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:

“one of the amazing aspects about our downtown entertainment district is that it includes anywhere from 55 to 60 restaurants, and most of those are locally owned, some of them are chef owned, but it also includes a lot of very important attractions.”

“there's bats flying around everywhere. So um they encourage you to keep your mouth closed because while looking up and around because there's always a risk of droppings”

“we've had so many changes and and truly have gone through a renaissance, I'd say, in the last six years. It's been absolutely amazing. Um hotels that have popped up, and particularly in that luxury element that we've been seeing in the last five years“

^{3 Things I Learnt this Month}

A life jacket worn by a passenger on RMS Titanic sold last month at auction in the U.K. for 670,00 pounds ($1.3 million). The flotation device was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger and is signed by her and other survivors from the same lifeboat. Francatelli was travelling with her employer, fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon, and Lucy’s husband Cosmo Duff Gordon. All three survived in the ship’s lifeboat No. 1, which was launched carrying 12 people despite having capacity for 40. Its failure to pick up survivors from the frigid water became a source of controversy. The record auction price for a piece of Titanic memorabilia is 1.56 million pounds (almost $2 million at the time) paid in 2024 for a gold pocket watch given to the captain of RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued 700 Titanic survivors.

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Manulife, Canada’s largest insurance provider, has now classified jet fuel shortages a “‘known event’ with respect to Manulife Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance coverage. As a result, coverage may not apply to related claims for policies purchased on or after May 5, 2026, depending on the purchased policy. This underscores the importance of reviewing travel insurance carefully. Coverage is subject to specific terms, conditions, and exclusions, and timing can impact eligibility. Jet fuel prices have doubled since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and massive supply chain disruptions. Many airlines have cancelled routes and reduced capacity in response.

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Uber is expanding to handle more vacation and business trips by letting you shop for and book hotel stays directly in the Uber app, powered by Expedia. If you’re an Uber One subscriber, you’ll also get discounts of up to 20% on bookings at 10,000 different hotels. You’ll also get 10% of your spending across all hotel bookings back in Uber credits, meaning your stay may help pay for your journey from the airport. Uber will offer 700,000 hotels globally with its Expedia partnership, and it plans to introduce more properties through Vrbo later this year.

Looking at the Month Ahead 

Summer Solstice Celebrations - Northern Hemisphere, June 21: The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrated at Stonehenge, UK, and across Scandinavia.

Inti Raymi (The Sun Festival) - Cusco, Peru, June 24: The “Inti Raymi” is a pivotal ancient celebration, rooted in the worship of the sun deity, “Apu Inti.” The event stands as Cusco’s grandest, most opulent, and vibrant celebration and theatrical performance. It captivates thousands of spectators with its magnificence and cultural richness.

Haro Wine Fight Festival (La Batalla del Vino de Haro) - Haro, Spain. June 29: Each June, the town hosts its renowned wine festival that attracts thousands of visitors. It features the iconic wine battle where attendees clad in white drench each other in red wine amidst the hills. This lively event is the centerpiece of a larger festival in town, complete with food, wine, music, dancing, and vibrant parades.

World Cup Soccer 2026 - USA/Canada/Mexico: June 11–July 19

Travel Tip of the Month

Take the next day off after you get home from a vacation. In some ways, not being at work can be the best day of your vacation. A buffer day can lead to better productivity and a smoother transition back to work. It also provides a chance to prepare for the workday ahead, setting the right tone and mindset.