Sample Travel Newsletter
Written on March 24, 2026 -> In theory, to be published/sent March 25, 2026
By: Justin Jaeger (Sarasota, FL)
✈️ TRENDING TRAVEL NEWS ✈️
Miracle Amidst Chaos: A flight attendant was ejected from the Air Canada jet that crashed at LaGuardia Sunday night. Thankfully, she survived.
Security: ICE agents are showing up at 14 major U.S. airports to help move the TSA lines along.
World Cup: The last official chance to buy World Cup tickets at face value opens April 1. Mark your calendars because they will sell out fast.
ICYMI: The Capital One Venture's elevated welcome offer is still live — snag it before it's gone (and yes, there's a $250 instant credit involved 🙏).
Good morning from a very sunny, very crowded Sarasota, Florida. ☀️
Spring Break is in full effect here (our busiest tourist season) and the traffic to the beaches is no joke.
But when it’s 78° in March and the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America? 🤷) is finally warming up enough to swim in, it’s easy to see why.
Anyways, two Delta SkyMiles deals dropped this morning that stopped me in my tracks. And yes, I booked both of them. Keep reading to see why you should book a trip today, too.
🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday Wednesday
✈️ Delta One Suites to Seoul — and how I booked it from my small airport
🤯 Taipei + Hong Kong for as little as 25k roundtrip in September (Your gateway to the rest of Asia)
🎒 My favorite travel bag (and it's currently 40% off!)
🔒 TSA security lines at some airports are a nightmare — but should you actually worry?
✅ Travel Trivia Reveal
🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday Wednesday
According to USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards, which U.S. city has been named the #1 Best Beer City in America five years in a row?
1️⃣ Asheville, North Carolina
2️⃣ Milwaukee, Wisconsin
3️⃣ Grand Rapids, Michigan
4️⃣ Portland, Oregon
The answer is patiently waiting for you at the bottom of today's newsletter… 😉
✈️ The Delta deal that stopped me in my tracks
I’ve heard it all before. Delta SkyMiles are dead. Redemption rates are terrible. Focus on other programs. Or better yet, only use credit cards that earn transferable points.
I get it.
But I still have a Delta Gold card in my wallet. And I always have a stack of Delta miles tucked away (or at least a handful of Amex points ready to transfer to Delta).
And here’s why.
Delta One Suites to Seoul, South Korea from 89k SkyMiles each way.
For context: these flights normally cost 300,000+ SkyMiles each way (so yes, terrible use of points) or over $3,000-$4,000. So today, we're talking about a 70%+ discount on one of the best business class products in the sky, on an A350, with closing suite doors, lie-flat beds, Sky Club access, and champagne.
The whole nine yards!
If you act fast, you can snag one of these seats for as little as 105k without a Delta cobranded credit card. But Delta SkyMiles Amex cardholders (like yours truly) get 15% off award bookings through their TakeOff15 benefit, which brings it down to as low as 89k SkyMiles each way from the cheapest departure cities (Minneapolis and Rochester, MN).
Most major cities are running 115k–145k without the card discount.
And if you can’t tell by my tone, I booked it.
I'm flying out of my tiny local airport in Sarasota (SRQ) which priced out at 145k one way without a Delta credit card, or 123k with the TakeOff15 discount 👌
An incredible deal for Delta One Suites from my front door. On the way home, I grabbed Delta Comfort (only 2K more miles than Main Classic), though I'll keep checking for better deals as the months go by.
Total roundtrip: 177,600 SkyMiles + about $47 in taxes. For lie-flat across the planet, then a comfortable ride back. That’s 15 hours in business class. And it will be my first time at the front of the plane 🤗
Oh and I can cancel for a full refund if I can’t go since I’m not in Basic Economy.
A note on the timing: Best availability is July–August. September still has some dates depending on your city. September in Seoul is technically the tail end of monsoon season so we’ll probably get some rain.
But that’s the tradeoff. Delta does these amazing things for travelers like us throughout the year if we’re willing to travel in the off (or monsoon) season when they’re desperate to fill planes. Sometimes you just gotta send it.
How to book: Go to delta.com, select "Shop with Miles," open Advanced Search, filter for Delta One, then use the Price Calendar to find the best dates. You can check your home airport or filter for nonstop from ATL, DTW, MSP, SLC, or SEA. Nonstop availability is strongest out of those hubs.
Act fast: This deal will likely disappear in the next 12-24 hours so don’t ask questions. If you have the points, book it now and figure it out later.
And if you’re missing out on this deal because you don’t have Delta miles or Amex points, it might be time to open up the Amex Delta Gold which has a limited-time sign up bonus of up to 90,000 Sky Miles.
That also allows you to get the TakeOff15 benefit, saving 15% off reward flights 👍
🌏 Taipei or Hong Kong for as little 25k roundtrip? Sure Delta, why not.
About an hour after the Seoul deal, another deal popped up.
And this one is just so cheap I booked it with zero hesitation.
