Money & Insurance
Amex Platinum just lost Lufthansa lounges, and here’s what still works
Since 1 October 2026, Amex Platinum, Business Platinum and Centurion cards no longer open Lufthansa lounges. The other 1,550+ lounges are unchanged.
Trails & Logistics
Bishnu Adhikari
Bishnu did most of Nepal on a shoestring before he did it for a living, so he thinks in permits, buses, rupees and buffer days. He writes the planning end — costs, permits, visas, routes, what is trekkable when — and he is frank about where to spend and where not to.
About Bishnu
- Costs, permits, visas, routes
- Numbers-first, verified fees
- Budget & logistics specialist
- Annapurna gateway (Lamjung)
- Corrections: email our team.
Recent articles by Bishnu
World Destinations
What the Santorini and Mykonos cruise fee costs you this autumn, and when it drops
€20 a person per stop until 30 September, then €12 in October and €4 from November. Other Greek ports charge €5, €3 and €1.
Money & Insurance
How much Americans actually spend on a trip to Spain, against everyone else
€2,297 a head in 2025, the most of any country Spain’s statistics office reports and 65% above the average visitor. The British still spend more in total.
Visas & Entry
Thailand visa-free stays just changed, and what it means for American travellers
Since 15 September, Americans get 30 days visa-free instead of 60, and every visitor must file a free digital arrival card in the three days before landing.
Flights & Access
What airlines actually owe you when air traffic control fails, in the US, UK and EU
Usually no cash payout, because ATC failures count as extraordinary. But UK and EU airlines still owe meals and hotels, and US refund rules still apply.
Visas & Entry
Where Americans can travel without a passport, and the catch in each case
Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Marianas need no passport. American Samoa and closed-loop cruises accept a birth certificate.
Safety & Advisories
Is Mexico safe for Americans right now, state by state from the State Department
Mexico is Level 2 overall, but six states are do-not-travel and two are Level 1. Cancún, Los Cabos and Mexico City all sit at Level 2.
Flights & Access
Do the clocks still go back this year after the House voted to end it
Yes. The bill passed the House 308 to 117 but not the Senate. US clocks go back on 1 November, a week after Europe, and that week catches travellers out.
Visas & Entry
What Americans actually need to enter Spain now, and what changed at the border
No visa under 90 days, but Europe now takes your fingerprints on arrival and ETIAS starts at the end of 2026. Here is the current checklist.
Safety & Advisories
How many countries the US actually tells you not to visit, and where Nepal sits
Of 214 destinations the State Department rates, 23 are do-not-travel. Nepal carries the same level as France, Italy and Spain.
World Destinations
How many vacation days Americans actually get, and what fits inside them
No US law requires a single paid day off, and most workers get 10 to 14 after a year. Here is the trip arithmetic that comes out of that.
Visas & Entry
The US passport ranks 10th now, and these are the trips that actually got harder
Singapore opens 192 countries visa-free. The US opens 179, after losing seven in a year. What changed for American travellers, and where is still easy.