nice eateries in Lisbon and Madrid.

Sigh. I remember the days when I toted a huge garment bag that probably weighed 40 pounds loaded and that was good for carryon even in coach.

Post trip I’ll report back on how this new kit of mine fared. I am optimistic but we shall see.

by Robert McGarvey

Morning Consults’ recent Travel and Hospitality Trends Report should have a catchy subtitle: The Party Is Over. If there is a bottomline message to the 40+ page report it’s that we will be traveling less and more cheaply, indeed most of us probably already are.

You remember – really it was just a few months ago – when the buzz was that we were all in a hurry to “revenge travel.” Indeed an infelicitous naming of a trend but what it boiled down to is that – as fears of Covid receded – many of us, feeling grumpy about being in a kind of isolation for two years – suddenly were hitting the road and high prices be damned, we were going there, there being wherever we had dreamed about.

That didn’t last long.

Morning Consult has the numbers to prove the change has been seismic and this is based on some 16,000 interviews conducted globally.

Chew on this Morning Consult number: “43% of Americans say they are traveling less this summer because of high prices.” Where Covid chilled travel in 2021, in 2022 it’s now high airfares and, in some cases, all time high resort and hotel rates. Consumer wallets just seem to be zipping shut as we contemplate a world of economic and political uncertainty (vide Europe).

Morning Consult elaborated: “Inflation and fears of an economic recession have impacted travelers’ plans. Between October 2021 and July 2022, the share of U.S. adults who said they were planning a trip because they had money saved up that they wanted to spend decreased 4 percentage points.” In that regard, Morning Consult advised travel brands to be aware of the frugal impulses of many travelers and to offer appropriate options. Loyalty programs, incidentally, are apparently proving popular with frugal travelers as they cut costs by cashing in points and miles. I know I have done same – spending over 200,000 Amex miles on two tickets to Europe. Would I done the trip if I’d had to pay cash for the tix? Almost certainly. But the decision to go came quicker with the “free” tix.

But it’s not just money concerns that are slowing travel. Lingering Covid concerns – and, personally, I know more people now who have active Covid infections than at any time previously – also are slowing our desire to travel. Reported Morning Consult: “As has been the case throughout the pandemic, travelers are more comfortable with self-contained rather than shared transport, and with domestic rather than international travel.”

But Morning Consult reported on a third trend that is stifling travel: Business travel is not coming back. “Business travel will never return to a pre-pandemic normal,” said the firm.

By the way, 50% of Germans said they would never travel for business again. 55% of Brits said likewise. Among US respondents, 40% said they wouldn’t.

The numbers have to chill beliefs that a business travel renaissance is just around the bend.

For some, blended trips – so-called “bleisure travel” that unites business and pleasure – will continue, reported Morning Consult. “The best predictor of whether someone will engage in blended travel now is their pre-pandemic behavior. More than half of those who took ‘bleisure’ trips before COVID-19 shutdowns say they’ll take a trip that equally combines business and leisure in the next year, compared with just 5% of those who didn’t take bleisure trips before the pandemic.”

Even with blended trips, however, Morning Consult reports dipping traveler enthusiasm: “The share of workers who plan to go on a trip blending business and leisure has declined since the spring, suggesting the realities of combining trip occasions may be more challenging than anticipated.” Part of that challenge may be explaining the trip to skeptical managers and bean counters. But another part may be continuing concerns about global – and personal – economics.

Probably additional fuel for trip declines is rising concern about airline performance in this summer of chaotic miseries. Said Morning Consult: “The spate of flight delays and cancellations this summer has eroded trust among travelers.”

Travelers, said Morning Consult, have been quick to assign blame: “Travelers feel delays and disruptions could — and should — have been avoided.”

Add it up and what do we need – really – to see a travel boom? A better economy, the conquering of Covid, open checkbooks for business travel, and a smooth performing airline industry.

Picturing a world where all four are true is impossible. At least for me, right now.

You want a different answer? Wait three or four months and almost certainly you will get one in this year of uncertainty as the only certainty.

by Robert McGarvey

Don’t listen to me and I know many of you have not been because for the past nine months I have played Cassandra in forecasting that business travel may never return to 2019 levels and certainly won’t this year or next. Hardened business travelers have just not wanted to believe that could happen. So many have rejected gloomy prognostications, more out of their own desires rather than factual analysis.

But now a heavyweight travel analyst has weighed in with a remarkably gloomy forecast. Jan Freitag, national director for hospitality market analytics at CoStar (nee STR), now is saying business travel isn’t coming back. Period.

When it comes to forecasting the future of business travel, Freitag says: ““I am very bearish on this.”

If he is right this is bad news for Manhattan, San Francisco, even middling markets like downtown Phoenix because these economies hinge on robust midweek business travel. If the hotel rooms are empty, so will be the restaurants, the bars, and much more.

But Freitag probably is right.

The usual argument about why business travel isn’t coming back to full 2019 levels hinges on three realities: technology (think Zoom) has shown that face to face can happen digitally; corporate bean counters want to retain the savings companies have enjoyed when pretty much all business travel was on pause; and, importantly, a significant number of former road warriors have realized that, sans a heavy travel schedule, they are healthier. slimmer, better rested, and have a better family life. Reducing travel just is good for a person.

