✈ Travel Alert: How the US Government Shutdown Could Disrupt Your Trip, Best Places to Travel in November & More From TPG ✈

Also: Are river cruises just for older travelers? The answer might surprise you

October 1, 2025 View in browser

What you need to know by Becky Blaine, Managing Editor, Newsletters The U.S. government is officially shut down until a new budget agreement can be reached. TPG has been covering how this will affect the travel industry. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that it will affect the economy to the tune of $1 billion lost every week. Travel is the country's No. 1 service export and directly employs 8 million American workers. And that's not counting the millions of federal employees who will have to work without pay or could be furloughed. A shutdown will likely have a ripple effect across the country, such as postponing Federal Aviation Administration training for new air traffic controllers, eventually causing a slowdown in passport and Global Entry processing times, and likely shuttering many national parks, which directly affects the economies in many rural gateway communities. Some state governments are stepping in to devise plans and help fund operations to keep select national parks open for visitors (many of whom plan years in advance for these trips) — like Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Zion National Park in Utah. You can check out our full story on the potential travel impacts. And if you are traveling in the next few days or weeks, since we could also see an increase in airport delays or flight cancellations as these impacts often grow with time, make sure you have a backup travel plan and follow these tips: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do The best credit cards with trip delay reimbursement Need to know: Here are the travel impacts when the government shuts down What to do if a boarding pass isn't marked TSA PreCheck Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Photo Credit: ROBERT ALEXANDER/GETTY IMAGES.

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Today's top stories The 10 best places to visit in November From tropical shorelines to London, these are the 10 best places to visit in November. Read more Are river cruises just for older travelers? The answer might surprise you Here are some ways to find a river cruise with a younger crowd. Read more How buying IHG points saved me over $200 on a hotel stay for World Pride in Amsterdam Hotels in Amsterdam are pricey during World Pride 2026. Here's how I saved over $230 on a four-night stay. Read more Highest offer: Earn 75,000 AAdvantage miles with the Citi / AA Business card Citi's AAdvantage credit card lineup comes with solid welcome bonus offers for more AA miles to use on American Airlines flights. Read more Crowded but fabulous: What it's like at the new Amex Centurion Lounge in Tokyo Check out the Japanese design and innovative food-and-drink options. Read more

The latest 1. The best time to cruise on rivers around the world 2. U.S. government is shutdown: Here are the travel impacts 3. The best credit card welcome bonuses of October 2025 4. Capital One Travel portal: Earn and redeem miles on flights, hotels and more 5. Iceland's Play Airlines shuts down, effective immediately 6. HawaiianMiles will transfer to Atmos Rewards on Oct. 1 — here's what you need to know 7. Current passport processing times: 4-6 weeks for routine service 8. American to spiff up its regional jets with fresh cabin design, new-look seats 9. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card review: Worth keeping year after year 10. Deal of the day: Book nonstop business class to Istanbul for only 44,000 Citi ThankYou points

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