OAG released the final results from 2024’s airport counts and ATL Atlanta is still the busiest airport in the world. Dubai is coming on strong though, serving more than 60 million passengers, just 2.5 million behind. Next were Tokyo, London Heathrow, and Dallas. Denver came in at #6 but capacity grew by 24% when compared to pre-pandemic 2019, the biggest increase in the top 10. Seoul/Incheon saw the biggest year-over-year increase among the international ones. See the details here.

Countries Where Dollars Rule

With the U.S. dollar suffering from multiple self-inflicted wounds this year, the great exchange rate many of us enjoyed for months on end in Europe in the Biden years is gone. There are some countries where we now-poorer Americans are insulated though. Some countries use the dollar as their currency (like Panama and Ecuador) and others have a tight dollar peg that never wavers (like Belize, Bahamas, UAE, and Jordan). See more here.

Thailand’s Digital Nomad Visa is a Hit

Many of the digital nomad visas launched by governments are poorly designed, too restrictive, or don’t really meet the needs of all those remote workers who are working for themselves. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) though, launched last summer, is a different story. More than 35,000 remote workers have applied and most are now approved, getting 180-day stays at a time and a period that can extend to 5 years. This is helping inject capital into a struggling tourism economy and smoothing out the seasonal highs and lows in some areas. (Discovered in Borderless.)

Database of Airline Meals

I had a surprisingly good meal on a business class flight between Tampa and Dallas recently on American Airlines, so I should probably post it on AirlineMeals.net. Yes, many airlines still serve meals, especially on long-haul international flights, so if you want to see what you’ll be eating, head there to scroll through some photos. They currently have around 24,000 photos from economy class and 21,000 from business class, plus some sad shots of what was purchased on “no frills” airlines.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.