My travel days are over.

I got a Ninja Creami, and now I don't feel like traveling anymore.

Instead of visiting faraway places, I just want to make ice cream recipes.

This machine should be illegal. You can basically have healthy ice cream. After my workout, I had whey protein ice cream! 🤯

I know I'm late to the game, but this is the greatest invention of the 21st century.

Just kidding...

But, Ninja, hit me up! Let's do a collab.

We're in the middle of the longest government shutdown in United States history. Respect to all the federal workers who are showing up to do their jobs even though they aren't getting paid right now.

One of the things being affected is our ability to fly. Here are some tips on how to navigate this situation:

Stay Updated on Flight Status

1. Download Airline Apps: If you're still planning to travel and already have a flight booked, download your airline's app first. This way, you can get news about flight cancellations or changes directly from the source. Make sure your notifications are turned on so you know right away.
2. Use FlightAware: FlightAware is a real-time flight tracking platform that lets you monitor departures, arrivals, delays, and aircraft movement anywhere in the world. It gives you early warning about potential disruptions so you can adjust your plans before your airline even tells you.

Be Smart When Choosing Flights

1. Try to book early morning flights. Early flights give you a better chance of getting to where you need to go. If a flight gets changed or canceled, there are more flights during the day that you can switch to instead of being stuck with a late-night flight. I've been there—sleeping at the airport sucks.
2. Also, choose nonstop flights instead of layovers. This makes things simpler. Layovers are always risky, especially during a government shutdown.
3. Choose international over domestic flights. International flights get priority, and air traffic controllers from other countries aren't affected by the shutdown. This means domestic flights are more at risk.
4. Travel from hub to hub is less likely to get canceled than traveling to smaller airports. For example, flying from JFK to Atlanta on Delta or Philly to Dallas–Fort Worth on American.

Have a Plan B

1. Make sure you have travel insurance. Travel insurance is always a good idea, especially right now. Also, credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve have trip cancellation insurance, so you can book without worry.

If You'd Rather Not Travel

I'm going to be honest—if this shutdown continues, things are going to get worse, and trip interruptions will become more likely. So if you don't feel like flying right now, that's totally okay. You can contact your airline and get a full refund.

Keep traveling,

Andrew

Would you postpone a trip during a massive shutdown, or would you take the risk and fly anyway?