Good morning from beautiful Vancouver, the best city in Canada. I love coming here in the Winter. It's only freezing here - a huge step up from the bone-chilling arctic cold that the rest of Canada is like right now.
Today is Tuesday, so I'm going to throw some travel trivia at you. We'll call it Travel Trivia Tuesday. Because... alliteration. Here is the question:
Which country in the world has the most ancient pyramids?
Toward the end of the newsletter, I'll give you the answer. But no cheating.
Here's what we have cooking today:
- 📎 Enrol in TSA PreCheck from your local Staples
- ✈️ Air Greenland receives brand new widebody plane
- 🌱 Sponsored by Athletic Greens®
- 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday
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📎 Enrol in TSA PreCheck from Staples
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You know when you're at the airport waiting in the security line, and you see all those special people who get to skip the line and waltz right through like they're royalty?
Those people have something called TSA PreCheck.
In case you didn't know, TSA PreCheck lets you go through a dedicated security line that doesn't require you to remove shoes, belts, or even laptops. It's available to use at over 200 U.S. airports with over 85 airlines (both domestic and international).
92% of people who used PreCheck last month waited less than 5 minutes to get through security.
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Getting PreCheck is pretty straightforward; You sign up online, pay a fee, and complete an in-person interview at an enrolment center.
The problem lately is that wait times are horrendous. You might be stuck waiting weeks or even months to get an interview.
Thankfully, Staples has come to save the day. Many Staples locations across the U.S. now offer TSA PreCheck interviews in-store.
That means you can sign up for PreCheck normally, but when you select your interview location, the list will include Staples locations. Data points indicate that wait times for interviews in Staples are significantly shorter than most other enrollment centers, so this could save you a ton of time and get you in that PreCheck line in no time.
But wait... I haven't told you about the best part yet.
TSA PreCheck comes at a cost of $85 for a 5-year membership. Right off the bat, that's a pretty sweet deal. Even if you save 30 minutes every time you go to the airport, the time you'll save over five years likely outweighs that fee.
But what if I told you that you can get TSA PreCheck without even needing to pay that fee?
There are dozens of credit cards out there that will offer a statement credit for TSA PreCheck. This means that you use an eligible card to pay your enrollment fee, and the bank will reimburse you for it. Many of the cards on our Top Credit Cards page offer this perk, but you can also find a complete list of cards that offer TSA PreCheck credits on their website.
Easy enrollment at Staples, full fee reimbursement, and five years of under 5-minute security times, what more could you ask for?
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✈️ Air Greenland receives brand new widebody jet
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Before you zoom past this section because of the subpar headline, give me a chance to get you excited about this news.
Maybe you're different, but Greenland has always been a bucket list destination for me. For the last few years, I've considered booking a trip there but never pulled the trigger.
That is, until this past weekend.
That's because last week, Air Greenland took delivery of a brand-spankin' new Airbus A330-800neo... and it's so beautiful I could cry. I mean, look at it.
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As you might imagine, Greenland doesn't have much travel demand. As a result, the airline only has a handful of planes, most of which are tiny prop planes.
However, the Greenlandic people need a way to receive supplies and cargo, hence the need for a widebody plane like this.
The only connection between Greenland and the rest of the world is the daily flight between Copenhagen and Kangerlussuaq. If you've never heard of Kangerlussuaq, it's because it's only a tiny town with a few people. It's also the only runway in Greenland long enough for a plane like this. Not even the capital city of Nuuk can receive planes this big.
There are two reasons why this is significant for travelers:
- Currently, only three airlines in the world have the new Airbus a330-800neo; Kuwait Airlines, Uganda Airlines, and Air Greenland. It is a brand new plane and a huge bucket list piece of metal for AvGeeks like me.
- Because of this plane's enormous passenger capacity and fuel efficiency, flights to Greenland for prospective travelers (also like me) are getting more affordable.
That's why I will be traveling to Nuuk via Kangerlussuaq on this gorgeous bird in May. You may be surprised to learn that the round-trip ticket from Copenhagen only cost me about $400 (it's gone up a little since the weekend).
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The addition of this amazing piece of technology has opened the door for ordinary people to travel to an otherwise very inaccessible destination. It also opens the door for Greenlandic people to venture out of the country in a more affordable way.
If you're the adventurous type, avgeek, or just REALLY love the cold, now is the perfect time to book a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Greenland.
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🌱 Sponsored by Athletic Greens®
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The new year is just around the corner, and I've been doing some serious thinking about goals and New Year's resolutions and such.
One of my goals for 2023 is to stay healthier when traveling. Unfortunately, I find it challenging to keep my body in tip-top shape when jumping through time zones and eating plane and airport food seven days a week.
That also means it's very easy to make excuses not to stay healthy.
Thankfully, I have the perfect solution 👇
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Athletic Greens has created AG1— a nutritional drink that contains a whopping 75 high-quality ingredients to support full-body health, beginning with your gut.
AG1 by Athletic Greens is more than just… well… greens. It supplies necessary multivitamins and minerals, pre/probiotics, immune support, digestive support, and more, all in a single scoop.
What I love most about Athletic Greens is that you can order a big ‘ol bucket of AG1, OR you can get it in neat little travel packets. So basically, it's impossible to make excuses NOT to stay healthy while traveling... Or not traveling.
AG1 helps us be more resilient through the holidays and colder months through all-day energy, gut health, and immunity support. It's the best thing you can do for yourself in under a minute (just like The Daily Drop is the best thing you can do for yourself in under 5 minutes 😉).
Oh, and if you're worried about this tasting like dirt, don't be. Many people (myself included) are pleasantly surprised by how good AG1 tastes.
I know - a healthy drink that also tastes good? Who knew that was possible?
Anyway, we’ve got a special treat for you: Start the new year strong by ordering AG1 today, and you'll also get:
- A free welcome kit
- A year’s supply of Vitamin D
- Flexible delivery schedule
- 60-day money-back guarantee.
So there’s really no reason not to try this out. I’ll even make it as simple as humanly possible for you 👇
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When you read the trivia question earlier, you may have thought the answer was Egypt.
But then you probably thought that Egypt would be way too simple. I mean, what kind of boring trivia question would that be?
Well, the answer might surprise you. The country with the most pyramids is actually... CANADA.
No, I'm just kidding.
It's actually Sudan. And it's not even close - Sudan is home to almost twice as many pyramids as Egypt.
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Sudan's Nubian Pyramids were built by members of the Kingdom of Kush (between 1350 BC and 500 AD.
So basically, they were trying to be cool and keep up with the latest Egyptian trends, but by the time they learned about the pyramids, the Egyptians had already gotten bored of them. It's not their fault, word traveled slowly before the internet.
Anyway, I love learning things like this that shatter my assumptions about the world. We grow up associating Egypt with pyramids and vice versa, but this really fascinating place and piece of history often gets swept under the rug.
So if you want a taste of the historic pyramids of Northern Africa without the tourists and selfie sticks, take a quick visit to Sudan someday - I know I will.
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That's all for today, folks! Did you know about the pyramids of Sudan before today's newsletter? Which place would you like to visit most - Greenland or Sudan? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
Have a wonderful day,
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