As I started typing this post, a cat came out of the barn looking like it is carrying a trophy mouse in its mouth. He is heading for the neighbors a few doors west, which is really not very close – probably a quarter of a mile or so.

Now, I do not have a cat, but this one now makes two different cats I have seen around the barn. This one was your typical striped cat…you know the ones that are kinda grayish. The other one is a black one. I don’t care if they are in the barn snagging mice. They are not hanging around the house and I will not feed them, but I won’t run them off completely since they are providing a service. My dogs have not seen them yet but Rider would probably scare the cats and they would run but Rider would be curious and just want to play with them. Rumor would not care.

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I have been seeing quite a few videos and articles about upcoming travel changes to be aware of in 2026 so make sure you look over every detail of your trip under the new rules. We will all basically have to start all over, checking every damn thing from what is now a valid ID to weight & size of carry-on luggage to ETIAS for European travel finally kicking into gear. Many things have changed with nearly every US domestic airline from what one article said. Take nothing for granted – make sure you check everything until you are used to the new limits. Things like your back-up batteries or your battery luggage may no longer be allowed.

Also be aware that stuff is also let through at the discretion of the TSA officer. One may not say anything about an item, the next may say no and you gotta toss it. TSA website even says it is at the discretion of the officer. It is frustrating so I don’t pack any more than what I really need. If I am out on a trip and need something I will just go buy it.

I always make sure I have the durable things I MUST carry – chargers, cables, etc. When I went to Ireland this year I had no phone battery left and was using Maps. I found an electronics store where I was able to buy a car charger for my phone. It is now in my travel items for any air travel – it is small and not something I need to keep buying so it will go whenever I fly. Sometimes If I have to buy something it may only come in a large package (like chips/crisps, shampoo, etc.) so I use what I need, then leave it at the last stop with a note saying to “help yourself I cannot take this on the plane,”. Sometimes it may be something not allowed to leave a country so I do the same with that as well. I try to use that up, though!

For those of us who have traveled internationally before, we are used to dealing with strictly-enforced smaller bag and weight restrictions from foreign airlines. I think US airlines have seen it work in Europe so now it is part of a big push in getting domestic bag sizes down and comparable with the smaller carry-on size on European carriers.

I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing to have that consistency. Way too many people think they need to bring all the stuff they pack. Others have items that are too big; I have seen way too many people board a plane with guitars and other large items that should be checked, yet some of us respect the rules and even carry less than allowed. I always travel the same way whenever I fly anyplace and that keeps it simple. I never have to make any adjustments for anything and I pack the same way each time domestic or foreign. My items are familiar on every trip, the things I carry have been through security many times and never an issue. It is the only way I go. I do not have to think about it – it just all goes together easily and quickly in my backpack.

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I guess I do not understand the REALID requirements because they make no sense. From what I understand, you MUST have a REALID-compliant ID. MUST.

HOWEVER…if you don’t have the ID that you MUST have, you can pay a fee and you NO LONGER need to have the REALID-compliant ID that you MUST have.

WITAF is this shit? The whole idea is if you do not have the correct ID then you don’t fly – you go home. THAT is security! How is it okay to pay a “fee” to buy your way on a plane because you are too special to do what the rest of us do? THAT is NOT security – that is whiny-ass entitled bullshit.

Bring your passport. Get an Enhanced state DL or state ID at the DMV. YOU need to prepare. When I lived in Washington I had an Enhanced DL and I could use it for land and water crossings into Canada. Did not have to carry a passport with you all the time and it was very handy for a spur of the moment trip which I have been known to do.

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Domestic carry-on size is shrinking and they are gonna be more vigilant about checks. Be conscious of these new restrictions; measure and weigh everything at home; get it down there and not at the airport. Ship home any purchases that you can. Unless you are checking a bag (which I will not do), realize that you need to watch your shopping – you may not have room to bring it all back.

New ETIAS entry requirements & checks for foreign visitors to Europe are being introduced. There will probably be hassles upon returning home as well. Your phone can be searched or even confiscated like it or not.

So you see there is quite a bit new that will affect just airline travel alone. Visitor fees are being charged in big cities to help deal with the crowds. That affects cruise ships as well. I think these fees will continue to grow for a while then slow the farther away from a big city or tourist area that you are.

We all just have to adapt to what our comfort level is and do what we need to do to get where we want to go. We also need to be part of the solution for making things safer and easier for everyone. Be patient – gate lice bad so don’t be one. Put your bag over YOUR own damn seat.

New App I am Trying Out

I don’t remember if I said anything about it yet but I am giving Tripsy another try to replace Tripit. I got it for 50% off so I thought I would try it out for a year. I really like Tripit because it does so much for organizing everything for a trip into one place, in chronological order, and with weather forecasts, suggestions for places to see, stay and eat at.

But, these days I find the user experience really horrible looking; it looks like it was partially updated and then abandoned so I am looking at a replacement. Tripsy is clean and looks similar to Flighty. Tripsy is similar to TripIt as in you forward them any travel reservation emails and they are made into an itinerary. It is easy to use, not too complicated, and also updates flight info.

Trips can be shared with others as a planner or a guest so everyone can be involved in making plans. I have used TripIt for that and it is a very handy feature. Also, if there were an emergency or if anyone got lost they can pull up the itinerary and see where they need to go. I have used TripIt for my road trips. It is very useful during any trip and it is cool to go back to relive your trip years later. I have done that with my Europe trips. I will see how Tripsy compares over the next year.

I have a travel face set up for my iPhone with what apps I need on an airline trip but it pretty much mirrors my watch. I have it tied to a Focus so when I fly someplace I can turn on the “Air Travel” focus and the Travel face comes up on my phone and my watch. Very handy to have that set up. I need to set up a “Road trip” focus I guess.

I saw a video where a guy made a Smart Stack of widgets in his iPhone out of some apps and a shortcut. That was pretty cool and quite handy.

I also have a page on my iPhone that I can show or hide and it is a lot of travel apps. I used it before I did the other stuff, but I kept it. I can unhide it on my default screen and I made it into the AirTravel Focus.

I find my Apple Watch Ultra is invaluable for travel. I have two Apple Watch faces fset up for travel – one is for walking in cities so it has local time, weather, Activity rings to see how you are doing during the day, heart rate, Messages, Mail, watch battery, schedule…things associated with walking tours around cities. The other face has local time, TripIt (now Tripsy), Flighty, Home (or next) time zone, Messages, Mail, Maps since when I travel that is the only info I need available on my watch. These are all things that have to do with air or train travel and I can get notified of any travel changes like rail strikes, weather at airport, train station/airport maps, etc.

Another New Way to Find Flights

A few months back, Google released a new AI flight-finding tool called Google Flight Deals. This sounds like it will probably be a real game changer for booking air travel. I just discovered this came out so I have not had the chance to try it out yet. But I am hoping to go somewhere so that would give me a chance to try it out looking at flights.

I also just found out that if you are over 65 there are still senior fares and maybe even upgrades available but you have to call the airline directly and ask about any senior fares you would be entitled to. It’s a real thing – look up something like “airline benefits for seniors” and you will see info and videos about it.

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That’s it for this post. Just be aware that with so many changes it pays to do your homework if you plan to travel. See ya next time.

Shawn