Bring Your Electric Toothbrush on the Plane

First they came for our portable chargers, now they’re coming for our toothbrushes. Add electric toothbrushes to the growing number of items powered by lithium ion batteries that you can’t put in your checked luggage stateside, per new clarification from the TSA. One workaround: get a model that uses removable batteries instead. That way you can use alkaline ones, or, just put the rechargeable lithium batteries in your carry-on and still check the actual device. (Apparently this rule also applies to cordless curling irons, which I didn’t even know was a thing…)

More Reasons to Avoid the USA as a Foreigner

As if the privacy intrusions and random phone checks weren’t enough, now the cost to enter the USA is going up too. If you’re from a nation that this administration has a beef with, there are ridiculously onerous new conditions and fees that are still in the implementation phase. If you’re from an ally nation (is there really any such thing now?), the cost to enter is going from $21 to $40 on September 30. For land arrivals it goes from $6 to $30. Read all the ugly details here, including about a $12.5 billion drop in tourism during what has been a record year for nearly every other destination in the world.

The Most Peaceful Countries

If you’d like to visit somewhere calm instead, we’ve got some data for you. Iceland is the most peaceful country, followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, and Singapore in this Global Peace Index. Safe countries don’t have to be the most expensive though: Portugal, Czechia, Malaysia, and Hungary all made the top 20 and Bulgaria edged out the UK. (The USA ranks #128, just below Honduras and Kenya.)

The Exploding Hotel Brand Landscape

If you feel like you can’t keep up with all the hotel brands out there and it’s a big confusing mess, there’s a good reason for that sentiment. This Hotel Brands of the World infographic puts them all on a wheel, with companies presented as pie slices, going from luxury in the middle to budget at the edge. Marriott and Accor both have more than 30 brands each to keep track of, though the biggest slice is “Independent Groups,” with brands that are refreshingly focused. These go from Rosewood and Four Seasons to Drury Inn and In Town Suites.

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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.

09/18/25