I am relieved that actual travel writers and bloggers have stopped the tiresome use of the term “travel hacking” and just get on with the business of helpful suggestions. Here are a few of those that I’ve recently spotted.

If you don’t fly business class or have another way into specific airline lounges, Priority Pass is a great alternative in most international airports. For years, I had a credit card that offered a limited version of the Priority Pass, but alas that’s disappeared. However, recently I found another way to finagle lounge access. The Altitude Connect card from US Bank only gets you four included lounge visits a year, but it has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and you get 20K travel portal points after a $1,000 minimum spend. Yes, I know that it’s bougie and elitist, but I’m old and need some peace and quiet when I fly.

I haven’t used  Welcome Pickups car service yet, but I’ve been told that it’s a good alternative to Uber and various local options.  You book online before your flight, see the exact price upfront (usually comparable to Uber), and most importantly, a driver will be waiting for you right after luggage pickup with your name on a sign. They speak English and can help with your bags. They operate in over 350 destinations worldwide. It’s the small dose of certainty that makes arriving in a new city less stressful.

You can now add a U.S. passport as your digital ID to your wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 26.1 or later. You still need to carry your passport overseas, but you can pull out this ID for TSA clearance at 250 airports in the U.S., including SFO, LAX, JFK and LGA. To do this go to your wallet, hit the + in the upper right, then choose “Driver’s License and ID Cards,” then “Digital ID.” You’ll be prompted to hold your phone’s camera over the photo page of your passport and then you need to touch your phone to the chip embedded in the back of the passport. Then you’ll be asked to take a selfie and do some prescribed head movements to verify you are real. Finally, your application will await verification. Once verified your passport ID will appear in your wallet.

The best bargain flights to Japan are through a Japan Airlines subsidiary called Zip Air. All routes begin or terminate in Tokyo, flying from hub cities in Asia, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and from select cities in the US. Prices vary widely during the year, but on some weeks this coming spring an economy round trip flight from San Francisco to Tokyo is only $283. Of course, they charge for everything from meals, water, blankets, and luggage. And their “lie full flat” seats (business class) are less than $2,000, but also without blankets, pillows, or service.

Traveling? Be aware that US Customs might demand to see what’s on your phone upon entry. Here’s some advice on how to handle the problem. GIFT ARTICLE