Rapid Rewards points can’t be converted to other airlines’ miles, but you can redeem them for travel through Southwest or More Rewards. You’ve got Rapid Rewards points and a trip that’s better on another carrier. Maybe Southwest doesn’t sell the route. Maybe the timing’s off. Or maybe you already earn miles with a different airline […]

A lighter can lead to bag inspection or confiscation, so most travelers should keep one standard lighter in carry-on and keep refills out of all bags. Can lighter be in checked luggage? The honest answer is “sometimes,” and the deciding factor is almost always fuel. A lighter that’s fully empty is treated like an empty

Cooked chicken curry can come along if it’s packed thick and leak-proof, while extra gravy must fit carry-on liquid limits. Chicken curry is comfort food. It also has two things airport security dislikes: runny sauce and containers that leak. The good news is you can usually bring chicken curry on a plane. The tricky part

A trained service dog can fly in the cabin at no charge when it meets DOT form rules and stays under control at your feet. Most travel hiccups with a service dog aren’t about the dog. They’re about timing: paperwork that isn’t attached to the reservation, a seat that’s too tight for the dog’s curl,

Yes, Southwest now assigns seats, so you pick one during booking or later in Manage Trips, with fees tied to fare and seat type. Southwest used to be the airline where you boarded by position and grabbed any open spot. That’s changed. On flights with assigned seating, you can choose a specific seat the same

Yes, a 3.2-oz toothpaste tube can go in carry-on when it’s in your quart-size liquids bag. You’re packing the night before a flight and you spot the toothpaste you already have. The tube says 3.2 oz. It’s close enough to the airport limit to make anyone pause. Good news: 3.2 ounces is under TSA’s per-container

Yes, most U.S. airlines let cats fly in-cabin if they fit in an airline-sized carrier and meet age, paperwork, and fee rules. Flying with a cat gets easier once you know what the airline will check and what the airport will make you do. The main hurdles are simple: reserve the pet spot early, use

A U.S. passport with 5 months left may work for some trips, yet many borders and airlines want 6+ months of validity. You’re looking at the expiration date and thinking, “Five months is still a chunk of time.” It is. Still, passport validity rules don’t run on vibes. They run on country entry rules and

Hot chocolate mix is allowed in carry-on and checked bags, and tidy packing keeps it dry, contained, and easy to screen. Hot chocolate mix feels like the easiest travel snack until you’re at the X-ray belt with a pouch of powder and a tight connection clocking you. The good news is simple: cocoa mix is

Yes, most U.S. travelers can buy a 30-day visa at Bali’s airport by showing a 6-month passport and onward ticket, then paying 500,000 IDR. Bali looks simple until visa chatter starts flying. One person says you must apply online. Another says you can pay at the airport. Both can be true, depending on what you