Hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast Newsletter, our monthly newsletter designed to compliment our weekly travel podcast, offer additional travel tidbits and tips. As always, your feedback is welcome.

Quotes from last month's podcast:

If you haven’t heard this month’s podcast episodes yet you can find the full interviews HERE. Some notable quotes include:

“So my favorite thing about Chicago is that there's all these nooks and crannies of different types of places to experience music.”

"We have offerings for everyone, you know, from a casual walk with your dog to a viewpoint to look at our beautiful mountains and valleys,”

“every Saturday night, we have live music here in the plaza, which is really popular. We have some pretty big names. We have some Juno Award winners, and it should be a pretty good summer.”

“”

^{3 Things I Learnt this Month}

Canadians across the country are now able to take advantage of free or discounted admissions and services to national parks, galleries, museums, train tickets and more as part of the Canada Strong Pass. Introduced earlier this year by the Government of Canada, the pass is intended to promote travel and tourism within Canada's borders by making more options financially accessible to citizens -- with a focus mainly on families and young adults.

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More than two dozen illegal tourist transportation vehicles were towed from the Cancun International Airport last month as part of an operation to weed out illegal transportation providers that have been blamed for excessive charging. In the recent past, numerous tourists have complained about excessive transportation fees from the Cancun airport. In April of last year, a Canadian man was charged $1,000 USD by a cab driver to travel between terminals. That cab driver was arrested and the money returned. Other tourists have been charged thousands for a ride to the hotel zone. In January, a Mexico City man was charged 2,000 pesos for a ride from the Cancun airport to the Cancun Hotel Zone. He was only one of many overcharged by the illegal transportation providers. As always, buyer beware and be on your toes when it comes to airport transportation not just in Cancun but in any destination.

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The booking site Thrifty Traveler reports that the US’ three largest carriers—American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta—often charge passengers more money if they’re traveling alone. For example, if you wanted to book a flight from Chicago O’Hare to Peoria, IL, next month, it would cost: $269 if you’re flying alone $181 if others are joining you The practice wasn’t consistent across every flight, but it was an undeniable trend, according to Thrifty Traveler, which revealed its findings last month. Since that report, Delta and United have quietly pivoted to charging solo passengers the same as members of larger groups.

Looking at the Month Ahead 

Here some of the events happening around the world in the month of August.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Edinburgh, Scotland: Annually in August: 1 – 25, 2025. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world’s largest arts festival and takes place annually in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival takes place annually in August and lasts for three weeks. There are over 3,000 music, theatre, opera and dance performances from around the world that take place during the festival. Around 500 of those being free of charge.

Elvis Week – Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee: Annually August: 9 – 17 August, 2025 Elvis Week is a week-long celebration of Elvis Presley’s life, legacy and enduring influence. It began in 1977 when the city of Memphis declared the week of August 16 to 22 as “Elvis Week” in honour of his death on the 16 August, 1977.

La Feria de Flores (Festival of Flowers) – Medellín, Colombia: Annually in late July / early August: 10 – 19 August, 2025. For two weeks in early August, Medellín, Colombia celebrates its token event, La Feria de Flores, or Festival of Flowers. The Antioquia region is a large exporter of flowers, and the festival also celebrates hundreds of years of tradition in the region.

La Tomatina – Buñol, Valencia, Spain: Annually in August: 27 August, 2025. This crazy Spanish festival consists of a day filled with parties, festivities, and throwing tomatoes at each other. The festival started in 1945, when locals from the small town of Buñol got into a fight next to a fruit and vegetable stand. Soon, the people nearby began to pick up the tomatoes and a food fight ensued, until the police had to stop the conflict. The food fight became a tradition for the town, although there was a lot of protest from the older generation during the first decade. In 1957, a protest was held to keep the tradition, and La Tomatina became an official festival!

Travel Tip of the Month

Before booking your flight, it’s important to check the entry requirements for each country you plan to visit. Some of them may need you to get a visa in advance, while others may need your passport to be valid for a minimum of six months from the date of entry or have six months of validity beyond your intended stay. Thus, make sure your passport meets the validity period and secure any necessary visas prior to your trip. This will help ensure a smooth and hassle-free travel experience.