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:

“Yeah, the Canadian is really iconic and it's probably the most popular rail experience, passenger rail experience in our country.”

"They call it the gates of the hell. So can you imagine a crater in the size of the soccer field and there is a huge flame, gas is burning there.”

“We have so many waterfalls and that is something that is truly amazing. and amazing to see and swim and experience.”

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^{3 Things I Learnt this Month}

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Good riddance to the shoes-off policy. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the US announced a change to checkpoint requirements for air travelers last month, doing away with its shoes-off policy after nearly two decades. The agency attributed the policy change to improvements in screening technology, citing "cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security" at airports nationwide. Thank goodness.

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The Eurostar train, connecting London to mainland Europe, offers a fast and convenient travel experience with several interesting facts. It travels through the Channel Tunnel, which boasts the world's longest underwater rail tunnel section stretching over 31.5 miles. Reaching speeds of up to 186 mph (300 km/h), it offers a speedy journey, with the London to Paris route taking around 2 hours and 15 minutes. Eurostar also provides a direct link to various European destinations, including Paris, Brussels, Lille, and Amsterdam.

Looking at the Month Ahead 

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

Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Ont.) - North America's longest running air show typically takes place over the Labour Day weekend (August 30 - September 1, 2025) and features impressive aerial displays from the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the CF-18 Demo Team and the F-35 Demo Team.

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany): This world-famous beer festival, while partially in October, kicks off in late September and is known for its Bavarian culture, beer tents, and traditional costumes.

Mexico's Independence Day: Celebrated throughout Mexico on September 16th, this holiday involves parades, patriotic festivities, and vibrant cultural displays.

Travel Tip of the Month

Challenge yourself to try things that normally give you anxiety. The more you do this, the more that anxiety will fade away. Not a hiker? Go on more hikes. Have trouble talking to strangers? Talk to everyone. Scared of weird food? Eat the weirdest thing you can find. The reason this works so well while traveling is because everything is already so different, what's one more new/uncomfortable experience? No one knows who you are anyway, you can totally reinvent yourself.