We had no problems making the initial appointment at our local HNL airport. They just had us renew online and no need to show up again.
Thanks for the trip reports! We stayed at the Yosemite lodge many years ago with three little kids and it was great at the time. Since then, we have stayed several times in the tent cabins of Camp Curry. Except for the time they put us next to the bathroom and the automatic hand dryers woke me up several times (they moved us the next day) it was a good experience. Rustic and very basic, but the location can’t be beat and some of the tents are large enough for a family. We stopped and bought some cheap camp chairs before we got there so there was some place to sit outside of the tent, but loved being in the valley and not having to drive in and out of the park. We used the buses to get to some hikes and rented bicycles for a few hours to explore all of the valley.
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I was one of the beta test passengers on TSA precheck. Very happy to have that.
I happily use Global Entry for many trips and Nexus (going into Canada). I had (or have) a similar thing for the UK (I was flying there monthly and CBP person pulled me over and said I’d like to sign you up for our Trusted Traveler Program or equivalent – am on my way there now). But, I think everything is going digital/biometric and I’m not sure GE is adding much value. MPC might well be just as efficient as GE.
I also get Clear with my Amex Plat card. Sometimes faster than just TSA Precheck and sometimes slower. I would not pay for it if it weren’t paid for by Amex.
Yeah I’m a little sad about the falls (I love waterfalls). I’d rather go in late spring, but this is just an add on to a week at Lake Tahoe. We may still pivot and go elsewhere instead - but I do have three nights booked. I think I have until 30 days out to cancel.
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Just returning from my pro bono activity in London. The hotel let me known that it was my 30th stay at the at hotel (and they left a bottle of champagne in the room). It is nice to get some of the benefits of all my travel.
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I just returned from Portugal on a family vacation. The security was a bit intense. I was questioned at the gate. I saw a huge plane at our gate, so I assumed it was our plane. I was wrong. We were bused fairly far away to our plane and there were a lot of security people around the plane. It was a pain to walk up the stairs to board. I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours early, assumed I would have extra time at the lounge for some drinks and food. I only had 30 minutes.
I think there will be more security for the US flights, so leave yourself with some extra time.
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Thank you for the heads-up. We’ll be wrapping up our month-long trip to Europe this September–October in Porto, flying back to the U.S. from Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport. Was the airport situation you mentioned in Lisbon or Porto?
That’s great! Nice the hotel recognized your 30th stay. Sounds like you do like the place and location 
We are returning to London this fall with the kids, staying at the same hotel as last year. We are all about location, value (which ha, in London is not the same as inexpensive), and flexible cancellation policy. So it’s Premier Inn again, County Hall location near Westminster Bridge and The Eye (didn’t ride it ourselves, but convenient area since so many visitors do). We have enjoyed recognizing the location on various movies and streaming shows.
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I flew out of Lisbon, not Porto. I have flown into Porto, but not out of it. Lisbon has an interesting set up that the passport inspection is after the security. After the passport then it’s the international section. When I was there the first time I almost went to a lounge before the passport inspection, but lucky for me that I didn’t because the passport custom took 30+ minutes to get through.
Just make sure you get through the security and passport before you get comfortable at a lounge/restaurant.
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@Colorado_mom, I have stayed at many London hotels over the years. When I go for business, I tend to stay at the Conrad. Since I am a Hilton Diamond, I there is a very nice breakfast there (and in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul) that is free but would be pretty expensive otherwise and I can invite 2 or I think three people at no cost to me. So, it is a good place to have breakfast meetings. In addition, it has an Executive Lounge where I can spend time if I don’t have meetings for part of a day and get espresso. It is OK – the Exec Lounge in Seoul had a stunning view of the city and river from the 37th floor.
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We flew into Lisbon last month and wondered about the extremely very long line we passed as we were walking from our gate to baggage claim as it was after they would have gone thru security. Now it makes sense as it must have been people waiting to go thru passport control.
The Conrad looks like a nice location in London. There is a Premier Hub (smaller budget rooms) not far from there that we considered last year, but we were afraid the room would feel too tight for multiple nights.
Room size was decent at Premier Inn County Hall. It did lack traditional closet, with small hanging area instead. We are finding that trend a lot in new (and renovated) rooms. Works ok for us, except we would have liked a room safe. Strand Palace in Covent Gardens was older, fancier (and pricier)… did have a closet and room safe.
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So everywhere we were urged to apply early for our New Zealand and Australia visas for next February’s trip. I applied for NZ this morning for both of us - visa documentation just came through. My Australian visa was approved in about 15 minutes! (Husband has to do his own but I gave him lots of notes on using the app.) Hopefully neither country will change their minds in the next eight months.
And our flights are booked; caught a good price on the the flight to NZ and it hasn’t been that low again. NZ-Sydney; no deals and really only one option. But I also caught a great price on Sydney back so yay! We’re doing Premium Economy on the long haul flights - luckily we can go direct from LAX. And we have four free nights at a Hilton property in Sydney (the Uvolo Woolloomooloo) using HHonors points.
We’ve already insured the Globus tour travel with their company. For the Australia part, it looks like USAA (I’m eligible through my father) has a Travel Care Protector plan focused on medical protection for a reasonable cost so I will call tomorrow.
We’ve hashed out a plan for activities during our days in Sydney. So all we have left to plan is our free time on the Globus portion, and restaurants all over. I really enjoy researching restaurants so that part will be fun.
And yes, maybe a summer midi dress in a non busy print.
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Oh… that reminds me. Did I hear there is something new (Visa-like) needed before travel to UK? Our next trip is in Oct.
Yes, you need to complete a form and get a travel authorization before you go.
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Not until spring 2026.
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Yes, it’s called ETA, and you apply on an APP. It costs around 12 pounds. You’ll need your passport and phone to complete the application. Give yourself time; it took us about 20 minutes to complete the form. But we received comfirmation of the ETA very quickly.
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I was just in the UK and I don’t think I had to fill out any visa forms (my assistant would handle it but I don’t recall hearing about her doing so). Is that going to be required in the future?
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@Colorado_mom - We leave for Scotland in less than 3 weeks and D2 and I had to get these. H has a British Commonwealth passport (and US) so he didn’t need one.
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Edit: I just asked and my assistant did not apply for an ETA. I go through the line with the UK and Europeans and just do a biometric scan of my passport.
I was part of the original Trusted Traveler Program for the UK, but I think that just got replaced by biometric scans for everyone. I wonder if the biometric scan obviates that ETA or something.