William O’Connor

Rick Steves annoys me again; updated Newport guide; a very cool literary trip Plus, taxing tourists, miserable Positano, free national parks.

We need to stop w this idea that traveling in and of itself makes you a better person! gettingaround.substack.com/p/rick-steve...

My latest destination guide is out, this time for Amsterdam. Has all my favorite spots, including this relatively obscure gem gettingaround.substack.com/p/amsterdam-...

The world’s most-visited museum shuts down with staff sounding the alarm on mass tourism The Louvre Museum has failed to open on time Monday, leaving thousands of visitors stuck in long, unmoving lines.

The post-COVID boom in tourism to Europe may be reaching its breaking point—today Louvre staff went on strike: apnews.com/article/louv...

What to Make of AirBnb's Grandiose Plans to Take Over Travel Plus, Delta preps for business basic fares, United's getting doors, an alcohol ban fails in Scotland, and a cure for baldness would but a damper on Turkish tourism.

I really don’t understand how anybody who looks closely at what Airbnb is offering w its “relaunched” Experiences and new Services product is impressed or credulously repeating everything the company says is going to happen.

This feels insane to me Southwest

Letting things go 🧔🏻

Strange that Southwest didn’t do it gradually

Wow Southwest is ending free checked bags policy! Going from two free checked bags straight to zero unless you’re Business Select (you get 2 still) or A-list or Southwest credit card holder (you get 1). Real risk of alienating price-conscious fliers at a moment that price-consciousness is increasing

The Plane You Fly On Could Soon Look Very Different Plus, an exciting new hotel in Forte dei Marmi, Four Seasons Yacht F&B renderings, most-visited National Parks, and Southwest sneakily devaluing reward earnings.

The timelines offered are likely absurd, but I’m still enough of a dreamer to love all the possible innovation happening in aviation right now!

Don't Go to This Famous Spring Festival Plus, another knock against One Key, all the eggs in the rich traveler basket, a True Crime cruise, and crackdowns on nudist beach voyeurs.

Yes it’s one of the more awe-inducing man-made things to see, but it’s become a deeply unpleasant experience

Fyre Festival 2 ticket sales, details announced in reboot of infamous event Tickets went on sale Monday for Fyre Festival 2, nearly eight years after the infamous Bahamas festival that led to its founder being convicted of wire fraud.

Lololol tix for Fyre Fest 2 went on sale today

'I Killed the Wrong Architect' Plus, Uber's new scammy policy, exoskeletons for hiking, and Mykonos as a risky hotel bet.

A little exhibit on Sea Cloud (once the largest sailing yacht in the world) reminded me of what Harry Thaw said when he saw Mar-a-Lago…

Don't Go to Giverny, It's a Beautiful Nightmare Plus, one of Morocco's most over-the-top hotels opens a second location.

Just a reminder as you’re planning your spring and summer vacations — do NOT go to Giverny

Rio de Janeiro Guide: Where to Eat, Hike, Drink, Stay, and Explore My guide to one of the most exciting cities in the world.

My latest destination guide is out! This time for Rio de Janeiro :)

Buenos Aires Has Become an Underrated Destination Plus, RyanAir's spat with Spain gets nasty, Santorini volcanic activity, a Barragan restoration, and BILT's first cafe.

Hear me out! Buenos Aires is now an underrated destination devoid of hordes of American tourists

Tucson, Arizona: What to Do, See, and Eat The first time I went to Tucson, I didn’t get it. There was so much driving, and it was so dry, dusty, and unfathomably cold at night. It wasn’t until my third visit that I fell for this under-the-rad...

Tucson, Arizona is one of the most magical and charming places to visit in the U.S. w unforgettable hikes, a rich culture, and unique architecture. My latest destination guide is here! open.substack.com/pub/gettinga...

Elon Musk Wants to Buy a Hotel in D.C. (Reportedly) Plus, a limit on drinks at airport bars, Japan's staggering numbers, Sofia Coppola's potential hotel project, and bad airline-food collabs.

It’s one thing for the new administration and his supporters to have an outpost in the middle of official Washington on Pennsylvania Ave, it would be a whole other thing for that outpost to be in the middle of local (very liberal) Washington in Adam’s Morgan. @woconnor11.bsky.social

A Popular Hiking App Has One Annoying Flaw Plus, RyanAir goes after unruly passengers, NYT 52 places, people bringing weird things through TSA.

Rating trails is really hard. Fully agree with @woconnor11.bsky.social here (and prefer Komoot over AllTrails).

One restaurant, Ultramarinos, has set tongues wagging w its NYC-level prices gettingaround.substack.com/p/mexico-cit...

Another, Voraz, was maybe the most hyped-up of any I’d heard about and I found it mostly living up to that hype gettingaround.substack.com/p/mexico-cit...

One, Hugo, would be my go-to wine bar anywhere in the world gettingaround.substack.com/p/mexico-cit...

10 of Mexico City's Hottest New Restaurants Plus, a new hotel in Palm Beach and TSA propaganda

I spent last week visiting 10 of Mexico City’s most buzzed about new restaurants gettingaround.substack.com/p/mexico-cit...

The technology in question affected systems that allowed planes to be released

American Airlines says vendor tech was to blame for outage that led to ground stop this morning. Unclear how long it will take to unravel the delays, as some hubs like Charlotte are facing big delays

Tucson for Christmas for 3rd year in row!

Yes—incredible to see the Caravaggio paintings in intended location

The FTC just passed a rule banning junk fees for hotels and live events … as I’ve said in my newsletter about the companies fighting this: it’s not great if your business success is predicated on hiding the true cost

One of Rome's Most Iconic Churches Just Quietly Reopened The basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo has a treasure trove of works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini, and more. And it just reopened after a two-year restoration.

It stayed under the radar amidst all the Notre Dame news, but Santa Maria del Popolo also reopened recently after a major restoration www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/st...

You took better pics than me haha!

I Tried Ina Garten's Favorite Cheeseburger Plus, Jonestown massacre site tourism, an iconic church not named Notre Dame reopens, and people really, really love Santa.

For this week’s newsletter I went to try Ina Garten’s favorite cheeseburger! gettingaround.substack.com/p/i-tried-in...