Incentives for Hitting You With Extra Bag Charges

In case you didn’t have enough reasons to hate Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier added a big one this month. It turns out they’ve been handing out bonuses to their employees for flagging your bag that doesn’t slide right into the sizers. The employees who are definitely not “at your service” aren’t getting much for ratting you out at the gate—€1.50 per oversized bag. That seems like a stingy commission on gate fees that start at €75. Another report said that EasyJet is doing the same but paying the employees even less.

Sun Hoody for Skin Protection

I never enjoy slathering my whole body with sunscreen and the goop comes with a lot of baggage, like water contamination, questionable chemicals, nanoparticles, and high prices in foreign vacation destinations. It fills a need, especially at the pool or beach, but often swim shirts and sun hoodies can accomplish the same thing. I’m especially liking the one I packed for California and Florida this summer: the Kuhl Engineered Hoody. It’s lightweight, cool, and odor-resistant. Plus it’s flattering on my non-gym-rat body so if you’re more pumped up, it’ll look fantastic. Get it direct at that link or at REI.

Veloplanner for European Bike Routes

If you’re planning a road cycling trip in Europe, you might want to check in on Veloplanner to see what the routes and distances are like. Although more limited in scope than hiking sites/apps like AllTrails and Wikiloc, there’s a helpful depth of information on established rides, from a one-day circle around Lake Balaton in Hungary to the 1,101km Ciclovia del Sole where “cyclists will climb 9,275 meters and descend 10,103 meters.”

Paying Tolls in a Rental Car

In this age of virtual toll scanners you drive right past or under, it’s easy to miss a toll you’re supposed to pay when you’re in a rental car in the USA. Mark F. from sister newsletter Recomendo highlighted a hack via The Toll Roads website that works for southern California, but unfortunately there’s no universal solution for other geographies. The best I’ve seen is this Uni device that works in 19 states and will cover you up the entire East Coast except for South Carolina, which doesn’t have many toll roads to work around.

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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.

08/7/25