Apps You Need for China

Traveling to China is not like traveling to other places. The heavy-handed government blocks any website or app it doesn’t like or control, so you have to install a whole suite of different tools than you use anywhere else. Partner Kevin Kelly was just there and laid out the apps he used in China that worked. Chris Christensen of the Amateur Traveler podcast and blog says Express VPN was a bust for him though and he had better luck with Total VPN. Kevin says an Airalo eSIM might negate the need for that additional step because one is built in.

2 Vacations for a Lower Price With a Stopover

One reader sent an e-mail last week saying, “I don’t know if you know this, but it’s cheaper to fly through Panama to Colombia or Peru and stop off than it is to just fly to Panama.” That may not be true every time, but it’s worth checking into destination and airline combos that allow you to stay for a night or more on a stopover instead of just changing gates at the airport. Copa and Panama City are one such combo and you’ll find others from the HQ cities of Emirates, Turkish Air, Iberia, and others. Check this article of mine for the official stopover cities and airlines, plus some ideas for cobbling together your own stopover in other cities.

Save the Bees, Save Our Food

I just stayed at a Kimpton beach resort in Baja that must have had a thousand native plants on the property, with the flowering ones making the pollinators happy so the organic garden on site would thrive. Bees, butterflies, and their buzzing kin are hugely important to the crops that feed us but human threats are numerous. You can counter this by seeking out hotels that try to aid the environment instead of destroying it. Consider choosing lodges where they cultivate native plants to attract pollinators. Or think like a beekeeper and sign up for a beekeeping safari to support biodiversity.

All You Can Fly From Frontier Airlines

I’m not in a market where Frontier flies so I haven’t tried it, but the company just unveiled the details of its annual pass and it’s attractive if you can use it enough. The GoWild All-You-Can-Fly Pass is only $349 through December 2, which is cheaper than the Volaris Pass in Mexico that I had mixed feelings about. It’s a crazy good deal that would be worth taking a gamble on because you can start using it this year and keep using it through Spring of 2027. So you get way more than a year’s worth of flights. It’s best for spontaneous passengers because of all the restrictions, like only being able to book a day in advance on domestic flights. Plus there’s a limit to how many seats are available for passholders on each flight and you’ll need to pay extra for taxes and luggage.

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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.

11/27/25