In my young backpacker days, I was staunchly an anti-tours person, but as I started to have more money to solve problems or save time, I started seeing the advantage of sometimes handing the planning to someone else. I recently went on a terrific tour of Uzbekistan with G Adventures and it would have taken many more hours than I had available to make all those bookings for transportation, hotels, and guides. Some friends who tried to do it on their own the same month had a tough time getting transportation between cities too, while ours was all set and easy. You can see the “Highlights of Uzbekistan” tour we took on this page, as well as options some in our group were taking to extend it to the other Stans like Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

An Airline Bankruptcy in Europe

In more fallout from the drawn-out war in Iran, airBaltic of Lithuania went bankrupt this past week, the second after Spirit Air to fall apart as jet fuel prices doubled. While airBaltic was a small carrier, it was majority owned by a national government and what comes next could get worse. This travel trade article says that EasyJet is trying to sell to a U.S. investor savior and AirAsia—the largest budget airline in that part of the world—is looking for money to keep it afloat as well.

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Free Travel Insurance in Panama

You don’t need to scramble to set up basic travel insurance if you’re heading to Panama on vacation. The country is offering it for free to any traveler arriving by air, with a max of $15,000 for emergency medical treatment up to $50,000 for repatriation as needed, as well as coverage for emergency dental, lost medicines, or legal assistance for a stay of up to 10 days. No application is required; it’s automatic for anyone up to age 86. Keep in mind too that Copa Airlines (a Star Alliance partner) has a free stopover program, so you could head onward to South America or stop on the way back.

Nomads vs. the Key to Happiness

Do you know any long-term nomads who eventually settled into a base? Or ones who mainly stopped moving because they got lonely? This article on the key to happiness across all cultures might explain why. The very act of being constantly on the move makes it difficult to maintain lasting friendships, spend time with family, and stay in a meaningful couple’s relationship. All of these challenges have solutions that nomadic types have figured out, but only if the challenges are recognized, addressed, and worked on regularly. “Social capital’s importance to well-being cannot be overstated.”

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.