Nationwide to Taipei, Taiwan or Hong Kong — from just 25k Delta SkyMiles roundtrip in September.
On the surface, most cities are 30k–40k roundtrip. But with the TakeOff15 benefit (courtesy of your Delta credit card), it drops to as low as 25k roundtrip.
Round trip to Asia for an astonishingly low price!
I had just enough SkyMiles left over to book this one, too. Flying out of SRQ again, with 2 stops on the way to Taipei. It set me back 45,800 in Main Classic.
Main Basic was certainly cheaper — but I’m not sure if I can actually go on this trip, so I need the flexibility to cancel for free. And I like to pick seats. Every time.
Should I stay or should I go?
September in Taipei and Hong Kong is technically the rainy season.
But who says I’m even going to Taiwan? I can book roundtrip cash flights from Taipei to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines for under $200.
Dang, that’s a lot of incredible options. All for under 50K SkyMiles. That’s why I always keep a stash on hand. You should too.
Book on delta.com, "Shop with Miles," then use the Price Calendar for September.
Taxes and fees run about $40 roundtrip. This deal is also expected to last less than 24 hours — some cities are already disappearing 😬🚨
🔒 Should you panic about TSA lines right now?
Flying for Easter? Don’t cancel your flight just yet. The internet is just being the internet again.
Some people at some airports are experiencing 5+ hour lines through security (yikes).
And most of that is happening at a few major hubs: Atlanta, JFK, and Houston are seeing some of the worst (at least according to social media). Many travelers report long lines that stretch outside the building, missed flights, and little to no support from airlines as they try to rebook.
Read: chaos.
But the reality is that many airports are operating just fine.
It all depends on where you're flying from. And it probably also depends on the day you’re flying and your departure time. And maybe a bunch of other factors, too.
The good news: many smaller, mid-size, and even some huge airports are largely business as usual. My mother-in-law flew out of SRQ two days ago and cleared security in about 3 minutes (that’s the normal time at our airport 😉). Some travelers have said similar things about PHX and PHL.
And apparently even LAX and MIA are running smoothly? 🤔
So who can you trust and what can you do?
Well, if you’re traveling from a small or mid-size airport, there’s a chance you’ll be just fine. It’s the people departing from major hubs that really need to plan ahead.
If you know someone who has traveled through your airport recently, ask them what they experienced (and what time of day they were travelling). Or go on Threads or Reddit and look up recent posts about your airport.
Many people report getting to the airport 5 hours early only to clear security in 5 minutes. Frustrating, but it sure beats the opposite…
Hopefully you’ll get through without any long waits and enjoy the holiday with people you love 🤞🐰
🎒 My favorite travel bag is 40% off right now
I've been using the Pakt 25L Travel Duffel as my personal item on every single flight for the past year.
Here’s why I bought it and why I bring it on every trip:
It stands upright under the seat in front of you, opening facing up, so you can actually reach into it mid-flight to get whatever you need — book, laptop, ipad, headphones, snacks, you name it. And it's narrow enough that as a tall guy, I can still fit my feet on either side of it (on most planes at least).
That’s a huge deal!
It’s an awesome bag and I think more people should know about it. And right now it's on sale for $135 (normally $225). I paid full price and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
I did a quick video breakdown of everything I love about it. [Watch it here →] (Insert link to a hypothetical youtube video or IG reel breaking down the bag visually)
→ Or go get yours on Paktbags.com
🌎 Travel Trivia Reveal
Earlier, we asked which US city is ranked the #1 Best Beer City in America.
And if you guessed Grand Rapids, Michigan — you're right. 🍺
USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards named Grand Rapids the #1 Best Beer City in America in 2021-2025. Five straight years. They beat out heavy hitters like Milwaukee, Asheville, and Portland every single time.
Why Grand Rapids?
Forty-plus craft breweries within a 30-minute drive
The Beer City Ale Trail
The legendary Founders Brewing and Brewery Vivant as cornerstones (both are absolutely worth visiting)
I lived in the heart of GR for 7 years and can confirm: the beer scene is the real deal.
So if you’re a craft beer enthusiast looking to take a pilgrimage, I’d highly recommend doing so in the summer or early fall (Aug-Sep are my favorite months).
It’s the ideal city for a long weekend, or you can explore more of West Michigan over the course of a week or so (there’s so much more to do here than most people realize).
I’m headed back up there this summer (a much needed escape from Florida’s horrible summer heat). Maybe if enough people are curious, I'll break down what the ideal trip would look like…
And yes, it will definitely involve visiting Michigan’s west coast on Lake Michigan 🌊
Feel free to reply to this email and let me know if that would be helpful 🤝
Aaaaand that's a wrap for today, folks. Two wild Delta deals. A travel bag I've been meaning to tell you about for months. And hopefully some clarity on whether the airport chaos affects you.
Now, do yourself a favor and go book something while the deals are flowing.
See you tomorrow,
Justin Jaeger