A fourth argument of course is that it also is very good for the planet and a lot of companies – admittedly more in Europe than in the US but there are some in the US too – are vigorously waving “Go Green” flags as they brag on their cuts in business travel.

Freitag – whose specialty is crunching numbers and finding meanings – looks at another, telling number when he offers his gloomy outlook for business travel: office occupancy. In many major markets – New York and Chicago for example – occupancy is around 30%.

“If I’m supposed to visit you and you’re in the Park Avenue office of some major law firm but you’re not there, I’m not going to visit you in your kitchen in Hoboken; we’re going to do this on Zoom,” Freitag said at the 2022 Hotel Data Conference. “There is, to me, a clear relationship between the lack of office return and urban occupancy.”

Meantime, many companies are subletting space they had rented because they have realized they are never returning to the office occupancy patterns of 2019. A recent survey found half of companies saying they plan to cut office space in the next year, often by as much as half.

Commercial Observer reported: “Yelp announced in June that it would eliminate mandatory in-person work and closed 450,000 square feet of its offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Amazon and Meta followed suit, announcing that each tech tycoon would slow its expansion in the Big Apple while reevaluating workplace strategy. Salesforce put more than 412,000 square feet of its San Francisco office on the sublease market in July while Twitter recently announced plans to close and downsize offices around the world, including trying to offload a full floor of its New York City outpost.”

The reality is that many office workers discovered in 2020 and 2021 that they liked not going into the office, and certainly they liked not going in five days a week. Accordingly many employers are shedding office space that nobody wants to use anyway.

Add it up and I see a permanent and sizable decrease in business travel. Probably it will stay down by at least one-third, possibly one-half, as organizations slash travel that does not include a palpable ROI. Sales calls, customer relations calls, and suchlike will continue. “Get to know you” face to faces not so much. Inhouse get togethers probably not at all.

But the silver lining for those who still want to travel is that – assuming we sidestep a recession, which seems ever more probable – trips that feature a clear ROI will be funded. If you want to travel, work up a clear business case argument. And Bon Voyage!

by Robert McGarvey

I confess: I used to have drawers full of travel gadgets, from Swiss Army knives and Leatherman tools (the latter in multiple configurations) to a collapsible backpack. But over time my interest in travel gadgets has faded, mainly because most began to resemble suitcase clutter to me and as I have embraced smaller and smaller carryon bags there just was no room for much stuff and of course the TSA nixed some of the honestly useful tools I used to pack (Leatherman is a case in point).

In 2022 however there is one gadget you must have. In fact I have two already and a third is on its way to me. as I finalize my packing list for a month-long Iberian holiday.

The gadget that wins my praise: Apple AirTags.

Don’t leave home without them. Not in this year of lost and stolen luggage. In April, per DOT stats, US airlines “mishandled” 220,000 bags. In Europe matters may be worse as lost luggage almost has become a norm.

Of course I have no intention of checking a bag on any planned travels this year and believe the only time I checked a bag in the past five years was in connection with a fall 2018 cruise from Montreal to New York that necessitated packing inclement and cold weather gear,

So why do I want AirTags and I will travel with them installed in my backpack, shoulder sling, and also a day pack? Stuff goes missing this year. It just does. AIrTag is the finder tool.

You don’t think you need one? Read this piece about an airport baggage handler who stole bags and whose arrest came about in part because of an AirTag,

The Web is full, too, of funny/maddening tales of travelers using AirTags to follow the journeys of their lost bags. Here’s one. Understand: an AirTag will not prevent your bag from going missing. But if it does go AWOL, the device gives you a good chance of discovering its location.

You may have heard AirTags are out of stock and that was so when I looked at Amazon this morning. But the Apple Store said they would get the tags to me in 10 days and that works for me, so I placed the order.

The price: $29 per tag at Apple, or four for $99. You will probably also want to buy AIrTag keyrings for secure placement of the device where you choose to place it. Apple sells pricey, fancy keyrings. I have bought serviceable keyrings for about $5 apiece at Amazon and, hey, how I envision using the device is to secure it in a place where it won’t be seen by anyone who happens to pick up one of my bags, by mistake or on purpose. Remember: luggage thieves probably are dumb but are they so dumb they haven’t heard of AirTags? I wouldn’t bet on it. Conceal the tag in your bag to make it harder for a thief to discover it and toss it out.

Cautionary word here: AirTags need an Apple device (typically an iPhone) to track their location. Android users need an alternative and the NYTimes’ Wirecutter recommends Tile Mate, which runs around $20 apiece. The Points Guy shares the affection for Tile. Incidentally, Tile can also be used with an iPhone so if you are striking out in locating AirTags, that’s an option.

Both AirTag and Tile Mate work in essentially the same way. Apple tells how: “Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy.”

In Apple’s case the AirTag rides the Apple FindMy network – which is robust and proven.

Per Wirecutter, Tile too has a large crowd-finding network.

Setting one up is fast. Activate the battery, hold the AirTag near your iPhone, tap Connect. You’re connected.

That’s it. Now you will know where your bags are.

AirTags will also help you find misplaced items. Case in point: a month ago I went looking for an AirTag to move it from one item to another and I could not find the thing. But Apple conveniently lets you get a beep from an AirTag and, instantly, I found the device. The funny bit: I had hidden it so well in a daypack that although I searched the bag twice, I didn’t see it.

May I be so successful in finding new hiding places for all my AirTags.